GLOBAL TALENT SOLUTIONS:
THE FRANCHISE INDUSTRY’S BEST KEPT SECRET
“In order to attract the best possible match, you have to first position yourself in a compelling way that grabs their attention”
“As I’ve dug into this fact-finding mission, I’ve discovered a couple of recurring themes. The most prevalent being that the Founders, CEOs and Presidents of the most successful franchise brands attribute their business success directly to having the right people on their team.”
When you think of a successful franchise system, you may wonder how did they get it “so right,” or how did they grow so quickly, how are they so profitable, who are the people on their corporate team and why do they all seem to know exactly what to do and when to do it?
These are among the list of questions I’ve frequently heard from franchisors throughout the years, so I set out on a mission to uncover the secret behind building and growing a successful franchise.
As I’ve dug into this fact-finding mission, I’ve discovered a couple of recurring themes. The most prevalent being that the Founders, CEOs and Presidents of the most successful franchise brands attribute their business success directly to having the right people on their team.
So, with the success of your franchise brand hinged on the capability of your corporate team, how do you ensure that you’re hiring the right people, building the right team and have the appropriate org chart structure in place? For many of the fastest growing brands in franchising the answer – Global Talent Solutions (GTS).
What I Uncovered
Global Talent Solutions (GTS) isn’t necessarily a household name in the franchise space and for good reason. For years they have been a closely guarded secret among top industry executives. Working confidentially behind the scenes, their client list and represented candidates is said to read like a “who’s who” of franchising, having built high performing corporate teams across almost every industry vertical including: QSR, Fitness/ Wellness, Home Services, Automotive and more.
There’s been a lot of buzz about GTS lately and its apparent impact on the franchise space, so to learn more I caught up with Michael Ruiz, Founder and CEO of Global Talent Solutions.
The Company Spearheading the Recruitment and Talent Acquisition Game Simply, Global Talent Solutions, is the premier executive search, recruitment and talent acquisition partner to the franchise industry. For over 15 years, GTS has been a crucial component to building high performing teams; identifying, attracting and connecting franchisors with top talent and likewise connecting high-performing professionals with career advancement opportunities.
“We’ve placed thousands of people in executive positions across numerous verticals. Our expertise lies in quickly identifying and attracting exceptional professionals into our clients’ organizations who would otherwise be inaccessible, for positions ranging from Executive Management to Middle Level as well as at the Board Member and Officer-Levels,” said Ruiz.
As we’ve seen, GTS’ clients rave on about the caliber of executives it has placed at their companies and have even credited GTS with enabling their company infrastructures to support massive growth. They continue to create and maintain such strong relationships with the franchise
A players, and apparently, it’s all in the approach.
Why Brands Need to Reconsider Their Approach Within franchising both small emerging brands and larger more established brands alike would be wise to reconsider their talent acquisition strategy if they’re currently going at it alone. For emerging brands, partnering with an experienced talent acquisition firm like Global Talent Solutions to assemble a corporate team with the appropriate experience and cultural fit from the get-go is an opportunity to quantum leap ahead of the competition. Thus, avoiding the painful (and costly) pitfalls of making a bad hire while ensuring the deck is stacked in their favor. Likewise, for larger established brands, it’s an opportunity to top-grade their current team with industry rock stars who can help them take things to the next level.
As many may have learned, attempting to hire a team on your own or relying on referrals from colleagues can be very dangerous because you’re limiting yourself to a very small selection. What a lot of franchisors fail to see is the actual impact of having the right people on their corporate team. It’s much more than just filling a seat.
Ruiz emphasizes that you need people who can really move the needle, are a good
cultural fit, and have a background that tells a really compelling story.
Having this combination is where the magic happens because it creates compounding secondary benefits to the system. For example, when prospective franchisees are evaluating their options and considering a brand it’s really the leadership team that they’re buying into. They’re looking at who’s going to be providing the support, what is their industry track record and do they trust them? By hiring the right people, you’re painting a picture of success and instilling confidence.
Finding the “One”
If anyone understands how to build a best in class leadership team, it’s Ruiz. Often pinged as the “Brand Builder” among industry veterans it seems every brand he touches turns to gold. When asked, Ruiz attributes GTS’ unique approach to franchise executive search to their success.
Ruiz said, “This is actually the first time I’ve ever heard of anyone referring to me as brand builder. It’s flattering and I’m grateful to hear that people speak highly of me. But really the success our clients have had is all about the systematic implementation of a process that attracts the right people into the right positions at the right time.”
Early in his career, Ruiz was groomed through the ranks placing top executives within the Fortune 500 and other large blue-chip organizations both domestically and internationally.
“For many years, the franchise space has been an underserved market when it comes to executive search and brining this level of industry experience into franchising has been an incredible journey,” said Ruiz.
Clients have credited GTS with enabling their company’s infrastructure to support massive growth, but what makes GTS’ process so unique? It’s their ability to not only respond, but serve a client’s specific needs in a quick, yet focused manner while also providing only the highest-caliber candidates.
From the founding of Global Talent Solutions, Ruiz knew times had changed and in order to give his clients a winning edge, the antiquated executive search and talent acquisition approaches everyone else was still using needed to change.
Ruiz describes the recruiting and talent acquisition process to be a lot like dating. He said, “In order to attract the best possible match, you have to first position yourself in a compelling way that grabs their attention. Then as you move to the courting phases, which is the screening and interview process, you learn a little more about each other and if all goes well, things will progress to engagement and then marriage when an offer is extended and accepted. This is why we always take a candidate-centric approach to talent acquisition and recruitment within franchising.”
It’s through this approach that GTS is able to cast a wide net leaving no stone unturned combined with a unique systematic process that separates the core elements of talent acquisition, allowing them to work simultaneously rather than in succession, which enables every client to consistently find “the one” right-fit candidate for every position.
The Future of Franchise Executive Search and Talent Acquisition One of the most common frustrations franchisors have when attempting to build their team is finding the right talent without wasting a considerable amount of time, energy and money. This often leaves companies frustrated and hiring just to
“fill” the position rather than hiring to build the brand.
The franchise executive search and talent acquisition process can be a long and dreadful road for many franchisors, but it’s a road that must be taken and it doesn’t have to be an arduous process.
Along with the frustration of the process comes the fear of the unknown – leaving franchisors to wonder how to make sure who they hire will thrive and grow within the organization and even more importantly improve the bottom line.
The GTS perspective is to provide a simple, predictable and stress-free experience for both clients and candidates alike. “We pride ourselves on understanding both the challenges and opportunities within franchising and our ability to adapt to rapidly changing industry trends,” Ruiz said.
As franchise businesses are evolving to thrive, their approach to recruitment and talent acquisition must evolve too. In order to be successful in such a competitive industry, having a strong corporate team is mandatory. It’s no longer enough to simply rely on referrals from friends or colleagues, and it’s common knowledge that job ads return sub-par results.
Global Talent Solutions is the premier executive search, recruitment and talent acquisition partner to the franchise industry with an indisputable track record of building award-winning teams worldwide.
“From the founding of Global Talent Solutions, Ruiz knew times had changed and in order to give his clients a winning edge, the antiquated executive search and talent acquisition approaches everyone else was still using needed to change.”
“One of the most common frustrations franchisors have when attempting to build their team is finding the right talent without wasting a considerable amount of time, energy and money. This often leaves companies frustrated and hiring just to “fill” the position rather than hiring to build the brand.”