Jesse Keyser knows a thing or two about scaling from a single pizza shop dream to over 50 franchise locations across the U.S. – but it wasn’t just business savvy that got him there. Early on, Jesse learned the hard way that running a business isn’t just about chasing growth or watching the bank account swell; it’s about understanding people, mastering systems, and keeping your culture “king.”

From working seven-day weeks in his first salon, to winning top franchisee awards across diverse industries, Jesse’s journey is packed with hard-won lessons – and more than a few humbling moments.

In this episode of Smart Franchising Podcast, we explore

(05:13) Entrepreneurship within established systems

(07:48) Grand openings and cash flow

(10:11) Chick-fil-A’s U.S. success explained

(15:31) Profit insights from commission reports

(17:10) Incentivizing incremental store growth

(21:01) From ads to business success

(26:06) Franchise advocacy event in September

(30:03) Family trips to meet representatives

(31:19) Parenting through real-life lessons

(34:09) Operator understanding drives success

(37:30) Top performers, no excuses

On Making Culture “King” for Scale

Jesse: “If the culture is king, customers will come, and people will apply and want to work where you are. So that would be my advice, always make sure that you keep culture king.”

On Learning From Mentors (and Not Just Mistakes)

Jesse: “You’re either learning from your mistakes or from mentors. So you get to pick which one you want to learn from. I try to learn as much as I can from mentors and not my mistakes.”

On Why His Kids Won’t Be Handed the Keys

Jesse: “When you’re old enough, go find a franchise you’re interested in. I’ll help you pay for the first location, but you’re going to be the manager—until you can afford to hire someone else to do it.”