The Unmatched Support that Strategic Franchising Systems Offers Franchisees

Strategic Franchising Systems (SFS) provides management and consulting services to five independently owned but affiliated franchise brands and is actively searching for and recruiting qualified owners from across the country. These owners will expand the company’s footprint in open territories and serve thousands of customers looking for help. And with an in-depth support infrastructure, SFS offers aspiring entrepreneurs from all walks of life and backgrounds the opportunity to take charge of their destiny and start a business in some of today’s hottest service industries. 

“As a franchisor, we have made a conscious choice to be an organization centered around support,” said Ray Fabik, President of Caring Transitions. “There are other franchisors who set themselves up differently, but we want our owners to be successful for 10-plus years. That goal is what we build the model around. If the owners are successful, the brand will be more successful.”

Fabik says this level of support starts from the very first moment franchisees sign on with the team. 

“When the support first starts, owners go through a five-week online program and are assigned a business coach and onboarding coach,” he said. “It culminates in one week of live training. All of this allows our owners to create a plan for their business. A business plan isn’t just about evaluating the opportunity — it is about understanding where the business owner needs to go to hit their own personal goals.”

From there, Joe Lewandowski, Vice President of Operations for Caring Transitions, said onboarding and training go hand-in-hand. All new franchise owners are prepared and trained with what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, including access to business coaching, recruiting, marketing programs and trade secrets for each of the five franchise systems. 

“Training starts day one in that onboarding process,” Lewandowski said. “We go through much of the training remotely, and then prospects come to the workshop for one week of training at the home office. They meet their coaches and work to build their business plans. Every day features a different theme — our brand, our culture, the technology, the tools we have such as pricing, KPI tracking, profitability and accountability, sales and marketing, launch procedures, next steps. There is also an onsite training piece where they can work in an operating franchise — touch it, feel it and see it. At the end of the onboarding process, they get to proudly present their business plan to the leadership team, their regional coach and their peers in the workshop. It’s a totally supportive and encouraging environment where we all cheer for each other.”

Then, after training, it is time to launch the business. Since the Strategic concepts are mostly home-based, Lewandowski says grand opening events are really just a date on a calendar — but the team suggests local marketing strategies to get the word out and generate publicity and buzz. 

“Whether it be press releases, partnerships with the local chamber of commerce or networking with other businesses, we help franchise owners center the opening around building a positive presence in the community they serve,” Lewandowski said. 

Chris Seman, President of Strategic Franchising Systems, notes that franchisees leave training with a fully-baked marketing plan based on their goals. “They will be working with the marketing department to set that plan up,” he said. “We have honed that marketing strategy over the years, working with franchise owners in the field and coaching them through grand opening.”

In terms of the business's day-to-day operations, Strategic Franchising Systems franchisees can be confident they are tapping into a system that has helped people make their dreams come true for over 30 years. “Each brand has a full, turn-key platform and CRM that helps franchisees run the business day-to-day,” said Fabik. “Having those systems, processes and platforms in place is really key. That is the advantage of a franchise.” 

For example, Seman says the Strategic Franchising Systems model is designed to offer franchisees a clear pathway to success when it comes to staffing, which is more important than ever as industries struggle with ongoing labor shortages. 

“With recruitment and hiring, we want to give everyone a simple playbook, including job descriptions, recruitment techniques, management techniques — all the basic components of creating a successful employee-based environment,” Seman said. “We’ve learned so much about staffing best practices over the years, and we’ve made sure to roll them out across our entire system. Hiring is such a key component of many of our concepts, so we ensure to provide franchisees with tools and tactics to master that process.”

The corporate support doesn’t stop after the grand opening. “The ongoing support is just as in-depth as the pre-opening support,” said Joshua Johns, Director of Marketing for The Growth Coach. “A lot of typical business owners feel alone and on an island, and that doesn’t happen at Strategic. Our operations and marketing coaches are with our business owners every step of the way, and our owners also get invaluable peer-to-peer support from their fellow franchise owners. Our owners are never alone. And unlike others, we certainly don’t just pat our franchise owners on the back, send them on their way and wait for a royalty check every month. We want to ensure they have continued engagement and success. We are true partners. Our success depends on their success. This includes providing a 90-day checklist outlining everything owners should do each day and each week. They can continue using it weekly for the remainder of the business.”

And Fabik notes that the team understands it isn’t just new owners who are in need of ongoing coaching and support. 

“Even after two or three years, owners can get stuck in their business, and growth can slow,” he said. “So, we focus on building a network where owners can come together, attend peer-to-peer circles, share ideas and learn from each other. Someone may see a blind spot in their business they would have never seen if they hadn’t talked to someone else. We offer everything from national conferences to individual coaching, all designed for ongoing support so owners can continue to scale the business.”

To further incentivize the success of existing franchise owners, Strategic Franchising Systems also offers a unique company-wide program called The Winner’s Circle. The exclusive program rewards hard-working franchise owners that hit predefined milestones by refunding their entire franchise fee over time. 

“Best of all, the revenue their business generates along the way far exceeds the money they get back through the program,” said Seman. “The Winner’s Circle Program is a great way for franchisees to set their goals, attain targets and accelerate growth.” 

With such a robust support infrastructure, it is no wonder Strategic Franchising Systems appeals to aspiring entrepreneurs from all walks of life and backgrounds. “We are really focused on giving middle-class individuals more opportunity to go into business ownership from themselves,” said Seman. “In the past, those opportunities have been limited because entrepreneurs didn’t have the financial means or experience to start their own business. We provide a lot of support to lead you to the best path to success so you can achieve that entrepreneurial dream.”

For more information, visit https://strategicfranchising.com/.