Even the most experienced franchise leaders get stuck on this one: you have owners who could scale — they have the territory, the model, the support — and they still won't move. In this episode, Katherine and James sit down with Sean Fitzgerald, President of TruBlue Home Service Ally, to dig into exactly that problem.
Sean joined TruBlue when they had 20 locations. They're now at 120+ territories. He's not guessing about the messy middle — he's in it. They cover franchisee selection (hint: passion and team-building matter more than financials), the owner-operator ceiling that quietly kills growth, and what TruBlue built to address it: a dedicated scaling coach, a prescriptive revenue roadmap, and a required BDR role baked into the system.
The networking vs. LSM debate is also one for the books — and worth your full attention whether you're a franchisor or a franchisee.
Got a question you're wrestling with? We want to hear it. 📩
katherine@apollocmo.com 🌐 apollocmo.com
🔗 linkedin.com/in/katherineleblanc
▶️ Watch on YouTube: @KatherineLeBlanc_Franchise
What is Dear Frannie: Franchise Growth, Leadership and Scaling Advice?
Dear Frannie is the franchise advice column you didn't know you needed. Hosted by Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO, and James Vitrano, Franchise Operator, each episode tackles one real question franchisors are quietly wrestling with - from franchisee adoption and growth friction to leadership blind spots and operational scale.
No panels. No keynote speak. No fluff. Just two people who've been inside franchise systems answering the questions brand leaders are afraid to ask out loud.
If you're a franchisor navigating the messy middle of scale - this show was made for you.
New episodes drop bi-weekly. Subscribe so you don't miss the next one.