See how Opener gives franchisors and franchisees complete visibility into every step of the opening process—streamlining communication, boosting accountability, and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks from signing to grand opening.
A visit from a Franchise Businesss Consultant (FBC) can stir up a lot for franchisees. Some can see the FBC as a checklist-wielding intruder, while others may see it as a major disruption – like the Kool-Aid man bursting into the side of their operations when they are trying to get stuff done. While using your checklist is needed, why not provide them with some surprise value during the franchisee visit? Check out the tips below to learn more.
Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.
– William Pollard
Why Continuous Learning is the Foundation of Organizational Growth
Perhaps you’ve noticed a buzz around continual, constant, or continuous learning. But what is it, exactly? A good place to start is with a continuous learning definition. (more…)
Our annual FranConnect Franchise Sales Index Report features real-world data culled from our brands spanning across the franchise platform. After an eventful yet encouraging first half of 2021, for the first time ever we are looking at the data mid-year for an in-the-moment view on the state of franchise development. This data offers significant insights for franchisors looking to grow and develop their franchise brands and make the right sales and marketing investments. Peering into the data of how franchisors handled the first half of the year reveals some promising signs. It may be too soon to say, but it seems that most verticals are showing improvements on key metrics. In this post, we will share some of the high-level findings, and give you access to a webinar where the report’s author, Keith Gerson, will break down everything you need to know.
While some spa and salon franchises recognize the need to measure key performance indicators (KPIs), many rely more on intuition than analyzing the numbers. And while it takes soft skills to create an inviting atmosphere, satisfied clients, and happy employees, understanding the numbers that drive your business will help your spa or salon find — and keep — its place in the market.
The franchise development website is an essential sales tool, helping brands accomplish several objectives at once: generate leads, prescreen prospects, share the brand story, and facilitate growth in target markets.
Franchise business consultants have always been critical drivers of brand success, but their role has shifted considerably over the years and continues to evolve today.
As CTO, Andrew is responsible for Product Architecture, Development and Deployment at FranConnect. Andrew has 30+ years’ experience leading global teams delivering highly scalable SaaS solutions for Telecoms, Media and Payments businesses. Prior to joining FranConnect, Andrew was CTO at Arterra Mobility; he has also held leadership positions at Synchronoss and Neustar.
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Lorena Garcia
Senior Vice President of Marketing
As SVP of Marketing, Lorena Garcia is responsible for the entire end-to-end marketing function at FranConnect, including driving growth through innovative and scalable practices in account-based marketing, lead generation, market analysis, customer segmentation, digital marketing, and brand stewardship. Previously, Lorena led go-to-market teams and demand generation at technology companies including Level Access, Hobsons, Vonage and iCore Networks.
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Paul Sharpe
General Manager A/NZ
As the General Manager of Australia/New Zealand (ANZ), Paul is responsible for all go-to-market activities for FranConnect in ANZ, including strategy, sales, customer success and the continued growth of all FranConnect product lines in ANZ. He has held senior leadership roles at Nexon, IBM, Samsung, and NTT Ltd, with extensive experience leading sales, product, and marketing teams. t, and marketing teams. As the General Manager of Australia/New Zealand (ANZ), Paul is responsible for all go-to-market activities for FranConnect in ANZ, including strategy, sales, customer success and the continued growth of all FranConnect product lines in ANZ.
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Stephanie Opoku
Senior Vice President of People
Stephanie oversees the global people operations across multiple countries including the US, Canada, India, Australia, and Colombia. Over the last five years, Stephanie has led the notable journey of building a solid foundation that supports our hardworking employees. She has successfully built programs that improve employee engagement and efficiency to ensure that FranConnect is a company of choice for top talent. Prior to joining FranConnect, Stephanie started and spent most of her HR career working for a leading tax publisher.
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Vikram Raj
Senior Vice President of Products and Solutions Engineering
Vikram Raj has over 15 years of experience in franchise and multi-location management software. As the Senior Vice President of Products & Sales Engineering at FranConnect, he drives the product roadmap by combining industry insight with customer feedback to foster continuous innovation. His responsibilities include leading cross-functional teams to align product priorities with market trends, guiding clients in evaluating technical solutions, and demonstrating the measurable value FranConnect’s platform provides. During his tenure at FranConnect, Vikram has led the release of new products and offerings that increased user adoption and contributed to double-digit annual revenue growth. He emphasizes data-driven decision-making, transparent collaboration, and a strong focus on measurable results—approaches that have strengthened FranConnect’s market position and delivered sustained value to its growing global customer base.
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Adam Walton
Chief Customer Officer
As Chief Customer Officer, Adam leads FranConnect’s customer success, professional services, and support teams, driving strategic initiatives that maximize customer value and long-term growth. With over 30 years of experience in B2B SaaS, Adam brings a cross-functional leadership approach shaped by roles across Customer, Product, Operations, and Sales.
Adam has held key executive positions at high-growth technology companies including CallMiner and most recently Cresta, where he helped scale customer experience and AI-driven solutions for enterprise clients. His leadership is grounded in a deep commitment to customer outcomes, with Net Retention as his guiding metric. Adam is passionate about building customer-first cultures and delivering innovative solutions that unlock measurable impact.
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Charlie Zhang
Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer
As CFO & COO, Charlie Zhang plays a pivotal role in aligning FranConnect’s financial strategy with its operational execution. He is responsible for driving fiscal discipline while enabling scalable growth and innovation across the organization. Charlie’s dual leadership ensures that the company remains agile and resilient as it expands its footprint in the franchise and multi-location technology space.
Charlie brings a wealth of experience in financial strategy, corporate development, and operational leadership, with a background spanning investment banking, private equity, and technology. Prior to joining FranConnect, he served as CFO of ION Analytics, where he led global financial operations for a data and software company serving capital markets.
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Mark Calvillo
Chief Product Officer
As Chief Product Officer, Mark Calvillo is responsible for shaping FranConnect’s product vision and translating it into a strategic roadmap that delivers measurable impact for customers. His leadership will focus on evolving the platform in alignment with market needs, driving innovation, and ensuring product excellence across the board.
Mark brings over two decades of experience in product leadership, most recently at Restaurant365. Known for his customer-first mindset and ability to turn insights into scalable solutions, Mark will guide FranConnect’s product strategy to support growth and deepen value for franchise and multi-location businesses.
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Ayron McLochlin
Chief Revenue Officer
As Chief Revenue Officer, Ayron McLochlin leads FranConnect’s global go‑to‑market and revenue organization. He is responsible for driving new customer acquisition, accelerating customer expansion, developing new markets, and overseeing pre‑sales consulting and revenue operations to support FranConnect’s continued year‑over‑year growth.
With more than 15 years of leadership experience in enterprise software, SaaS, and technology‑enabled services—and over a decade working with Private Equity–backed companies across Vista Equity Partners, K1, and MidOcean Partners—Ayron brings a proven track record of scaling organizations ranging from $10M to $600M in revenue. Known for his ability to transform commercial teams, he specializes in building high‑performing sales, marketing, customer success, and RevOps functions that create predictable and repeatable growth
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Ali Muskett
Chief of Staff
As Chief of Staff, Ali Muskett serves as a strategic partner to the CEO and CFO/COO, supporting critical cross-functional initiatives that advance FranConnect's key organizational priorities. She coordinates high-impact projects spanning multiple departments, ensures organizational alignment, and translates strategic vision into executable plans while maintaining accountability across initiatives.
Ali brings over five years of experience in the franchising space, having worked directly with hundreds of franchisors throughout her career. Her background includes leading high-performing sales teams and executing strategic initiatives that drive measurable results. Known for her ability to align cross-functional teams and support execution, Ali combines franchise industry expertise with strong leadership skills to help accelerate FranConnect's growth and operational excellence.
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