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In this episode of The Training Effect, host Doug Mark sits down with Katin Keirstead, Vice President of Operations at The Junk Luggers and Certified Franchise Executive, to explore what it takes to build training systems that can scale from hundreds to thousands of locations while maintaining quality and driving real business outcomes.
Katin shares her journey from education and adult learning into the franchise world, where she helped scale Planet Fitness from approximately 600 to over 2,500 locations globally. During her nearly decade-long tenure, she established and transformed operational training programs that impacted over 30,000 team members, navigated the post-COVID landscape, and helped recapture 97% of the membership base.
Throughout the conversation, Katin reveals the practical realities of implementing learning management systems, the critical difference between compliance training and behavior-changing training, and why the answers to your training challenges are always in the field, not in your office. She discusses the importance of understanding adult learners, the mistakes franchisors commonly make when developing training programs, and how to align learning KPIs with strategic business objectives.
From mobile app adoption strategies that drove engagement from 63% to 89% to creating emotional connections through training materials, Katin provides actionable insights for franchise training professionals at any stage of growth. She also shares her philosophy on communication, leading distributed teams, and why unit level profitability should be the metric every franchise system tracks.
Whether you are just starting to build your training infrastructure or looking to take your existing programs to the next level, this episode offers a masterclass in franchise training and development from someone who has done it at scale.
Timestamps:
- 00:00 - Introduction and welcome
- 02:05 - Katin's journey from education to franchise operations
- 02:50 - What is a Certified Franchise Executive and why pursue it
- 04:35 - Scaling Planet Fitness from 600 to 2,500 locations
- 06:45 - The state of training when Katin joined Planet Fitness in 2014
- 08:10 - Going back to basics: focusing on customer experience
- 10:20 - The role of the learning management system in enabling scale
- 13:20 - Common mistakes with technology implementation and change management
- 14:50 - Aligning learning KPIs with strategic business objectives
- 18:30 - Creating meaningful metrics beyond vanity numbers
- 20:45 - Training initiatives that directly impacted business results
- 21:20 - The mobile app adoption story: from 63% to 89%
- 27:00 - Compliance training versus behavior-changing training
- 30:05 - Designing learning for different audiences in franchising
- 34:20 - Deciding which training modalities to use
- 38:15 - Biggest mistakes franchisors make when developing training
- 41:45 - Knowing what format will be most effective
- 43:00 - Leading distributed teams and driving change
- 46:30 - Ensuring every team member's voice is valued at scale
- 49:25 - Quick questions: one piece of advice, common beliefs, key metrics
- 51:00 - What excites Katin about The Junk Luggers
- 52:10 - Regional food dish of New Hampshire
- 53:25 - Closing and how to connect with Katin
Connect with Doug:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-mark-649866a/
Website: learningzen.com
Connect with Katin:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katinkeirstead/
Website: https://katinkeirstead.kit.com/684fccda83
