Most franchisors don’t realize their field support model is broken until franchisees start pulling away. The early days often look fine—franchisees are still ramping up, they have lots of questions, and your field coaches are happy to answer them. It feels like it’s working. Your coaches feel helpful—there’s real satisfaction in putting out fires and solving problems on the spot. But while that support feels good in the moment, it doesn’t build long-term growth. And over time, things can shift.
The franchisees stop showing up to town halls. They ignore the tools you’ve provided. They push back on brand standards, skip marketing initiatives, or quietly start spreading negativity among peers. These are red flags—symptoms of a deeper issue: they don’t see the value anymore. And if they don’t see value, they won’t stay engaged.
I’ve lived this from every angle—franchisee, field coach, franchisor, and now CEO of a company that helps franchisors level up their field support. One of the biggest mistakes I see is relying too heavily on a consulting model. That means your field coaches are expected to have all the answers, solve every problem, and direct franchisees step-by-step. It sounds helpful, but here’s what really happens:
Franchisees become dependent. Coaches get burnt out. And worst of all, your top-performing franchisees disengage because they don’t have questions—and your coaches don’t know how else to support them.
That was me.
I was a high-performing franchisee. I’d grown up in the system and had previously worked in field support. So when the field coach showed up, they didn’t know how to help me. Instead of guiding me toward new growth or strategic goals, they defaulted to compliance checks—literally pointing out that my freezer lightbulb was out.
That’s not what drives growth.
Here’s the shift: move from consulting to coaching.
A coaching approach means your field coaches stop being the expert in the room—and start being the guide. They help franchisees uncover their why, identify meaningful goals, and create a plan to get there. Instead of solving surface-level problems, they coach franchisees to solve them for themselves. This approach builds confidence, accountability, and traction.
With Strategic Growth Coaching (our signature framework at AC Inc.), franchisees take more ownership. They stop calling with every problem. They show up to meetings ready to talk strategy, not just issues. And field coaches go from reactive firefighting to proactive growth partnerships.
The result? Higher-performing franchisees, stronger relationships, and less churn.
If you’re seeing signs of disengagement in your system, it might not be a motivation problem—it might be a field support problem. And the good news? It’s fixable.
Let’s stop wasting time on freezer lightbulbs.
