How to Master Franchise Culture With Garage Living

What does it take to build a thriving franchise brand in the high-end home transformation space?

That’s the key question Ford Saeks explores in this episode of Business Growth Show with his guest Aaron Cash, President of Garage Living.

Garage Living focuses on converting garages from cluttered storage spaces into customed-designed, aesthetic showpieces that match homeowners’ lifestyles. From golf lover retreats to workshop havens, they craft elevated garage experiences.

As Ford and Aaron discuss the growth of Garage Living’s franchise system, a few key lessons emerge for any business looking to scale up an affluent brand through franchising:

• Secure an affluent target customer base not highly impacted by economic fluctuations. Garage Living intentionally targets high-end homeowners that are least affected by market downturns. This insulates the business model and provides stability for national franchise expansion, even during tighter economic climates.
• Sell aspirational lifestyle outcomes over products. Garage Living sells a lifestyle vision – they don’t just focus on the garage storage products and materials. They tap into how customized garage spaces can enrich customers’ car collection hobbies, golfing passion, workshop dreams and more through thoughtful design.
• Leverage cohesive design themes to aid the buyer’s vision. Garage Living’s “Designer Series” garage transformation themes help customers envision possibilities. Rather than getting overwhelmed by a sea of materials and options, homeowners can select a complete vision.
• Invest early in operational infrastructure to support rapid franchisee success. Garage Living invested heavily in marketing systems, field support, training resources, supply chain logistics and leadership to be able to accelerate franchisee onboarding and ramp-up to profitability.
• Carefully select franchisees based on mindset fit and complementary capabilities. For a collaborative franchise model, selecting partners with shared values and vision as well as the right skillsets is vital over simply finding any buyer with the franchise fee. Taking time to ensure alignment and capabilities pays dividends.

Follow these principles while continually improving support systems, transparency, and franchisee partnership can allow a brand to scale up nationally while retaining a tight-knit feel. By combining aromatic sales with turnkey systems and support, Garage Living aims to cultivate a collaborative franchise “family” culture focused on mutual benefit.

Though shortcuts may be tempting when ramping a luxury franchise quickly, investing in operational readiness, human capital and win-win franchisee relations from day one provides strong roots for sustained growth.

For more expert advice in business, sales, marketing, life, and everything in-between, tune in to future episodes of Fordify LIVE! every Wednesday at 11AM Central on your favorite social media platform, or you can listen to new episodes of The Business Growth Show Podcast every Thursday on the podcast network of your choice.

Aaron Cash is a co-founder and partner of Garage Living. Garage Living pioneered the garage renovation category, became Canada’s largest garage storage and organization contractor and continued its growth over the past 6 years and with 42 North American Franchisees. Find him at GarageLiving.com