Young Ones to Watch: Austin James, Director of Franchise Development at Buzz Franchise Brands

Austin James was a senior at James Madison University when he started as an intern with Buzz Franchise Brands, a multi-brand franchising company. Now, at 25, he’s the director of franchise development and looking forward to continued growth with the Virginia-based franchisor.

“I didn't know a ton about franchising at the time but thought it would be a great opportunity to go back to my local community in Virginia Beach and have an opportunity to learn more about the franchise space,” he said. 

Buzz Franchise Brands includes Pool Scouts*, Home Clean Heroes* and British Swim School, a learn-to-swim program that has been in business for more than 40 years and in franchising for 10 years. During his time with Buzz Franchise Brands, James said he’s come to respect the tenured mentors who are always willing to offer support. 

“When you go to franchising conferences, you typically see the same people, and everyone is so willing to help each other,” he said. “That's one of the things I think is very unique about the franchising industry.”

James offered some great advice to anyone thinking of joining the franchising industry: Ask questions!

“Talk to your leadership team when you don't understand something,” he said. “Talk to your franchisees and understand their challenges. The most successful franchisors are the ones who listen and take feedback from their franchise owners. There’s no way we can make our process and our brand better if we're not listening to our franchisees, because they're the folks who are doing it each and every day.”

Watch the full interview above, or click here to watch it on YouTube.