Tim Katsch’s Journey From Franchise Executive Roles to Franchise Executive Search

After falling in love with franchising and finding himself at K9 Resorts during its early years, Tim Katsch worked to build a team around him to support the brand as it grew. By coming to deeply understand the responsibilities associated with each role, Katsch gathered information firsthand that would allow him to recruit a candidate with both the practical and professional skills needed to succeed. Now, he provides this service to  other franchisors with his boutique franchise executive search and recruiting company, Franchise Hire.

Katsch joined 1851 Franchise Publisher and CEO Nick Powills on the “Meet the Supplier” podcast to discuss his journey.

“I was one of their first franchise office hires, and they tasked me to support the growth of the brand — [which was] working with an FSO [franchise sales organization] at the time doing sales — and build the team around us,” said Katsch. “I was doing operations and found someone from the retail side of operations. [He was] with Tommy Hilfiger and Nautica — great brands. He came in as our director of operations and made it even better. Then I put my focus on real estate and eventually hired a director of real estate. That gentleman did even better than I did. I continued to grow the brand — controller, accountant, franchise business coaches and so forth. That was my journey of leading divisions throughout their growth and ultimately exiting at the five-year mark.”

Katsch shared that the majority of people he hired during his time at K9 Retreat are still with the company, either in a similar capacity or in a promoted role. While he attributes this success to the kinds of people he selected during the development stage, he maintains that these selections were so successful thanks to his unique approach — which he continues to apply today.

Franchise Hire’s innovative approach solves two main pain points that franchises experience. Often, the fee for an executive search is quite high and there is no flexibility in the payment schedule. Katsch also noted that guarantees surrounding a placement’s longevity at the company can be complicated, and terms surrounding a refund to the franchise or free replacement hire are “wonky.”

“We want to keep it simple. To start a search with us, it’s $500. You’re not taking a lot of risk upfront,” said Katsch. “That pays for the initial discovery call together to create the candidate profile, and we hit the ground running. Our rates, on average, are about 20% of first year’s total comp;  we have flexible payments and we have a guarantee period.”

By communicating openly and honestly with candidates, painting a transparent picture of the role itself, evaluating for culture and using an interview process that reveals a candidate’s practical skills and knowledge, Franchise Hire creates a better experience for everyone.

“We want to create long-term relationships with candidates. We speak to candidates like they’re equals,” Katsch said. “We’re not talking from an ivory tower looking down on them and making the ultimate decision, ‘Thumbs up? Thumbs down?’ We’re having conversations. And if it’s the right fit, it’s the right fit. That’s the beauty of matching candidates to clients as opposed to just shuffling resumés.”

Watch the full video above or by clicking here.