The Conversation We’re Afraid to Have: Why Talking About Exit Planning Builds Stronger Franchisees
By Stephanie Benze, Director of Education at AC Inc.
🔍 In This Article You’ll Learn How To:
- Connect Strategic Growth Coaching (SGC) with deeper purpose and retention
- Understand why field coaches often avoid exit planning conversations
- Reframe exit planning as an act of empowerment, not limitation
- Use long-term visioning to reengage franchisees and increase satisfaction
The Conversation We’re Afraid to Have
Here’s a confession most field coaches won’t say out loud:
We’re afraid to talk about exit planning.
Not because we don’t believe in it, but because it feels… negative.
Like saying the quiet part out loud.
There’s a sense that bringing it up means something’s wrong, like the franchisee’s not happy, or thinking of quitting, or maybe even failing.
So we don’t.
We wait until the topic comes up at renewal time.
Or until there’s a compliance issue.
Or worse, when the franchisee finally says, “I think I’m done.”
And by then, it’s too late.
We Avoid It (and That’s a Mistake)
There are a few reasons exit planning makes us squirm:
- It feels like we’re inviting doubt into the relationship.
- We worry the franchisor will think we’re planting seeds of disengagement.
- We don’t want to come across as transactional when we’re supposed to be “support.”
- And honestly? Sometimes we haven’t been trained to know how to lead that conversation with confidence
I’ll admit it, I used to avoid long-term planning myself, both with the business owners I coached and in my own ventures.
My thinking was always, “What’s the point?”, things are going to change anyway.
But here’s what I’ve learned since:
Planning isn’t about predicting the future; it’s about preparing for it.
A plan doesn’t trap you; it helps you navigate change with clarity. Because the truth is, exit planning isn’t about leaving, it’s about leading.
When we help a franchisee define what a successful end looks like, we’re not cutting their journey short. We’re giving it direction.
Freedom Comes from Frameworks, Not from Wingin’ It
Many franchisees see an “exit plan” as something that nails them down, restricts freedom, or kills creativity.
They resist it for the same reason many of us did, it feels like a trap.
But, the irony is that structure actually creates freedom.
In fact, a loose, consistent framework, one that allows for adjustment as life and business evolve, helps owners build something much bigger than what they first dreamed.
It’s the same idea Simon Sinek explores when he talks about why: the purpose, cause, or belief that drives us.
He uses the metaphor of setting sail on a ship without a map or compass. Sure, you’ll see some incredible things along the way, but without direction, the crew and captain eventually get restless.
That’s what happens to many franchisees. They hit calm waters, the wind dies down, and they lose their sense of purpose because no one ever helped them chart the next destination.
And sometimes? Bringing up exit planning can wake them back up.
It gives you the perfect opening to ask a more challenging question like,
“Is it time we start thinking more actionably about exiting?”
Then, follow it with curiosity, not assumption:
“Hey, where are you headed next? What’s still exciting you about this business?”
Those questions often reignite motivation. Suddenly, they’re not talking about selling—they’re talking about scaling. Because for many franchisees, realizing they could exit one day reminds them why they started in the first place.
Values, Vision, and the “Why” Behind the Work
We’re seeing more thought leaders talk about this connection between values and vision.
David Allison, for example, is doing great work through Valugraphics, helping people and organizations identify their driving values.
Because when we understand someone’s values, we understand how they make decisions, what motivates them, and what satisfaction actually looks like.
We’re seeing more thought leaders talk about this connection between values and vision.
David Allison, for example, is doing great work through Valugraphics, helping people and organizations identify their driving values.
Because when we understand someone’s values, we understand how they make decisions, what motivates them, and what satisfaction actually looks like.
And in business, this clarity matters.
Gino Wickman, founder of EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), built an entire framework around starting with Vision, defining what the future should look like before you build the plan.
Strategic Growth Coaching (SGC) follows similar principles, but built for the franchise space specifically in mind.
Every meaningful coaching relationship should begin with a question like:
“What does a successful end to this journey look like for you?”
We have to define that from day one. Then, we can reverse-engineer how to get there.
And this isn’t a one-and-done conversation.
It’s a repeatable business process, one that lets franchisees adapt their vision as life and business naturally shift.
It’s not about locking them into one path.
It’s about giving them direction for the current leg of their journey, and showing them how to draft their own directions going forward.
When Exit Planning Doesn’t Happen
We’ve all seen it.
Franchisees who’ve had incredible runs, decade-long careers in their business, only to reach the end completely unprepared to transition out.
No valuation strategy.
No buyer pipeline.
No documentation ready to support the sale.
And suddenly, the last few months of what should’ve been a proud exit turn into panic and cleanup.
We end up helping them untie knots they’ve been tightening for 5, 10, even 15 years — or worse, realizing the knots are too tight to undo and watching the valuation of all their hard work start to sink.
It’s frantic, heavy, and it chips away at what should’ve been their well-earned payoff.
But it’s not because they didn’t care.
It’s because no one ever asked them early on,
“What’s the next chapter for you?”
Or better yet, asked the harder questions like,
“How long do you plan to live? And how is the exit from this business contributing to that life plan?”
Because this isn’t just about closing out a business, it’s about designing a life.
And sometimes, it’s because the franchisor’s coaching cadence drops off after that first year of operations.
The focus shifts to new franchisees, leaving mature owners to quietly plateau.
That’s where we, as field coaches, can make the biggest difference, by bringing the conversation back to purpose and possibility.
How Strategic Growth Coaching Changes the Conversation
In Strategic Growth Coaching (SGC), we start with the end in mind, not because we’re trying to end anything, but because we’re building clarity on how to get there from the start.
SGC helps field coaches and franchisors:
- Facilitate conversations about both growth and fulfillment.
- Align coaching cadences with long-term visioning.
- Keep franchisees engaged by connecting goals to their deeper “why.”
- Build exit readiness as a natural outcome of consistent coaching.
- Use exit planning as a reengagement tool, not a warning sign.
Because when a franchisee has a direction, they stay motivated.
When they feel seen for who they are, not just what they produce, they stay loyal.
And when they have a plan, they finish strong.
Bottom Line: Start with the End in Mind, Every Time
Exit planning isn’t a dirty word.
It’s the ultimate act of service.
When we help franchisees define their endgame, we’re not talking about quitting, we’re talking about purpose.
About giving them the confidence to keep showing up, because they know what they’re building toward.
🎓 Coaching isn’t about getting them through this year. It’s about helping them design the next five.
Ready to Build Franchisee Satisfaction That Lasts?
If your coaching conversations only focus on today’s wins and challenges, you’re missing tomorrow’s opportunity.
Strategic Growth Coaching helps coaches bring purpose, structure, and satisfaction into every stage of the franchise journey, growth, maturity, and exit.
→ Explore Strategic Growth Coaching with AC Inc.
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