Accelerate your success
Success Stories
Stories from our Value Creation Team
Value creation success stories
Rapid wins show the power of our franchise development system.
Turning on the unit growth engine
Franchise Sales
Before you can set the franchise development wheels in motion, franchisors need a compelling Franchise Disclosure Document (“FDD”) for prospective franchisees. They need to fill the sales pipeline with high-quality leads and shepherd those leads efficiently from lead generation to franchise agreement signing. Then to store opening. Most importantly, healthy franchise systems have a franchise awards committee to ensure that only the most deserving candidates become part of the system.
Conscious Capital Growth led these initiatives for portfolio company, Patrice & Associates. In addition, we developed and deployed an aggressive PR and sales campaign focused on growing the sales pipeline and streamlining the sales process with the company CEO awarded 37 new franchise agreements in 2023 through organic and broker sales.
Additionally, using the same methods for portfolio client, Main Squeeze Juice Co., we awarded the Arizona Region to a regional developer who plans to open 30 locations statewide, with the first opening in Glendale, AZ.
Efficiencies impact profitability, the key driver of value.
Systematizing real estate, optimizing store build-out
Real Estate and Store Design
The path to franchisee profitability begins with systematized real estate selection and efficient store build-out. Often franchisors have done a good job site selection and store design for their first few locations. But once things get to scale, that's when real efficiencies and multi-brand leverage come into play.
Within our portfolio brands, we lead the real estate process by mapping all white space, pre-mapping all designated market areas (DMA’s) and establishing and adhering to strict lease signing and opening timelines. These standards and efficiencies accelerate the entire opening process.
We also optimize the store design to lower the cost of building. For example, we reduced the cost of conversion of I Love Juice Bar locations into Main Squeeze Juice Co. locations by streamlining and sharing resources and costs to all franchisees. Additionally, in another brand by looking at materials and construction efficiencies, we have reduced store build-out costs by 15%.
Accelerated growth through merger & acquisition (M&A) increases units, markets, systemwide sales, and value.
Increasing value through merger & acquisition
Merger & Acquisition
Some industries are ripe for roll up, and when we are in one of those spaces, acquiring or merging with other companies is an effective growth acceleration strategy. Many industries we invest in are highly fragmented, so our portfolio companies have abundant M&A opportunities. Our investment team works with management to source and evaluate targets, negotiate with sellers, and integrate the entities. Acquisitions are accretive when we can capture cost synergies, share operational best practices, and expand exit multiples due to more scale.
Within months of bringing on portfolio company Main Squeeze Juice Co., we searched out and acquired I Love Juice Bar, a small but impressive brand with no territory cross-over with Main Squeeze. The acquisition led to accretive growth of Main Squeeze and an additional 6 locations now rebranded as Main Squeeze Juice Co. This is a category ripe for more acquisitions we are currently exploring. CCG is currently exploring other companies for acquisition/ mergers for all of our portfolio brands.
Adding smart menu choices and retail offerings
Retail & Product Development
It's one thing to offer retail products in a franchise store location and another to actually sell them. Thanks to our team's background of growing retail sales and profits within brands in a variety of industries, we do the same for our portfolio brands. Our strategies include establishing the right product mix based on customer feedback and competition, effective pricing based on margin analysis, attractive promotional offers and perhaps most importantly, creating a sales culture in the stores.
After the acquisition of Main Squeeze Juice Co. and the merger of I Love Juice Bar, We increased the product offering by combining menus of Main Squeeze Juice Co. we evaluated their offerings and enhanced their menu to include breakfast items. This added a lucrative daypart to the brand. That is just one of the additional retail offerings currently in exploration.
Satisfying customer wants and needs while retaining solid profit margins is a win for everyone.
Implementing accretive M&A strategies
Merger & Acquisition
One of the strategies for growth is strategic accretive acquisition and merger opportunities. Several of the industries in which we work are highly fragmented and ripe for consolidation. There are abundant opportunities. The key is finding the right opportunities. Our investment team works with management to source and evaluate targets, negotiate with sellers, and integrate the entities. Acquisitions are accretive when we can capture cost synergies, share operational best practices, and expand exit multiples due to more scale.
Main Squeeze Juice Co. acquired I Love Juice Bar in a horizontal acquisition. The acquisition led to accretive growth of the brand and 6 additional locations. This was the first, and we are currently exploring additional companies for acquisition/mergers in this and all of our portfolio brands.
Seizing opportunities for consolidation in fragmented markets can result in rapid market development.
Creating a credible brand implementing a strategic marketing approach and support the sales function drives accelerated growth.
Getting the customer and lead flywheels turning
Branding, Marketing & Sales Support
Sales support and marketing, no company can function without them. The companies that function the best are the ones that establish a solid brand platform that serves as the foundation for consistent marketing campaigns, personalized marketing automations, high-functioning websites, omnichannel brand education, and a unique customer journey. The ultimate goal is an experience that generates continual buzz and referrals. One example of the impact of our work iis Patrice & Associates.
Patrice & Associates needed a brand refresh to bring its image up to date and its make its message more coherent and repeatable by the many people the company serves. We wanted the "silent sales force" of Patrice & Associates clients and candidates to share the message. Therefore we needed to define a message genuine to the company and repeatable by the many.
We developed "Let's Get You to GREAT," an ownable line and brand asset. From there, we developed the imagery, including the logo, website, videos, sales collateral, proposal library, and more. In addition, we completed a new franchise development website, accompanying videos, and sales collateral. The work instantly began paying off. Current franchisees were more excited about the brand and became more engaged. the number of higher-revenue executive-level jobs increased, driving more revenue. Franchise development leads increased as well.
Transparency and the flow of information is how trust is earned and deals are made.
Communicating to a growing investor audience
Investor Relations
We provide investor relations support to current and future portfolio companies through investor communications, lead generation of potential new investors, and spearheading the fundraising for additional acquisitions and mergers of portfolio brands. These functions are critical to establishing and maintaining open communication, transparency, and trust.
Fundamental to this is our establishing a large and active database of potential investors both private and institutional investors. This database is continually growing. We also established a strategic communications plan with multiple touch points each month to stay in this influential group's view, show portfolio company progress and performance, and build relationships. This is the natural foundation for leading fundraising efforts for all current and future brands including the accretive acquisition of I Love Juice Bar.
Getting the most out of a brand's tech stack
Technology
CCG, with its extensive experience in managing Point of Sale, Martech, CRM and other mission-critical business applications for various brands, is adept at providing top-notch technology support to our portfolio brands. Our aim is to ensure that companies operate with the most advanced systems and infrastructures, thereby maximizing their technology stack.
Our team established new, more robust management platforms, including full email migrations, at both Main Squeeze and Patrice & Associates. Additionally, we helped both brands integrate proper sales functions and a systemwide CRM system that will assist with the entire franchise sales process, including lead generation, sales process, and site development.
Awareness of portfolio company progress against plan enables us to deliver solid guidance.
Awareness of portfolio company progress against plan enables us to deliver solid guidance.
Guiding, monitoring, and measuring progress
Strategic Leadership
With all the wheels in motion across the business disciplines within the portfolio companies, our model is to check in and guide more closely and more often than most business accelerators do. Many invest and then meet quarterly to discuss results. Our model is to guide our investments more closely. In some cases continually or weekly, but certainly monthly and of course quarterly with the managing partners. Additionally, they take the same hands-on approach to equity transactions.
All our portfolio companies, their leaders, and teams participate in strategic planning sessions and quarterly strategic updates based on results. In between, companies receive weekly and/or monthly guidance calls to monitor leading and lagging indicators, evaluate performance, and make adjustments to the plans. This culture of close engagement is fundamental to rapidly discovering opportunities and challenges and quickly determining the best strategic and tactical next moves.