Hiring the wrong marketing leader can quietly destroy franchise growth. In this episode, Erik Van Horn and Aren Johnstone break down why CMOs from outside franchising—especially those coming from e-commerce or big-brand backgrounds—struggle and often fail inside franchise systems.

They reveal why franchising operates more like a political system than a corporation, how franchisees hold real power, why innovation gets blocked, and the cultural mistakes that erode trust.

If you're scaling or building a franchise, this episode will save you years of painful hiring mistakes.

Timestamps:

00:00 — Why outside marketers fail inside franchise systems

02:17 — AI, prep, and Aren's approach to productive conversations

04:28 — Inside vs outside franchising: the hiring dilemma

07:29 — How Franchise Ramp stays franchisee-first

09:42 — Why top-tier vendors avoid emerging brands

13:09 — Big-budget marketers vs the reality of franchising

17:39 — Why inside hires get stale & outside hires hit walls

23:09 — The political structure of franchising

30:48 — Managing difficult franchisees while protecting culture

41:41 — The winning hiring formula Aren recommends

Learn more about Franchise Ramp here:

https://franchiseramp.com/

Connect with Erik Van Horn:

🌐 Website - https://franchisesecrets.com/

📷 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/erikvanhorn/

👍 Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/erik.v.horn/

💼 LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanhorn/

Best Franchise Starter Playlist:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEEithd54kMlgRgsBAo4LWNCMSOthnK0r&si=TD1z25-ie2d23rGm

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEEithd54kMle5_OUXiuLbc_UPBtz1vTE&si=uCOgDya1VnnCarDf

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEEithd54kMk2Kw07KwZGWgF8UTx9N5_T&si=ZldjBOqFanGE-JUL

#Franchising

#Growth

#Leadership