3 Successful Franchise Models That Emerging Brands Can Learn From

When it comes to franchise businesses, some brands just do it better. Certain brands have business models that can boast proven success across a variety of different markets, making them excellent business examples for new and emerging brands. The following three brands have been successful leaders in the franchise space; here’s a look into the business model that helped them become so successful. 

1. Subway: This brand has grown to the degree it has due to its streamlined operations and business model. Almost all of Subway’s ingredients, aside from the cookies and bread, are shipped to the store fresh, meaning there’s no in-store cooking happening, just assembly. This allows Subway to serve its food fast while still using fresh ingredients. This combination of freshness, fast service and customization hadn’t been seen at the time Subway came about, and the idea caught like wildfire to grow the brand across the globe. You can see its influence in the very essence of the quick service model—and brands on the come-up should heed Subway’s prioritization of the guest through speed and customizability if they want to succeed.

2. Papa Murphy’s: This franchise is unique in that it’s solely a take-out business—the stores themselves do not bake their pizzas. Customers are able to take home a freshly prepared, uncooked pizza and bake it home at their own convenience. This model also offers fresh ingredients and fast service within the quick-service restaurant space, but by providing customers with a fresh, ready-to-bake food option the brand has brought innovation to both the fast food industry and the franchise industry as a whole, slashing overhead and electric and equipment costs to give efficiency a whole new meaning. 

3. Anytime Fitness: This brand’s business model capitalizes on franchising compact, neighborhood-style, 24/7 fitness clubs that allow members the maximum freedom and flexibility. Thanks to security and monitoring technology, members can even work on holidays when the gym might not be staffed, allowing franchisees to staff economically without its customers being inconvenienced in any way; after all, Anytime Fitness locations are under constant surveillance, meaning staff presence isn’t always needed. The advancements made by Anytime Fitness have made their business model appealing not only to potential franchisees, but also to other brands looking to step up their technological developments in order to ease the burden of rising labor costs. 

So, what can we learn from these brand’s business models? Essentially, innovation and technology make for success in any market. By finding a way to streamline operations to a replicable degree throughout their entire franchise systems, Subway has grown into one of the most recognized franchise brands in the U.S.; Papa Murphy’s capitalized on an increased demand for freshly prepared food for home cooking; and Anytime Fitness used technology to give their members access to a more localized and accessible gym open 24/7.