Franchise Marketing: Why One Strategy Didn’t Work (And What It Taught Me)

Originally published on LinkedIn, 26 February 2026.

One of the hardest parts of franchising isn’t building the brand. It’s finding the right franchise partners.

Not just people with money. Not just people who want “a business”. But people who genuinely align with your values, your pace, your way of doing things.

And that’s where this story begins.

As part of my growth plan during the Goldman Sachs programme, I made the decision to partner with a specialist franchise marketing agency.

They were on my radar for a reason. They know franchising inside out. They have a strong track record. They’re also genuinely good people.

This isn’t a story about a “bad agency”. Quite the opposite, actually.

At the time, it felt like the missing piece. The plan was simple: partner with experts, turn on the tap, and grow the franchise network at pace. Five to ten new franchise partners a year suddenly felt very achievable.

I’ll be honest — I probably put too many eggs in that basket. The hope was real. I thought, This is it. Let’s go!

I felt it quite early on.

At first, I told myself what most of us do. The algorithm needs time. The ads need to learn. We’re warming up.

Then the leads started coming in. And they just… weren’t right.

They weren’t Mooeys people. They weren’t our avatar. They didn’t feel aligned with what we’re building.

We did all the sensible things. Tweaked messaging. Tried different angles. Adjusted creative. Tested variations. Nothing landed in the way it needed to.

In my final conversation with my account manager (who is genuinely one of the good ones), he said something that stuck with me:

And that’s when I knew exactly what the problem was.

The agency was brilliant at selling franchises. But they were used to selling to men.

Mooeys is a very female-led business. And our ideal franchise partners? Women.

Women who don’t even realise franchising is an option for them yet.

Our two core avatars wouldn’t be scrolling franchise portals. They wouldn’t be actively searching for “franchise opportunities”. In all honesty, they’d probably swipe past most franchise ads without a second thought.

They’re busy. They’re capable. They’re often already running something or leading a team. They’re craving meaning, flexibility, community and ownership — not a sales pitch.

That disconnect was the issue. Not skill. Not effort. Not intent.

And that’s why it didn’t work.

Here’s the bit I’m really proud of.

We didn’t drag it out. We didn’t blame each other. We didn’t throw money at something that clearly wasn’t aligned.

They could see it wasn’t working. I could see it wasn’t working. So we stopped, learned, and moved on. No bad blood. No egos. Just grown-up business.

And maybe one day, with a different strategy, we’ll work together again. Who knows.

But for now, it was back to the drawing board.

There’s a quote I love:

That’s where my focus shifted.

How do I make Mooeys so attractive that the right people want to be part of it?

Not because we sold it to them. But because they feel it.

The women who are done with corporate. The women who want to build something meaningful. The women who want ownership without isolation. The women who can build a business alongside other ventures, consultancy, or family life.

This wouldn’t work for every franchise brand. But it can work for ours, with the right person.

And let’s be honest — women are exceptional multitaskers. If we want to make something work, we usually find a way.

Every franchise brand needs its own strategy. There is no universal formula.

We’re in a world now where buyers are savvier than ever. They research more. They compare more. They use AI to get the research they need in 5 minutes. They don’t need to be “sold” to in the traditional sense.

And the franchise space is still heavily male-dominated, both franchisors and franchisees. That is changing, but the way we market has to change with it.

Mooeys isn’t a lifestyle franchise. It’s bricks and mortar. It’s people-heavy. It’s operational. It’s emotional. It’s community-led.

The marketing that attracts our people looks very different. It’s slower. It’s more human. It’s more about trust than transactions.

Right now, I’m enjoying exploring different avenues, testing ideas, and continuing to tend to the garden. That, to me, is part of the fun. It feels honest. It feels aligned.

This experience has reminded me that there’s no single way to grow a franchise. Franchising isn’t always about speed at all costs, it’s about alignment. And getting that right matters far more than hitting arbitrary numbers.

Sometimes the lesson isn’t that something didn’t work. It’s that it worked well enough to show you what won’t, so you can build something better next.

That’s the garden I’m choosing to keep tending.

I don’t have everything figured out, but I do know this: franchise growth isn’t about chasing more leads, it’s about creating something the right people want to be part of.

So I’m curious — how are you attracting the right people into your business right now? And are you chasing butterflies… or tending your garden?