Franchising: The Art and The Science, with Sit Still Kids Co-Owner Amy Leclerc

Amy Leclerc knows something about building a franchise and attracting the right franchisees — there’s an art to it, she says, but it’s also a science.

“I always talk about the art and the science of franchising,” Leclerc said. “The culture, the brand — those are the things that get me going: cool brands that are disrupting the status quo. I could talk about it all day long; I can sell it all day long. And then the science is the infrastructure that happens to be, you know, quite legally heavy — needs to be, by design.”

The co-owner of kid-focused hair salon franchise Sit Still Kids and wellness-themed Pure Sweat Studios got her start as director of business development in 2010 at fitness franchise barre3, which now has more than 185 locations across the U.S. Before working with barre3, she had been working in media.

“It was a steep learning curve for me in the early days, working for an organization that had really no franchising experience and leading the development charge,” Leclerc told 1851 Founder, Publisher and CEO Nick Powills during his regular podcast called Meet the Zor. “I remember seeing my name in barre3’s first FDD and freaking out. I was like, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’”

Over the next decade, Amy worked closely with the founders to grow barre3 from a single location. She also opened her own barre3 franchise in New York City. Amy's experience with barre3 gave her a unique perspective on franchising, and she learned that it was not just about finding franchisees, but about connecting with people who aligned with the values of the brand.

As the president of franchising at Sit Still Kids, she’s striking that balance regularly. Both Sit Still Kids and Pure Sweat Studios are growing fast — each with about 20 locations. Learn more about Leclerc's story by watching the interview above or on YouTube.