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Franchise Source Brands International (FSBI) Names Art Coley as CEO and President

Franchise Source Brands International (FSBI) Names Art Coley as CEO and President

Franchise Source Brands International™ (FSBI)—a multi-brand business coaching franchisor, which includes the industry-leading, 30-year-old brand The Entrepreneur’s  Source®—has appointed Art Coley, Jr as CEO and president. Coley’s strong entrepreneurial background and proven success in brand growth with AlphaGraphics and ICED, among others, will allow the company’s founder Terry Powell to step back from day-to-day operations and resume the role as FSBI chairman and continue to provide visionary support and direction.

As CEO and president, Coley will use his 20-plus years of franchising experience to oversee FSBI’s family of brands, which in addition to The Entrepreneur’s Source consists of three other operating companies—AdviCoach®, ZorSource® and Expense Reduction Coaching®—as well as a sister franchise, Decor&You®. In the fall of 2014, Coley agreed to be a member of The Entrepreneur’s Source advisory board, working closely with executive leadership to empower its brands and elevate the company to the next level.

“Through my advisory board role, Terry was very transparent with all areas of the company, including financials, human resources, franchise development, franchisee support, vendor relations, marketing, etc., and allowed me to have work sessions with each of the departments, each member of the leadership team and franchisees,” Coley said. “In my experience with successful founder-operated companies in the past, I’ve found that rarely will the founder have the conversation that truly needs to be had – letting go of the reins and allowing someone else to drive their vision. I have been very impressed with Terry and am convinced that he is ready and willing to do what is required for me to step in and properly assess and recalibrate the company. This will mean some change and that’s not always easy.”

FSBI has had tremendous success and its business coaching brands dominate the $1.5 billion market with a commanding 33 percent of the business coaching and consulting franchise market in North America. The Entrepreneur’s Source is the largest and most well-established franchisor/franchisee coaching organization that exists today, having worked with more than 640 franchisor partners and bringing hundreds of thousands of candidates to franchisors over the past three decades. The brand helps individuals explore business ownership and find the right franchise opportunity, as well as aids franchisors in achieving growth goals.

In order to meet the opportunities and challenges of the next 5-10 years, FSBI is going to assess all areas of the business and make required changes to remain relevant and strong. Coley’s franchising, sales and small business experience makes him the perfect fit for leading the development of FSBI’s brands as it enters its next growth phase. He first met Powell 20 years ago through mutual friend and mentor Bud Hadfield, International Franchise Association’s Hall of Fame inductee, founder of Kwik Kopy Printing and ICED.

“Art and I have worked together on a number of brands and developed a friendship over the years, so I know he is the right leader to take over the driver’s seat of FSBI, help get things in order and lead our growth,” Powell said, adding that his skillsets and experience brings great value to the company.

“I’ve spent my entrepreneurial career building and growing these businesses, and bringing Art in as CEO and president ensures all the brands to be successful long into the future, for decades to come.”

Coley is assuming the leadership role in large part due to his prior relationship with Powell and understands the delicate transition that businesses typically experience when a founder-entrepreneur steps out of the day-to-day of the business to let someone else drive their vision.

“Terry has been highly influential in my professional development over the past 20 years, and is a significant industry contributor with outstanding success growing multiple franchise brands,” Coley said. “I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to learn his brands from the inside out and look forward to integrating strategies that will boost operations to drive growth and profits for both franchisees and franchisor.”

Coley joined AlphaGraphics in 2007 as the head of global development and was promoted to president and CEO in January 2012. Throughout his tenure with the company, he helped secure more than 300 franchise agreements. Previously, he held various leadership positions with ICED – an alliance of franchised printing and copying centers – including director of public relations, president of one of its brands and executive vice-president of franchise development.