What should you actually expect your franchisees to own — and what's yours to carry?

In this episode, Katherine and James dig into the expectation gap that creates more friction in franchise systems than almost anything else. They start with a live observation from IFE — the International Franchise Expo — and a question Katherine's been sitting with: when does a hyper-niche concept become too simple to sustain? And how do you build a moat around an offering before the fad fades?

Then the Dear Frannie question: What should I expect my franchisees to own?

They break down:

• Why franchisors hesitate to tell franchisees "this is your business — run it"
• The "you own the business, we own the brand" framework and what it actually means in practice
• The difference between passion-play buyers and hard-industry operators — and why expectations have to be set differently
• What franchisee complaints about marketing are usually really about
• How to define your role in their profitability so both sides know where the line is

Katherine LeBlanc and James Vitrano have a combined 40+ years across franchise marketing, operations, legal, and development. They've been in the room where hard decisions get made — and they're not shy about sharing what they've seen.

📩 Got a question you're wrestling with? Submit it at apollocmo.com or reach Katherine directly at katherine@apollocmo.com

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