Aaron Harper sits down with Empower CEO Scott Zide to explore how the company scaled from its early roots to over $1.5 billion in systemwide franchise sales.
Scott shares his journey from being a 23-year-old franchisee to leading one of the largest multi-brand platforms in the industry. They break down Empower's approach to incubating vs. acquiring, what makes great franchisees, and why staying true to entrepreneurial values matters at scale.
This is a deep look at the future of franchising platforms, brand building, and unit economics done right.
00:00 – Intro: From Franchisee to CEO 03:13 – Founding Mosquito Squad & Building Early Brands 06:21 – How Empower Formed Through Merger 09:43 – What Empower Looks for in Acquisitions 15:44 – How to Incubate a Brand the Right Way 23:58 – Scaling Commercial vs. Residential 35:04 – Empower's $1.5B Growth 43:50 – Getting Franchisees to Follow the Model 53:40 – Empower's Philosophy on Brand Life Cycles 59:15 – Closing Thoughts on Leadership & Growth
The Scaling Podcast With Aaron Harper