Many franchise organizations "talk the talk" when it comes to culture, but it is clear from our research that they don't all "walk the walk." A strong organizational culture doesn't just happen within a company—it has to be designed, built, and constantly maintained.
The top franchise companies that have the honor of be named to our first-annual FBR Culture100 awards list are clearly among the best of the best franchises in the business. Based on the reviews of over 28,000 franchise owners, we selected the Top 100 Franchises that received the highest ratings for leadership, mission, community, and overall franchisee satisfaction.
Amazing franchise companies like MaidPro, NextHome, Kona Ice, Two Men and a Truck, and Keller Williams topped our list of this years Culture100 award-winners.
We invite you to learn more about what makes these great franchise businesses unique, and explore business ownership opportunities in your local market. Congratulations again to our winners!
(Photo credit: NextHome real estate franchise owners and staff displaying some award-winning culture at their annual franchise convention in 2019 in Las Vegas, NV.)
Have you been searching for a franchise opportunity that offers high earning potential, low investment and the ability to run the business from home? You should consider a 360clean franchise....
Learn More of 360clean
America’s first and oldest restaurant chain founded in 1919, A&W still makes Root Beer fresh in each restaurant and served in a frosty mug alongside 100% U.S. Beef burgers, Hand-Breaded c...
Learn More of A&W Restaurants
ActionCOACH is the World’s #1 business coaching firm. Currently, ActionCOACH has nearly than 1,000 coaches in more than 70 countries, and ActionCOACH delivers it's proven business develop...
Learn More of ActionCOACH
Aire Serv® is a need-based business, and is backed by Neighborly®, the world’s largest home-services franchise. As a Neighborly® company, Aire Serv franchisees benefit from a netw...
Learn More of Aire Serv
Amada is one of the only senior care companies in North America that provides in-home, non-medical care and assisted living placement consulting services. Through years of experience, we understand...
Learn More of Amada Senior Care
Amazing Athletes is a mobile, year-round, educational sports and fitness program that introduces young children to the basic fundamentals of 10 different sports while helping them master 6 key area...
Learn More of Amazing Athletes
BrightStar Care offers both medical and non-medical private duty home health care services, as well as medical staffing. Each BrightStar Care location employs a Registered Nurse Director of Nursing...
Learn More of BrightStar Care
Christian Brothers Automotive is more than just vehicle repair. Since its founding in 1982, their goal has been to change the way guests view automotive service. Now more than ever, consumers acros...
Learn More of Christian Brothers Automotive
Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, is the largest home-based travel agency franchise in the nation with over 2,500 franchise owners in all 50 states. Cruise Planners franch...
Learn More of Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative
Dogtopia is a unique dog daycare business which opened its first location in Virginia in 2002. At that time, dog daycare was very much a new concept, and the Dogtopia approach – to create &ld...
Learn More of Dogtopia
DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen is a faith-based, full-service remodeling franchise that helps entrepreneurs and existing remodelers earn strong financial numbers while having a focus on improving th...
Learn More of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen
Join North America’s Full-Service Leisure Travel Agency Franchise Are you searching for a business opportunity offering the perfect balance of equity, lifestyle and...
Learn More of Expedia Cruises
Since 1987, we have built and refined a robust franchise business system. This includes the research and development of our proprietary product line, highly specialized techniques, exceptional trai...
Learn More of Fibrenew
FirstLight Home Care is a leading provider of home care services, helping individuals achieve the quality of life they deserve. We are a lifeline not only for seniors, but for people recovering fro...
Learn More of FirstLight Home Care
Mike Merrick founded Fish Window Cleaning in January 1978. Based on growing demand and his success, Mike realized there was a need for this service in other markets. He used his 20 years of experie...
Learn More of Fish Window Cleaning Services
Since 1983 we've helped people like you reach for their dreams. Our low prices make starting a Heaven's Best franchise affordable, and our product quality makes for satisfied customers.
Learn More of Heaven's Best Carpet Cleaning
Huntington Learning Center is the nation’s leading K-12 tutoring and test prep provider. We welcome franchisees who are interested in helping students and families in their communities get th...
Learn More of Huntington Learning Center
InXpress franchisees build a residual income business while working from home with no retail storefront and no employee requirements. InXpress is a business-to-business franchise in the global ship...
Learn More of InXpress
It’s the beginning of a new day and it’s time for a fresh start. In a year that had most businesses struggling to just survive, Kona Ice has thrived. Many may have felt like global even...
Learn More of Kona Ice
The home cleaning industry is growing fast, and MaidPro helps you capitalize on that growth. You’ll lead your team of cleaning professionals, be your own boss, control your future and attain ...
Learn More of MaidPro
Our mission is to help every child to understand and master math, because it will change their world. Starting in 2002 with one Mathnasium Learning Center in Los Angeles, we've grown to over 1,...
Learn More of Mathnasium Learning Centers
Today, we are the modern printing industry, providing high quality products and services for businesses that go way beyond just ink on paper. Our design, print and marketing centers offer cus...
Learn More of Minuteman Press
Mr. Appliance®, in operation since 1996, is North America’s largest appliance repair franchise. With longevity comes trust, a recognizable brand, and a loyal customer base. Whether you ar...
Learn More of Mr. Appliance
Since 1994, Mr. Electric® has specialized in electrical installation and repair for both residential and business customers. Mr. Electric® independently owned and operated franchisees now s...
Learn More of Mr. Electric
Mr. Handyman® serves a much bigger purpose than providing home improvement and maintenance. Mr. Handyman’s independently owned and operated franchisees are the key to making people’...
Learn More of Mr. Handyman
NEXTAFF franchisees help companies Identify, Evaluate and Acquire quality talent using our proprietary X-Factor process. NEXTAFF was originally started as a traditional staffing company i...
Learn More of Nextaff
Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services, based in Palm Harbor, Fla., is one of the most respected full-service commercial cleaning companies in the nation. Office Pride’s business was built...
Learn More of Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services
Since 1972, Our Town America has been connecting local businesses with new movers and helping turn them into loyal, long term customers. As the leaders in New Mover Marketing, we use...
Learn More of Our Town America
A business to business service, Payroll Vault is a boutique-style full-service payroll company designed for small business. Payroll is ranked in the Top 3 Outsourced Business Services, and with ove...
Learn More of Payroll Vault
Founded in 1975, Pinch A Penny Pool Patio Spa has grown from one store to more than 250 locations across the Southeastern U.S. and Texas. Priding itself on its superior customer service and experti...
Learn More of Pinch A Penny
We are the world leader in uneven sidewalk repair. We make sidewalks safe.
Learn More of Precision Concrete Cutting
Founded in 2001, PuroClean has a comprehensive network of 300-plus franchise offices across North America. Known as the “Paramedics of Property Damage®,” PuroClean provides fire and...
Learn More of PuroClean
Initially founded in 1995 by former hospital administrator Allen Hager, Right at Home provides in-home care services to allow seniors and people with disabilities to retain as much independence and...
Learn More of Right at Home
At Sandler, we work with people every day who have decided to take control of their destinies. They’re excited about creating a new of kind lifestyle business on their own terms and looking f...
Learn More of Sandler Training
Snap-on Tools has the #1 market share position in the industry and our tools are universally recognized by professionals as the absolute highest quality tools in the industry. Snap-on franchisees a...
Learn More of Snap-on Tools
Soccer Shots is an engaging children’s soccer program with a focus on character development. We positively impact children’s lives on and off the field through our best-in-class coachin...
Learn More of Soccer Shots
Leslie Jorgensen founded Supporting Strategies in 2004 with the vision of becoming the go-to resource for outsourced bookkeeping and operational support services. Over time, she gradually added emp...
Learn More of Supporting Strategies
TSS Photography is the nation's leading photography franchise. We specialize in sports, school and event photography services.If you are looking for a flexible, fun, low cost and low overhead f...
Learn More of TSS Photography
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the world, aiming to provide our customers with the highest level of service in both local and long-distance moving, a...
Learn More of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK
When you invest in a franchise opportunity with The Learning Experience, you are partnering with the leaders and innovators in the child care sector. Our Executive Team possesses a combined twelve ...
Learn More of The Learning Experience
Ranked #1 for residential cleaning, among the Top Low Cost Investments, and the Fastest Growing Residential Cleaning franchise by Entrepreneur magazine, The Maids is the quality leader in the indus...
Learn More of The Maids
Tint World® Automotive Styling Centers™ is America’s largest and fastest growing automotive accessories and window tinting international franchise, specializing in window tinting, p...
Learn More of Tint World
With a proven business model over 35 years and over 340 locations, Wild Birds Unlimited is the #1, largest and most recognized source for backyard bird feeding and nature related products in North ...
Learn More of Wild Birds Unlimited
360clean
Cash Required: $15,000
A&W Restaurants
Cash Required: $150,000
ActionCOACH
Cash Required: $45,000 - $125,000
Aire Serv
Cash Required: $50,000
Amada Senior Care
Cash Required: $90,000
Amazing Athletes
Cash Required: $30,000
BrightStar Care
Cash Required: $150,000
Christian Brothers Automotive
Cash Required: $85,000
Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative
Cash Required: $6,995-$10,995
Dogtopia
Cash Required: $300,000
DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen
Cash Required: $114,575 - $330,950
Expedia Cruises
Cash Required: $100,000
Fibrenew
Cash Required: $15,000 - $25,000
FirstLight Home Care
Cash Required: $100,000
Fish Window Cleaning Services
Cash Required: $100,000
Heaven's Best Carpet Cleaning
Cash Required: $39,000
Huntington Learning Center
Cash Required: $65,000
InXpress
Cash Required: $65,000
Kona Ice
Cash Required: $20,000
MaidPro
Cash Required: $75,000
Mathnasium Learning Centers
Cash Required: $112,000
Minuteman Press
Cash Required: $50,000
Mr. Appliance
Cash Required: $40,000
Mr. Electric
Cash Required: $50,000
Mr. Handyman
Cash Required: $50,000
Nextaff
Cash Required: $100,000
Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services
Cash Required: $85,000
Our Town America
Cash Required: $70,000
Payroll Vault
Cash Required: $31,500
Pinch A Penny
Cash Required: $70,000 - $150,000
Precision Concrete Cutting
Cash Required: $72,000
PuroClean
Cash Required: $55,000 - $75,000
Right at Home
Cash Required: $150,000
Sandler Training
Cash Required: $100,000
Snap-on Tools
Cash Required: $37,583-$55,545
Soccer Shots
Cash Required: $38,000
Supporting Strategies
Cash Required: $100,000
TSS Photography
Cash Required: $10,500
TWO MEN AND A TRUCK
Cash Required: $80,000
The Learning Experience
Cash Required: $150,000
The Maids
Cash Required: $50,000
Tint World
Cash Required: $100,000
Wild Birds Unlimited
Cash Required: $40,000- $50,000
Aire-Master of America
Cash Required: $50,000
American Poolplayers Association
Cash Required: $29,242.34
Anago Cleaning Systems Master Franchise
Cash Required: $1,000 - $23,500
AtWork Group
Cash Required: $100,000
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate
Cash Required: $50,000 - $100,000
Bin There Dump That
Cash Required: $75,000-$180,000
Brightway Insurance
Cash Required: $25,000 - $200,000
Captain D's
Cash Required: $350,000
College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving
Cash Required: $65,000
Color World House Painting
Cash Required: $40,000
Crunch Fitness
Cash Required: $300,000
Dale Carnegie
Cash Required: $50,000
Donatos Pizza
Cash Required: $200,000
Dream Vacations
Cash Required: $3,590
Drybar
Cash Required: $150,000
Express Employment Professionals
Cash Required: $50,000
FRSTeam
Cash Required: $33,375
FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers
Cash Required: $100,000
Fazoli's Restaurants
Cash Required: $500,000
Five Star Painting
Cash Required: $70,000
Freedom Boat Club
Cash Required: $38,000
Home Instead
Cash Required: $59,000
House Doctors Handyman Services
Cash Required: $50,000
Just Between Friends Franchise System
Cash Required: $43,178
Kampgrounds of America
Cash Required: $500,000 - $3,000,000
Keller Williams
Cash Required: $150,000
Kitchen Solvers
Cash Required: $30,000
LaRosa's Pizzeria
Cash Required: $500,000
MY SALON Suite
Cash Required: $200,000
Maid Brigade
Cash Required: $50,000
Motto Mortgage
Cash Required: $12,000
Mr. Rooter Plumbing
Cash Required: $50,000
Network in Action
Cash Required: $50,000
NextHome
Cash Required: $4,250
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Cash Required: $150,000
Orangetheory Fitness
Cash Required: $150,000
Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning
Cash Required: $40,900 - $50,000
Palm Beach Tan
Cash Required: $250,000
Pizza Ranch
Cash Required: $400,000
Planet Fitness
Cash Required: $600,000
Property Damage Appraisers
Cash Required:
Rhea Lana's
Cash Required: $15,000
Sanford Rose Associates
Cash Required: $108,250
ShelfGenie
Cash Required: $75,000
Showhomes Home Staging
Cash Required: $30,000 - $100,000
Snapology
Cash Required: $37,500
Sola Salon Studios
Cash Required: $500,000
Sotheby's International Realty
Cash Required: $63,650 - $206,000
Surface Specialists Systems
Cash Required: $25,000
The Goddard School
Cash Required: $150,000
The Wendy's Company
Cash Required: $2,000,000
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Cash Required: $125,000
Walk-On's Bistreaux
Cash Required: $90,000
Weichert Real Estate
Cash Required: $25,000
Wings Etc.
Cash Required: $200,000
YESCO
Cash Required: $60,000
Young Rembrandts
Cash Required: $40,000
When seeking to describe an organization’s culture, you might reference its mission or vision statement, describe its leadership style, or explain what its work environment is like. Each of these components impacts how a franchise company’s franchisees and employees treat one another and their customers—ultimately reflecting that brand’s global image.
In franchising, the home office sets the tone for how its franchisees consistently carry out the company culture in locations across the country and the globe. To be sure their intended messages and ways of doing business are resonating with franchisees, it’s critical for brands to communicate their values clearly across their organizations. If they fail to define what makes their cultures special and unique, they may unknowingly suffer the consequences. Furthermore, if they ignore any issues their teams may be encountering, their reluctance to listen might be communicated loudly elsewhere.
“Gone are the days of hiding hostile or non-inclusive companies. If people don’t enjoy being in your space and being part of your team, they are talking about it with their friends and family and with strangers on social media,” said Eric Stites, CEO of Franchise Business Review. “Trying to hire or recruit franchisees becomes difficult if you aren’t cultivating a strong culture that people want to be a part of.”
How do you measure the quality of franchise company’s culture? Surveying franchise owners is a great place to start. They will tell you how well the franchise leadership team is executing on the vision of the brand, and how well the community of support staff and franchisees work together to achieve their business objectives.
To be clear, every franchise organization has a different culture and vibe. Some franchises are more serious and formal, while others are more relaxed and casual. Understanding the style of the way a franchise operates and how well they include franchise owners in the process is important for you to identify. A franchise company’s culture – and your potential fit into that culture – should guide your franchise investment decision.
To help understand what franchisees think about their company cultures, Franchise Business Review asked over 27,000 franchisees from more than 300 brands a series of questions that looked at perception of brand vision, team culture, honesty and integrity, and overall support.
Brands across many different industries made our first-ever Top 100 Culture List. Topping the list was MaidPro, NextHome, Kona Ice, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK and Keller Williams—all veteran FBR award winners for outstanding franchisee satisfaction.
“Not surprisingly, the companies that rated high on culture are no strangers to our awards lists,” Stites said. “Many of these brands have been part of our franchisee satisfaction awards for years. There is obviously a strong tie between culture, franchise performance, and satisfaction.”
Building upon a strong culture is more important now more than ever. As the world faces a global pandemic, economic recession, and protests against systemic racism, culture has taken center stage. The franchise companies that are already doing it right – promoting positive, inclusive, and transparent cultures – will continue to thrive. And those that don’t will struggle to attract new franchisees, employees, and customers, Stites said.
Hear from a few brands about what makes their company cultures stand out among their biggest customers—their franchisees.
Express Employment Professionals knows a thing or two about recruiting. The franchise, which operates 825 units across the United States and Canada, helps small and medium-size businesses staff their companies with temporary and full-time workers. Just as its clients do, Express Employment Professional also hires for cultural fit. The brand understands that high turnover—whether at the client level or the franchisee level—has negative ramifications that reverberate through every area of a business. “Investing in your company culture will ultimately result in success elsewhere in the organization,” said Bill Stoller, CEO and chairman of the board of Express Employment Professionals.
“Each franchisee office is locally owned and operated, so it’s important to make sure from the very beginning that a potential franchisee is a good fit for our company culture,” said Stoller. “The benefit of being an established franchise brand is that over the past four decades, we’ve had time to develop a system that encourages both business success while investing in people.”
Keeping lines of communication open has been key to Express Employment’s growth and success. And recent increases in targeted, crisis communications paid dividends.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, it caused a lot of uncertainly, especially with furloughs and layoffs across the globe. The most important element for us during this time was and still is communication,” Stoller said. “We started to see our sales numbers climb back up as we encouraged our franchise offices to ‘beat the week before’ every week,” he said.
Franchisees continue to be involved in decisions at the corporate level through focus groups, trainings, and various teams, giving them opportunities to contribute and provide feedback on core values. Rather than canceling events celebrating the efforts and achievements of team members, the headquarters team instead held virtual conferences to allow for recognition.
“Some of our franchisees have been with us from the beginning and they help preserve our unique company culture by investing their wisdom in the new franchise owners,” Stoller said. “That’s why it was so important for Express to continue with conferences in some capacity this year. Those moments of fellowship and mentorship help reinforce our mission of providing hope through employment.”
NextHome is a California-based franchise that helps real estate brokers better market properties using cutting edge technology. In just five years, the brand has opened 500 franchise offices across 45 states with more than 3,200 members nationwide. Over the last two years, Franchise Business Review has ranked NextHome among the country’s top brands.
The habit of frequently checking-in with franchisees during tough times is one of the reasons why NextHome has been able to keep a tight community feel during a period of explosive growth.
“Our CEO James Dwiggins will call a franchisee when we hear they are not feeling well or they had a child break an arm skateboarding,” said Keith Robinson, chief strategy officer of NextHome. “While it’s easy to say you care—most companies do—not everyone checks on their people to see how they are doing personally and professionally out of sincerity.”
Beginning with onboarding, franchisees hear from members of the franchise development and support teams frequently, and then every 90 days during their first year. Consistent and regular communication has helped the brand understand right away what locations need, and they share what steps to take to be successful.
When the COVID-19 virus emerged last spring, franchisees had a lot of questions. The company’s deep investment in relationships with its owners and culture of collaboration allowed it to pull the company together during this uncertain time. The team delivered an aggressive communications schedule that included 55 webinars between March and May. While NextHome didn’t always have every answer, they were able to share what they knew—and how they felt.
“Our focus was to provide a calming and steady influence for our members so that they could focus on what to do with their businesses,” Robinson said.
With its growth, NextHome has been careful to adjust its structure to ensure it reaches everyone. What’s worked for reinforcing communications at 100 offices would not scale to reach today’s number, Robinson said. To meet the needs of all of its franchisees, NextHome created a department that is solely focused on checking in with its franchise owners.
“We continually and actively listen,” said Caris Moreno, Vice President of Sales for NextHome. “We survey our members and dig into the results so we can focus on the areas where we fall short more than in the areas where we get high marks. There is always room for improvement, and we are always looking for new was to ensure we are evolving an increasing our culture.”
Founded in 1975, Pinch A Penny Pool Patio Spa has grown from one store to more than 250 locations across the Southeastern United States and Texas. Its retail stores offer swimming pool chemicals and accessories, swimming pool services such as installation and repairs, and outdoor services such as powerwashing. Pinch A Penny stores also offer backyard products, such as outdoor furniture, spas, and grills.
Built on a reputation of providing superior customer service and expertise, the brand has been included in many top industry rankings, including Franchise Business Review's Top Franchises for Women, Top Franchises for Veterans, and the Top 200 Best Franchises. Taking a family approach to business, Pinch A Penny provides its customers, franchisees, and employees with all the necessary resources to carry on its tradition of quality, reliability and expertise in a fun, family-oriented atmosphere.
"The most important thing for us is: Do you have an attitude of service? Are you a giving person? Are you trying to help people? Our business is built on trust, said Michael Arrowsmith, CDO of Pinch A Penny. “When a franchisee comes into our system, we take care of them the way that we want them to take care of the customer. While our franchisees have to do their part in building their business, we offer the structure, expertise, and tools to help them from the beginning.”
Pinch A Penny offers a month-long training that allows franchisees to receive a couple of national certifications, as well as a diploma from the Pinch A Penny ‘Pool School of Graduates. Through that process, franchisees start learning about the pool business and get to know other Pinch A Penny owners.
The corporate office not only encourages prospective franchisees to talk with other franchisees—it requires them to do so before they can be approved as a new owner. From the beginning, Pinch A Penny has established a process of new and existing franchisees networking and interacting with one another, Arrowsmith said. In a nutshell, the foundation of the company is rooted in transparency and treating all involved like family.
"Pinch A Penny is a family-owned business, our franchisees run their own family businesses, and our customers are families,” he said.
The Learning Experience is a childcare center franchise that serves children in preschool through kindergarten in more than 275 locations throughout the country and internationally. Just as it serves families at its centers, the corporate office treats franchise owners as family—underscoring its brand position—Happy Happens Here!
Brad Wahl, SVP of the Florida-based brand, said The Learning Experience culture is driven by its brand mission: to have a positive impact in the lives of children, their families, and in the communities they serve.
“Our business is dependent on a total commitment to this mission and our culture. It’s even more critical during this time because the health and safety of our little ones is of paramount importance,” Wahl said. “The ability of our entire brand family to recognize this and commit to this direction has been our focus throughout the pandemic. It comes down to communication, communication, communication.”
The Learning Experience invested in new digital training and communications platforms at the corporate level to enhance communication with franchisees. To ensure consistency, the corporate office delivers simple messages frequently through multiple channels to ensure effective reach. And communications are not one way—franchisees are encouraged to voice their feedback, too. It is several brand committees of influence, including its curriculum committee, brand awareness fund committee, and diversity and inclusion committee, that drive corporate decision making.
“When we see opportunities to improve the system, we include the entire Learning Experience community in that process,” Wahl said. “It helps drive our innovative mindset with the goal of positively impacting our entire community.”
Many franchise organizations “talk the talk” when it comes to culture, but it is clear that they don’t all “walk the walk.” A strong culture doesn’t just happen within a company—it has to be designed, built, and constantly maintained. The top franchise companies that have the honor of be named to our first-annual Culture100 list are clearly among the best of the best franchises in the business. We invite you to learn more about what makes them unique and explore business ownership opportunities in your local market.