In April, Alesia Visconti, president and CEO of FranServe, Inc., announced her newest endeavor: the creation of a coalition for franchise brokers at the Titus Center for Franchising at Palm Beach Atlantic University, Florida. The topic of discussion was “Responsible Franchising.”
Visconti focused on the role of franchise brokers/consultants/coaches and how being responsible impacts all parties.
“We can demonstrate and discern actions that support responsible franchising,” shared Visconti. “I am working with Dr. John P. Hayes, CFE, Titus Chair for Franchise Leadership at Palm Beach Atlantic University, on the effort to bring FranServe, Inc.’s broker certifications through the Titus Center. This includes our Certified Franchise Consultant, the very first certification program for brokers, and our newest, the Certified Advanced Franchise Consultant, which is a two-year program. Dr. Hayes has already reviewed much of our material regarding these programs, and not only does it meet with his approval, but he also said it exceeded his expectations. We are working closely to ensure the language and principles align with the academic world in addition to the business world.”
Visconti also explained: “According to their website, the Titus Center ‘is dedicated to educating the next franchise generation. Since 2017, the center has helped students master the principles of business franchising while also providing professional education for people who want to work in franchising, buy a franchise or franchise their business.’ So Dr. Hayes and I are collaborating on the curriculum for FranServe’s broker certification.”
Among the many topics discussed at the Titus Center, Visconti shared the importance of disclosure documents.
“FranServe is at the forefront of transparency, putting in place a Broker Disclosure Document years ago, before the buzz of today. It’s now a major initiative in California,” she said. “I have been asked by the International Franchise Association (IFA) to review the newly created bill, SB-919, on seller disclosures and provide input to the IFA in helping to craft verbiage.”
Visconti is dedicated to ensuring that consultants, potential franchisees, franchisors and supplier partners are transparent, show accountability and feel comfortable working together in the franchise space. As the sole woman on the Responsible Franchising panel, Visconti noted that, while women are making strides in the franchise space, they are still under-represented. She’s working on changing that, too. “Empowering women is another passion of mine, right alongside responsible franchising,” she said.
To kickstart responsible franchising in the broker community, Visconti has created the first group of its kind: The Franchise Brokers Coalition™, an organization only for founders, CEOs and presidents of the broker groups. Its mission includes:
- Establishing standards of excellence for brokers and being accountable
- Advancing entrepreneurship in a responsible manner
- Promoting transparency
- Protecting the rights of all brokers
- Working together regarding government legislation as it applies to brokers.
“I’ve already started to put things into action,” said Visconti. “The International Franchise Association is eager to help. While I’m as competitive as my male counterparts, it’s time broker groups take a broader view for the greater good.”
Nancy E. Williams