1851

It&rsquo;s the holiday season, and that means that every good little franchise development boy and girl are dreaming of a green Christmas, hoping their stockings are stuffed with qualified leads, and could care less about their two front teeth as long as they can land a hefty commission from two multi-unit zees.

But as we end the year with visions of frandev budgets and marketing mix dancing in our heads, 1851 decided to qualify the holliest, jolliest lead of them all: Santa Claus.

Ho ho how would Santa perform as a franchise operator? We bring you this breakdown of the five pros and five cons you should consider if Kris Kringle ever applies through your development website.

Pros:

Expansion Minded Entrepreneur Who Won&rsquo;t Take No for an Answer &ndash; Based on research presented in the documentary &ldquo;Santa Claus is Coming to Town&rdquo; (narrated by Fred Astaire), Santa began his empire by scrapping. When the Burgermeister&nbsp;Meisterburger outlaws his burgeoning small business (I mean, could a better metaphor for government regulation exist?) Santa lobbies through proactive means (IFA, anyone?) and ultimately he drives away the regulation. From there, Santa strategically grows his one-town operation into a booming business with global distribution. Just think what he could do to saturate one of your target markets!

Long History of Maximizing Productivity and Efficiency &ndash; In the history of business, there are few entrepreneurs who can match the productivity and efficiency of Santa Claus. Long before Henry Ford was optimizing productivity through mass production, Claus had established a North Pole based operation that distributed product literally across the globe. Ignoring the glaringly obvious violations of labor laws, Santa is primed to get the most out of his workforce.

Brand Awareness &amp; Marketing Investment &ndash; This guy is a walking billboard synonymous with joy and love. Is there a better brand validator you could snag? Imagine Santa Claus standing in your booth at one of the regional conferences. &ldquo;Oh, you have an affable 12-unit franchisee who really lives your brand&rsquo;s culture? Cute. I&rsquo;ve got friggin&rsquo; Santa Claus.&rdquo; &nbsp;

Positive Culture Fit &ndash; Unless you are Adam &amp; Eve, most brands promote a family-friendly, wholesome culture. (I&rsquo;ll spare you any assumptions of what Santa and Mrs. Claus do behind closed doors.) Really if your brand&rsquo;s culture doesn&rsquo;t fit Santa&rsquo;s then it&rsquo;s you and your brand who need to rethink your philosophy

Magic &ndash; I mean, this one seems pretty obvious. How does he deliver all of those toys in just one night? Magic. Just think of the application of magic for an emerging concept late to the third-party delivery game. Bingo. No longer is there a need to invest in vendors to make delivery happen. Curious what competitors are up to? Bingo. He can see them when their sleeping and knows when they&rsquo;re awake. Are underperforming franchisees causing headaches for your ops team? Bingo. Magically a stocking full of coal is all they get on Christmas day with a note that says, &ldquo;Ho ho ho! Your poor execution on an established model is harming public perception that can negatively impact my market, Jim. Get your yuletide s?!&amp; together, Jim.&rdquo;

Cons:

HR Nightmare &ndash; It may seem whimsical that Santa makes a list, checks it twice, and then determines who has been naughty and who has been nice &ndash; but this could be a big problem is a similar list exists separating team members at his location. Also, Santa&rsquo;s propensity for inviting people to sit on his lap could pose a big problem for the corporate HR team, especially in the current landscape.

Poor P&amp;L History &ndash; However productive and efficient Santa has historically run his North Pole factory, the fact remains that his entire operation is set up to make literally zero profit. It&rsquo;s hard to account for cookies, milk and the occasional carrot for the reindeer as line items in a budget. The universal love and admiration of children isn&rsquo;t going to offset those increasing commodities costs, Kringle.

Distrust in the Franchisor/Franchisee Relationship &ndash; It&rsquo;s important to have mutual respect and understanding that both the franchisor and franchisee are working toward a common goal. However, in times when hard decisions must be made that aren&rsquo;t popular with every single franchisee, it will be difficult to deliver the news to your FAC if the chairman is Santa, who can literally &ldquo;see you when you&rsquo;re sleeping&rdquo; and &ldquo;knows when you&rsquo;re awake&rdquo;. It would be understandable that even the franchisor with the strongest backbone would cave to that hauntingly creepy yuletide passive aggressive threat.

Investment in Technology &ndash; It should be telling that even though he could have automated much of his business model decades ago, Claus continues to manufacture strictly through &ldquo;elfual&rdquo; labor, the cost of which has continued to balloon in response to population swells across the globe. It&rsquo;s hard to teach an old dog new tricks, and it&rsquo;s likely that Santa will not buy-in on your company&rsquo;s commitment to increased technology.

Magic &ndash; Again, this can go both ways. Such is magic. The true nature lies within how it is wielded. So far, documented history shows that Santa Claus will only use his powers for good. That said, he is a shrewd businessman and this could become dangerous should be become disenfranchised with a brand. He&rsquo;s very clearly shown how easily he can break into any home &ndash; including any corporate team member with whom he disagrees.

So there you have it. Make sure that if Santa Claus applies, you take all of this into consideration before he shows up in his sleigh for Discovery Day.

Finally, we&rsquo;ll leave you with our picks for the very best and the very worst Santa franchise candidates:

Best Santa Franchise Candidate: &ldquo;Miracle on 34th&nbsp;Street&rdquo; Santa

What a great company man. Macy&rsquo;s really lucked out in landing the Santa Claus. And they&rsquo;re still very much in business while Gimbels shut down three decades ago.

Worst Santa Franchise Candidate: &ldquo;The Year Without a Santa Claus&rdquo; Santa

Talk about poor work ethic. This guy works just ONE day a year and gets taken down with a common cold to the point that he threatens to cancel Christmas, laying in his bed and bitching about people not caring to Mrs. Claus. More like Sassy Claus.

&nbsp;

Would Santa Make a “Naughty or Nice” Franchisee?

1851 Franchise

1851 Weighs the Pros and Cons of Jolly Old St. Nick as a Franchise Operator

This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

would-santa-make-a-naughty-or-nice-franchisee

Children's Lighthouse

How Children’s Lighthouse Stands Out Among Other Children’s Education, Childcare, and Daycare Franchises

how-childrens-lighthouse-stands-out-among-other-childrens-education-childcare-and-daycare-franchises

The Growth Coach

The Growth Coach Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

the-growth-coach-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data-for-2025

One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning

Why One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning Sees People as the Power Behind Franchise Growth

one-hour-heating-air-conditioning-franchise-growth

Lawn Doctor

Design with photo of John Perry and Lawn Doctor logo

How a 20-Year Industry Veteran Tripled His Sales With a Lawn Doctor Franchise

lawn-doctor-franchise-success-story-john-perry

Fitness Premier

The Secret to Fitness Franchise Success? It's Not Just the Workouts

fitness-premier-franchise-marketing-support

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Development Website Builder

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

Design with American and Federal Reserve flags against light blue background

Federal Reserve Expected To Cut Rates by Quarter Point, a Move That Could Boost Franchise Growth

fed-rate-cut-boosts-franchise-growth

Potbelly to be Acquired by RaceTrac in $566 Million Deal 

racetrac-acquires-potbelly-in-566-million-deal

Health Care Hiring Slowdown Highlights In-Home Care Franchise Opportunities - 1851 Franchise Agg

Health Care Hiring Slowdown Highlights In-Home Care Franchise Opportunities 

health-care-hiring-slowdown-in-home-care-franchise-opportunities

Caribou Coffee Names Scott Kennedy CEO, Eyes Continued Growth

caribou-coffee-names-scott-kennedy-ceo-eyes-continued-growth

McDonald’s Launches New Extra Value Meals as Consumer Demand for Value Continues to Climb

mcdonalds-launches-extra-value-meals

DevHub - Meet the Supplier - 1851 Franchise

DevHub: Scalable Digital Marketing for Franchises and Multi-Location Brands

devhub-meet-the-supplier

Mike Revak - Chief Business Officer - Sky Zone - Franchise Marketing Leaders - 1851 Franchise

Top 25 Franchise Marketing Leaders: Mike Revak — President and Chief Business Officer, Sky Zone

top-25-franchise-marketing-leaders-mike-revak-chief-business-officer-sky-zone

Top 25 Franchise Marketing Leaders: Cathy Chavenet — Chief Marketing Officer, Paris Baguette

top-25-franchise-marketing-leaders-cathy-chavenet-chief-marketing-officer-paris-baguette

BooXkeeping: Making Bookkeeping Cool for Franchisors, Franchisees, and Small Business Owners

booxkeeping-making-bookkeeping-cool-for-franchisors-franchisees-and-small-business-owners

Hely and Hiral Patel Bring Their Longtime Dream to Life With The Brass Tap

brass-tap-franchise-pasadena-maryland-hely-hiral-patel

1851 Keyword - The Secret To Succeeding With a Part-Time Franchise Is Picking the Right Model

The Secret To Succeeding With a Part-Time Franchise Is Picking the Right Model

part-time-franchises-picking-the-right-model

Franchisee spotlight graphic with photo of Ricki Oberoi and Layne's Chicken Fingers logo

Multi-Unit Wendy’s Operator Signs 12-Unit Deal With Layne’s Chicken Fingers

ricki-oberoi-laynes-chicken-fingers-growth

1851 Franchise Deep Dive graphic with Sparkle Squad logo

Sparkle Squad Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

franchise-deep-dive-sparkle-squad-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data

Design with school-aged child standing on pencil with text "Education Franchises" and "<$500K"

Top Education Franchises Under $500K To Explore in 2025

top-education-franchises-under-500k

Would Santa Make a “Naughty or Nice” Franchisee?

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS