The “Me” vs. “We” Mindset in Franchising
One Grows. One Crumbles. Here's the Difference.
This week, we launched our new website.
It was a massive move for the brand—one that cost more than …. (so many things) A massive investment. A long-term play. And a signal to the world that we’re here to stay.
Now let me share something that happened behind the scenes.
When we rolled it out, we emailed our franchisee partners to celebrate—but also gave a heads up: this was a migration. There would be bugs. We asked that they hold off on submitting tickets for a few days because we were already working through known issues.
The responses we got were… telling.
Some franchisees replied with excitement:
“This is such an upgrade.”
“Wow—this is huge for the brand.”
“Congrats! This makes all of us look so elevated.”
That’s the “we” mindset.
The ones who get that a rising tide lifts all boats.
The ones who are in it for the bigger picture—not just the moment.
And then there were the “me” responses.
“What about my city-specific SEO?”
“My page is missing a link.”
“This isn’t what I wanted for my location.”
No recognition of the bigger leap we just made. No patience. No awareness that this is step one of a much larger strategy designed to benefit everyone.
And here’s the kicker:
The “me” mindset partners? They’re the same ones constantly pivoting.
The ones not following the system.
The ones questioning every strategy before giving it time to work.
The ones feeling lost and stuck—because they’re trying to build an empire in a vacuum.
Meanwhile, the “we” partners are rising.
They’re leading strong teams, hitting sales goals, and staying focused.
They trust the process because they know we’re building something far bigger than a single studio.
Franchising is a team sport.
It doesn’t mean you don’t advocate for your business—but it does mean you understand you’re part of something collective. And that power is what makes franchises unstoppable when done right.
The “me” mindset gets in the way of growth.
The “we” mindset is the growth.
I swear, sometimes I want to shake people (lovingly, of course). But I’ve learned to sit back and let the lesson do the talking.
Let them.