How do you turn a passion into a business empire?

Today's guest, Frank Fiume, took his love of adult men’s softball and evolved it into a groundbreaking youth sports franchise. 

Frank discusses the importance of focusing on a niche market and the pivotal moment he decided to pivot his franchising business. He shares some hard truths about why so many franchisors struggle to hit that 100-unit mark and he dives into the challenges and strategies he employed to ensure success and stability for i9 sports. And you won’t want to miss the golden nugget he shares when Tracy asks him one tip he could share with you that would help propel your franchise business forward.

Frank Fiume is a pioneer and authority in the franchise industry. He is best known for founding i9 sports from its inception and building it into a powerhouse with over 1,000 locations. His exceptional leadership and vision led to the successful exit of the company three times, demonstrating his acumen in creating, scaling, and strategically exiting a franchise business.

So, if you are ready to discover the pivotal moments that propelled i9 sports to over $400 million in revenue and hear his insights on navigating the challenges of franchising then today’s episode is for you!

Connect with Frank:

Website: https://emergingfranchisebrands.com/

Email: [email protected]

Episode Highlights:

• Meet Frank Fiume

• Frank’s journey into franchising

• Frank’s failure in replicating franchise success and how he pivoted into a successful franchise

• Early challenges in scaling and necessary hires for franchising

• Frank talks about ESOP (Employee stock ownership plan)

• Frank’s exit strategy from i9 sports

• The importance of having a CEO mindset

• Origination and concept behind Emerging Franchise Brands podcast

• Why many franchise brands fail to reach 100 units

• Importance of executing well, focusing on franchise success and listening to franchisees

Franchise Directory - https://www.sba.gov/document/support-sba-franchise-directory

Franchise Registry - https://www.franchiseregistry.com/

Current SBA SOP - https://www.sba.gov/document/sop-50-10-lender-development-company-loan-programs

Connect with Tracy

Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-panase/

JBF LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbfsale

JBF Franchise System - https://jbfsalefranchise.com/

Email: [email protected]

Connect with Shannon

Personal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonwilburn/

JBF LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbfsale