Top 25 Franchise Marketing Leaders: Katelyn Fagan — Marketing Director, Bricks & Minifigs Franchising

Name: Katelyn Fagan
Role: Marketing Director
Brand: Bricks & Minifigs (BAM) Franchising

Katelyn Fagan discovered franchising immediately after earning her MBA, joining Zerorez Carpet Cleaning as its marketing director. Having run her own business, coached other entrepreneurs and even worked for ServiceMaster Clean as a young adult, she found deep fulfillment in helping franchise owners succeed.

Today, at Bricks & Minifigs, the LEGO franchise opportunity, she applies that same passion — balancing data-driven strategy with empathy for franchisees — to help operators grow, become more profitable and make meaningful local impact.

Q&A With Katelyn Fagan, Marketing Director, BAM Franchising

1851 Franchise: How did you find your way to franchising and franchise marketing?

Katelyn Fagan: After my MBA, I landed a job at Zerorez Carpet Cleaning, an international franchisor, as the marketing director. I was drawn to the position because I loved the idea of supporting small businesses. As a small business owner myself — and someone who had worked with small business owners through coaching and courses — I loved that I could continue helping others find success running a business.

As a young adult, I even worked for ServiceMaster Clean as a cleaner!

1851: What makes franchise marketing uniquely challenging (and rewarding) compared to corporate-only marketing?

Fagan: The hard part is that you can’t do the marketing on behalf of the franchisees. You can’t force them to follow your beautifully designed and thoughtfully developed marketing plans. They don’t have to follow best practices.

They’re also often hesitant to spend money on marketing — especially anything that isn’t directly attributable to dollars earned. So they sometimes negate brand-awareness campaigns that help grow their user base.

But it is so rewarding seeing franchisees become profitable, seeing them enjoy their business and knowing the greater impact they’re having in their communities.

1851: What is the single most powerful lever a marketing team can pull to directly impact franchisees’ profitability at the unit level?

Fagan: I’m not sure I know the answer yet — there are always so many factors that go into profitability. The easiest answer is always raising prices, but that’s not always the right decision or even feasible.

I would probably lean into targeted lifecycle marketing — getting existing customers to shop again and spend more.

1851: What is an untapped marketing opportunity you see for franchise brands?

Fagan: Content and blogs. While not an immediate or high-conversion tool, if done right, blogs can drive thousands of extra impressions of your brand and your services every single month, month after month.

It’s free advertising once it’s live on your website, and it can be repurposed across socials and emails.

1851: What’s your boldest franchise marketing take?

Fagan: I love the grand impact of franchising. Franchises have a larger impact, serving more people in more places and making a difference in individual lives every day.

Want to learn more about how 1851 helps franchisors grow their franchises with confidence? Visit www.1851growthclub.com and see what we can do for you.