Single Unit vs Multi-Unit: The Profit-First Mistake That's Stealing Your Freedom

Most franchise owners don’t fail because of the business model—they fail because they optimize for the wrong thing.

In today’s episode, Hunter Mitchem breaks down the profit-first mindset that traps thousands of single-unit franchisees…and how multi-unit owners think completely differently.

You’ll learn:
– Why your first location’s “perfect margins” might be costing you long-term freedom
– The mindset shift Hunter made to scale aggressively
– How he opened 16 locations in 24 months
– Why building a team early beats running lean
– How real estate, franchising, and home services all compound
– The real difference between owners who stay stuck…and owners who scale

Whether you’re a new franchisee or already dreaming about multi-unit ownership, this episode gives you the clarity, frameworks, and mental models to finally break through.

Timestamps:

0:29:54 — The Profit-First Trap That Almost Held Us Back
0:30:45 — The Fundamental Reset Every Multi-Unit Owner Must Make
0:31:15 — Why We Stopped Optimizing for Day-One Profit
0:32:15 — When Opening More Units Makes You Worse…Before It Makes You Better
0:31:44 — How We Built a Team That Could Open Studios Without Us
0:14:18 — The ADHD + Anxiety Advantage in Entrepreneurship
0:09:12 — The Banking Strategy Behind Opening 16 Locations in 24 Months
0:07:14 — How Real Estate Became the Fuel for Every New Franchise We Opened
0:22:58 — Why We Built a Multi-Brand Wellness Platform Instead of Staying Small
0:18:21 — The Moment I Realized I Couldn’t Scale Until I Learned to Delegate

Connect with Erik Van Horn:
🌐 Website - https://franchisesecrets.com/
📷 Instagram -   / erikvanhorn  
👍 Facebook -   / erik.v.horn  
💼 LinkedIn -   / evanhorn  

Best Franchise Starter Playlist:
   • Buying a franchise  
   • Franchise Development  
   • The Franchise Validation Process  

#Entrepreneurship
#Scaling
#Mindset