ABOUT THE EVENT

A different kind of
franchise event

Most franchise expos are designed to sell you something. The Franchise Forum is designed to educate you. The centerpiece is an interview-led panel of franchise founders not a slide deck presentation where aspiring business owners can hear directly from the people who built these systems, ask real questions, and get honest answers.

2025 Recap · March 11th

The Franchise Forum 2025

Benetrends Financial HQ · 1684 S. Broad Street, Lansdale, PA · 4:00–6:30 PM

The inaugural Franchise Forum brought together career transitioners, serial entrepreneurs, franchise founders, and industry professionals for an evening at Benetrends Financial's headquarters in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. The event featured a live franchisor panel moderated by Lisa Linkowsky, a Franchise Economic Outlook presentation by Rocco Fiorentino, President of Benetrends Financial, and an extended networking session.

Five franchise brands across five distinct industries participated. Representing the breadth of what franchise ownership actually looks like beyond the food and beverage concepts most people picture first.

DesignPro Remodeling

Home services & renovation

Hammer & Nails

Upscale grooming for guys

Cork & Candles

Scent bar & experiential retail

Goodness Bowls

Health food & wellness

Oliver's Nannies

Child care & nanny services

What the evening reinforced

Key takeaways from the 2025 Forum.

01

Franchising is far broader than most people think. Five brands, five industries none of them the fast food concepts that dominate most people's mental image of franchising. Attendees left with a significantly expanded view of what business ownership through franchising can look like.

02

Founders are people, not just brands. Hearing directly from the people who built these systems and why they started, what they've learned, what they look for in franchisees changed the conversation from abstract to personal. That's something no brochure can replicate.

03

The economic backdrop matters. Rocco Fiorentino's Franchise Economic Outlook presentation provided crucial context on the current funding environment for franchise buyers. The kind of industry data most candidates never encounter until they're deep in the process.

04

Conversation beats presentation. The interview-led panel format rather than slide deck presentations generated the most candid and useful dialogue of the evening. Real questions, real answers, no script.

05

Connection is the point. The relationships built during the networking portion between prospects, founders, and sponsors were cited as one of the most valuable parts of the event. The franchise world runs on relationships.

Thank you to our 2025 sponsors

Watch the recap video below — a short look at the evening, the panel discussion, and the energy of a room full of people seriously exploring what business ownership could look like for them.

Coming — Fall 2026

The Franchise Forum is coming back.

The 2025 event proved the concept. The 2026 Forum will build on everything we learned. A stronger format, better context for attendees before they arrive, more time for Q&A and connection, and the same commitment to honest conversation over polished presentations.

What's staying the same

Interview-led franchisor panel. Direct access to founders. No slide decks. Real conversation about what franchise ownership actually looks like.

What's getting better

Pre-event context for attendees. Built-in Q&A. A workbook to help prospects understand the franchise world. Better networking structure.

Get notified when registration opens.

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A different kind of franchise event