Are you an Investor, Operator or Experienced? Partner Up & Form the Franchisee Dream Team

We’re doing God’s work. We’re putting people with great ideas and capital together.
~ Lloyd Blankfein, ex-CEO of Goldman Sachs

World’s greatest companies like Apple and Google were built by co-founders and propelled forward by capital partners. This model is so effective that VCs now obsessively seek “winning teams” rather than solo founders. It’s time to bring this winning formula of pairing complementary skills and capital to the world of franchising.

Successful Franchisees Come as Teams

Many successful franchise operations are built by partnerships or groups, not individuals. This is especially true for multi-unit franchisees, where operational complexity and pressure increase with scale.

• Aurify Brands: A large restaurant group operating Melt Shop Five Guys. Built by two partners.
• Second-largest RNR Tire Express franchisee is transitioning from a father to his son and partner
• Imbue Capital : Three friends building a multi-brand portfolio of Rolling Suds 2nd Family Crumbl Tropical Smoothie Cafe
• Brian Beers & Brother: Running a 33+ unit Midas franchise empire
• Shideler & Taylor: Crumbl franchisees and business partners
• Hudson Charles Group : Two ex-PE friends transitioned into running a portfolio of Smash My Trash

An example of a franchise team

The transition to becoming a successful franchisee is daunting to tackle alone. It’s not just emotionally challenging, but building a scalable portfolio requires numerous building blocks such as experience, time and capital.

There is a Clear Need for Co-Founders

The magic of Apple’s early success emerged from the synergy of Steve Jobs’ vision, Wozniak’s technical brilliance, and Ron Wayne’s investment. No matter how talented of a founder Mark Zuckerberg was, Facebook’s fate was affected by Eduardo Saverin’s investment. This revolutions that reshaped the world of computing and social networking could have never taken place without their co-founders crossing paths.

We meet many high-caliber individuals stalled by missing critical pieces to launch their franchise ventures. Here are some examples:

• Angel is working on a deal with a fencing franchise. He’s looking for an investor to help with the acquisition.
• Louis is launching a portfolio of Youth Enrichment franchises. Also looking for an investor and an operating partner to make the transition from a corporate job into franchise ownership.
• Monica is working in a leadership position at a Fortune 500 company, but wants to get involved in franchising in her local community as an investor.
• Juan is an experienced Five Guys executive. He is looking to deploy this multi-decade QSR experience within new franchisee teams.
• Jeff is a professional NFl athlete. He is looking for an operating and investment partner to bring a franchise to his local Orlando, Florida.

NFl Athlete Jeff Driskel tweets about the need for a founding team

Their competence, energy or capital alone is not enough to secure ideal partnerships, leaving them unable to capitalize on valuable opportunities. Moreover, unlike the concentrated hubs of tech in Silicon Valley or finance on Wall Street, the franchising world is widely dispersed across the United States and beyond. This geographical spread makes it difficult for prospective franchisees to choose target locations for meeting fellow franchisees and investors.

Wefranch’s database of franchisees in the US

The Solution: Cofounders Platform

The co-founder platform connects you with ideal founding partners leveraging our vast network of investors, operators, and experienced franchisees.

Find a Co-Founder for your Franchise Portfolio on Wefranch

Here are three key roles we match:
Operators: Time, capacity and desire to run the business full-time.
Investors: Capital but limited time
Advisors: Specific industry expertise and willingness to advise and mentor

Whether you’re an operator with time and drive, an investor with capital, or an advisor with industry expertise, we’ll connect you with complementary partners who value your asset.

Get started with finding Co-Founders

Get Started Here