You cannot get a three-legged horse to win the Kentucky Derby, and you cannot teach a goldfish to climb a tree. These may sound like playful metaphors, but they carry serious weight. In franchising, success is not just about plugging anyone into a system—it’s about finding the people who are naturally wired to thrive within it.
The four traits of a successful franchisee
Over the years, I’ve learned that great franchisees consistently share four core qualities:
Committed and decisive – They don’t sit on the fence. Once they’ve chosen a path, they pursue it with focus and dedication.
Trainable and coachable – Systems only work if people are willing to learn and apply them. A franchisee who resists feedback or thinks they know better will quickly run into trouble.
Resourceful – Obstacles are inevitable. The best franchisees are creative problem-solvers who can adapt, pivot, and find solutions when challenges arise.
Hungry and full of hustle – Perhaps most importantly, they have the drive to succeed. You cannot manufacture hunger—it has to come from within.
When a candidate embodies these traits, everything else—training, systems, marketing—falls into place. Without them, no amount of brand support will guarantee success.
Sales is about people, not pressure
A big piece of franchise success comes down to sales. And yet, many shy away from the word “sales” as though it’s a dirty word. In reality, sales is simply relationship building. If you don’t like sales, what you’re really saying is that you don’t like people.
Great franchisees love connecting, listening, and solving problems. They understand that selling is not about transactions—it’s about caring. When you genuinely care about people and help them get what they need, the “sale” becomes a natural extension of the relationship.
How to select the right brand
Franchising is a two-way street. Just as franchisors must be careful about who they bring on, prospective franchisees must be discerning about which brand they join. The wrong fit can be as damaging for the franchisee as it is for the franchisor.
Too often, candidates fixate only on the numbers—how much can I make, what’s the ROI, how quickly will I break even? While financials are important, they don’t tell the whole story. The more important question is: Does the brand truly care about its people?
When evaluating a franchise, here are three questions worth asking:
What kind of support can I expect when I have questions or challenges?
How quickly can I get access to decision-makers or mentors when I need help?
What does the brand do to ensure franchisees feel part of a community, not just a business transaction?
If the answers reveal that you’ll be left alone to figure things out, it doesn’t matter how good the numbers look on paper—you’ll struggle.
The power of care
Care is a simple four-letter word, but it’s one of the most overlooked principles in business today. Too many organizations wake up thinking about how to make money. I wake up thinking about how to help people.
When you care about your franchisees, they care about their teams. When franchisees care about their customers, those customers care about your brand. Care creates loyalty, and loyalty creates growth.
I often say: when you focus on dollars, you’ll have money to count. But when you focus on people, you’ll have countless dollars.
Dinner table marketing
One of the best measures of a brand’s strength is what families talk about around the dinner table. Every evening, people share the highlights—and frustrations—of their day. If your brand delivers exceptional experiences, you become part of those positive conversations. If you fail to care, you risk being the negative story that spreads instead.
This is what I call “dinner table marketing.” It’s more powerful than any advertisement because it’s rooted in trust and lived experience. Every touchpoint with a customer—whether it’s your service team, accounting department, or call center—contributes to that reputation. One careless interaction can undo a hundred good ones.
Great franchisors understand this, and great franchisees embrace it. Together, they work to create customer experiences so memorable that they’re worth talking about.
The starting point
At the heart of all of this is people. Systems, training, and marketing matter—but they only work when the right people are in place. That’s why selecting franchisees who are hungry, coachable, resourceful, and committed isn’t just important—it’s non-negotiable.
Get that wrong, and no brand will thrive. Get it right, and you’ll build not just a franchise network, but a culture of care, trust, and long-term success.
