We started Franchise Foundry in 2008, but 2009 was our first full year of business and it was a great year. In 2009, we added four new franchise concepts to our portfolio: Fairway Divorce, Spoon Me, iPreserve, and Cell Again. In 2010, we plan to aggressively expand our portfolio. As I look back at 2009, I am most proud of the fact that we are true partners with each of these companies.
The word “partner” is used to describe a lot of business relationships and unfortunately the word’s popularity tends to lessen its meaning. At Foundry, a partner is someone with whom we share both a vision and accountability. One of the unique things about Franchise Foundry is that we don’t just sell franchise services. There is nothing wrong with the traditional consulting approach and in some cases, franchisors just need to be able to pick from a basket of services. But at Foundry, we invest in companies we believe in, companies we believe we can help grow aggressively, and people we trust.
It’s that investment – the partner model – that sets us apart from the rest. And in 2009, we proved that our partner model works. Of the four franchise concepts we added to our portfolio, we were able to actively sell for three of them. The fourth completed its registration this month. For the three concepts we actively sold in 2009, we sold an average of 20 franchises. To put that in perspective, all four of our portfolio companies are emerging brands and for an emerging brand to sell six franchises in a year is a good year. To sell 20 franchises is an amazing year.
In 2009, we proved that whole is more than the sum of its parts. We ended the year as true partners with some of the best emerging brands in franchising and we have high hopes for 2010.
Christian Faulconer - CEO