Coffee & Analytics

Are you optimizing a franchise development system that doesn't reflect how buyers actually behave? In this episode of Coffee and Analytics, Nick Powills breaks down data from real franchisees to reveal the hard truths behind the franchise buying cycle. If your franchise brand is obsessing over lead volume and cost per lead while failing to close deals, your strategy might be completely misaligned...

Are you spending thousands on franchise conferences but struggling to convert leads into sales? In this episode of Coffee & Analytics, we break down the raw data from the recent Multi-Unit Franchise Conference to reveal what high-level operators are actually looking for in 2026. We dive deep into the "Triangle of Influence," analyzing the 2,100+ attendees and 500+ unique ownership groups to un...

Most franchise brands believe multi-unit franchisees are just waiting to discover them at a conference, through a broker, or from a great sales presentation. Unless you are in roughly the top 1–5% of franchise brands, you are not even on the evaluation list for these sophisticated multi-unit operators. No booth at the Multi-Unit Conference is going to change that. The franchises that win und...

AI is about to force a level of transparency the industry hasn't fully reckoned with yet — legally, operationally, and culturally. And here's the part that should make every franchisor pause. AI doesn't get a commission. It doesn't care who pays whom. It doesn't benefit from steering candidates one way or another. Its job is to cut through the BS. Need help fixing your brands AI strategy? Jo...

At FranCamp this year, we ran through a live survey – with a focus on gaining unrestricted answers to 5 key questions. 1. What is the #1 thing missing for explosive franchise growth? 2. What is the #1 thing you can do that costs nothing to drive growth? 3. What is the #1 thing you will spend money on to drive growth? 4. What is the value of one franchisee to your system? 5. What is your prim...

2025 was a year full of lessons! Nick is joined by special guest Emily Grotkin, VP of Partner and Client Success at Denamico, to share insights from franchisee profiles/surveys collected in 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-hulstein/ https://www.denamico.com/

We, as a franchise community, have an undeniable affinity for athletes in franchising. Why does this connection exist? How do we get in front of athlete franchise buyers? Where are they—and why would they want to buy? 1851 Franchise publisher Nick Powills is joined by John Martinelli from NOCAP Sports and Damiere Byrd, former NFL player and current Bumble Roofing franchise owner. Read more h...

The shift is happening — and it's happening fast, especially for broker-conditioned franchises. I'm getting more and more calls that sound like this: “We used franchise brokers for growth in the past, but that's no longer part of our plan moving forward.” So… how did we get here? For franchisors, the broker model made perfect sense for years: leverage someone else's networ...

Are leads down for other brands in 2025? Are franchisees not buying as much? How do I compete in this crazy franchise world for more deals? What are the new franchise metrics? In 2025, franchising isn't slipping—it's evolving. Lead volumes vary by brand and category and investment, but the overall ecosystem remains robust. Brand expansion remains real, even amid higher costs. Join 1851 Franc...

Wouldn't life be a lot easier if you had a sense of what was in your pipeline, how it looked, what the activity was and what the likelihood of closure looked like? Join 1851 Publisher Nick Powills & special guest Brendon Dennewill, Co-CEO of Denamico, for another episode of Coffee & Analytics. On this episode, we will take a look inside candidate behavior and how revenue operations, attrib...

Join Nick Powills from 1851 Franchise as we dive deeper into lead generation. In this episode we are hitting the top topics all franchisors scratch their heads over. Learn the financial motivations that drive serious candidates, how to turn an unresponsive lead by using a different set of tools and content, and turn Discovery Day failures into actionable insights, and much much more!

Franchise Sales Feeling Stuck? You're not alone. “Where are my leads?” is the #1 question every founder, salesperson, and CEO in franchising asks. But the answer isn't more leads—it's more predictability. If you want to build a *data-backed system that tells you where deals are coming from—and why they stall—* this is for you.

Join Nick Powills, Head of Growth at Mainland and franchise expert, as he delves into the critical role of transparency in franchise sales. Discover the common frustrations of new franchisees regarding costs, real estate timelines, and scaling strategies. Learn how franchisors can set realistic expectations from the outset, including presenting financial data ethically and addressing potential hid...

Join Nick Powills, Head of Growth at Mainland and franchise expert, as he unveils five key secrets to attracting and securing multi-unit franchise owners to accelerate your brand's growth. Learn effective strategies for identifying ideal candidates and optimizing your franchise sales process. Discover how to target the right prospects, recognize the traits of successful multi-unit franchisees, and...

Less than half, or 47%, of U.S. executives feel confident about the country's economic direction in the year ahead. That share is a marked decline from December, when 67% of business leaders polled by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants reported feeling optimistic about the economic outlook for 2025. Tariffs and an ensuing trade war are the likely culprits behind th...

Join Nick Powills, Head of Growth at Mainland and franchise expert, as he explores the key to attracting multi-unit, multi-brand franchisees. Discover the two crucial elements that capture the attention of these high-value investors. First, showcase a compelling franchise opportunity by emphasizing profitability and strong unit economics. Second, implement targeted franchise marketing strategies t...

Join Nick Powills, Head of Growth at Mainland and franchise expert, as he dives into the world of AI-powered content creation for franchises. Discover how tools like Google Gemini can revolutionize your content strategy, boosting production speeds by threefold. Learn practical applications of AI to craft engaging content that resonates with local audiences while staying true to your brand. Unlock...

The single most frustrating question I hear is: Where are my leads? It isn't just frustrating for me, it is frustrating for the brand – because in their hearts of hearts they truly believe the number of leads don't align to their expectations. For our team, it is frustrating because they could be busting their butts to figure out the pathway to the fountain of leads – with their effort...

Years ago, I worked with a brand that sold franchises to anyone who had a penny. Some of those candidates had hustle and grit – which ultimately lifted them up to success. But many folded when the going got tough. I would imagine the 8 franchisees from the above limped into franchise ownership. In my opinion, we qualify people to own three, award one, reserve enough for a rainy day and enoug...