Operational Franchise Partners
We Don't Advise.We Operate.
Leverage installs seasoned operators inside struggling businesses — not slide decks and strategy sessions, but rolled-sleeves partners who sit in the owner's chair until the P&L turns.
Proof of Work
The Portfolio.
Every card, a different company saved.
Stakes rising. Outcomes compounding.
The pattern is unmistakable.
Regional distributor stalled at $8M revenue for four years. Operator embedded as interim COO. Rebuilt pricing model, cut SKU count by 40%, renegotiated three supplier contracts.
DistributionManufacturer 60 days from covenant breach. Operator stepped in as CFO-in-residence. Renegotiated debt covenants, reduced burn $220K/month, secured bridge financing.
ManufacturingMulti-unit QSR franchise operating 14 locations with seven different P&L structures. Operator standardized ops, unified vendor relationships, trained four GMs to GM-level consistency.
Franchise OpsPE-backed software firm acquired a legacy services business with no integration plan. Operator built the 100-day playbook, retained 91% of acquired staff, hit Year 1 synergy targets.
Acquisition IntegrationHealthcare staffing company preparing for exit. Operator optimized reporting infrastructure, cleaned up customer concentration, and compressed the sale timeline by 8 months.
Exit PrepSpecialty retailer with 9 locations running inconsistent gross margins. Operator audited every location, identified three underperformers, repositioned two, closed one.
RetailEngagement Types
Four ways we sit in the chair.
Turnaround
For businesses 90–180 days from a covenant breach, a missed payroll, or a board ultimatum. We install an operator immediately — no onboarding lag, no learning curve. The first week is triage; the first month is stabilization.
Scale Execution
For founders who built something real but can't get past $15M. The ceiling is almost always operational — not market, not product. We embed as the COO layer they never hired and build the infrastructure for the next phase.
Acquisition Integration
For PE groups who just closed and need someone to steady the wheel on Day 1. We write the 100-day integration playbook and then execute it — staff retention, culture bridge, reporting unification, synergy realization.
Franchise Optimization
For multi-unit operators running 5–50 locations with inconsistent margins, turnover, and no single source of truth on performance. We unify the system — vendor contracts, training cadence, GM accountability structure.
“Not every market is available. We operate in exclusivity — one franchise partner per territory. If your city is open, the question isn't whether you should call. It's whether you qualify.”
Territory availability changes weekly
See If Your Market Is OpenWho Sits in the Chair
Operators, not
consultants.
Every Leverage operator has built, broken, and fixed real businesses. No one on our bench has only advised. The minimum requirement is a P&L they owned and a crisis they survived.
Marcus Whitfield
Former COO of a $340M industrial services group. Led three debt restructurings. Built the playbook used across 14 Leverage engagements.
Diana Solano
Built three companies from $5M to $50M+. Two exits. Joined Leverage after the third to do the same for other founders without needing to own the outcome.
James Okafor
Ran operations for a 60-unit franchise brand before building his own 11-unit group. Sold both. Understands the system from both sides of the agreement.
Franchise Discovery
Not everyone qualifies. Territory exclusivity is the point.