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SPONSOR SOLUTIONS

TOOLKIT Produced by

franchisedevelopmentconference.com

Dear FLDC Attendees, If you’re in search of innovative products or services to support the growth of your franchise brand, you’ve come to the right place! Our conference sponsors are among the most forward-thinking and resourceful organizations in the franchise industry. We’re excited to share this year’s Sponsor Solutions Toolkit — a curated collection of case studies showcasing how our sponsors have successfully helped franchisors overcome real-world challenges. Each participating company has contributed a business case that outlines the solution they provided and the impact it had on a franchise brand. Here’s how to make the most of the Toolkit: 1. Identify Your Needs Pinpoint the areas where your brand could benefit from additional tools, services or support. 2. Explore the Case Studies Browse the Toolkit to find relevant solutions and take note of the sponsors who align with your needs. 3. Connect in the Sponsor Networking Area Use the case studies to identify sponsors you’d like to connect with and continue the conversation in the Networking Area. Ask questions, share your needs, and explore how their solutions could support your brand. Access your Sponsor Solutions Toolkit anytime after the event. Use the sponsor case studies as a valuable reference as you continue your due diligence and decision-making process. We hope this resource helps you discover impactful marketing, operations and technology solutions—and sparks meaningful conversations throughout the conference. Enjoy FLDC!

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2

ActiveCampaign HQ

Hera Group

Akerman LLP

Hot Dish Advertising

All Points Public Relations

Ignite Visibility

AllureTrak

imLabs

American Franchise Academy

Ironmark

AnswerConnect

Jamloop

The Baldwin Group

Live Oak Bank

Bank of America

Lofi

BizBuySell

Lumin.ai

Cheng Cohen LLC

Morrow Hill

Citrin Cooperman

myHRcounsel

ClientTether

Quarem

Consumer Fusion

redC Real Estate Design & Construction

dbSeer

RESOLUT RE

Designing Events, LLC

Revenue Management Solutions

Fractal

Revscale AI

Franchise Business Review

SOCi

Franchise Ninja

Suttle-Straus

FranConnect

TCX - The Consultant Exchange

Gbbis

Vox-Pop-Uli

Guidant Financial

Windsor Realty Group

Gulf Coast Franchise Finance

Wit Labs, Inc.

Haven Capital Partners

Zoho Corporation

How Go Mini’s scaled franchise email marketing from 6% to 40% open rates with ActiveCampaign

Manual marketing processes were costing Go Mini’s sales When David Smith joined Go Mini’s as VP of Marketing, the

40%

17%

2 min

114

email open rate (up from 6%)

quote-to-customer conversion

company was manually segmenting leads in Constant Contact, and relying on franchisees to tag their own contacts. Email open rates sat below 6%, and customers who requested a quote would sit in limbo unless a franchisee manually followed up. In a market where prospects get six competing quotes within a SK6Jweek window, that delay was costing deals.

automated response to quote request

franchise locations, team of 6

Go Mini's replaced manual L aunching with ActiveCampaign

followÍup with automation that

immediately elevated our brand well

responds in minutes

b eyond any where it had previousl y b een .” After evaluating HubSpot and Salesforce Pardot, Smith chose ActiveCampaign for its ease of implementation and partnership approach.

I ’m not spending three hours in a system

tr ying to get something to work properl y. I can b e in and out in under 1 0 minutes. T hat allows me to go work and b e

practical somewhere else.

Now, when someone submits a quote request, their details sync to

ActiveCampaign and trigger a sevenJemail sequence over 10 days. The ifrst email goes out within an hour. Every night, an API sync

checks whether contacts have converted; customers are automatically tagged and removed from the promotional sequence so they never receive the wrong message. Go Mini’s also uses ActiveCampaign HQ to give each of their 85 active franchise locations its own child account — letting franchisees

David Smith

customize promotions and imagery for their local market, while

VP of Marketing, Go Mini’s

corporate maintains oversight and brand consistency

. Smith’s corporate team is still six people, supporting 11K franchise locations. Without automation, that ratio wouldn’t be possible.

S ee what ActiveCampaign can do for your franchise.

Customer Story | Franchise & Multi-Location

activecampaign .com /franchise

CASE STUDY: FRANCHISE AND LICENSING TEAM

MEDIATION AS A STRATEGIC TOOL FOR FRANCHISORS Franchisor leadership today faces mounting pressure to manage litigation costs, protect brand equity, and foster healthier systemwide relationships. Yet litigation and arbitration often drain resources, escalate conflict, and expose the brand in ways that ripple across entire networks. Mediation offers a powerful and underutilized alternative. By reframing mediation not as a last resort, but as a leadership tool, franchisors can reduce costs, safeguard trust, and develop stronger dispute management strategies. Below are five lessons franchisors can apply to leverage mediation more effectively.

1. EARLY COST SAVINGS AND EFFICIENCY Litigation and arbitration are expensive, unpredictable, and protracted. Even strong cases demand significant investment in discovery, expert testimony, and hearings. By engaging in mediation early, franchisors can cut off runaway legal spend before it escalates. In practice, mediation often costs a fraction of arbitration, reducing not only direct fees but also internal disruptions—executives and in-house counsel stay focused on running the system, rather than being consumed by litigation strategy.

2. GIVING FRANCHISEES A VOICE THAT MATTERS One of the most powerful yet overlooked benefits of mediation is psychological. Franchisees—especially struggling ones—often feel ignored, dismissed, or overwhelmed. Mediation offers a dignified stage where they can tell their story to a neutral third party, whether that’s a retired judge or an experienced franchise attorney. Simply having their perspective acknowledged can reduce animosity and clear the way for compromise. Mediation becomes both a legal and relational investment that reinforces fairness within the system.

KEY TAKEAWAY Through the lens of cognitive dissonance, people who invest time, energy, and emotional bandwidth in a mediation session are often motivated to “make it count.” By the end of the day, one side may accept terms they had previously resisted— not from weakness, but from a human desire for closure and progress.

3. INFORMATION GATHERING FOR SMARTER DECISIONS Even when mediation does not lead to a final resolution, it rarely fails to create value. The process itself unveils critical intelligence: What evidence is the franchisee relying on? How committed are they to pursuing litigation? Do their attorneys deeply understand franchise law, or are they generalists? Each mediation yields strategic insight that franchisors can leverage in planning next steps, whether toward renewed negotiation or preparing defensively for litigation.

4. HARNESSING THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RESOLUTION Mediation is neither as formal as trial nor as rigid as arbitration, but it is intentionally stressful. That stress can spur psychological shifts that move parties toward resolution. Through the lens of cognitive dissonance, people who invest time, energy, and emotional bandwidth in a mediation session are often motivated to “make it count.” By the end of the day, one side may accept terms they had previously resisted—not from weakness, but from a human desire for closure and progress.

William Sentell

Partner 713 960 7375 william.sentell@akerman.com

5. PROTECTING SYSTEMWIDE RELATIONSHIPS Franchisor–franchisee disputes don’t exist in isolation. System partners are watching, either through formal association channels or informal franchisee networks. How a franchisor resolves disputes sends a message. Mediation transforms individual conflicts into opportunities to demonstrate fairness, responsiveness, and good governance. Settling early and respectfully not only prevents one-off issues from festering but also signals to the broader system that leadership is committed to principled resolution instead of heavyhanded litigation. 700+ Lawyers and Business Professionals akerman.com

Dale Cohen

Partner 212 259 6420 dale.cohen@akerman.com

AllureTrak

CASE STUDY

FRANCHISE PROFILE

Amanda Rainsberger

6-Unit Anytime Fitness Franchisee, Michigan | Franchisee since 2014

The Challenge

About Us

Amanda was working 70–80 hours a week trying to keep her gyms afloat. She struggled with

American Franchise Academy helps

turnover, hiring quality staff, and creating the right leadership structure to manage growth.

franchisees master the business systems that drive profitable growth. We empower

1. Time Overload: She was stuck working 70–80 hours a week, juggling day-to-day operations with strategic decisions, leaving little time for family, leadership, or planning future growth.

leaders across the U.S. to scale sustainably

2. Employee Turnover: Turnover was above the already high industry average, which meant constant rehiring and retraining, draining time and resources.

Find out more.

3. Staffing Hierarchy & Structure: Without a clear leadership model, Amanda found herself “wearing all the hats,” making it difficult to scale beyond her current units.

Info@americanfranchiseacademy.com

4. Accountability Gaps: Without defined processes and accountability systems, performance varied across locations, creating inconsistent results.

and protect their dream of ownership.

www.AmericanFranchiseAcademy.com www.admissioncall.com (678) 598-3811

5. Hiring Challenges: Finding quality candidates with the right experience was an ongoing struggle, leaving critical roles understaffed or underdeveloped.

Our Education & Support Solution COMMAND Program:

Comprehensive Training:

Systems & Processes:

Specialized education designed for

In-depth instruction on Franchise Unit

Guidance to define, document, and

multi-unit franchise ownership.

Management, Multi-Unit Leadership,

delegate the policies and procedures

and franchise enterprise systems.

needed to run a scalable operation.

One-on-One Strategy Sessions:

Peer Mastermind Calls:

Annual Financial Planning:

Quarterly meetings focused on

Monthly calls with fellow multi-unit

A structured roadmap to set

Amanda’s unique business challenges

franchisees to share insights, best

measurable goals and track results

and growth goals.

practices, and solutions.

year over year.

The Results

•

Scaled from 6 to 14 units in 12 months

•

Hired 3 District Managers and moved into a Director of Operations role

COMMAND program helped me scale from

•

Cut turnover from 100% to 49% (well below industry average)

masterminds, and practical systems gave me

•

Reduced personal workload from 80+ hours to ~50 hours per week, with true time freedom on the horizon

and elevate my entire company.”

“The American Franchise Academy and the 6 to 14 units in under a year. The coaching, the confidence and tools to grow successfully

How Owl Be There protects time & handles urgent calls with care. Guided by a mission to care. Owl Be There is a senior placement franchise built on one promise: to be there for families when they need guidance most. When a senior needs assisted living, memory care, or

werConnect.

About Ans

AnswerConnect is a 24/7 answering service, dedicated to providing exceptional, brand-consistent, human service on ever\ call.

home care, the team steps in as advisors, helping families make sense of an overwhelming landscape and hnd whatMs right for their loved one.

Staying reliable & available, in every crisis.

Get in touch.

800-584-0234 franchisesales@answerconnect.com answerconnect.com/franchise

Most families calling have a senior who can no longer live safely alone, often with only days to make major decisions. That makes answering every call non-negotiable. But in

k a call

Boo

practice, this was unsustainable in-house: calls came at all hours, including nights, weekends, and overseas. Many franchisees operate with little or no support staf, leaving no way to answer every call, especially when they were in person with clients.

“If itts a revenue iapact when you aiss a

A voice they could count on With AnswerConnect, human receptionists handle their calls, 24/7. Franchise owners receive complete information upfront, letting

calle you need to consider AnswerConnect. Itts afordaalee itts

aaee

chan in . and wetve ust aeen really pleased with how AnswerConnect works with us.”

them judge whether a message needs an immediate response or can wait. This has resulted in: Laura Greenwood,

No missed opportunities: Every revenue-generating call, referral,

President & Co-founder, Owl Be There

and tour request is captured, nothing falls through the cracks.

More time back: Owners can focus fully on the family in front of them, and evenings and weekends are no longer constantly interrupted . Human connection preserved: Connecting to a real person when you’re in need, not AI or voicemail, shows that you care. Owl Be There now considers AnswerConnect a crisis management partner in its own right, one whose approach dovetails with its own model.

Turning Compliance into Capital: How The Baldwin Group Scaled The Agency’s Risk Program 1

The challenge

The Agency is a boutique real estate franchise with 150 locations nationwide. As a premier brand, maintaining standard liability and property protection across every office is critical to protecting overall brand equity. However, The Agency faced a major structural hurdle: their network consists of a wide range of office sizes and footprints. Traditional insurance offerings relied on rigid, one-size-fits-all policies that placed a prohibitive price tag on smaller boutique offices and incoming franchisees. The franchisor needed a partner capable of addressing the total risk profile of the system without slowing down franchise sales or burdening new operators with excessive startup costs.

The solution

To cover all 150 locations without overcharging smaller offices, The Baldwin Group’s Innovation Practice senior leadership personally reviewed the brand’s exposures and authored custom policy guidelines built for scale. The Innovation Practice team designed and deployed a Specialty Master Insurance Program featuring tiered coverage options. This strategy kept premiums accessible for boutique units while ensuring blanket corporate compliance. To streamline administration, the Innovation Practice team deployed an API-driven digital platform with real-time COI tracking. The platform provided corporate leadership with automated compliance visibility and allowed new franchisees to bind pre-approved coverage instantly during onboarding. Additionally, the launch of a franchise incentive program established a structured marketing allowance, turning routine insurance management into a new recurring revenue stream for The Agency.

The result

In the first full year partnering with The Agency, The Baldwin Group successfully onboarded and placed policies across 25 of their 150 locations, delivering immediate savings and operational efficiency to the network.

25 of 150 Locations

$5,100

Average savings

New revenue channel

onboarded

Each participating franchise saved an average of $5,100 on annual premiums through The Baldwin Group’s tiered master program pricing.

Transformed franchisee onboarding into an active revenue stream for corporate leadership through a structured marketing allowance.

The Baldwin Group simplified insurance across our entire system. They delivered real savings to our franchisees right out of the gate and turned what used to be an administrative hassle into a profitable partnership.”

Case study: Turning Compliance into Capital

&ŝŶĂŶĐŝŶŐ 'ƌŽǁƚŚ͗ ,Žǁ &ƌĂŶĐŚŝƐŽƌƐ >ĞǀĞƌĂŐĞ ^ƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĐ >ĞŶĚŝŶŐ WĂƌƚŶĞƌƐŚŝƉƐ ƚŽ ^ƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ 'ŽĂůƐ ůŝĞŶƚ WƌŽĨŝůĞ ŐƌŽǁŝŶŐ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ ƐǇƐƚĞŵ ƐŽƵŐŚƚ ƚŽ ƐƚƌĞŶŐƚŚĞŶ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĨŽƌ ďŽƚŚ ƉƌŽƐƉĞĐƚŝǀĞ ĂŶĚ ĞǆŝƐƚŝŶŐ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ ŽǁŶĞƌƐ͘ Ɛ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ĂĐĐĞůĞƌĂƚĞĚ͕ ůĞĂĚĞƌƐŚŝƉ ƌĞĐŽŐŶŝǌĞĚ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĞĚ ĨŽƌ ůĞŶĚŝŶŐ ƌĞƐŽƵƌĐĞƐ ĐĂƉĂďůĞ ŽĨ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚŝŶŐ ŶĞǁ ƵŶŝƚ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ͕ ĂĐƋƵŝƐŝƚŝŽŶƐ͕ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ĐĂƉŝƚĂů ŶĞĞĚƐ͕ ƌĞŵŽĚĞůƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ŵƵůƚŝͲƵŶŝƚ ĞǆƉĂŶƐŝŽŶ͘ ŚĂůůĞŶŐĞ 'ƌŽǁƚŚ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚŝĞƐ ĐĂŶ ďĞ ůŝŵŝƚĞĚ ǁŚĞŶ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞĞƐ ůĂĐŬ ĂĐĐĞƐƐ ƚŽ ŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞĂďůĞ ĨŝŶĂŶĐŝŶŐ ƌĞƐŽƵƌĐĞƐ͘ dŚĞ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐŽƌ ǁĂŶƚĞĚ Ă ůĞŶĚŝŶŐ ƉĂƌƚŶĞƌ ƚŚĂƚ ĐŽƵůĚ͗ • hŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ŵŽĚĞůƐ • ^ƵƉƉŽƌƚ ďŽƚŚ ĞŵĞƌŐŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞĚ ŽƉĞƌĂƚŽƌƐ • WƌŽǀŝĚĞ ƐŽůƵƚŝŽŶƐ ĨŽƌ ĞǆƉĂŶƐŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ĂĐƋƵŝƐŝƚŝŽŶƐ • ĞůŝǀĞƌ ĐŽŶƐŝƐƚĞŶƚ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƚŝŽŶ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŽƵƚ ƚŚĞ ĨŝŶĂŶĐŝŶŐ ƉƌŽĐĞƐƐ • ,ĞůƉ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞĞƐ ŶĂǀŝŐĂƚĞ ĐŽŵƉůĞǆ ůĞŶĚŝŶŐ ĚĞĐŝƐŝŽŶƐ DŽƐƚ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚůǇ͕ ƚŚĞ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐŽƌ ǁĂŶƚĞĚ ƚŽ ƌĞŵŽǀĞ ĨŝŶĂŶĐŝŶŐ ďĂƌƌŝĞƌƐ ƚŚĂƚ ĐŽƵůĚ ƐůŽǁ ƵŶŝƚ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ ĂŶĚ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ŐŽĂůƐ͘ ^ŽůƵƚŝŽŶ dŚĞ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐŽƌ ƉĂƌƚŶĞƌĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶŬ ŽĨ ŵĞƌŝĐĂΖƐ ĚĞĚŝĐĂƚĞĚ &ƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ >ĞŶĚŝŶŐ ƚĞĂŵ͘ dŚƌŽƵŐŚ ƚŚŝƐ ƌĞůĂƚŝŽŶƐŚŝƉ͕ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞĞƐ ŐĂŝŶĞĚ ĂĐĐĞƐƐ ƚŽ͗ • ĞĚŝĐĂƚĞĚ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ ůĞŶĚŝŶŐ ƐƉĞĐŝĂůŝƐƚƐ • ^ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŶǀĞŶƚŝŽŶĂů ĨŝŶĂŶĐŝŶŐ ƐŽůƵƚŝŽŶƐ • 'ƵŝĚĂŶĐĞ ŽŶ ĂĐƋƵŝƐŝƚŝŽŶƐ͕ ƚƌĂŶƐĨĞƌƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ĞǆƉĂŶƐŝŽŶ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚŝĞƐ • ^ƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĐ ĐŽŶƐƵůƚĂƚŝŽŶ ďĂƐĞĚ ŽŶ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌǇ ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ • EĂƚŝŽŶǁŝĚĞ ůĞŶĚŝŶŐ ĐŽǀĞƌĂŐĞ ĂŶĚ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĂŶŬ ŽĨ ŵĞƌŝĐĂ ǁŽƌŬĞĚ ĐŽůůĂďŽƌĂƚŝǀĞůǇ ǁŝƚŚ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐŽƌ ůĞĂĚĞƌƐŚŝƉ ĂŶĚ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ ŽǁŶĞƌƐ ƚŽ ďĞƚƚĞƌ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ŐŽĂůƐ ĂŶĚ ĂůŝŐŶ ĨŝŶĂŶĐŝŶŐ ĚŝƐĐƵƐƐŝŽŶƐ ǁŝƚŚ ůŽŶŐͲƚĞƌŵ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ ŽďũĞĐƚŝǀĞƐ͘ ZĞƐƵůƚƐ /ŵƉƌŽǀĞĚ ĂĐĐĞƐƐ ƚŽ ĐĂƉŝƚĂů ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚŝĞƐ ĨŽƌ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞĞƐ ŶŚĂŶĐĞĚ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŽƵƚ ƚŚĞ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ ůŝĨĞĐǇĐůĞ͕ ĨƌŽŵ ĨŝƌƐƚ ƵŶŝƚ ƚŽ ŵƵůƚŝͲƵŶŝƚ ĞǆƉĂŶƐŝŽŶ ^ƚƌŽŶŐĞƌ ĂůŝŐŶŵĞŶƚ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ŽďũĞĐƚŝǀĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĨŝŶĂŶĐŝŶŐ ƌĞƐŽƵƌĐĞƐ ZĞůĂƚŝŽŶƐŚŝƉͲĚƌŝǀĞŶ ƉĂƌƚŶĞƌƐŚŝƉ ĨŽĐƵƐĞĚ ŽŶ ůŽŶŐͲƚĞƌŵ ďƌĂŶĚ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ /ŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚ ĐŽŶĨŝĚĞŶĐĞ ĂŵŽŶŐ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ ĐĂŶĚŝĚĂƚĞƐ ƐĞĞŬŝŶŐ ĨŝŶĂŶĐŝŶŐ ŐƵŝĚĂŶĐĞ tŚǇ &ƌĂŶĐŚŝƐŽƌƐ WĂƌƚŶĞƌ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶŬ ŽĨ ŵĞƌŝĐĂ &ƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ ĚŽĞƐŶΖƚ ŚĂƉƉĞŶ ǁŝƚŚ ĨŝŶĂŶĐŝŶŐ ĂůŽŶĞ͘ /ƚ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞƐ Ă ďĂŶŬŝŶŐ ƉĂƌƚŶĞƌ ƚŚĂƚ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚƐ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ ĞĐŽŶŽŵŝĐƐ͕ ĚĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ ŐŽĂůƐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶĐĞ ŽĨ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚŝŶŐ ŽǁŶĞƌƐ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŽƵƚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ŐƌŽǁƚŚ ũŽƵƌŶĞǇ͘ ĂŶŬ ŽĨ ŵĞƌŝĐĂΖƐ &ƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ >ĞŶĚŝŶŐ ƉůĂƚĨŽƌŵ ĐŽŵďŝŶĞƐ ůĞŶĚŝŶŐ ĞǆƉĞƌƚŝƐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌǇ ŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞ ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐŽƌƐ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĂďůĞ ĞǆƉĂŶƐŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ůŽŶŐͲƚĞƌŵ ĨƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞĞ ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐ͘ ŽŶŶĞĐƚ tŝƚŚ KƵƌ &ƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ >ĞŶĚŝŶŐ dĞĂŵ :ĂƐŽŶ :͘ ĂƌŽŶŝ͕ & :ĂƐŵŝŶ K’EĞĂů͕ & ^ĞŶŝŽƌ sŝĐĞ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ sŝĐĞ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ &ƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ WƌŽŐƌĂŵ ĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ DĂŶĂŐĞƌ &ƌĂŶĐŚŝƐĞ WƌŽŐƌĂŵ ĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚ DĂŶĂŐĞƌ D͗ Ϯϰϴ͘ϴϮϰ͘ϯϯϬϳ &͗ ϯϭϮ͘ϰϱϯ͘ϯϬϴϮ D͗ ϴϭϯ͘ϰϱϬ͘ϳϭϴϮ ũĂƐŽŶ͘ďĂƌŽŶŝΛďŽĨĂ͘ĐŽŵ :ĂƐŵŝŶ͘Ă͘ŽŶĞĂůΛďŽĨĂ͘ĐŽŵ

CASE STUDY: How BizBuySell Connected Spherion Staffing with High-Intent Buyers

Client Profile Spherion Staffing is a nationally recognized staffing and recruiting franchise brand seeking qualified franchise candidates with strong leadership, sales, and business-development experience who can successfully operate and grow staffing agencies in local markets.

Challenge Because Spherion’s franchise opportunity requires a certain level of financial and professional commitment, they needed a solution that connected them with prospects who matched their ideal franchisee profile and could advance through its selective franchise development process.

Solution BizBuySell executed a dedicated direct email campaign to active, opt-in franchise buyers as well as a banner ad campaign. Both featured Spherion franchise ownership opportunities. Multiple email waves, including reinforcement campaigns, kept the opportunity in front of highly engaged prospects.

Results BizBuySell proved to be the client’s top-performing paid lead source, delivering the lowest acquisition cost and strongest close rates. Its large audience of high-intent, well-capitalized franchise buyers was a winning combination. Beyond lead generation, BizBuySell served as a strategic partner, providing data-driven insights, marketing expertise, and hands-on support that helped drive the brand’s growth.

85%

114

Buyer Engagement

Qualified Leads

Franchise Locations

Initial email received 48% open Follow-up received 85% open

Direct clicks: 620 from email; 284 from banner ads Spherion received 114 buyer inquiries

8 reached qualification stage 3 awarded franchise locations

Supercharge your franchise growth with BizBuySell Advertising Solutions 844-495-3091 | fdsupport@bizbuysell.com | bizbuysell.com

You Have the Right to Terminate. What Happens Next?

FRANCHISE LAW. BUSINESS MINDED

FRANCHISE LITIGATION | FRANCHISE RELATIONS | SYSTEM ENFORCEMENT

THE LEGAL ISSUE

$6M+

A multi-unit franchisee owed our franchisor client and its lender more than $6 million, and had uncured breaches giving the franchisor a clear contractual right to terminate. The legal answer was clear. The business answer was not.

HOW DO YOU SOLVE THIS PROBLEM WITHOUT CREATING SEVERAL MORE? HOW WE THOUGHT ABOUT IT Termination could mean closed outlets and lost market presence. Buying the outlets could preserve the locations - but potentially at a premium, with liens still attached and a market where the franchisor had no current corporate operations. There were also other distressed operators in the system.

Franchisees Talk. THE LEGAL ISSUE IS ONLY HALF THE PROBLEM

THE BUSINESS REALITY

Terminations don’t happen in a vacuum. The franchisor did not want the outlets to close and lose its market presence. But the franchisee wasn’t paying royalties, and the franchisor did not want the receivables to keep growing. A neighboring franchisee offered to buy the outlets, but the franchisee rejected the offer as too low and instead wanted the franchisor to buy them for significantly more, pointing to prior portfolio purchases. The franchisor viewed those deals as materially different and was not interested in a deal at that price. Meanwhile, the lender was pursuing a receivership, and the franchisee had threatened litigation based on claims the franchisor believed were unfounded.

WHAT WE DID Cheng Cohen helped the franchisor evaluate alternatives to immediate termination while preserving its enforcement rights. We coordinated tri-party communications among the franchisor, lender and franchisee, as no one wanted a receivership outcome. We also explored incentives that could increase the prospective buyer’s offer, while considering the $6 million debt, proposed sale, receivership efforts, impact of closing, and broader system implications. The goal: understand what happens next before deciding what happens now.

OUTCOME

THE TAKEAWAY

The franchisor continued pursuing an alternative resolution designed to preserve the outlets and protect brand value - while retaining termination as an option.

While a legal right to terminate is an important enforcement tool, it isn’t always the only lever. www.chengcohen.com 11

Streamlining Growth for Franchisors: A Case Study HomeFront Brands is an organization that encompasses a growing number of emerging residential and light commercial property service franchised brands. With a network of growth partners, advanced support systems, and in-house consumer acquisition and customer care services, the company accelerates growth for founders and their franchisees. To streamline management and improve franchisee results, the organization needed to enhance its existing processes and establish a unified, authoritative source of information.

OUR TEAM’S ROLE:

CLIENT:

Citrin Cooperman was tasked with

HomeFront Brands

implementing Vena, a corporate performance

CLIENT’S GOALS: Find and implement a more efficient tool for finance processes and consolidate data across different brands and franchisees.

management (CPM) software, to optimize the operations of a franchisor with multiple brands.

Challenges • • • •

Client operates eight different brands with independent data source systems. Google sheets became an inefficient tracking system as the company grew. The budgeting and forecasting processes were excessively time-consuming and inaccurate due to the large number of stakeholders. Lack of permission and visibility control throughout the team.

Citrin Cooperman’s Approach • •

Citrin Cooperman implemented Vena, a cloud-based solution, to revamp and improve existing processes, thereby accommodating the company's rapid growth and future software integrations. Our team developed several custom workflows and templates to streamline the report creation process.

Results • • • • •

Established a unified data source for eight distinct brands and additional entities. Automated templates to measure advertising spending, franchise time-to-open, and other metrics. Enhanced forecasting capabilities, improving support for franchisees. Accelerated budgeting and forecasting cycles. Established more accurate budgeting process through the collection of clean input and assumption data. To learn how Citrin Cooperman and Vena can help your franchise thrive, please contact us for a free consultation and software demo.

Michael Iannuzzi, Partner - Franchise Practice Leader miannuzzi@citrincooperman.com | 646.979.6079

"Citrin Cooperman" is the brand under which Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP, a licensed independent CPA firm, and Citrin Cooperman Advisors LLC serve clients’ business needs. The two firms operate as separate legal entities in an alternative practice structure. The entities of Citrin Cooperman & Company, LLP and Citrin Cooperman Advisors LLC are independent member firms of the Moore North America, Inc. (MNA) Association, which is itself a regional member of Moore Global Network Limited (MGNL). All the firms associated with MNA are independently owned and managed entities. Their membership in, or association with, MNA should not be construed as constituting or implying any partnership between them. Published 2026.

STICKY FINGERS COOKING

CASE STUDY

About Sticky Fingers Cooking Sticky Fingers Cooking is a non-brick-and-mortar cooking school that brings hands-on classes to schools, summer camps, and community centers. With about 3,000 globally inspired recipes, the brand has taught roughly one million children the joy of cooking from scratch.

Key Results Lower Stress The leadership team knows leads are being cared for.

Challenges

Pipeline Visibility

Missed opportunities and leads

Executives can see pipeline

Communication scattered across spreadsheets, calls, and text messages Limited executive-team visibility into lead flow

health and lead status.

Stronger Lead Care Prospects feel supported

and pipeline health Need to preserve personal, relationship-driven follow-up as the brand grows

throughout the process.

ClientTether helped Sticky Fingers Cooking turn a scattered process into a connected

Solutions

franchise-development system, giving the

ClientTether gave Sticky Fingers Cooking one

team confidence that every lead receives consistent, personal communication.

organized system for franchise-development communication, pipeline management, and team visibility.

In The Client’s Words

With ClientTether, leads enter a clear workflow

Erin Fletter

Founder & CEO, Sticky Fingers Cooking

where the team can see each prospect's status, coordinate follow-up, and keep communication personal. The team also gained responsive support and a secure place for sensitive lead information.

Organized lead communication

Shared team visibility

Scan to see how it works!

More consistent follow-up

Lower team stress

www.clienttether.com

“ClientTether helped us overcome missed leads, improve communication, and keep everything organized.”

“ClientTether’s CRM is exactly what a franchise brand needs for its development pipeline.”

sales@clienttether.com

385.332.8144 13

FLDC 2026 CASE STUDY

LAWN DOCTOR · 285 LOCATIONS

Maximizing franchise growth through reputation management How Lawn Doctor took control of the search results at all 285 locations — and turned local reputation into candidate conifdence and unit-level demand.

63,678 in Q2

144,600 per month

Google customer actions — calls, directions, website clicks

Google proifle views a month across the network. 1,301,678 in all.

93 58 on Google alone

rating increases since day one, across Google, Yelp, and Facebook

THE CHALLENGE

THE APPROACH

One brand. 285 different first impressions.

Something the brand hands its franchisees. Not one more thing to buy.

The system was uneven. On day one, 83 of 285 locations were under 4.7 stars, some had a single review, and one sat at 1.0 — while others were already at 5.0. A candidate researching a territory, and a customer searching a town, only ever meet one of those locations.

We ask every location’s customers for reviews — 62,522 requests sent We ifght and remove unfair reviews — 255 taken down so far We write the replies — 5,588 responses, 279 hours given back to franchisees Listings and social posts handled in the same place Franchisee support: 45 one-on-one meetings, 2 network webinars, 124+ support tickets resolved.

THE RESULTS

7,988

new reviews in 9 months

93.3%

of those were 5−star

255

illegitimate reviews removed

22.4%

of review requests turned into a review

RECRUITMENT

ONBOARDING & OPENING

GROWTH

People Google your locations before they ever look at your numbers.

A brand-new location with no reviews is invisible right when it needs customers most.

Franchisees who get busy sooner say better things — and open a second location.

WHERE REPUTATION MEETS REVENUE

Ready to turn local reputation into franchise growth? info@con umerfu ion com · (800) 381−9987

SCAN TO BOOK

Book A Demo

CLIENT CASE STUDY

Franchise Networks & Multi-Location Brands

Two Engagements, One Growing Data Foundation

dbSeer has delivered multiple data and analytics solutions for Authority Brands Authority Brands is North America's premier home service franchisor, supporting 1,200+ franchise owners

across the U.S. and Canada. As the business grew, dbSeer partnered with both its marketing and finance teams to modernize two very different data challenges.

ENGAGEMENT 1 · CALL ANALYTICS

ENGAGEMENT 2 · FINANCIAL REPORTING

Call Analytics & Data Integration Platform

Financial Reporting Platform

THE CHALLENGE

Compiling investor-ready financial reports

THE CHALLENGE

Manual, weekly call-tracking reports made it hard for the marketing team to compare

campaign performance across 1,200+ franchise locations in near real time.

across multiple brands was manual and slow, with data scattered across various platforms. THE SOLUTION

dbSeer unified that data on a serverless AWS platform with built-in validation and custom

THE SOLUTION

dbSeer built a serverless AWS pipeline to

automate call data ingestion, integration, and reporting.

reporting hierarchies. THE RESULTS

Automated Multi-brand investor reporting

THE RESULTS

Unified Multiplatform data

Multiple Metrics live in Power BI Weekly → Real-Time Reporting cadence

Ongoing Data integrity checks

“We were surprised at how much the team was able to do without our involvement or hand-holding.”

“We now have a standardized reporting solution that helps us respond to our investors in a more timely fashion.”

VP of Marketing Operations, Authority Brands

Chief Information Officer, Authority Brands

WHY FRANCHISE BRANDS CHOOSE DBSEER

AWS Advanced Consulting Partner Certified expertise across Glue, Redshift, Bedrock, and the full AWS data stack.

Foundation-First Delivery

Built for Multi-Location Brands

We map your current-to-desired state before recommending a platform.

Proven across franchise, healthcare, and logistics networks.

dbSeer · AWS Advanced Consulting Partner · Databricks Consulting Partner

dbseer.com • sales@dbseer.com

High impact case study ü Large consumer-facing enterprise ü Complex product portfolio ü Omnichannel service ü High interaction volume ü Multi-location franchise systems

One AI assistant serving 6000+ branches and its millions of customers consistently across channels

Scale customer service without continuously adding capacity The organization needed accurate, consistent engagement across a broad portfolio, multiple channels and massive interaction volume.

The same platform can be

Cogentiq CX

conﬁgured to

AI customer-engagement platform

Answer customer calls

•

10,000+ intents

Book appointments

•

Multilingual support

Qualify franchise candidates

•

Deep transaction integration

•

Consistent omnichannel customer experience

Maintain brand consistency across locations

Client identity withheld for conﬁdentiality. Franchise applications are relevant use cases, not outcomes attributed to this client.

Very high volume

Consistent experience

Monthly queries

Engagement

Integrated systems

Omnichannel reach

Transactions

Digital channels

Explore Cogentiq CX Lou Boudreau |Head of Growth - Cogentiq CX lou.boudreau@fractal.ai|+ 1 (917) 691 7488 Fractal, Suite 76J, One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007, USA

What Sharing Your Franchisee Satisfaction Data Actually Does for Development The Recruiting Asset Most Brands Ignore Choosing a franchise used to come down to a pitch deck and a gut feeling. Today's buyers want proof, and they're finding it in the words of the people already running the business.

Challenge

Approach

Results

Franchise candidates face a crowded field of similar-sounding opportunities. Marketing materials all promise support, culture, and profitability. What buyers actually want is an unfiltered read on what it's like to operate the business day to day, from people who have no stake in selling them on it.

FBR gathers verified feedback straight from your franchisees and then publishes it as satisfaction reports candidates can access before ever picking up the phone.

Franchisors sharing FBR data see candidates arrive further along in the decision, better informed, and more aligned with the brand before development ever gets involved. That means faster validation and franchisees who chose the brand for the right reasons.

How Four Franchisees Used FBR’s Satisfaction Data to Buy a Franchise

“ “ “ “

We knew WBU was a long running FBR Award Winner. That gave us confidence in our decision. We also took the time to dig into the FBR survey results. Additionally, we found the franchisee testimonials especially encouraging with WBU.” - Ken Keffer and Heather Ray, Wild Birds Unlimited franchisees

During our research, we reviewed the FBR franchise reports, franchisee satisfaction ratings, and articles and insights on the FBR website.” - Dustin and Rebecca Rauch, Caring Senior Service franchisees

I did use FBR’s website when researching and comparing franchise opportunities. There are so many franchises out there and having resources to leverage and narrow down your search is critical.” - Reggie Nelson, Kona Ice franchisee

The FBR website was an important tool that allowed us to identify and compare various franchise opportunities within the industry, giving us a clearer picture of the strengths and differences among them.” - Essa and Sabrina Bangura, A Place at Home franchisees

CASE STUDY

HOW

Propelled Brands Turned Territory Checks Into

Instant Answers

Propelled Brands transformed its territory check process, giving consultants answers in an average of just 36 seconds while reducing manual work and gaining real-time visibility across requests and outcomes

36s

Average Response Time

24/7

Consultant Response

Consultant Candidates

The Challenge

100%

Automated Process

Consistent rules across brands Propelled Brands’ territory rules, notes, and escalation processes are applied consistently with every request.

Manual territory checks can slow broker conversations, delay candidate follow-up, and create unnecessary friction. Propelled Brands was looking for a faster, more scalable process that protected speed-to-lead

Connected to their existing ecosystem The process works alongside broker networks, mapping tools, and existing technology.

while giving brokers faster answers.

The Solution Propelled Brands automated its territory check process with Franchise Ninja, giving consultants answers in seconds while routing requests more

Real-time visibility The team can see request activity, availability, consultant engagement, outcomes, and exceptions as they happen.

efficiently and creating clear workflows for resales and future-market scenarios. The team also gained realtime visibility into responses, activity, and outcomes.

Less manual work Propelled Brands reduced spreadsheet checks, inbox follow-up, and manual routing.

Territory checks used to cost us time and momentum we couldn't get back. Franchise Ninja automated the whole thing — instant answers, alternate suggestions, and detailed reporting. It's the tool I wish we'd had ten years ago.

904-746-1679

Scott Krupa, CFE

Vice President of Franchise Development

FranchiseNinja.ai

CUSTOMER STORY

NAZ’S HALAL FOOD QSR

“We can only sell at our ability to open.”

How Naz’s Halal Food runs every stage of the franchise lifecycle in FranConnect.

RESULTS & OUTLOOK

18+ years 4 months

Gerry Henley’s time using FranConnect, by his own count.

Naz’s target from approved permits to open doors.

~65

A Naz’s Halal Food location

130

CLIENT PROFILE SEGMENT

Last year actual

This year projected

Next year target

QSR, multi-unit

ORIGIN

One cart in Queens, NY

New York, NY

Naz’s Halal Food started as a single halal cart in Queens and now franchises quick-service restaurants from its New York headquarters. Gerry Henley, President of Franchise Operations, leads a team built on “a relentless pursuit of unit-level profitability.”

THE CHALLENGE “Opener, we couldn’t do what we do without it… We have accountability, but the franchisees have accountability as well.” Gerry Henley on opening new units

“Everything is contained on one dashboard, one place, so easy for the

franchisee to use.”

On franchisee engagement with Hub 2.0

Naz’s closed last year with 40 open units and aims to at least double from roughly 65 this year to 130 next year. In QSR, that growth depends on multi-unit operators, and Henley says they look for streamlined systems that get units open. Build-out time is critical, and the franchisee, real estate and construction management all have to stay on task.

So the limit is opening capacity: “We don’t want to have a thousand units sold and only three hundred open.” Franchisee engagement “was always a challenge,” Henley says, because franchisees “had to go all these different places.” And most emerging brands, he notes, have two or three people at the home office even at 50 to 70 units, without the bench to absorb every module at once.

THE SOLUTION

“The support’s just been phenomenal,

so it’s been a great experience.” Gerry Henley, President of Franchise Operations, Naz’s Halal Food

RECRUIT

Sales

Real-time data on each lead source: where candidates fall off and how fast they move. 3

OPEN

Opener FranConnect is the unit performance

platform. The only partner with the full life of every unit, 25+ years of knowing what good looks like, and the tools to act on it. For you,

or with you. CONTACT

sales@franconnect.com LEARN MORE

franconnect.com

Every party has its own dashboard, and every vendor and task is tracked in one place.

SIGN

Info Manager

FDDs go out and get signed, with everything contained in Info Manager. 4

OPERATE

Hub 2.0

Support tickets, operations and the full ops manual on one dashboard.

Opener carries the build-out. Once permits are approved, Naz’s aims to open four months later, and if a franchisee falls behind, Opener shows exactly what they were assigned. “It’s how fast can you get it opened the right way that’s cost effective to where you can be in revenue,” Henley says.

Henley calls FranConnect’s franchise sales tools “probably the gold standard” for bringing the right people into a system. For a lean team, he says, a partner that can “meet us where we’re at” is critical.

C A S E ST U DY

How Gbbis helped Clean Eatz grow by locating their possibilities

Company Overview Clean Eatz was launched in 2013 and started franchising in 2015 with over 100 locations open and sold. It offers affordable, healthy meals at their cafes or delivered to their customers' home. Their model is based on providing meals that support nutritional goals effectively and conveniently. The operation is based on a QSR model with additional territories for delivery of frozen meals.

The Challenge

“Gbbis has helped us know where to place locations and territories that meet target criteria and offer the best chance of success for our franchisees”

- VP of Franchise Development, Clean Eatz

Understanding their customer base was essential for Clean Eatz to successfully identify their target households in a way that can be extrapolated to any market in the USA. This was a key requirement to effectively map territories and potential locations that will have the minimum criteria needed to develop profitable locations while maximizing the number of territories a market can support.

The Solution An extensive profiling was conducted on Clean Eatz clients to determine their primary, secondary, and tertiary segments using mobile data and client records coupled with AGS Panorama segmentation model. This resulted in a profiling model that allowed Clean Eatz to: 1. Understand their client base and addressable market in any area of the USA. 2. Gain insights on their target segment preferences, consumer behaviors, and demographic characteristics. 3. Discover the impact of competitors and co-tenants in potential locations. 4. Apply the results to a territory mapping project to map all potential territories in the country.

The Results After completing the project, Clean Eatz gained several improvements that have positively impacted their business: 1. A fast and reliable platform for franchise territory maps. 2. Effective site selection based on relevant demographic data, reports, and tools. 3. The ability to update maps on an ongoing basis with accurate, current data. 4. The ability to easily locate prospects from similar demographics to existing customers.

Take control of your territory management, site selection, and market analysis with Gbbis’s powerful, data-driven solutions. Unlock real-time insights, improve decision-making, and maximize your growth potential. Contact us today to see how Gbbis can help you succeed!

1-877-447-6277 | gbbis.com | sales@gbbis.com

Scan. Explore. Discover your solutions.

Client Case Study

How ROBS Helped Andrea Launch a Home Care Franchise with Confidence and Control Guidant Client Andrea E. At 52 years old, Andrea was ready for a major life change. After a diverse career spanning accounting, consulting, and healthcare, including earning her MBA and becoming a Nurse Practitioner, she realized the traditional career path no longer aligned with her goals. With strong savings and a desire for independence, Andrea set her sights on business ownership and launched a Solenvia Care Givers franchise in a new Ohio territory.

Challenge

Solution

Results

Funding a Brand-New Franchise

A ROBS Structure Built to Fit

A Confident Path to Ownership

With no validated track record to lean on, Andrea faced a unique set of hurdles: Funding options for a new/emerging franchise brand are limited due to not having a proven track record yet. Covering a $60k franchise fee plus total first-year capitalization of $150k-$200k Building in a cushion for personal living expenses once her severance ended in mid-July Deciding how much of her IRA money to put to work without compromising her retirement

Guidant helped Andrea structure funding around her franchise's real capital needs: Formed a new C-corporation and 401(k) plan, then rolled over $250,000 from her traditional IRA tax and penalty-free Preserved money in her IRA for long-term retirement growth Added loan provisions to the new plan, giving Andrea access to a participant loan of up to $50,000 to help bridge personal living expenses

Instead of draining savings or taking on outside debt, Andrea unlocked: Full funding for her franchise fee and first-year capitalization needs Retirement funds working for her business instead of sitting untouched A built-in safety net for living expenses during her franchise's launch period A clear, compliant structure to sign her franchise agreement as a newly formed corporation

35,000+ Small Businesses Funded by Guidant Guidant is dedicated to empowering aspiring entrepreneurs by providing expert 401(k) financing and small business solutions. Our team of financial experts is committed to clear and timely communication, guiding clients through a funding plan designed just for them. Beyond financing, Guidant also offers a suite of integrated business services, including payroll and bookkeeping and tax support. Guidant has helped fund and support over 35,000 small businesses across the U.S. since 2003

(833) 472-6814 22

guidantfinancial.com

GULF COAST FRANCHISE FINANCE CASE STUDY

Supporting a Regional Franchise Brand’s Expansion into New Markets CLIENT PROFILE | A well-established regional franchise brand was experiencing strong franchise development momentum, with increasing franchisee demand and multiple signed development agreements. As the brand prepared for nationwide expansion, leadership recognized that consistent access to franchise financing would be critical to maintaining development timelines and supporting franchisee success.

THE CHALLENGE

THE SOLUTION

The franchisor needed a financing partner that could support franchisees throughout the development life cycle while providing a reliable, transparent process. Specifically, the brand wanted a direct lender that could:

Gulf Coast Franchise Finance partnered closely with the franchisor to understand its growth strategy and financing needs. Working directly with both the franchisor and individual franchisees, the team provided customized lending solutions—including conventional, SBA, and equipment financing—to support new unit openings and multi-unit expansion.

•

Offer financing solutions for franchisees at different stages of growth.

•

Help qualified franchisees move from approval to funding efficiently.

•

Support expansion across multiple markets without disrupting development plans.

•

Keep the franchisor informed throughout the financing process to better manage unit development.

Each franchisee worked with dedicated underwriting and closing specialists who guided them through the financing process, while the franchisor received consistent communication on application status and funding progress. This collaborative approach helped align financing with the brand’s development schedule and expansion objectives.

THE OUTCOME By establishing a financing relationship tailored to the franchise system, the brand was able to better support franchisees as they pursued new locations and multi-unit growth. The partnership helped: •

Improve franchisees’ access to financing for both initial and subsequent locations.

•

Keep development projects moving on schedule through timely financing decisions.

•

Provide greater visibility into financing milestones, enabling the franchisor to more effectively manage its development pipeline.

•

Support the brand’s continued expansion into new markets with a financing partner capable of serving franchisees nationwide.

•

As the franchise system continues to grow, the financing partnership has become an important component of the brand’s development strategy, helping franchisees secure the capital they need while allowing the franchisor to focus on sustainable, long-term expansion.

WILLIAM POPA | 219.670.7969 | WilliamPopa@GulfBank.com www.gulfcoastfranchisefinance.com Nothing stated herein is intended to create an association, agency, partnership, or joint venture relationship between Gulf Coast and/or its affiliates and any other party and shall not be construed in such manner. Products and services offered by Gulf Coast Franchise Finance, a division of Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Co. Available products are subject to change. This is not a commitment to lend. Loans are subject to credit and collateral approval. Additional terms, restrictions and limitations may apply. ©2026 Gulf Coast Bank & Trust Co. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.

CASE STUDY Family Entertainment / Experiential Retail

TRAMPOLINE PARK — CHICAGO METRO | Build-to-Suit / Redevelopment

TRANSACTION OVERVIEW Haven Capital Partners conducted market and site feasibility analysis to identify the property — a former health club — as the optimal location for the

operatorʼs expansion. The team then negotiated the purchase price, reducing it from the $5.0M listing to a $4.5M acquisition, and managed all legal work through closing. Haven acquired the building then led the full redevelopment process, overseeing budgeting, due diligence, permitting, and vendor management on the tenantʼs behalf — funding 100% of the construction costs and ultimately delivering a fully operational, turnkey facility.

As a result, the tenant generated a 138% cash-on-cash return in Year 1 while adding over $1M of annual EBITDA to their corporate credit — an accretive outcome for an operator expanding its national footprint.

DEAL FINANCIALS Acquisition Purchase Purchase Price Price Acquisition

$4,500,000 $4,500,000

Renovation Renovation Funds Funds

$4,000,000 $4,000,000

Facility Equipment Equipment & & Attractions Attractions Facility

$750,000 $750,000

TOTAL TOTAL PROJECT PROJECT COST COST

$9,250,000 $9,250,000

Amount Funded Funded by by Haven Haven Capital Capital Partners Partners Amount

$8,500,000 $8,500,000

Cap Rate Annual Rent

9.00% $765,000

Annual Rent Year 1 Projected EBITDA (After Rent)

$765,000 $1,035,000

Year 1 Projected EBITDA (After Rent) Tenant Tenant Cash-on-Cash Cash-on-Cash Return Return —— Year Year1 1

$1,035,000 138%

Tenant Cash-on-Cash ReturnValue —Value Year 1 7x) Tenant Tenant IncrementalEnterprise Enterprise (Est. (Est. Tenant Incremental Incremental Enterprise Value (Est. 7x)7x)

135% $7,245,000 138% $7,245,000

HAVEN CAPITAL PARTNERS | 1018 WESTHAVEN BLVD. SUITE 106, FRANKLIN, TN 37064 | WWW.HAVENSLB.COM Confidential Confidential — For — Discussion For Discussion Purposes PurposesOnly Only

w w w.h e ra - g ro u p .c o m

PR CASE STUDY How Hera Group helped Arthur Murray have its best development year since opening in 1912

Opportunity Arthur Murray Dance Studios, a 100+ year legacy brand, had never invested in f ranchise public relations and was recruiting f ranchisees f rom outside its system for the f irst time in a long time. The brand needed to quickly build awareness and credibility with prospective owners.

What We Did Launched Arthur Murray’s f irst-ever f ranchise PR program, developing a modern f ranchise narrative and pushing an aggressive earned media campaign to drive consistent media coverage.

Outcome Within just 60 days, secured feature coverage centered on the f ranchise opportunity and f ranchisee success with several leading f ranchise and business outlets. All media helped establish immediate credibility in the f ranchise space, increasing awareness among new f ranchise prospects. Arthur Murray is having its best development year in its 114-year history. Matt Ritter, Founder & CEO (954) 647-3383 matt@hera-group.com 25

We know what it takes to grow franchise brands Only Hot Dish Advertising has the experience and expertise needed to build a franchise marketing system that delivers real, lasting impact.

Case Study I Express Employment Professionals

800 locations open worldwide

7 Years

of client partnership

The team at Hot Dish has become so much more than

THE BRAND

Express is an award-winning global staffing franchise.

a vendor for us. They are a

THE CHALLENGE

trusted partner and advisor

Express needed a way to reach more high-quality lead prospects to fuel their continued growth across North America. THE GOAL

efforts. The work they’ve done to help our brand and website

Attract serious Franchise Owner prospects while filtering out low-intent inquiries.

stay current and optimized for

THE STRATEGY

landscape has been handled

Create and optimize a messaging framework that attracts qualified prospects and drives conversion.

the ever-changing AEO and SEO with expertise, foresight, and diligence. I truly believe we are

THE RESULT

Express met its 2025 sales goal and saw a 20% increase in qualified leads. THE NEXT MOVE

Activate SEO/GEO decision hubs that connect prospective Franchise Owners with answers and position Express to win in traditional and AI-powered search.

in our franchise development

better positioned for future growth because of Hot Dish.” Kenny Reinbold Director of Integrated Marketing Express Employment Professionals

HOT DISH A DV E R T ISING

ignitevisibility.com (619) 752 - 1955

TURNING AI SEARCH VISIBILITY INTO QUALIFIED FRANCHISE INQUIRIES An automotive services franchise became the #1 most visible brand in AI search, resulting in more AI-driven website traffic and qualified franchise inquires.

CLIENT PROFILE BUSINESS TYPE

INDUSTRY

Multi-location franchise brand focused on franchise growth and development

Automotive Services Franchise

THE CHALLENGE Competing for visibility as franchise candidates turn to AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini for investment research.

THE SOLUTION

How Franchise Buyers Research Today

Ask AI to Research

Get Recommendations

Research Their Options

Visit Websites & Inquire

Implement an AI Search strategy designed to increase franchise visibility across emerging AI platforms and influence prospects.

THE RESULTS #1

+25%

+24%

RANKED AUTOMOTIVE FRANCHISE IN AI SEARCH VISIBILITY The brand moved from #3 to #1 in AI share of voice among competing automotive franchises.

INCREASE IN AI MENTIONS AI mentions grew from 24.7% to 30.9%, making the brand the top competitor in AI responses.

INCREASE IN AI CITATIONS Citation rate grew from 12.4% to 15.4%, increasing brand visibility in AI-generated recommendations.

QUALIFIED FRANCHISE INQUIRIES FROM AI SEARCH ChatGPT referral traffic showed a 66% engagement rate and increased resource downloads.

STRATEGY & APPROACH TRACK & MEASURE AI SEARCH VISIBILITY

Track franchise research prompts across AI platforms and measure AI mentions, citations, and competitive share of voice.

STRENGTHEN CONTENT & ENTITY SIGNALS

Optimize franchise content and key pages to improve how AI platforms understand and evaluate the brand.

ANALYZE & OPTIMIZE PERFORMANCE

Measure downstream engagement and inquiries from AI traffic to refine strategy and maximize impact.

BUILD LONG-TERM AI AUTHORITY

Establish the brand as a trusted authority in the category, increasing the likelihood of AI platforms recommending the franchise.

THE TAKEAWAY

AI search represents a new frontier for franchise growth. By building visibility across AI platforms, franchises can strengthen brand discovery, influence prospective buyers, and generate qualified inquiries.

CASE STUDY: THE UPS STORE®

How imLabs Solved

National Brand, Local Chaos.

The Problem:

Corporate & Local Disconnect

For a major national brand like The UPS Store®, local execution is everything. imLabs identified five locations suffering from the classic symptoms of "local chaos":

•

Poor Online Reputation: Low ratings (2.5–3.7) were damaging local trust.

•

No Corporate Visibility: The national team had no clear insight into what was working at the local level.

•

Stagnant Growth: Key services like mailbox sign-ups were stuck at just 4-5 per month.

The Solution:

Unified the Brand Voice with compliant local social pages.

imLabs deployed its human-powered platform to provide national control with local execution. In a six-month pilot with a minimal ad spend we:

Drove Local Action with hyper-targeted ads to the right audience.

imLabs Local Intelligence Engine

Rebuilt Trust with real, human review responses in under 24 hours.

The Provable ROI: Turning Local Insights into Revenue

2.4x Increase

Weekly Mailbox Revenue (from $527 to $1,256)

2x Growth Local Mailbox Sign-Ups

4.1+ Rating

Achieved across 60% of pilot stores

28,000+ Reach On a tiny $20/mo ad budget

See the Gaps in Your Own Franchise System imLabs is offering a Free, No-Obligation Local Visibility Audit for a sample of your franchise locations. In 30 minutes, we will show you exactly where your brand is bleeding revenue.

Scan Here To Book Your Free Audit

20,000+ franchisees across brands you know:

sales@imlabs.co

657-333-4716

CASE STUDY

$35k Monthly revenue increase

$43K

The Joint Chiropractic Gets a Digital Adjustment

challenge

SOCIAL ADS THAT RELIEVE PAIN POINTS AND REVENUE PLATEAUS

solution

Ironmark helped the clinic realign its marketing with a precision social campaign designed to reach healthconscious local audiences. Shortform video ads highlighted common concerns like back pain, neck pain, and headaches, paired with The Joint’s signature $29 New Patient offer.

The Joint Chiropractic is built on convenience, accessibility, and consistent local visibility. But for one Pennsylvania clinic, revenue started to feel stuck.

LEAD VOLUME

After a year of flat or declining revenue, one Newton Square, PA clinic needed a way to bring in more new patients and rebuild local momentum.

Ironmark launched a Meta and TikTok campaign targeting common chiropractic pain points with proven video creative, a strong new patient offer, and fast-follow-up to convert leads into appointments.

The result was a powerful turnaround. Lead volume tripled, new patient visits climbed, and monthly revenue jumped from $35k to $43k, proving that the right digital adjustment can help even a flat market find its flow again.

+22% MONTHLY REVENUE

318%

IRONMARKUSA.COM 888.775.3737

RETURN ON AD SPEND

How streaming TV drove $805K in sales—96% of them in-store CASE STU

THE CHALLENGE

3.96x

A national premium athletic footwear retailer with 250+ stores had an awareness

blended 98A? across

problem and a measurement blind spot. Aided awareness sat at 9% among the

ecommerce and in-store sales

general population against a 19% goal, and the brand held roughly 1% of mental market share in its category. Meanwhile 85% of its business ran through stores, so an ecommerce-only view of media showed a 0.65x return and told the team

2.11x

almost nothing about what was working. Marketing needed to grow store traffic and prove it in company-owned markets before asking franchisees to fund it.

incremental lift in sales acrosÏ the store footprint

THE A ROACH

Jamloop ran streaming TV store by store, then matched in-store transaction data back to exposed households so ecommerce and in-store sales could be counted

$805K

as one program.

in attributed revenue froç 12,300+ transactions

Store-level media, not DMAs Every market ran as its own line item, targeted by ZIP around individual stores and small store clusters, so budget followed local demand.

96%

In-store sales matched to households

of attributed transactions

Point-of-sale records moved through a clean room and were matched to

happened in-store

household identifiers, turning in-store purchases into attributable events that sat alongside ecommerce conversions in one report.

CTV, pause ads, video and display Full-episode streaming carried reach on the big screen, pause ads earned highattention moments during natural viewing breaks, and online video and display reinforced the message and captured action after exposure.

rue visible for the frst time across stores and ecommerce

ROAS

Channel-level reads, monthl< reallocatioM Each product reported its own 98A?. After three months of combined ecommerce and in-store data, display was cut and its budget moved into CTV.

Budget shifted out of display into channels returning and better 3.3x

Compan<-o7ned mar>ets prove it ;irse The model was validated in company-owned markets before franchise dollars were requested, so franchise owners saw store-level evidence from comparable markets rather than a national average.

very market measurable on its o?n0 from single stores to clusters E

THE RESULTS

Counting stores changed the picture entirely. The program delivered 16.7M impressions to 1.6M households and drove 12,300+ transactions worth $805K in attributed revenue, a 3.96x blended return across ecommerce and in-store. Testversus-control reads showed a 2.11x incremental lift in sales across the store footprint, so those sales were additive, not borrowed. Aided awareness climbed five points in streaming TV markets even as awareness stayed the brand¸s toughest national problem. And 96% of attributed transactions happened in a

ompanyWo?ned markets proved the model0 clearing a path to franchise rollout C

store, which is the number that reframed how this retailer plans media.

jamloop.com

CASE STUDY Getting the capital to the franchisees who need it most - how one QSR franchisor turned a conversation at FLDC into a funding pipeline for its first-time operators THE CHALLENGE At last year's Franchise Leadership & Development Conference, a leading quick service restaurant franchisor shared a familiar problem: a growing class of first-time franchisees, hard-working operators entering the system without deep pockets or significant personal liquidity, and no reliable financing partner to get them open. The brand's growth strategy widened that gap. Its footprint centers on in-line leasehold buildouts at a more affordable investment level, so its franchisees need smaller, faster loans; exactly the deals many conventional lenders deprioritize, and exactly the borrowers who struggle most to access capital on their own. THE SOLUTION* Live Oak Bank curated a lending partnership built around the SBA Express loan — a streamlined working capital product providing up to $500,000 in funding, available to brand-new startups, with very low closing costs compared to other loan types. The fit was deliberate: loan sizes matched the brand's affordable buildout costs, and the Express structure matched the speed its development pipeline demanded. Every franchisee still received a full credit analysis; but thanks to the established relationship with the franchisor, Live Oak came into each application with a preliminary favorable view of the deal. With the concept, the buildout, and the unit economics already well understood, due diligence moved quicker because each borrower was backed by a trusted, familiar brand. THE RESULTS The first franchisees funded through the partnership became its best advocates. Their reviews of Live Oak consistently highlighted: • Communication: a clear, well-communicated process from application to funding • Speed: closings in less than 10 days in some cases* • Terms: favorable loan terms competitive with any lender in the market That word-of-mouth compounded. In the last year, many more franchisees were funded for this one franchisor alone, and another 15 are currently in the pipeline, and the same partnership model has since been established with other brands across the quick service restaurant industry. WHY LIVE OAK BANK Live Oak Bank is the nation's largest SBA 7(a) lender by dollar amount for 2025.** Our franchise restaurant lending team pairs that scale with dedicated industry expertise across SBA 7(a), SBA Express, SBA 504, and conventional loan products. For franchisors, the takeaway is simple: your next generation of operators doesn't have to be your hardest to finance. A curated lending partnership puts capital in the hands of the doers who build your brand, one unit at a time. Lets connect at FLDC. To learn more or connect with a member of our team visit liveoak.bank/restaurants or connect with Kav Ellis at FLDC. *Your interest rate, terms and speed to receive funds differ based on your creditworthiness, industry and other factors. **The data supplied by the SBA reflects 7(a) highest dollar volume FY 2025

Automotive services / Lofi case study

How selected Valvoline locations increased daily oil changes by 19% with the same ad spend Same budget, same creative, same duration. The only change was publishing through Lofi instead of native Ads Manager.

19%

81.6

36.3%

Increase in daily oil changes

Avg. oil changes / day with Lofi

New customers maintained

The test

The team ran a controlled A/B test over two consecutive Fridays to compare native Facebook Ads Manager against Lofi. Every condition held steady — same budget, same creative, same duration, from late Tuesday through Friday evening. The only variable was the publishing platform.

Week 1

Week 2

Ads Manager

Lofi 68.5

Avg. oil changes / day

37.4%

New customers

Locations

81.6

Avg. oil changes / day

36.3%

New customers

Locations

Incremental lift: +13.1 oil changes per day, with new-customer share holding steady.

"An incremental 13.1 oil changes per day without compromising new customers is impressive. Same budget, same creative, same duration. The only difference was publishing through Lofi instead of directly through Ads Manager."

VP Marketing, Valvoline

The challenge

The solution

Multi-location automotive service businesses face a

Rather than guess, the team ran identical campaigns Ads published through Lofi drove 81.6 oil changes a

common problem: driving consistent foot traffic across across two consecutive Fridays, holding budget, every location while keeping ad spend efficient. The

The result

day on average, against 68.5 through Ads Manager

creative, and duration constant. The only variable was — an incremental 13.1 oil changes representing real

team wanted to know whether a different way of

the publishing platform: native Ads Manager in week customers walking through the door, with new-

managing Facebook advertising could bring in more

one, Lofi in week two, letting the same ads reach

customers without raising budget or changing

customers more effectively with no extra effort from

creative.

the marketing team.

Ready to grow your business? Join Lofi and put every location's ad spend to work.

Lofi Marketing LLC — meetlofi.com

Joel Stanley

customer share holding steady at 36.3%.

meetlofi.com/demo

Source: meetlofi.com/resources/casestudies/valvoline

How Sales Accelerator Helped a Franchise Development Team Reach 70% of its Annual Target by Q1

14% 23% Conversion

< 13 min

120

70%

Annual Target Reached by Q1

Days to Close

Median Booking

CASE STUDY

Powering Homes & Businesses Nationwide Batteries Plus is the leading supplier in batteries, lighting, generators, and related services, offering 25,000+ battery and 15,000 lighting solutions. With 700 locations and a 150,000 ft² distribution center, it serves homes and businesses nationwide.

Emergency power equipment

As the largest Duracell licensee in the USA and armed with a range of national accounts, Batteries Plus is an attractive option for prospective franchisees. Relatively low stafﬁng requirements, rapid time to revenues, and revenue diversity are a few of the factors that make it ideal for growth and legacy building. Indeed, most of its franchisees are multi-unit owners.

The Challenge: More Demand, Same Need for Speed Joe Malmuth, Chief Development Ofﬁcer, knew faster response would drive both conversion and speed to close. With buzz about the brand causing a ﬂood of inquiries, maintaining that level of responsiveness became unattainable at scale. That was a welcome problem to have.

The Solution: Engage Every Prospect, Right Away Batteries Plus turned to Lumin.ai to engage every prospect immediately, 24/7, through conversational AI. Lumin.ai automatically nurtures and re-engages leads, schedules calls with the development team, and handles personalized conversations at scale. Journey-appropriate video content conveys a sense of purpose and establishes a personal connection even before the ﬁrst meeting.

The Results: More Conversion. Faster Growth. Lead-to-application conversion increased from 14% to 23%, while the sales cycle compressed from 120 days to 76 days. With higher conversion, faster funnel velocity, and more developer capacity, Batteries Plus reached 70% of its annual franchise development target in Q1 alone, and now relies on Lumin.ai to arrange and nurture 100% of its introductory calls.

“

Hi, Kirsten. Thanks for inquiring about owning a Batteries Plus franchise. (Text END to opt out anytime.) Batteries and generators are missioncritical in many industries. The top 10% of our commercial sales focused franchisees drive $2.7M/yr average. Jacob, our Development Manager, can do today, tomorrow, or Thu 11/8. Does 1:00 PM EDT today work? Yes, that would be great. What times are you available on fri? I see several slots open on Fri 11/9, as early as 8:00 AM and as late as 5:15 PM Eastern. Is 3:00 PM ok? I'd prefer to do it earlier in the day, if possible. Can u do 12? It sounds like you'd like to talk on Fri 11/9 at noon. Did I get that right? Great. Jacob will call you Fri at noon. I've emailed you an invite. Until then, learn what one happy franchisee said about growth.

Yep!

Lumin.ai is a force multiplier. It makes our sales team much, much more effective at what they do.

”

Joe Malmuth Chief Development Ofﬁcer

See how Lumin.ai helps franchise teams engage more prospects, faster. Scan to see Lumin.ai in action.

CASE STUDY

STRONGER LOCATIONS. BRIGHTER FUTURES. How KidStrong and Morrow Hill are using data-driven insights to support smarter growth.

THE OPPORTUNITY

GOING DEEPER WITH THE DATA

FROM INSIGHT TO EXECUTION

As KidStrong continued to grow, the brand began taking a closer look at why some locations were outperforming others, and how real estate decisions could better align with the customers driving the strongest results.

As the partnership evolved, KidStrong and Morrow Hill conducted a new analysis through Vision Map, now with approximately 208 open & operating locations.

The findings began influencing more than real estate. KidStrong could use the customer intelligence to better inform market planning, site selection, marketing and presale targeting helping teams reach the right customers before a location even opened.

KidStrong began working with Morrow Hill in 2024, with the first couple of leases signed that year. Since then, the relationship has expanded beyond individual transactions into a deeper approach to market planning and customer intelligence, powered by Morrow Hill’s proprietary software, Vision Map.

Using Spatial AI, the team uncovered new customer insights - including a particularly valuable customer cohort with high lifetime value and approximately three years of retention.

BEFORE LAUNCHING PRESALE

Presale teams are now reaching approximately 50–100 members signed up before launching presale because of these insights.

KEY RESULTS

While Morrow Hill and KidStrong’s evolving real estate strategy represent one important component of a broader growth story, the brand has continued to see strong year-over-year comparable store sales growth.

+10%

MEMBERS SIGNED UP

That insight gave KidStrong a clearer understanding of not only where its customers were, but which customers represented the greatest long-term value to the business.

SAME-STORE SALES GROWTH

+15%

50-100

+14%

2024

Morrow Hill Partnership Begins

~3 YEARS

2025

2026

“STRONGER KIDS BUILD STRONGER COMMUNITIES.”

Open & Operating Locations Analyzed

(first couple of leases signed)

Retention Within The High-Value Customer Cohort

2024

208

50–100

Members Signed Up Before Launching Presale

Real estate is estimated to contribute approximately 3%–5% to overall annual growth, demonstrating how stronger location strategy can become one meaningful piece of improving unit economics and performance.

By combining real estate expertise with powerful data and a shared commitment to the KidStrong mission, Morrow Hill is helping the brand create more opportunities for kids, families and franchise partners to thrive.

PEOPLE. PLACES. POTENTIAL.

CASE STUDY | ALLIANCE FRANCHISE BRANDS

How myHRcounsel helps Alliance Franchise Brands launch compliant franchisees from day one myHRcounsel’s ASK HR solution gives new franchisees a complete HR foundation before opening day, and expert support at every stage after THE CLIENT Alliance Franchise Brands is a leading franchisor of more than 500 locations in North America and serves the multi-billion dollar market for marketing, print, sign and graphics communications services.

THE CHALLENGE New franchisees become an employer before the business ever opens. Offer letters, a handbook and the first hire all come weeks ahead of the first customer, while the owner is also managing buildout, equipment, training, and a launch date. Delays or gaps in HR readiness can create risk, confusion, and costly setbacks.

THE SOLUTION Alliance Franchise Brands brought myHRcounsel into the opening process. New franchisees have access to compliant documentation, consultation with a network of employment attorneys, and resources built to support a successful launch.

THE OUTCOME With myHRcounsel, Alliance Franchise Brands franchisees open with the HR side handled, so their early momentum goes where it belongs: serving customers, building the team, and growing with confidence.

Having access to on-demand legal support from myHRcounsel offers heightened peace of mind to our franchise members. Ray Palmer, COO Alliance Franchise Brands LLC

COMPLIANT DOCUMENTS

EARLY EXPERT SUPPORT

SMOOTHER START

Up-to-date HR policies built for franchise compliance.

Employment attorneys ready to help before doors open.

Confident beginnings for every new franchisee.

Find out how we can help.

myHRcounsel.com/franchisors

93 Leases. 21 Days. One Reliable Portfolio. Rapid lease management and ASC 842 migration for a multi-location QSR franchise operator Client Profile

Time to Go-Live

Annualized Savings

93 QSR locations across Canada and the United States

21 days

More than $4,800

Case Study Summary: Quarem converted incomplete source reports into a validated, production-ready lease portfolio in 21 days—9 days ahead of the client’s 30-day deadline.

Client Profile A franchise operator with 93 quick-service restaurant locations across Canada, the Midwest, Colorado, and Texas relied on its lease platform for monthly rent payables, ASC 842 accounting, and year-end close preparation.

Challenge After two years on a competing platform, the client needed to change vendors because the existing system had poor data structure, support was limited to slow email exchanges, and the proposed subscription price was increasing by more than 60% to approximately $1,400 per month. The transition had to be completed within 30 days without interrupting rent payments or lease accounting. The outgoing vendor increased the migration risk by providing only partial, unrelated Excel reports instead of a complete data export.

Solution & Results Quarem moved the complete 93-lease portfolio into production in 21 days—9 days ahead of schedule—while maintaining uninterrupted monthly processes and delivering validated accounting outputs. The transition generated more than $400 in monthly subscription savings, and the one-time onboarding engagement remained below budget. To achieve these results, Quarem began discovery before contract execution and validated sample lease abstracts and ASC 842 amortization schedules as proof of concept. Dedicated lease analysts then reconciled the fragmented reports, designed a reporting-ready structure, and mapped the data into Quarem. Automated import and reconciliation routines verified accuracy, while a dedicated Portfolio Manager supported training, go-live, and ongoing communication. 30% Faster than the 30-day deadline

Validated lease and ASC 842 data

Dedicated Portfolio Manager

>$400/Month subscription savings

About Quarem Quarem combines lease management software with managed portfolio services to help organizations centralize lease data, administer rent obligations, maintain ASC 842 reporting, and improve portfolio visibility. Clients receive dedicated lease expertise and a single accountable contact, creating a service model that supports both reliable data and responsive portfolio management.

QUAREM | CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY BUILDING THE BLUEPRINT FOR NATIONAL GROWTH How a data-driven NSO strategy took a franchise from 17 to 100+ units in 3 years COMPANY OVERVIEW Hounds Town USA is redefining indoor dog care: daycare, boarding, and grooming under one roof, built around a structured, thoughtfully supervised group-play model, not typical open-play daycare, delivered with genuine care for every dog that walks through the door.

THE CHALLENGE

THE SOLUTION

With just 17 units open, Hounds Town lacked a repeatable, data-driven engine for growth.

built and executed a full end-to-end New Store Opening (NSO) strategy: 3 connected disciplines, one growth engine.

Each new location was evaluated market-by-market with no shared analytics foundation, no formalized site selection process, and no standardized design & construction guidelines, creating inconsistent timelines, unpredictable costs, and risk to brand consistency.

Analytics-driven development strategy: portfolio mapping, demographic/psychographic segmentation, whitespace, trade-area, and competitor/cannibalization analysis, run independently of the deal team so every recommendation is driven by data, not the incentive to get a lease signed. Real estate strategy & site selection: a formalized path from search-area creation through broker engagement, LOI negotiation, Real Estate Committee review, and lease execution. Design & construction refinement: a standardized Buildout Book and hands-on construction management from lease execution through Certificate of Occupancy. Local Brokers, Fully Invested: The network of experienced local brokers receives 100% of their commission, ensuring they are fully invested in each transaction. This model delivers highly motivated, market-specific representation for our clients in every market. Predictable Pipeline: The 2025 forecasting accurately predicted the 2026 opening pipeline, giving leadership greater visibility into future openings and allowing for more proactive planning and resource allocation.

THE RESULTS

17 - 100+

UNITS IN 3 YEARS Grown from 17 locations to over 100 in three years.

20%

FASTER TIME TO OPEN Lease signing to opening, since redC took over the process.

90%+

CUSTOMER DATA CAPTURED Of revenue captured to build brand-specific customer profiles.

70,000+

RECORDS MATCHED Matched & mapped nationwide to power whitespace modeling.

“The highest compliment I can give is that prior to , I was constantly involved and or worried about real estate and construction. Calls with franchisees, addressing problems, putting out fires, I just couldn't get ahead of it. And it was keeping me from focusing on other part of the business. Today, I don't worry about real estate and construction and am thrilled with the speed we open new locations.”

ROB FLANAGAN, CEO

Hounds Town USA

MARKET PROOF POINT - AURORA, IL Indoor dog daycare and boarding facilities are a build-intensive concept: specialty flooring, dedicated HVAC zones, sound mitigation, and kennel infrastructure all add real time. Aurora is proof the process holds up even in a market with real construction complexity.

17.8 MO

7.8 MO

FA SIGNED - GRAND OPENING

LEASE SIGNING - CERT. OF OCCUPANCY

WWW.REDCADVOCACY.COM | REAL ESTATE INTELLIGENCE. DESIGN. CONSTRUCTION | FRANCHISE AND MULTI-UNIT 37

CASE STUDY

NATIONAL TENANT REPRESENTATION + ANALYTICS

How a Pizza Franchise Avoided a Costly Relocation by Finding the Real Problem The site checked every box. The customer data told a different story, and it kept a profitable location from being moved.

The Challenge

CLIENT PROFILE

A multi-unit pizza franchise had one location that was falling behind its sister units, and the plan was to relocate it. A move means new build-out, lease exposure on the existing space, and months of lost sales while the new unit ramps up. Before committing, the brand asked RESOLUT RE to confirm that a new site was the right fix.

What the Data Showed Our Market Analytics Platform found nothing wrong with the real estate. So we went a layer deeper, running a geolocation analysis to see how customers actually behaved at this location compared with the brand's other units. METRIC

FINDING

THE SITE

CONCEPT

Pizza, quick service

MODEL REQUEST

Multi-unit franchise Relocate an underperforming unit

OUTCOME

Site kept, team rebuilt

TIME PER VISIT

Other units This store

100 70

Indexed to the brand's other locations

Traffic counts

STRONG

Visibility and access

STRONG

Trade area demographics

STRONG

THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Repeat visits

BELOW SISTER UNITS

Time spent per visit

30% BELOW SISTER UNITS

KEY TAKEAWAY

Not every underperforming store has a real estate problem. The best advice we gave this client was to stay put.

The Solution Customers were finding the store. They just weren't enjoying it enough to stay or come back. With a great site and the same menu, the gap pointed to management and staffing, not location. We recommended keeping the site and investing in new leadership and a stronger team, instead of paying to move the same problem to a new address.

The Results

spent on build-out, lease termination, or relocation downtime

30%

visit-time gap identified, pinpointing an operations issue, not a site issue

One National Platform, From Data to Signed Lease

proven location kept, with its customer base and lease intact

Expanding, relocating, or marketing surplus space

1 Market Analytics

2 Site Selection

Target customers, market capacity, and an opening sequence for every market.

Local brokers in every market find One national lead reviews sites and tour sites against your criteria. and negotiates LOIs and leases.

300+

CLIENTS

STATES

130+

COUNTRIES

Cesar Villarreal

Vice President cesar@resolutre.com

3 Master Broker

David Simmonds

President & Founder david@resolutre.com 512.917.0416

Every franchisee's pipeline, territory, and HQ approval in one shared, real-time workspace.

George Anderson

EVP, Market Analytics george@resolutre.com 512.765.2310

The information contained herein was obtained from sources deemed reliable; however, RESOLUT RE makes no guarantees, warranties or representations as to the completeness or accuracy thereof. Client details are anonymized. RESOLUT RE, which provides real estate brokerage services, is a division of Reliance Retail, LLC, a Texas Limited Liability Company.

Achieving Accurate, System-Wide Financial Reporting with metiRi® 100

P&Ls submitted that were blocked prior

44%

Increase in intentional, accurate financial reporting

100%

Submissions validated and accessible in minutes

Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a leading U.S. fast-casual brand with 1,600+ locations and over a decade of growth. Driven by innovation and a commitment to franchisee success, they rank among the industry’s fastest‐expanding franchise systems. The Finance team recognized that its process for collecting franchisee financial information wasn’t providing the visibility needed to assess franchisee health or improve unit-level profitability. They needed a new solution that could quickly, accurately and consistently collect and analyze franchisee financial data across all locations. To gain a single, trusted source of financial truth and benchmark key metrics systemwide, Tropical Smoothie Cafe partnered with Revenue Management Solutions (RMS) and its financial reporting solution, metiRi®.

Challenge Before metiRi®, Tropical Smoothie Cafe relied on a third-party tool to collect P&L statements from its franchisees. Although the financial software claimed to integrate with various accounting systems, the reality told a different story: Submission quality issues led to major inefficiencies, manual corrections and delays in meaningful insight. While many franchisees submitted P&Ls, about half of the data was unusable due to accuracy issues. The Finance team had to manually collect additional P&Ls that the previous tool couldn’t process.

The Solution: Here’s how metiRi® transformed the process: Consistent Accuracy Every upload delivers accurate, validated data that can be trusted for analysis and decision-making. Quick and Easy Setup With a one-time template setup, the financial software is trained to interpret files, no matter the source. Minutes to Insights Data from all locations is processed and validated in minutes, whether it’s from one store or thousands.

Schedule Your Demo Discover why over 80k+ restaurants worldwide trust RMS to increase sales and maximize costs. Contact our team today to see how our solutions can transform your business.

One Platform: A Ful l AI Agent Workforce Revscale’s AI Workforce has driven compounding results across brands of all categories, automating growth from franchise development to corporate operations to franchisee growth

Case Study

Spotlight on Client Results

Dean Kilton

Marketing Manager The team at Revscale have been fantastic in helping us make our first steps into the world of agentic AI. Without their help, we d still be spinning our wheels trying to figure out how to get started. From customi ation of our AI Agents to communication to our franchisees, the team at Revscale have been open to feedback and adNustments we ve needed. We believe this technology is a gamechanger for how we operate our businesses and the Revscale team have guided us every step of the way '

Signarama deployed Revscale through their brand fund and had 21,390+ qualified leads in 12 months A franchisee increased revenue by $650,000 using the Outbound Agent over a 6 month period 2 Barrio Burrito master franchisees had 31 qualified organic candidates in their first 90 days

AI Franchise +evelopment AI Agents manage the complete franchise candidate Nourney, from targeting & outreach to qualification & handoff

Franchisee Growth A full suite of inbound & outbound agents deployed to your franchisees to help them grow. eonedfordyou, traineddfordyou

On oar anage Train Central hub & MS for franchisee agreements, territories, locations, documents, and milestones, & guide new franchisees through onboarding & training

i hael hite Chief eevelopment Officer M

Particularly from a lead engagement perspective, Revscale has been e cellent for our team. We tell their AI Agents the type of partners we’re seeking and the particular areas we’re interested in developing, and Revscale’s agents do the rest. In an era where lead sourcing is becoming increasingly challenging, Revscale is our go to’ partner for growth

no te hni a Done or %ou expertise required

Cutting Through the AI Noise

‘

Anal¬tics ª +ash oar s Track development, conversion, openings, and network performance across brands¾ regions, territories, and locations with our FranchiseOS™ hub

Use With Your Favorite AI Use Revscale to connect to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot & more for instant

answers and insights for both the corporate team and the franchisees

Safe Compliant Secure Our top priority, whether it’s compliant franchise development practices or the security of your brand’s proprietary data

C A S E S T U DY

Scooter's Coffee scaled local marketing across nearly 900 locations without adding headcount Genius Agents gave franchisees control of their local marketing while corporate kept brand standards intact. The work got done at every location, automatically.

+13%

+38%

+17%

Increase in Google Business Profile leads

Increase in direction requests

Increase in reviews

THE CHALLENGE

As a rapidly growing franchise marketing brand with nearly 900 locations, Scooter’s Coffee struggled with scaling its local marketing strategy across the system. While franchisees wanted to engage their communities, the lack of centralized support resulted in inconsistent branding and missed local SEO visibility opportunities. At the same time, the corporate team faced bandwidth constraints. Manual processes like review responses and content approvals were time-consuming, and franchisees needed more support to execute localized marketing effectively. T H E R E S U LT S

Scooter's Coffee implemented SOCi Agents to help franchisees take control of their local marketing while staying aligned with brand standards. With built-in guardrails for tone, voice, and approvals, franchisees could easily create and publish localized content that reflected their community involvement without needing deep marketing expertise. SOCi enabled franchisees to "show up" in their markets by effectively allowing owners to highlight local events, promotions, and community engagement in a structured, brand-safe way. With insights into what customers were searching for in each region, franchisees could tailor their content to stay relevant and competitive in crowded markets. By combining automation with local flexibility, SOCi Agents helped Scooter's Coffee achieve significant, measurable results across nearly 900 locations, driving customer traffic and unlocking major operational efficiency.

See what the Genius Agentic Workforce can do for your franchise network. soci.ai/franchise-demo

Get a demo 41

GOLDFISH SWIM SCHOOL FRANCHISING, LLC USES 30-DAY CONNECTED MAIL CAMPAIGN TO DRIVE NEW MEMBERSHIPS WORTH MILLIONS Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC wanted to use a portion of their Brand Marketing Fund to drive memberships for their franchised swim schools, seeking a campaign that would be both effective and trackable to show beneficial results for each franchisee and a positive ROI on money spent.

RESULTS

This campaign proved that direct mail is a viable acquisition tool for Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC franchisees to boost membership, both for opening new schools and benefiting existing schools.

Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC used Connected Mail, an omnichannel direct mail and digital campaign solution from Suttle-Straus, which included:

2023: 321,500 2024: 380,650 2025: 614,666

• Direct Mail - oversized and personalized postcards sent to purchased

lists of 2,500 households within a franchise’s service area based on the demographics of their ideal customer persona • Social Match - ads on Facebook and Instagram which are matched to the

MAILPIECES SENT

mailing list recipients for custom targeting • Mail Tracking – allowing them to see delivery percentage of mail and what

day it was delivered

2023: 5,614,108 2024: 4,084,947 2025: 3,856,574

• Informed Delivery – a clickable ad in an email from the USPS on the day

the mail reaches the consumer’s mailbox • Online Follow-Up - Google display ads retargeting website visitors

for 30 days • Social Media Follow-Up - Facebook and Instagram ads retargeting website

TOTAL AD IMPRESSIONS

visitors for 30 days • LeadMatch - collection of anonymous website visitors identified by IP to turn

into a leads list for future campaigns

2023: 19,304 2024: 12,462 2025: 18,215

The campaign offer was a waived registration fee for new swim students. A 30-day matchback analysis was run at the end of the campaign to identify new members in the Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC system that resulted from the mailing campaign.

ENGAGEMENTS (3.5% RATE)

“By incorporating additional touchpoints along the customer journey, our offer found its way in front of our core demographic on multiple channels. Best of all, we were able to track the attribution, measure the results and prove out the ROI for our network!”

2023: 1,845 2024: 2,268 2025: 8,555

— SHANA KRISAN

NEW MEMBERS REGISTERED

CMO / Goldfish Swim School Franchising, LLC

$ Google Ad

Direct Mail Postcard

LEARN MORE ABOUT CONNECTED MAIL AT: SUTTLE-STRAUS.COM/CONNECTED-MAIL 42

Informed Delivery Ad

2023: $1.95 MILLION 2024: $2.59 MILLION 2025: $8.12 MILLION IN POTENTIAL LIFETIME VALUE

From Zero US Locations to Five Master Agreements: How Consistent Consultant Engagement Opened the US Market in 8 Months Kitset is a New Zealand-based franchise that offers mobile flat pack assembly services, led by founder William Flew, bringing a proven international model to the United States market for the first time.

Challenge Entering the US with zero locations, Kitset had no broker group or FSO relationships and no local network. They needed credible, direct access to the consultants who place candidates, without building years of relationships from scratch.

Solution Kitset joined TCX as their exclusive US development channel. Rather than oneoff outreach, they committed to consistency: 36 calls every month with top-performing consultants, using each conversation to build genuine relationships and educate the people who shape candidate shortlists.

Results Within eight months, Kitset signed five master franchise agreements in the United States, over $950,000 in franchise fee revenue and a 60x return on their TCX investment, from a standing start of zero US presence.

Future Outlook Kitset continues to build its US footprint exclusively through TCX, proof that international brands can now enter the American market digital-first.

Key Takeaways Consistency Compounds: 36 consultant calls a month turned new relationships into five signed master agreements.

“All thanks to TCX”

theconsultantexchange.com

William Flew Founder

Multi-Brand Marketing Management: A Model for Franchise Success

CLIENT PROFILE Industry: Roofing and Construction Company: Stronghouse Brands – operating multiple roofing brands nationwide including OptionsExteriors, Infinity, Irish Roofing, Linear, Marshall Roofing, Gustafson Roofing, and Centurion Exteriors, with continued expansion through strategic acquisitions.

CHALLENGE Stronghouse needed to unify marketing operations across multiple distinct brands:

“Vox-pop-uli has been a vital partner in supporting our family of brands. They quickly built custom online shops that make it easy for everyone to order branded apparel, swag, and print materials— all while maintaining brand consistency. Their team is responsive, creative, and truly understands what it means to deliver quality, on-brand solutions.” — Jennie F, Director of Marketing Stronghouse

• Maintain each brand’s identity while ensuring consistent co-branding and legal compliance • Integrate newly acquired brands like Gustafson Roofing and Centurion Exteriors without disrupting existing workflows • Replace decentralized ordering that created delays and inconsistencies across locations • Gain visibility into marketing assets and spend for stronger budget control

SOLUTION: CENTRALIZED MARKETING PORTAL • Corporate Oversight with Brand-Level Autonomy: Brands access only their own materials while Stronghouse retains master oversight, mirroring franchise HQ control with local operator flexibility. • Standardized Kits with Customization: Pre-configured “Storm Sales Success Kits” deliver consistent quality with room for local customization. • Field-Level Personalization: Reps self-serve business cards, yard signs, and marketing materials from pre-approved, brand-compliant templates. • Centralized Production: Single-source fulfillment creates economies of scale and faster turnaround than the previous multivendor approach.

Roofing | Siding | Windows

000-000-0000 Call Now For A Free Inspection StronghouseBrands.com

RESULTS Parent Company: Consistent co-branding and legal compliance across all materials Clear visibility into marketing spend by brand Brand Level: Unique identities preserved while leveraging group purchasing power Faster deployment of location-specific assets Field Representatives: Ready-to-go kits for every new team member Self-service ordering and a consistent, professional presence with customers

FRANCHISE MARKETING LESSONS

1. Balance control and flexibility 2. Standardize for operational efficiency 3. Scale without sacrificing quality 4. Use technology as the enabler at every level 5. Build feedback loops between corporate and the field

ence

ghouse Differ

Share the Stron

Earn $300

N $300! REFER AND EAR

I’d love with your home. trusting me family too. friends and Thank you for y to help your the opportunit NAME Azley Savell

tive, e Representa – Your Stronghous

Here’s how

it works:

scanning you know by 1. Refer someone completing the form. and the QR code ically be will automat tative, Your referral your sales represen connected to or, or, Azley NAME,Savell, your referral -3536 to submit tative, Call 866-904 your sales represen and mention

Azley Savell. NAME. receives a free or family member and confirms use 2. Your friend with Strongho consultation appointment. during their your name

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program details, See current terms, and rewards.

NOT ALL IBLE DAMAGE IS VIS

3. You earn

$300*!

responsible Recipients are law. taxable income. issued as required by be considered 1099 may be payments may taxes. A Form insurers. Referral incentive federal, state, or local for by third party for any applicablework performed and paid on Offer not valid

—like hidden damage seals. can cause serious, loss, and loosened Hail and wind shingles, granule can add up fast. cracked or bruised the issues roof looks fine, Even if your

wners Trust Why Homeo 10+ Years of

Stronghouse:

Experience

Licensed & Insured Professional, Stress-Free Process

Thousands of 5-Star Reviews

HIT BY A STORM? WE’RE HERE TO HELP.

Brands.com

1 • Stronghouse

866-449-617

MN Lic # BC745232

| IA Lic # C138494

| WI Lic # DC-011900087

INCREASE EMPLOYEE FULFILLMENT, STREAMLINE BRAND CONSISTENCY & IMPROVE YOUR OPERATIONS TODAY: INFO@VOX-POP-ULI.COM OR CALL 770-476-5112

STATE Lic # 000000

Partnering with Windsor Realty Group to Fuel Confident Location Growth

The Challenge When Alloy transitioned into national franchising, leadership faced high-stakes challenges:

Why Windsor Beats Local Brokers

• Identifying new markets and sites that could replicate their proven model. • Avoiding costly underperforming locations. • Inspiring franchisee confidence with a repeatable, datadriven process. • Scaling quickly while maintaining high average unit volumes.

• Franchises don’t need another transactional broker. They need a strategic partner who guarantees repeatable success.

In boutique fitness franchising, a bad location isn’t just an underperformer — it can cost hundreds of thousands, damage franchisee retention, and slow brand growth.

• Strategic, not transactional — Windsor’s salaried team is aligned with long-term brand growth, not commissions.

Results That Speak for Themselves

• Consistency you can count on — every site, every market, every time.

0 Bad Site Locations. Ever. Every Windsor-supported studio has opened strong.

75%+ of Alloy Studios Have been guided by Windsor’s process.

Faster Breakeven, Stronger ROI Franchisees hit profitability sooner.

Better than Brokers Consistent, repeatable results local brokers can’t match.

Franchise Sales Advantage

• Confidence through data — predictive modeling ties location decisions directly to profitability. • Full-service execution — Windsor handles every step: scoring, site tours, lease negotiations. • Lower risk, higher return — no fragmented “local guy” guesswork, just proven results.

Windsor’s predictive model is a selling point in Alloy’s pitch.

Trusted Growth Partner Windsor is Alloy’s longest-standing vendor, working as part of the team.

www.windsorealty.com

CA SE

STUDY

TMart Dunkin’ Increases Repeat Visits & Captures over 5,000 Customer Leads with WIT PARTNER PROFILE TMart is a major franchise operator in the Midwest, operating more than 70 restaurant locations across Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. Its fast-growing portfolio includes Dunkin’, Baskin-Robbins, Cousins Subs, A&W and Rocky Rococo units. Founded in 2010, it’s become one of Dunkin’s leading Midwest operators, earning Dunkin’ Franchisee of the Year 2020/2021, while continuing to expand its footprint through strong operations and community-driven marketing.

THE CHALLENGE

THE SOLUTION

TMart was looking to drive ROI by

TMart partnered with WIT to launch

increasing repeat visits and customer

interactive, gamified activations

acquisition across multiple locations

across Dunkin’ locations. This

in highly competitive local markets.

partnership included a Scratch-N-

At the same time, it lacked access

Win activation centered around the

to local first-party customer data,

Grand Opening of its Darboy location.

limiting its ability to run targeted

Customers unlocked instant-win

outreach and re-engage guests

offers, including: Free beverage

after visits. TMart also wanted to

rewards, money-off promotions, and

drive awareness and traffic ahead

bounce-back offers designed to

of the Grand Opening of its Darboy,

encourage return visits.

Wisconsin location.

THE RESULTS

5,000+ customer emails captured

6% to 30% increase

Redemption rates 6x higher

Increased guest spend

in email

than physical

through purchases

engagement rates

mailers

tied to rewards

AB OUT

witc on tes ts .com

Supported lower-performing locations

WIT

Trusted by 200+ brands and franchise operators, WIT’s platform powers interactive customer experiences that are designed to outperform traditional promotions and digital campaigns and are tied to real business outcomes.

CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY:

We Sell Restaurants saves 50 hours per project reporting with Zoho Analytics "Zoho Analytics was literally a game changer for us. Before Zoho, it was tough to get to the data we needed. Now, everything is at our fingertips; we can see exactly how each franchise is performing and use that data to drive coaching, decision-making, and goal-setting across the brand. I am a huge fan, and I think what [Zoho] provides us is unmatched in the industry." — Robin Gagnon, Co-Founder and CEO, We Sell Restaurants

OVERVIEW We Sell Restaurants is the nation's leading and only all-restaurant franchise brokerage nationwide. Founded in 2004, the US-based business brokerage has over 20 years of experience helping entrepreneurs buy, sell and lease hospitality properties. We Sell Restaurants operates through a franchise model, where franchisees serve their territories as Certified Restaurant Brokers™. We Sell Restaurants needed a business intelligence platform that could scale to support their growing data needs and provide actionable insights, both for the corporate office and franchisees. They were using a custom system that required bringing in developers to build every new view. This wasn't scalable as the business grew.

REQUIREMENTS ●

Direct integration with We Sell Restaurants' custom-built internal system to provide centralized, real-time access to data

●

On-demand report generation

●

Shared visibility into performance and pipeline for management and franchisees

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A user-friendly interface for business owners and franchise managers to use directly

SOLUTIONS WITH ZOHO ANALYTICS: "Zoho Analytics allowed us to feed data directly from our custom-built internal system into a centralized platform. This gave us real-time access to our data and immediate visibility into franchisee performance. We can now analyze and segment the data in virtually any way we choose, giving us the insights we need to make informed decisions, identify opportunities, and provide targeted coaching to our franchisees." — Robin Gagnon, Co-Founder and CEO, We Sell Restaurants ●

Development efficiency improved by 50 hours per project. With costs ranging from $50 to $100 per hour, simply two reports coded a month saves the company between $60,000 and $120,000 per year.

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Estimated 15-20x savings building reports in Analytics versus custom reporting.

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Instant performance accountability across the franchise system, tracking performance at the individual territory level, identifying gaps, and providing targeted support across 62 territories.

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A brand-wide view for management to identify top, mid-tier, and underperforming franchisees and drive data-driven coaching.

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A powerful coaching tool giving franchisees a clear, visual read on performance against benchmarks during reviews. During reviews, managers pull up these personalized dashboards to discuss results and identify gaps like fewer listings or lower conversions through actual metrics and target lines.

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Mutual transparency as every member of the organization has access to the information they need to improve performance and make better business decisions.