Franchising Fueled Their Careers And Strengthened Their Love
Some couples connect through travel, hobbies and family. Others bond over music, food and shared experiences. But on Valentine’s Day, we celebrate franchise couples who share a passion for franchising. Joe Mathews and Tara Merchant, along with Scott and Erin Zide, don’t just work in franchising — they live and breathe it. Their lives together seamlessly blend business, love and a dedication to the franchise world.
While their journeys were different, their stories intertwine in similar ways. Joe and Tara came together because of their careers in franchising. Meanwhile, Scott and Erin’s story goes all the way back to grade school. It wasn’t until years later that their entrepreneurial ambitions led them to franchising.
Most couples don’t get a front-row seat to each other’s work lives, but these couples do. They understand each other’s passion for franchising in a way only another franchise pro could. For Joe, franchising has given him everything — a career, a great lifestyle, and the love of his life, Tara. Meanwhile, Scott and Erin discovered franchising together, turning their shared ambition into a thriving business and future. With franchising growing faster than the U.S. economy, according to the International Franchise Association, it’s no wonder it is creating endless opportunities for both business and lasting love. These couples prove that when you follow your passions, anything is possible.
So, what’s it really like to work in franchising with your better half? Let’s hear it from the couples themselves.
Joe Mathews & Tara Merchant
Because franchising is a big part of my identity, it is nice to be with someone who gets me on a DNA level — not just personally, but professionally.
Franchising didn’t just shape Joe Mathews’ and Tara Merchant’s careers — it brought them together. Joe, CEO of Franchise Performance Group, has spent over 40 years helping brands grow, while Tara, the company’s VP of franchise development, is a force in franchise sales. Their paths first crossed at industry events, but today, they’re not just colleagues — they’re a quintessential franchise couple, blending love, franchising and a little friendly competition on the pickleball court.
1. Please share the highlights of your journey together as a franchise couple.
Joe: I was in franchising for 35 years before I met Tara. I remember seeing her at broker networking events. I knew her name, but we had never met. She was in franchise sales, primarily in the home services segment. I was running my company, Franchise Performance Group (FSO and lead generation for franchisors).
At the time, I was finalizing a bitter, three-year nasty divorce. Her LinkedIn profile came up in my LinkedIn feed. It showed we were both living in Nashville. Prior to Nashville, Tara lived for years in Fla. I had heard good things about her. There were not many franchising professionals in Nashville, so I invited her out for a cup of coffee. She accepted. Then COVID hit.
It was more than six months before we finally met. After those six months, we had a wonderful conversation over lunch in my neighborhood in Franklin, Tenn. Neither one of us is much of a chit-chatter. She immediately cracked me open, and I disclosed more personal information in one hour than most people know about me throughout a lifetime.
2. How has franchising shaped your lives personally and professionally?
Joe: I honestly believe God put me on this earth in 1963 to learn franchising. At 21 years old and one month out of college, I was Subway’s 40th employee at 400 units and the third member of their franchise development department. I’ve been in franchising ever since.
I believe helping people achieve their goals is a ministry, a sacred calling like being in the pulpit. Franchising has given me everything. I worked remotely for most of my 40-year career, allowing me to be a stay-at-home dad and be very involved in my kids’ activities. Franchising paid for my kids’ college tuition. My daughter and son-in-law are both in franchise sales.
Franchising is largely unexplored and undocumented on a systems level. It gave me a chance to study what works across brands, categories and investment levels. I find working with entrepreneurs fascinating and exhilarating, and it has kept my interest since I was 21.
I like movies, pizza, pickleball, and franchising. I am a big, dumb animal.
3. What’s one thing about each other that makes you a great team in both life and business?
Joe: Trust and open conversation. We talk about everything. We spend the first two hours every morning in coffee conversations about every topic you can think about. We genuinely like each other’s company.
Because we work together in franchising and we both work remotely, we are never more than yelling-something-down-the-stairs apart. Because franchising is a big part of my identity, it is nice to be with someone who gets me on a DNA level — not just personally, but professionally.
4. Do you talk about franchising outside of work, or do you have any rules around that?
There is no topic other than exes that has any real boundaries. We both agree that after 6 p.m., we are done with work. We don’t talk about it—not because there are rules or boundaries, but because we have so many other things to talk about.
5. Anything else to add?
We both play pickleball, and she is my partner in mixed doubles. It’s the only time when we sometimes don’t get along. I coach her too much on the court! But I am working on it.
We both like pizza, but we have a difference of opinion about what good pizza tastes like. I am from New Haven, the pizza capital of the entire universe. She’s from Michigan, the home of the industrialized, commoditized pizza. So, half the time we go to the chain brands, and the other half we go to the Florida-based expatriated New York and New Englander Italian pizza restaurateurs.
Scott & Erin Zide
Franchising is our shared passion. We’ve spent our entire marriage in franchising.
Scott and Erin Zide’s journey began long before they became a franchise couple. Childhood friends turned life partners, they found a shared passion in franchising. Scott, CEO of Empower Brands, and Erin, Vice President of Franchise Development at Archadeck Outdoor Living and Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, started as franchisees before rising into leadership roles. Together, they’ve built businesses, mentored franchisees and raised a family — growing their love for franchising and each other along the way.
1. Please share the highlights of your journey together as a franchise couple.
Scott: Erin and I originally met back in grade school. We’ve always been friends but reconnected after going separate ways in college.
At the time, I had partnered with a friend to open two sub shop franchises, while Erin was building her career in the hospitality industry. As a new couple, we were looking for more business opportunities to take on together. That’s when Erin came across Outdoor Lighting Perspectives (OLP)— it was only in its first few years of franchising!
I maintained the two sub shops while Erin was the owner and operator of OLP. We eventually sold the restaurant franchises and went all in on the home services industry, a decision that paved the way for Empower Brands.
2. How has franchising shaped your lives personally and professionally?
Scott: Franchising is our shared passion. We’ve spent our entire marriage in franchising—first as franchisees, then as founders of a new franchise brand, and now as franchisors. This background not only helps us connect with each other, but also with franchisees and candidates.
Erin: Franchising together has taught us that we can do anything as long as we’re supporting each other. Trust and reliability helped us support each other in different ways as both business and life partners.
Working together, we have a great awareness of what the other has going on each day, which gives us another level of understanding and support. Our work has given our children the chance to witness what’s possible when you believe in yourself and build something quite special, while also assisting countless others to be able to do the same.
3. What’s one thing about each other that makes you a great team in both life and business?
Scott: Erin is the rock for our family. She’s always been able to balance work and parenting incredibly well. We put family first through everything we’ve accomplished together.
Erin: Scott has always stayed true to himself while he has grown in his leadership position. He has always kept the franchisee-first mentality and leads by example. He has always prioritized family, even with how busy his schedule may be.
4. Do you talk about franchising outside of work, or do you have any rules around that?
Scott: Early on, there was little separation between work and home. As business and marriage grew, we’ve made an effort to avoid talking about the business outside of work.
You cannot avoid some discussion, but we especially prioritize our time with the kids and family. That time is precious to us.
5. Anything else to add?
Erin: Any time we are with our children or families is extremely important. With our daughter in college and our son in high school, we love any time we get to spend together.
We find time for special weekends away and travel, creating those memories. Whether we’re hiking out west, exercising, golfing, or enjoying a spa day, we love sharing these moments as a family.
