Mary Kennedy Thompson, CFE, is the CEO of BNI Global, the world’s largest business networking organization. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Mary began her franchising journey over 30 years ago as a multi-unit owner at Cookies by Design.
Her leadership path took her to Mr. Rooter, first as a franchisee, then to the executive team at Neighborly, where she became COO overseeing 30 service brands. Today, she serves as Chair of the International Franchise Association and is widely respected for her commitment to strong relationships, operational excellence, and values-driven leadership in global franchising.
1. Franchising is all about relationships
About 20 years ago, at one of the companies I was with, we used to say to our franchise owners, “Thanks to you, all things are possible.” Franchising is about the relationship, not just the contract. Yes, sometimes you need to bring out the contract, but strong relationships should be the foundation.
If you’re managing the art and science of being a good franchisor, instances where the contract is needed should be rare.
The real magic happens when you build a great system, train to it, hold people to high standards, and foster trust. Trust begins with the customer and extends to franchise owners and teams at every level.
2. Treat owners as leaders
I prefer calling them franchise owners, not franchisees, because that’s exactly what they are – they own their businesses. It’s not about a manager running a location; it’s about someone leading a business and wanting control over their own destiny.
That’s the magic of franchising: ownership, leadership, community – and creating a network where everyone is empowered to lead yet still connected to something larger.
3. Eat the hamburgers
One of BNI’s core principles is ‘Members First’ – and we capitalize the M because it’s that important.
I’m a Member in one of my Chapters and I encourage our franchise owners to be Members too. Why? Because you need to understand the whole experience. If I ran a hamburger brand, I would make sure I eat a hamburger every day.
So, if a franchisor is having trouble connecting, I tell them to start eating the hamburgers. Go in and see it from the customer and the franchise owner’s point of view. That’s how you find the gaps and understand what really matters to them.
4. Watch the game from all angles
In soccer or football, there are two coaches: one on the field and one in the skybox. Franchisees are on the field. Franchisors are in the skybox.
We’re both seeing the same game, but from different perspectives. The field sees the tactical; the box sees the big picture – but if we don’t talk to each other, we can miss something vital.
At my previous company, we needed to update our van wraps. A wrap on a service vehicle isn’t cheap – around $3,000 to $4,000 – but we found that it was an emotional issue for franchise owners who had developed a personal connection to that image which represented their business.
“The real magic happens when you build a great system, train to it, hold people to high standards, and foster trust.”
Mary Kennedy Thompson
From the franchisor’s perspective from the skybox, we saw that the change was necessary in order to attract more customers to our franchise owners.
It was tough. I remember, at a convention, some franchisees were so opposed that they planned to protest, holding signs saying, “No van wraps.”
But in the end, with strong collaboration and by sharing testimonials from franchise owners, our locations began the change and moved forward with good energy.
5. Encourage honest feedback
I’m a big fan of third-party surveys. Sometimes issues can seem superficial from the skybox, but when you’re the one being tackled on the field it feels very real. I’ve used Franchise Business Review for years as a best-in-class platform for getting honest franchise owner feedback. We look at what we scored best and worst, and we tell them what we’re going to do about it. Listening is a vital first step to building connections.
6. Data matters, and so do emotions
Change is hard, even when it’s good. You can’t pretend the tension doesn’t exist. You need to show the data and talk about how people feel. That’s why I believe in franchise advisory councils. They’re coaches on the field who’ve seen what happens when you call certain plays and they help us understand how change lands both emotionally and practically.
You must approach these situations from multiple angles. First, acknowledge the tension; you can’t ignore it. Understand that the emotional attachment comes from the fact that franchisees are part of something bigger, something they believe in. Second, you need to present the data to back up the decision… but that’s not all. You must also address the emotional concerns and have an open conversation about them.
When I was serving as COO of The Dwyer Group and we updated the Five Star Painting logo, we kept the paintbrush in the picture – not because the customer needed to see it, but because the franchise owners did. It mattered to them and that was enough.
