Delightree

What happens when you throw a newcomer into the deep end of franchising? Here's Val's story: In February this year, Valeriia joined our team with no franchising experience. And just a week in, we sent her to the IFA Annual Convention 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. She was new to the company. New to the industry. New to everything. Throwing someone so new into such a massive event could go either way. Imagine thousands of operators, executives, and franchisees, all in one place, talking about an industry she was just beginning to understand. But Valeriia? She thrived. Because the heart of franchising isn't just contracts and royalties. It's the people. At IFA, people welcomed her. Naturally, she leaned in, asked questions, and connected. Everyone, from the seasoned veterans to first-time attendees, embraced her curiosity and helped her learn. By the end of that event, she’d caught the franchising bug. Since then, Valeriia has attended close to 10 events, including the FBR Summit, YoungCon, International Franchise Expo, and the Springboard Conference. And along the way, she’s built a network of genuine relationships. Her warm, approachable nature makes her a magnet for franchise leaders. Her eagerness to listen and learn makes her memorable. Today, she doesn’t just hear about franchise pain points; she’s working to solve them. Whether it’s streamlining audits or improving communication, Val is passionate about using technology to make franchise ops easier. Her story is what franchising is all about—learning through connection, building through relationships, and growing together. Here’s to Val and the community that embraced her! 💗 P.S. Next time you see her at a franchise event, do say hello.

We just dropped something huge! 💣💥🔥🚒 Like, "this changes everything" huge. When we started building Delightree, our mission was clear: make franchise operations fun again! And the best solutions have come from observing the users. “Where’s the latest menu update?” 😐 “Do we have the compliance guide?” 😬 "Where can I find the current marketing playbook?" 😶 "What's the holiday schedule like?" 🙄 You open the shared drive with folders everywhere. Or perhaps it's somewhere in the scattered emails. "But is this the right version?" 🥵 "Or is it the one from last year?" 🫣 If you're from franchising, this should sound familiar. It wasn’t just a frustration for teams. It was a roadblock. They were losing time, making mistakes, and feeling overwhelmed. That’s why we created Delightree’s AI Search. 🤩 Whether you're training new franchisees, ensuring compliance with brand standards, or just trying to make it through another Monday, our all-new AI Search is your franchise’s secret weapon. Just type a query like "training checklist" or "marketing updates." Within seconds, the system locates the exact document, highlights the latest version, and even suggests related files. This is more than a feature. It’s a promise to every franchise team: we hear you and are here to help. Ready to try it for your team? 😎

Here's a big shout-out to the Women's Franchise Committee of IFA 💗 The year was 1996. Franchising was booming, but it was clear that leadership needed more diversity. Women weren’t just underrepresented; they were under-supported. Opportunities to grow, connect, and lead felt out of reach. That’s when a handful of women filled with ambition and vision founded the Women’s Franchising Committee (WFC). At first, the WFC was small, hosting discussions and creating mentorship programs. But the momentum grew fast! By the early 2000s, they saw another void. Women wanted mentorship and collaboration, but many lacked local support systems. Hence, WFC launched Women’s Franchise Networks (WFNs), where women could share ideas, challenges, and triumphs locally. Today, WFNs are thriving in 20+ cities. They host panels on overcoming business obstacles, roundtables on franchise financing, and workshops on scaling multi-unit operations. From these gatherings emerge bold ideas, new partnerships, and lifelong friendships. And all of it traces back to that moment in 1996. A legacy built by women for women and the future of franchising. P.S. Stop by and say hello to these women next time you attend a franchise conference. Trust us, they're super bright and fun to be around. But if you're from franchising, chances are that you already know this.

See you at IFA's Emerging Franchise Conference this week! 💛 We're working with emerging franchisors every day. So, we know the challenges of scaling a franchise brand are unique. Balancing growth, operations, and brand consistency is no small feat. That's why we’re proud to be sponsoring this year’s conference! This is where the next generation of franchise leaders meets the seasoned pros. Do visit our booth and say hello to Valeriia and Doug. We’d love to hear your story and challenges and share our insights to help you navigate your scaling journey. At Delightree, we specialize in working with brands just like yours. Now that you’ve built something amazing, it’s time to grow it confidently. We know what works, and what doesn’t, at this critical stage. Let’s work together to make it happen! 🔥

The first ones are always special, aren't they? 😍 Keegan and Ifiok are the newest additions to our team, and this was their first-ever franchise conference. Could it have gotten any better? We doubt that. "As newcomers, we felt a mix of excitement and nerves, but walking into Franchise Business Review Summit 2024 felt like joining a family reunion." The welcoming session set the tone, and they were hooked to the energy from the start. They learned about real-world challenges and strategies around franchise operations—insights they were excited to bring back to our team. But what truly made the summit special was the people. "EVERY SINGLE PERSON I talked to taught me something new! It was humbling to see how much knowledge and experience lives in this space," said Keegan. It’s rare to feel at home so quickly, but that’s franchising for you! "This community is something special. We're leaving with notebooks full of tips and hearts full of gratitude." shared Ifiok. Thanks for helping our new team experience the heart of franchising at work and making them feel at home. We can’t wait for the next conference to continue building these relationships and learning even more. Until next time! 💗

(Throwback Thursday) "We haven’t had so much fun in a while!" That's what our team said after visiting Slick City's park in Lakewood, Colorado. With all the slides and attractions, we couldn’t choose which ones to go on first! Slick City is the world’s first indoor entertainment concept with slides (no water!), sports air courts, and tower-built soft play. Whether you’re a child or a child at heart, they’ve got all the attractions for you. Team Slick City, thanks for hosting us! Hands down, it was the most fun we’ve had in a long time! Meeting our clients and experiencing their outstanding services is the highlight of what we do. And with this partnership, we can genuinely say that work is play here. That's what managing multiple locations with Delightree will be like for Slick City! Cheers to more playful moments and great collaborations ahead! 💛

We wanted to make franchise operations fun again! And Survaider was not enough for that. So we pivoted. "People don't buy what you do. They buy WHY you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe." This quote from Simon Sinek serves as one of the guiding principles of our philosophy at Delightree. We wanted to fundamentally help franchise businesses grow! Tune in to this episode to hear our decade-long entrepreneurship story from my co-founder Madhulika Mukherjee.

🚀 Emerging Franchisor Conference by the IFA is right around the corner and I can’t wait to meet the new generation of franchise leaders and to reconnect with the experienced folks in the industry! Lately, I’ve found myself working with more and more re/emerging franchisors and gained a better understanding of the key crucial differences between a mature franchise needs Vs growth stages. A lot of work goes into streamlining ops, and getting all of your ducks in a row can seem daunting - we get it and will be sharing some isights on how automation, AI, and simplicity can make your life and day-to-day easier. Delightree will have a booth in Austin! If you’re an emerging franchisor looking to streamline your operations or just someone who loves talking shop and meeting new people (which, from what I have seen, is most of us 😅) - let’s connect 🤝.

"The scattered paperwork and checklists were exhausting!" 😡😭 "Now, I carry my entire audit process in my pocket." That's what our new audits tool does, bringing the whole compliance world together in one seamless app. Now, you can capture photos, record notes, and ensure issues get addressed in real time. With instant dashboards, you have all the data you need right when you need it. Yes! 😍 Audit scores, check compliance, location performances, and more, all at one glance. “Now we know right away what needs our attention, and we can actually do something about it,” said one of our clients. Delightree Audits helps you spot problem areas, uncover patterns, and turn all that data into actions that matter. You're enabled to effortlessly zoom into individual audits or take in the big picture. One tool that adapts to you, making audits and compliance easy. And yes, it's even enjoyable for your teams! 🙌 With our tech, we’re on a mission to bring the fun back to franchise operations. Ready to join us on this journey? Let’s chat! P.S. To see our audits tool in action and how it can be customized for your franchise business, book a free demo with us today!

Let's face it! Tech in franchising can be a friend or seem like a foe. When it’s good, it’s game-changing. Training flows smoothly, audits are timely, lead management stays organized, and so on. Over the years, technology has brought consistency, accountability, and efficiency to franchise businesses. Adopting tech is not optional anymore. But the reality is that if technology feels too complex or fragmented, it won’t get used. When you’re juggling multiple tools for training, POS, lead tracking, tasks, employee engagement, inventory, and audits, it gets overwhelming! Your teams will bypass confusing software and fall back on manual methods. Wasn't tech supposed to make life easier, not add confusion? To help tackle this problem, some of the leading franchise tech solutions came together at FBR Summit 2024. This session on "Tech Stack Reboot" aimed to help franchise teams simplify and reassess what's truly needed. The panelists (from left to right) included Jeff Horst from Thryv, Doug Gabbard from Delightree for Franchises, Diamantis (Dean) Hatzitheodosiou, CFE from serviceminder, and Jamshaid (Jam) Hashmi from FranchiseSoft - Franchise Management Software. With the right stack, tech feels like a tool, not a task. If you're interested in assessing your tech stack, feel free to chat with one of these experts. Let's make franchise tech fun again! 💗 P.S. Thanks again to Michelle, Courtney, and the rest of the super awesome team at Franchise Business Review for bringing this panel together for our franchising community.