Keirstead Brings Expertise in Operational Leadership to Mentor Franchise Clients
Stay in Your Lane, a leading franchise consultancy, has welcomed Katin Keirstead as chief operating officer. In this fractional role, she mentors and assists clients with their operational leadership needs.
Keirstead said she has been following the franchise consultancy for a while, and when she reached out to CEO Ingrid Schneider, the partnership seemed to be a great fit. “Ingrid, Patti Rother, and the team at Stay in Your Lane have built an incredible brand through intentionality and positive energy that draw people to them. By being authentically themselves and owning their strengths, they are empowering franchise founders and brand leaders to do the same. By bringing in fractional leaders whose strengths complement their capabilities, they can spend their precious time and energy in their areas of expertise.”
As a creative person, Keirstead said she loves a challenge and relishes the opportunity to support brands that may not be ready to hire a full-time executive just yet. “I can’t wait to meet more franchise professionals and dive into their brands – the franchising industry attracts some of the most incredible people!”
Schneider described Keirstead as “a powerhouse” in announcing her new role on social media. “To have Katin in meetings and see how her brain works, especially around training, development and systems, is unbelievable.”
Rother, Stay in Your Lane president, also praised Keirstead’s years of operations experience, primarily in the fitness industry, which will be “an incredible asset to brands looking to grow.”
The Forward Trend of Fractional Hiring
Keirstead said that cost-effectiveness and flexibility have led to the increasing prevalence of fractional hiring, which enables companies to benefit from the expertise of specialized talent on a part-time basis without the expense of full-time salaries and benefits. She credited Stay in Your Lane’s exploration of AI and training teams to leverage AI applications as a differentiator in the franchising space.
An Entrepreneur’s Perspective
Keirstead’s introduction to franchising came when she joined Planet Fitness as operations training manager. During her time with the fitness franchise, she launched Planet Fitness University and broadened her focus into the operational aspect of the business, culminating in her most recent role as vice president of franchise operations. She said she finds the passion of people in franchising inspiring and meaningful.
As a former owner of a Back In Touch Massage & Skin Care location for five years, Keirstead has a firsthand understanding of the commitment and investment franchisees make when launching their businesses. This gives her perspective and drives her to deliver the best results for franchisees, she said. “They are optimistic and scrappy but are often taking a tremendous risk and rely on the franchisor to provide support on so many levels.”
Keirstead and her husband, Don, live in coastal New Hampshire. They enjoy spending time at their cabin in the White Mountains, relaxing and exploring the outdoors.
