CEO Summit: Data, Decisions, Profitability

Franchise brands can track almost everything these days, but the challenge is figuring out what to do with the data.

That was the focus of a morning CEO Summit at FGMC. Franchisor executives asked, “How do you turn marketing data into decisions that improve franchisee profitability and grow enterprise value?”

Franchise Update Media’s Strategic Advisor Therese Thilgen moderated the discussion with Susan Boresow, president of My Salon Suite; Kristen Pechacek, CEO and president of MassageLuXe; and Matt McCollum, CEO of Bodybar Pilates.

“We’re here to close the gap between data and future decisions,” Thilgen said. The group discussed the metrics they said matter most, how CEOs use data to evaluate performance, and how brands can help franchisees translate information into action.

When discussing metrics that help identify unit-level profitability and performance, Boresow said she tracks occupancy, revenue per occupied suite, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction. McCollum focuses on membership sales, retention, utilization, and conversion metrics. Pechacek emphasized cash flow and member conversions over raw lead volume.

Another major theme was franchisee buy-in. Franchisees do not want more dashboards, attendees said. They want clear direction. Pechacek recommended narrowing the focus to three to five key performance indicators. McCollum encouraged brands to clearly demonstrate the rela-tionship between spending and outcomes. Boresow shared how her brand pilots initiatives with a small group of franchisees before expanding across the system.

The panel then switched to a franchisee perspective. Multi-unit operator Jesse Keyser, who has experience with Oxi-Fresh, Little Caesars, ValPak, Sport Clips, and Waxing the City, joined Thilgen for a one-on-one discussion. Keyser said that franchisors need to tell a story that helps operators understand why the numbers matter. Franchisees are more likely to act when they understand the connection between the data and the outcome. “There are three buckets that help me grow my business,” Keyser said, “getting current customers to come back, getting existing customers to spend more, and finding new customers.”

During roundtable discussions, participants discussed customer retention, referrals, online reviews, and organic social media engagement as some of the strongest indicators of profitability. Others emphasized helping franchisees better understand their P&Ls and benchmark performance.

As the session ended, Thilgen brought the conversation back to its core message: Every metric should connect to money. There was broad agreement that franchisees need clearer answers about which actions will improve profitability. The brands that can make that connection stand the best chance of growing both unit economics and enterprise value.