Wondering if franchise expansion is a viable option? Given the highly competitive nature of the Australian market, building the right team isn’t something you can afford to overlook. As we’ll go on to cover, key individuals in leadership roles play an integral role in this process.
From operations managers with MBAs to department leaders who hold a Master of Management, this guide will provide a brief overview of the leadership roles you’ll need to fill in order to succeed as a growing franchise, plus a little insight into how to fill those roles with the right professional experience and academic and training foundations.
Let’s get started.
Franchising in Australia: The Current Landscape
Whether you’re an existing franchise owner or simply weighing up your options, it’s important to know exactly what you’re up against. According to recent figures from The Franchise Council of Australia, the sector has “1,200 networks, with 94,000+ individual franchised outlets, employing 565,500 Australians across the nation.” (Source: FCA)
In fact, many of the largest corporations use a franchising model that allows individual parties to take control of a specific location or outlet. From McDonalds to Anytime Fitness, 7-11, LGA, and more, the list goes on. These days, a vast majority of franchises are listed on online directories, as well as sorted by their location, industry, and price.
Building the Right Team: Key Roles for your Management Team
Filling key leadership roles is the first step to building a team capable of executing a franchise expansion. These positions could be internal or external, but they all play an incredibly important role in the overall process of sustainably expanding your franchise business.
With that in mind, here are some of the most invaluable team members to seek out:
Director of Franchise Operations
A Director of Franchise Operations tends to have their hands in everything, all the way from brand strategy down to the day-to-day reality of running a business. Generally, they’ll be in constant contact with franchisees to track performance, review the numbers, or even step in when a specific location drifts off course.
For these overarching roles, a postgraduate business degree like an MBA, a Master of Management, or even a Master of Applied Finance is definitely ideal.
Development Manager
By its very nature, business expansion is selective. This is exactly why the right development model needs to be tailored expressly for the franchisee themselves. With the right developer manager in tow, your expansion efforts should feature meaningful recruitment pipelines, territory mapping, and plans for long-term growth.
Development managers are typically also responsible for finding the right balance between capital growth and brand values before any contracts are signed (i.e. sales contracts, supplier contracts, etc.). For this reason, postgraduate business qualifications are essential, as is hands-on experience with project management.
Training and Development Manager
Expansion efforts that are rushed or rolled out without a solid foundation are destined to fail. In many cases, this is often due to lack of standardised training and processes. It’s the role of a training and development manager to make sure that these internal systems are both actionable and industry-specific; usually in the form of workshops, onboarding, and employee training. A good training and development manager will be able to create processes that prevent confusion and minimise the chance of any ongoing issues.
For this role, business and/or education qualifications are ideal, as is experience with leading a team or a body of staff.
Marketing and Brand Manager
Given we’re now in a digital-first landscape, it’s hard to overstate the importance of brand marketing today. To break through, marketing campaigns need a certain level of coordination, consistency, creativity, and technical expertise. As customers continue to find businesses through different outlets (e.g. Instagram and TikTok), a knowledgeable marketing manager has become more important than ever.
Marketing managers naturally benefit from advanced qualifications in marketing disciplines, plus ample experience in developing and managing campaigns. Consider partnering with marketing and brand managers that are also well-versed in the channels you’ll be relying on for your campaigns (i.e. social media, Google advertising, etc.).
Compliance Officer
Regulatory obligations won’t disappear with growth. In fact, they’re likely to become even more complicated but also more vital to the sustainable growth and ongoing management of your business franchise. There will be everything from franchise agreements to disclosure documents, franchise contracts, updates to legislation, and dispute handling for your compliance officers to sort through. Someone must be across it all and not miss a single beat. When issues arise, and they inevitably do, you’ll certainly want an experienced compliance officer in your corner.
Thankfully, there are compliance qualifications like internal auditor qualifications that set compliance officers up with the right training and industry knowledge. Employers are encouraged to look for compliance qualifications that are relevant to their industry when onboarding compliance officers in preparation for a franchise expansion.
Procurement Managers
As your franchise expands, the volume increases and the logistical side of things require even more coordination. From shortages to price fluctuations, it’s the responsibility of procurement managers to guarantee that the supply lines stay on track across all franchise locations. Regardless of the industry, strong supplier relationships and clear purchasing frameworks keep everything uniform for franchise pursuing growth and expansion.
Technology Integration Manager
As the number of outlets multiplies, so will the data. In this sense, we’re referring to ongoing sales reporting, CRM systems, payroll platforms, employee rostering, or inventory tracking. If these systems experience any issues or don’t quite align with each other, decision-making naturally slows down. It’s the job of your technology integration manager to align this technology with any expansion plans, refining the infrastructure so growth feels controlled rather than chaotic.
Equip your Franchise with a Well-Rounded Leadership Team
The value of surrounding yourself with the right people is unquestionable. From sporting leagues to retail chains, even expansions that feel like a sure winner can come up short. But when you enter the process with a proper understanding of your business landscape as well as the team you’ll need to reach your development goals, it will automatically skew the odds in your favour.
