Challenge the Pros: Tom Welter Shares How They Keep Franchisees Engaged Before Opening Day

"How do you keep franchisees engaged after the sale and before they open their first location?"

Tom Welter 

Chief Operating Officer 

Empower Brands

At Empower Brands, our guiding principle is to champion the success of our franchisees, and that commitment begins long before their doors open. Keeping franchisees engaged during the critical period between signing the franchise agreement and launching their first location is essential to their success. This period can be full of excitement but also a lot of uncertainty, so it’s important for us to offer a clear path and consistent support to guide them through it.

One of the main tools we use is Empower Day or E-Day. E-Day is our confirmation or discovery day, and it’s designed to introduce new franchise prospects to our team and get them acclimated to what they can expect moving forward. It’s more than just an introduction. We take the time to get to know prospects on a personal level, walk them through the road map ahead, and give them a strong sense of our company culture. I believe that creating these connections early on makes a huge difference in how franchisees feel about the journey they’re starting. We hold E-Day once a month with prospects from across our network of brands attending each session.

As soon as a candidate signs their franchise agreement, the onboarding process begins and usually lasts about eight weeks, which may fluctuate depending on the brand. Franchisees follow a checklist of 180 to 240 tasks tailored to their brand’s specific needs and covering everything from forming a business entity and securing licenses to budgeting for marketing and acquiring real estate or vehicles. For multi-unit franchisees, the process can be streamlined, but those entering new territories go through the full onboarding journey.

We keep in close contact throughout this period with weekly calls to go over the checklist and make sure everything is on track. Our goal is to have franchisees fully prepared to start generating revenue as soon as possible once their doors open.

During the onboarding process, new franchisees come to our offices for in-person training that lasts two to three weeks depending on the brand. After training, we celebrate with a graduation ceremony. This is a big moment for our new franchisee. It’s a powerful way to acknowledge their hard work and reinforce that they’re not alone in this; they’re part of something bigger.

By the end of the onboarding process, franchisees feel prepared, confident, and deeply connected to our system. They see that they’re joining a community, not just launching a business, and that sense of belonging is what keeps them engaged and excited for what comes next