Franchisees-Turned-Franchisors Bring Real-World Insight and Credibility to the C-Suite
The average tenure of a C-suite executive is less than 5 years. That means there will be change.
Sometimes it happens even sooner than expected.
Recent news of Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner vacating his role after just 18 months has the industry buzzing. With longtime Wendy’s U.S. President Abigail Pringle also leaving to ‘pursue other opportunities,’ a large franchise network has no senior leadership with deep restaurant experience.
That begs the question: Who makes a good leader for a franchisor? The answers are plenty. But here’s an interesting trend: franchisee-turned-franchisor success stories.
Many on our Thunderly roster share a remarkable resume trait: time spent as franchisees. It’s not mandatory for a corner office, but it certainly adds perspective. And those humble beginnings are never forgotten.
From Server to Owner
Recently, the most extraordinary example surfaced.
Amol Kohli, well-known for his first job as a 15-year-old server at Friendly’s, rose to become a multi-unit owner/operator of more than 30 Friendly’s restaurants across the East Coast. Then, in an ambitious turn of events, he formed an investment group [Legacy Brands International] and purchased all of BRIX Holdings.
As franchisee-turned-franchisor, Kohli now occupies the top spot as Chairman of the Board for a platform company over Friendly’s Restaurants, Clean Juice, Red Mango, Orange Leaf, Smoothie Factory + Kitchen, Souper Salad and Humble Donuts. To nobody’s surprise, he is focused on growing those brands beginning with Friendly’s expansion into target markets like Georgia, the Carolinas and further South into Texas.
Is this a unicorn? Not at all.
From Marine to Mastermind
Mary Kennedy Thompson, current chair of the International Franchise Association and CEO of BNI [Business Network International], the world’s largest referral network, began her journey in franchising when she exited the military. She opened a Cookie Bouquet franchise, became a multi-unit owner, was recruited to headquarters and ultimately rose to president. She then moved to Dwyer Group [now Neighborly] as Brand President for Mr. Rooter, was promoted to chief operating officer for Neighborly and then lured to BNI.
As a proud Marine, she’s the first person to tell you she entered the civilian world and couldn’t read a P and L to save her life. In her words, franchising changed that. She learned how to run a business. So well, in fact, that she masterfully leads a global organization today that has surpassed $28 billion (with a B!) in referral business among its 337,000 members.
The company’s motto is Changing the Way the World Does Business®. And that powerful change continues as BNI has begun awarding franchises again in the U.S. for the first time in 10 years.
From Ground Floor to Grand Future
Scott Zide, CEO of the fast-growing Empower Brands organization, is a standout franchisee-turned-franchisor. He is well-known for promoting a “franchisee-first mindset” as his key for success. And why not? He was a franchisee first in his own journey.
Zide was a multi-unit franchisee of two sandwich shops straight out of college. He grew and sold that business, licensed and scaled a home service brand called Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, co-founded another brand from scratch called Mosquito Squad (later sold to Authority Brands), and became a platform company leader of Outdoor Living Brands. In 2022, that merged with Lynx Franchising to become Empower Brands with Zide as CEO.
In truth, he’s been empowering franchisees for decades. Now it’s the very name on the front door. But the bigger it gets across 10 franchise networks and counting, the more focused he becomes on the single most important thing he has championed since day one… strong unit-level economics.
Four Valuable Franchisee-Turned-Franchisor Leadership Perspectives
Here are the personal and professional views that earn these leaders credibility and trust:
- “I understand your risk. I’ve been in your shoes.”
- “I welcome a grassroots perspective.”
- “I’ve needed franchisor support. Now I give it.”
- “I have you in mind when making broad decisions.”
I’m not sure what the future holds for Wendy’s. But I know that franchisees of any system need to appreciate and trust the knowledge that resides in the C-suite. Here’s to those leaders who do it well for brands across the country and around the world after proving themselves on Main Street. So, do franchisees make good franchisors? These leaders prove the answer is a resounding yes.
