Meeting of the Frogs: My Pad or Yours?

It’s time for the IFA Convention in New Orleans! As we get ready for this key event in The Big Easy, it brings to mind a question that often comes up during emerging franchisor sessions and conferences: “When should we start having annual conventions for our franchisees?” The answer is - NOW!  

Each year in January, an especially slow time in retail, all Big Frogs get together at what we call the Big Frog-a-thon. I can't count how many ways this annual convention benefits our store owners and, as importantly, us, the franchisor.

We asked ourselves in the beginning if we could afford it - the time and the money required to put together a Big Frog convention. We really didn’t have much of either, but we said, “If the big franchisors do it, so should we!” Plus, it was a chance to bring together all the amazing people who bought into the dream we now all share – a sustaining, prosperous future with Big Frog.

So, in 2009, we had our first annual meeting at the first Big Frog store in Clearwater, Fla. The number of stores attending? Three. The number of stores in the system? Three. Okay, it may not have been anything to write home about, but the newness of being store owners and the giddiness of starting this adventure together kept us going through that first year.

At our second convention (over 10 attendees, woot!), we created the State of the Frog Address, where we disclosed our corporate P&L, all we had accomplished (and failed to accomplish) and our goals for the coming year. It proved a great opportunity for us to "grade" ourselves on our performance and give the franchisees the opportunity to ask the tough questions. (Side note: Last year’s GPA was 3.0, but we're pretty tough graders.)

Every year since, we added something new to the Frog-a-thon. The third year, we invited our vendors to train and network with the store owners. In year four, we added panel discussions so the franchisees could learn from other successful Big Frog store owners. The fifth year, we added moderated round tables where our owners exchanged ideas in small groups – a huge hit!

Now, in our sixth year, with 59 units in the system, over 50 stores attended Frog-a-thon 2014, with a record 110 attendees that included vendors and corporate employees. The convention was hailed by our franchisees as the best yet - that's because over 70 percent of the meeting gave franchisees the opportunity to speak with other franchisees via round tables, panel discussions and social events. Networking is king!

Our store owners always leave the Frog-a-thon with more knowledge and expanded network connections, completely rejuvenated for the new year. And the same goes for us. We're excited about all the new ideas, exciting plans and a fresh report card to make this year the best ever for our store owners. I see the Dean's List in our future!