FranSmart

Fransmart is a franchise development organization that manages franchise sales for emerging brands and supports their expansion with marketing and operational resources.

Founded: 2000

Headquarters: Alexandria, Virginia

Company Snapshot

Fransmart is a franchise development company founded in 2000 and led by founder and CEO Dan Rowe. It works with emerging franchisors on franchise sales and expansion, supported by marketing, lead generation, and relationships in areas such as real estate and operations. Fransmart describes itself as the exclusive franchise developer for the brands in its portfolio. Its team serves as a prospective franchisee’s primary contact during discovery and introduces qualified candidates to franchisor leadership.

The company’s current public portfolio spans food and beverage, retail, and personal care. Listed brands include Rise Biscuits & Chicken, Konala, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, PayMore, and GLO30. Fransmart also cites past development work with Five Guys, QDOBA, and The Halal Guys. A separate channel partner program accepts candidate referrals from franchise consultants and other sources.

Why This Suppler

Fransmart’s role extends beyond conducting franchise sales conversations. Its published service model combines a dedicated sales team with internal marketing and lead generation, brand expansion planning, and access to operational resources. That combination is relevant to franchisors assessing how an outside sales organization would work alongside their existing team.

The company makes both its current portfolio and its candidate discovery steps publicly visible. Those steps include a business questionnaire, financial qualification, Franchise Disclosure Document review, a meeting before Discovery Day, and an introduction to the franchisor’s leadership team. Fransmart has also worked with established names in restaurant franchising while continuing to focus its current portfolio on emerging concepts. In 2025, it announced a separate investment platform for early stage restaurant and franchise brands, adding another dimension to its franchise development activity.

Evaluation Signals

Franchise Industry Fit: Fransmart explicitly provides franchise sales and development services. It says it acts as the exclusive franchise developer for brands in its portfolio.

Public Presence: The company maintains a website with its team, services, brand portfolio, candidate process, and franchise resources. It also has a LinkedIn presence and an Entrepreneur franchise supplier profile.

Brand / Client Visibility: Fransmart publicly lists current brands including PayMore, GLO30, Rise Biscuits & Chicken, and Brooklyn Dumpling Shop. It identifies Five Guys, QDOBA, and The Halal Guys among its past brand relationships.

Reputation Signals: Entrepreneur maintains a supplier profile for Fransmart and listed it in its Consulting/Development supplier category. Fransmart also publishes testimonials from franchisees and brand representatives.

Industry Engagement: Fransmart operates a channel partner program for franchise consultants and referral sources. Its Smart Franchising with Fransmart podcast features conversations with franchise operators and industry professionals.

Thought Leadership: Founder Dan Rowe contributes articles to Entrepreneur. Fransmart publishes franchise education articles, guides, videos, and episodes of its Smart Franchising with Fransmart podcast.

Transparency Signals: Fransmart identifies its portfolio, leadership, broad service areas, and candidate discovery steps. Franchisor fees, CRM access, lead ownership, conversion reporting, and contract terms should be discussed directly with the supplier.

Questions to Ask

Before working with a franchise sales organization, franchisors should ask who will manage each stage of candidate discovery, how leads are generated and qualified, who owns candidate data, what CRM access and reporting the franchisor receives, and how the development strategy reflects the brand’s goals. They should also ask how fees are structured, how conversion and close rates are measured, who makes the final candidate approval decision, and how the sales team communicates with the franchisor.

Website URL

Editorial Note: This supplier profile was created by Top Franchise Suppliers using public information, editorial research, and category-specific evaluation signals. Inclusion does not imply endorsement, sponsorship, or approval by the company unless clearly stated. Learn more about how we select suppliers.