Vinovations: Franchise Consulting Group

Consulting for new and emerging franchisors

You paid to become a franchise. Now what?

The paperwork is done. The FDD is filed. But where are the franchisees? We help new franchisors bridge the gap between becoming a franchise and actually growing one.

Request a consultation See how we help

Tell us where you are stuck and we will reply to set up a first call.

A crowd applauds at a Turquoise Wine Bar ribbon cutting while a framed chamber of commerce proclamation is held up.

Where we learned it

We didn't just study franchising. We built one.

We turned our own business, Turquoise Wine Bar, into a growing franchise brand, selling 12 locations across 3 states in the first year. We know what it takes to go from franchise paperwork to signing franchisees, opening locations, and building a scalable system.

We've walked the path. Now we're sharing the playbook.

Five people stand together in front of a mural, one holding a bottle of sparkling wine.

The stall

The documents are finished and nothing is selling

You formed the franchise company. Your attorney wrote the Franchise Disclosure Document. You paid for all of it. Then someone told you, "We'll try to sell them for you."

Months later there are no signed agreements, the phone is quiet, and you are waiting on people who have other brands to sell. This is the biggest barrier we have seen new franchisors hit, and it has little to do with how good the concept is.

The franchise trade press has described it too:

"Emerging brands sometimes end up sitting in broker 'inventory' without getting many looks."

So have owners in public forums:

"here we are, franchise disclosure document in hand ready to sell the first franchise! [...] we haven't been able to get a solid lead!"

"You would no longer be in business doing what you're doing. You would be in the business of selling franchises. It's very different."

Selling a franchise is a job with its own steps, and most first-time franchisors are never told what those steps are.

We learned them by doing them. We will show you ours and help you build yours.

The numbers

Franchising is large, and most brands in it stay small

832,521

franchise establishments in the United States in 2025, supporting close to 8.9 million jobs.1

300 to 400

new franchise concepts launch every year, yet the number of active brands has stayed around 4,000.2

52%

of U.S. franchises that started 10 years ago have 50 units or fewer.3

Under 18%

of franchise brands ever reach 100 units.4

11 years

is how long the average brand takes to pass 100 franchised units, after opening seven in its first year.4

About 80 units

is where royalties usually start covering a franchisor's operating costs. The range is 35 to 120.4

Until royalties cover your costs, each sale and each opening is paid for out of your own pocket.

That is why the first few locations matter more than the next fifty.

1 2026 Franchising Economic Outlook, International Franchise Association and FRANdata. The jobs figure is the 2026 projection.

2 Alicia Miller, "Emerging Franchise Churn Is Problematic, but We Can Take Action to Reduce It", Franchise Times, March 2025.

3 "Emerging franchises: Allure meets reality for youngsters", The Franchise Handbook, Franchise Times.

4 "Reaching 100 Units Is a Milestone, Not a Guarantee", FRANdata, September 2026.

Two questions we answer

Pick the one you are asking

01

You've started a franchise. Now what?

You have the legal setup and no buyers yet. We help you build a sales process you run yourself, so the next sale does not depend on someone else's effort.

  • Moving from running one business to running a franchise system
  • Describing who your ideal franchisee is, and who to turn away
  • Finding candidates and walking them from first call to signed agreement
  • Planning and hosting a discovery day
  • Getting training, onboarding and operations ready before the first sale

Talk to us about this stage

02

You've sold a franchise. Now what?

Someone signed and paid. Now they expect you to lead them to opening day, and every later buyer will call them to ask how it went.

  • Getting a new franchisee ready to open
  • Onboarding steps and training materials
  • Written operating procedures and brand standards
  • Regular communication and support once they are open
  • Readying the system for the locations that follow

Talk to us about this stage

The checklist

Things nobody tells a new franchisor

Your attorney handles the documents. These parts come after, and they are yours to build. We cover every one of them with you.

A brand book

Franchisees, sign makers and designers all need one written standard for your logo, colors, voice and store look. Without it, every location drifts.

A discovery day

Serious candidates visit you before they sign. The day needs an agenda, the right people in the room and a clear decision at the end, for both sides. More on discovery day.

Validation calls

Candidates phone your existing owners and ask what it is really like. Your first franchisees become your sales team whether you plan for it or not.

Disclosure timing

The FTC Franchise Rule requires 14 calendar days between handing over the FDD and taking a signature or a payment. Your sales calendar has to be built around it, and your franchise attorney sets the exact dates.

An operations manual

What lives in your head has to be written down so someone in another state can run the business your way on a busy Friday.

A place for franchisees to get answers

Procedures, vendor lists, training and updates need one home. If they live in email, you will answer the same question at every location.

A sample of what we cover

Planning a discovery day

Discovery day is usually the last meeting before you award a franchise. The candidate is deciding whether to spend the next ten years with you, and you are deciding the same about them.

Before

Decide which candidates earn an invitation, and prepare them and your team for the day.

The day

Show the business as it really runs, introduce the people behind it, and find out whether the fit is real on both sides.

After

Reach a clear decision on each candidate and follow up while their interest is high.

When we work together, we build your discovery day with you: the agenda with times, who presents what, the candidate scorecard and the follow-up emails.

How we help

Areas we work on with new franchisors

We start with a conversation about where you are and shape the work around that.

Franchise readiness
The systems, resources and operating basics a business needs before it offers a franchise.
Franchise operations
Operating procedures, documentation and brand standards that stay consistent from one location to the next.
Franchisee training and onboarding
Preparing new owners to run the business well from their first day.
Franchisee support
Communication, oversight and support routines between you and your franchisees.
Growth planning
The changes your own organization needs before it can support more locations.

We are consultants, not attorneys and not franchise brokers. Vinovations does not sell franchises, for you or to you. Disclosure documents, franchise agreements, state registration and compliance belong with a qualified franchise attorney, and we work alongside yours.

Founders

We built a franchise before we advised on one

Jen and Laura were neighbors who wanted a wine bar that felt welcoming to people at every level of wine knowledge. That became Turquoise Wine Bar, then Turquoise Franchise. We started Vinovations because becoming a franchisor should not mean working it all out alone. Read more on the Turquoise About page.

Laura Hernandez

Laura Hernandez, CFE

Chief Growth Officer, Vinovations

Laura spent more than 20 years as a district leader for national brands, including American Eagle Outfitters, where she opened the Phoenix market, Lane Bryant, Ulta Beauty and KinderCare. She was also a vice president of sales at Bank of America.

In 2022 she co-founded Turquoise Wine Bar, and she has since led the growth that turned it into a franchise, with 12 locations sold across 3 states.

She is a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE), the International Franchise Association's credential for franchise leaders.

Jennifer Sinconis

Jennifer Sinconis

Chief Experience Officer, Vinovations

During her two decades at Starbucks, Jen spent over 10 years in the Global Creative Studio, helping drive international brand expansion across Asia, Europe, and Central America. She later served as Head of Studio at Alaska Airlines and went on to lead salon marketing at PetSmart.

In 2022, Jen co-founded Turquoise Wine Bar and has been instrumental in developing the brand's identity, guest experience, and franchise model. She holds certifications through WSET and the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Her philosophy is simple: A great franchise starts with a strong brand, a memorable customer experience, and systems that bring it all to life.

Dan Hernandez

Dan Hernandez

Chief Operating Officer, Vinovations

Dan started at the bottom. In 1995 he joined SCF Arizona, now CopperPoint Mutual Insurance Company, as a premium auditor. Over 26 years he worked his way up through claims, account services and the contact centers to vice president of operations and small business services, the executive leadership team and interim chief information officer.

He left in 2021 to build the operating systems and processes that keep every Turquoise Wine Bar location consistent. He holds WSET and Court of Master Sommeliers certifications.

He has done the work at every level, and he brings that to each franchisor we work with.

Contact

You built the business. Now let's build what comes next.

Request an introductory consultation. Tell us where you are and what is hardest right now, and we will reply to set up a first call.

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