Texas-based Franchise Foundry is quickly becoming a powerful force within the franchise and small business communities.
With 10 brands under management in just under 12 months since being acquired, Foundry is not only making a name for itself but for a host of up-and-coming franchises as well. CEO Paul Segreto
acquired Foundry after an earlier merger with his company, FranchisEssentials and is spearheading the recent efforts by tapping into his 32 years of experience building brands both on the corporate side as well as a consultant.
“Franchise Foundry is a business accelerator that works exclusively within the franchising industry. It works with start-up and emerging brands and takes them from concept to a full-blown franchise network.” Segreto explained during a recent interview with FranchisingUSA.
Segreto stressed that he won’t take all of the credit for the recent success of his company, having put most of the focus on his executive team and recent national partnerships. In just the past 3 months, Foundry has been able to partner with an additional 10 companies that are poised to support its future franchise portfolio. The partnerships mainly stem from digital marketing, commercial real estate, web technology and legal services. Segreto explained that these newly formed partnerships are essential to establishing a solid foundation for the future of Foundry.
“I am proud to serve alongside such remarkable talent in this industry. The contributions of our select partners and our motivated team along with a diverse portfolio of exclusive brands have really helped us to start 2015 on the right foot!” says Segreto.
Segreto is not only walking the walk but in just 2014 alone, he received a number of accolades. Most notably, he was recognized as a Top 100 Champion Small Business Influencer in October by Small Business Trends.
In December, Segreto was named to the Advisory Board at Manalto Inc., a social media management solution provider. His personal connections, domestic and international and across a wide range of industry sectors give him an advantage in brokering deals with qualified candidates from all walks of life. Most of his recent success can be due to his powerful influence on social media,
having hosted nearly 225 interviews on his aptly named podcast show ‘Franchise Today’. With Franchise Today, Segreto has literally talked the talk for over 5 years.
Selection Process
One thing learned from Segreto about his company is that not every small business or start-up can become a franchise and his team is responsible to vet out only those businesses that are most qualified through a meticulous selection process. “Think of it as the Navy SEAL boot camp for business owners and entrepreneurs. This is the time where we separate the men from the boys and decide who we really want to work with. Just like boot camp, being in shape physically is not the same as being in shape mentally. On the other hand, just because you’re a profitable business
does not mean that you are right fit for franchising.” said Segreto.
As part of this process, when a business owner approaches Foundry wanting to become a franchisor, the company will first put together a feasibility study. The purpose of this study is to analyze how the potential franchise would compare across its relative market segment. Concurrently, they will evaluate the owner themselves and see how their qualities match against
a set of benchmarks required. If both the owner and business has potential to be a franchise, they will then move onto the development stage.
Development & Support
The first thing that Foundry aims to do with their clients developmentally is foster its culture to growth strategy, meaning the company wants to instill a positive culture in their client companies that focuses on the growth of the brand and each franchisee. In doing so, Foundry delivers a complete brand audit to its client early on in the development stage. This audit compares the brand across several digital benchmarks and helps to expand the client’s own perspective through a unique 4-step process.
This past year, Foundry co-founded and launched Accelerated Digital Strategies. Foundry created ADS to enhance a brand’s positioning digitally and ensure strong visibility from a franchise candidate’s perspective to foster lead generation. “We position them with a unique, differentiating consumer proposition and strong emphasis on community-building to make sure they stand out in a very competitive environment,” Segreto said.
Franchisors can face tough obstacles when trying to launch a franchise themselves, so Franchise Foundry will help them develop their business plan and walk with them every step of the way to ensure they get a fair shot. “The franchising industry needs business accelerators like Franchise Foundry because there simply is no such thing as franchisor training.” Segreto said.
So, his company steps in to fill that void to help business owners become ideal franchisors.
At times, to ensure success, the best option can be altering a business plan. Foundry recently worked with a company in the fitness industry, MaxOut Strength Studio to help it devise a unique differentiator geared toward teens and young adults with such focus to help them to foster growth both mentally and physically, unlike many fitness industry models. The metamorphosis took about 14 months, but the company now has a consumer proposition that is different enough to set it apart from every fitness franchise in the country.
The ultimate goal is for Foundry to provide value by marketing the brands through various channels organically so that they are not reliant on paying hefty “lead generation” fees charged by some
franchise marketing firms. By cutting out the middle man, Foundry has empowered its clients to support themselves, ultimately enhancing revenue generation and re-investing those funds back into the business itself.
For more information visit: www.FranchiseFoundry.com