Young Ones to Watch: Allison Galvan, Manager of Franchise Development at Elements Massage

Allison Galvan began her career in franchising with some of the industry’s biggest names. While working at Corepower Yoga in customer service, Galvan made the decision to switch paths and work in franchise sales with PureBarre, where she quickly made her way to a director role. Now, as one of the youngest people at Elements Massage, she’s inspiring other young up-and-comers in the space to pursue leadership roles.

1851 Franchise: How did you get into franchising?

Allison Galvan: Originally, I worked for Corepower Yoga at the corporate level on the customer service side, but I wanted to take things a step further. At the time, PureBarre was sharing an office with Corepower. I didn’t know a whole lot about franchising, but I started looking at PureBaree’s career page and saw they were hiring for a franchise sales person. I made the move to apply and eventually made the transition. 

I spent the majority of my first four months behind my desk learning about franchise sales, the people behind franchising and what their passions are. Within six months things kind of shifted. Our chief development officer left PureBarre, my director of franchise sales left for maternity leave and suddenly I was the only one left in the department. I had a couple of different calls with my director on a weekly basis, but eventually I started doing initial calls and walking people through the entire system myself — I was drinking from a firehouse in every sense of the phrase. When my director didn’t come back, I found myself running the ship and at the age of 22–23 I was running the franchise sales team. It was really insane. That was really set off my passion for the industry and for franchise sales.

After all of that happened, I helped grow the brand to over 500 units. Eventually WellBiz scooped me up, and I've been with Elements Massage as manager of franchise development for a little over a year now. 

1851: What do you love about the industry? 

Galvan: The thing I love the most about franchising is that it's so welcoming to everyone — anyone and everyone can get into it. In franchise sales you get to hear everyone’s story, whether it’s coming out of corporate America or something a little different, and people are so excited to go out and do something else and finally fulfill the dream of owning their own business. We’re helping make the American dream a reality by being a part of that dream in a small way.

1851: What makes someone a good fit for the franchise industry? 

Galvan: I think stepping away from the funding, financials and background, it comes down to having the drive to do it. That’s what's going to make you tick and get up and go in the morning. Whether you’re part-time or full-time, if that drive doesn’t motivate you and your team, that’s what’s going to make it or break it for you. 

1851: Are there traits that are shared by the most successful franchise professionals you know? 

Galvan: One of the most important characteristics shared by the people I work with is being able to sit down and actually get to know the candidates on a personal level instead of just checking all the boxes. It’s important to get to know their story and whether or not they’re a good fit for us. That’s a characteristic of a great leader, getting to know the people behind the franchise stores.

For candidates, it’s the ones who give back to the team. If money is your only motivator, that’s kind of a red flag for me. People who want to be successful owners, who want to make their team tick and who want to know how it all works are the ones who stand out to me. 

1851: How do you feel about the industry's response to the coronavirus crisis so far? 

Galvan: I think it’s been really great. It’s been interesting to see different articles that have come out. I have a background in economics, so I’m one of those people who pays attention to how the economy is flowing, and I’m looking at the analytics behind it all to see who’s posting what. It’s nice to see how the industry has come together as a family.

1851: Are there challenges or opportunities that the industry still needs to address? 

Galvan: What I've seen lately from the industry side of things is a hole in the diversity side of the franchise industry. Not a lot of light is shed on what we do to diversify things, and I think the industry could definitely be doing more as a leader in the business space. It would be cool to see what we could do, or what kinds of opportunities there are for us to step in. The industry is constantly growing and evolving, as more young people come into this space it will be interesting to see how the industry evolves over the next 10–15 years. 

1851: What advice do you have for other young up-and-comers in the space?

Galvan: Being on the younger end of the up-and-comers, I can confirm our voices definitely need to be heard more and more. We have a seat at the table, and we need to be using it more. The industry has been around forever and things have been done the same way. Challenge yourself on a daily basis, try new things and be confident in your role.

I’m still learning so much, and I’ve been the youngest one in the room for a while now. It’s always hard to know what to say and when to be quiet and when to speak up, but it’s important that you do.