Lessons From Franchise Executives: Kat Eckles of Clean Juice

As chief branding officer and co-founder of Clean Juice, which offers USDA-certified organic juice, smoothies and food, Kat Eckles says it’s important for franchisors to remember that franchisees are humans who have emotions.

“These are people who took a risk on you and your brand and believe in what you have to offer,” she said. “Sometimes they just need someone to vent to, and sometimes it just has to be the franchisor. But we’re all in this together, and their success equals our success, so making sure that they’re supported is our number one priority.”

At the same time, says Eckles, franchisees need to understand that the day-to-day falls on them. “A lot of times, owner engagement is what really defines whether a store is going to be super successful or not. It’s not turnkey in the sense that you buy it and you wake up and it’s there. If you want to do that, just buy the stock.”