Growing a Franchise
Young Ones to Watch: Matt Haller
Matt Haller Continues to Gain Trust, Clout Within the Franchise Community By Trying to Tell the Franchising Story with a Positive Impact
For the last 5 and half years, Matt Haller, SVP, Media Relations & Public Affairs for the International Franchise Association, has focused on finding the path of least resistance to the most powerful impact. As one of the youngest leaders within the International Franchise Association, Haller has moved up the ranks and has become a trusted advisor of the CEO.
Why do you love franchising?
As someone whose job it is to represent franchising before elected leaders and on challenging issues in the media, I love franchising because of the passion our members have for the business model itself. They’ve got so much skin in the game, that their passion inspires me to be equally passionate about it as a paid advocate. With some industries it might be more difficult to represent a position, whereas IFA’s members and the franchising community at large are so invested in a deeply personal way that it makes it more impactful when we can do something to improve the business environment for our members to operate. You can’t say that about every industry.
What is the top challenge facing young people in franchising?
Finding more young people to get involved in the greater good for franchising – whether it’s politically, through our grassroots efforts, or with the IFA Foundation. People who have been in franchising for a long time are more inclined to get involved and give – whether it’s time or money – but young people are generally more focused on themselves. I’m probably guilty of it too – it’s something that is a personal goal for me as I move into the next phase of my career – finding time to give back to causes and organizations that you believe helped you get to where you are today.
What is your dream position/goal?
I’m a big believer that the best stuff finds you, so I’ll know it when I see it.
Don’t Miss the Next Big Franchise Story
Sign up for the 1851 Franchise newsletter to get our biggest stories before everyone else
By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy.
About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
