Ep146 What It’s Really Like Acquiring a Franchise Brand (Lessons from Anya Haywood)

10/12/2025 15 min Episodio 146
Ep146 What It’s Really Like Acquiring a Franchise Brand (Lessons from Anya Haywood)

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Episode Synopsis

Buying a 30+ year franchise brand sounds exciting but the reality is far more complex. 
 
In this episode of Franchise Everything, Glenn speaks with Anya Haywood, Managing Director of Seal-A-Fridge, about what it truly takes to acquire, stabilise, and modernise a legacy franchise business. From managing franchisee expectations to resisting the urge to make fast changes, Anya reveals why patience, listening, and data-driven decisions matter more than quick wins.
 
Anya also dives into Seal-A-Fridge’s next growth phase — sustainability, corporate accounts, and building long-term franchisee profitability through smarter systems and education. 
 
If you're thinking about buying a franchise brand, leading change in an established network, or scaling a service-based franchise the right way, this episode breaks down the real strategy behind sustainable franchise growth.
 
0:00 Introduction
0:33 Seal-A-Fridge’s 37-year history and franchisee-to-franchisor ownership shift
3:06 Preserving organisational knowledge when acquiring an established brand
5:14 Managing unrealistic franchisee requests while protecting long-term relationships
6:55 The key phases of acquiring a franchise brand and where Seal-A-Fridge sits now
11:19 Moving into product stewardship as a long-term environmental and business focus at the 18-month mark
13:51 Leadership advice for anyone acquiring a franchise brand or stepping into a change mandate 
15:27Wrap up
 
Podcast Produced by:  www.franchisebusinesshub.com.au
 
Listen or Watch on;
 
Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2s4zewct
Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2avjpftp
Amazon Music: https://tinyurl.com/yc7sdx4k
YouTube: https://youtu.be/vNmOAJGS2Uk

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