Franchise Talent Acquisition
You run several locations, and every one of them is hiring. aha! steps in as your fractional head of talent acquisition, builds one hiring system across all your units, and runs it with your managers until it works without us.
What is franchise talent acquisition?
Franchise talent acquisition is the system a franchise operator uses to attract, screen, hire and onboard employees the same way at every location. It covers where you find candidates, how they apply, who screens them, how interviews run and what happens in the first weeks.
Most franchise brands give operators a brand standard for the customer experience but not for hiring. So each location hires its own way, and results depend on whichever manager is on shift. A franchise talent acquisition system replaces that with one repeatable process, owned by one person, that every unit follows.
Why franchise hiring breaks
Franchise hiring rarely fails because operators don’t care. It fails because nobody owns it.
- Every location hires differently. One manager posts on Indeed, another relies on referrals, a third waits until someone quits.
- Managers recruit in the gaps. Hiring lands on people who already run a full shift, so applicants wait days to hear back and take another offer.
- The brand stops at the front door. Customers get a polished experience. Candidates get a long application and silence.
- Most turnover starts at the hire. People who leave in the first 90 days were usually told one job and handed another.
Who this is for
Multi-unit franchise operators who hire hourly staff all year or in seasonal waves, and don’t have a recruiting team to match. If hiring has become every manager’s job and nobody’s job, this is the fix.
We’ve worked with employers including Cold Stone Creamery and European Wax Center.
What franchise operators say
We went from 10-12 days to filter through candidates and reply to new applicants to less than a day.
Andrea Jones, Multi-Unit Franchisee, Nothing Bundt Cakes
The DREAM Hire Framework™ process is comprehensive and generates important information about the applicant.
Ruth Spiegel, Multi-Unit Franchisee, Cold Stone Creamery
How we do it
We start as your fractional head of talent acquisition, then hand you a system your team can run.
- Diagnose across every location. We look at where your applicants come from, where they drop off, and how each unit hires today.
- Build one system for all units. Automated sourcing, screening, employer branding and recruitment campaigns, set up in the tools you already use.
- Run it with your managers. For three months we operate it alongside your team and fix what isn’t working, so hires keep moving.
- Hand it over. Your managers get written steps, interview guides and scorecards built on the DREAM Hire Framework™.
Fractional talent acquisition starts at $25,000. See how fractional works.
Operators who want the full platform move on to the DREAM Hire Engine™ hiring system build: a branded career site, text-to-apply, a 24/7 chatbot, one-way video interviews and automated onboarding.
Why Andrea
I owned a Massage Envy Spa for ten years. The business ran on hourly people, and hiring them nearly broke me. I’ve spent the decade since working with multi-unit franchise operators on the same problem.
- Former Massage Envy franchisee, single location, 10 years
- 10+ years working with multi-unit franchise operators
- Author of Hire Higher
- MS and MBA, Certified AI Consultant
- Creator of the DREAM Hire Framework™ and DREAM Hire Engine™
aha! is not a recruiting agency. We don’t place candidates. We build the system that fills your roles and teach your team to run it. All work is virtual.
Questions franchise operators ask
What does a fractional head of talent acquisition do for a franchise?
They own hiring across all your locations for a set period. They build the sourcing, screening and onboarding process, run it with your managers, and leave behind a system your team keeps using.
How is this different from a franchise recruiting agency?
An agency fills individual roles and charges per hire. We build the hiring system itself, so your locations keep filling roles after we step back.
Does this work if my franchisor already provides a hiring tool?
Yes. We build into the tools you already use, including franchisor-provided platforms, and fill the gaps around them.
How long does it take?
Three months: about one month to build, then two months running it with your team.
How much does franchise talent acquisition cost?
Fractional talent acquisition starts at $25,000. Scope depends on how many locations you hire for and how many roles are open.
Do you work with franchisees outside Florida?
Yes. All work is virtual, and we work with operators nationwide.