Franchise Launch Manager

Launch Manager

We're looking for a new team member to join our London HQ and help support and grow our network of franchise launches in the UK. 

WHO WE ARE

Launched in 2013, Hotpod Yoga is Europe’s largest yoga business. Having grown to 50+ locations (across the UK and a handful of international markets) and built an audience of over 400,000 customers, the business is well-established, a clear market leader but still full of ambition and potential.

As a brand we believe that yoga has an unrivalled power to make people feel great. So we created Hotpod Yoga to take yoga to more people and places than ever before - taking it out of the niche it inhabits in so much of the world and into the lives of millions of people previously untouched by, or uninterested in yoga. Chiefly we do this through two key things:

1. The unique Hotpod Yoga experience – a distinctly modern take on an ancient practice, HPY is an immersive experience that turns up the dials on a typical yoga class – introducing heat, scent, music and atmospheric lighting. This unique take, underpinned by patented innovation, both draws in new audiences of yoga practitioners and unifies the network of studios around one powerful, differentiated consumer proposition. 
2. An empowered franchise network – the HPY franchising model is designed to transform yoga instructors into studio owners; trained and supported by Hotpod HQ, delivering consistent, proven best practice within an innovative, efficient and effective business ecosystem. The studios all have a local feel and a personal touch but are at the same time distinctly Hotpod. 

Alongside the core franchise offering, we have 4 of our own sites in London, a Yoga Teacher Training business and an embryonic at-home, connected-wellbeing concept that we’re continuing to develop. 

HPY FRANCHISING

Our franchisees are the lifeblood of our business. They are individuals and teams who take our concept, brand, business infrastructure and know-how to create a Hotpod Yoga business in their local area.

We work very closely with our franchisees - we help them with the business planning, we provide them with extensive training and we work side-by-side with them throughout their journey. We push ourselves to provide the best business environment for them - through great technology, proven best practice, smart use of data and a strong brand. But, above all of that we're also on-hand to share our experience and expertise on an ongoing basis - advising around all key business functions to maximise the success of their business. 

We may be a yoga business, but we’re a long way from what you may be imagining. Founded by a management consultant 10 years ago, our business is built on smart use of data, technology and constant analysis. In normal times, the majority of our existing franchisees are running businesses with revenues in the region of £120k-£350k.

THE ROLE IN A NUTSHELL 

We're looking for someone to join our London HQ team, to help to drive expansion by supporting all new studio launches across our franchise network. This role will be reporting into our Head of Franchise Growth.

Until now, the size of our franchise network has doubled every year quite organically (covid aside). Now with 50+ locations, we’re driving this growth forward again and already have ample franchisees signed - searching for their new Hotpod home!

It’s the perfect time to bring on someone with strong project management and relationship management experience who can support these new franchisees to launch thriving businesses. We’re ambitious and we’ve got big plans for UK growth, so this is an exciting opportunity to make an impact on the growth and commercial performance of Hotpod yoga.

As a Launch Manager, the focuses of this role will be:

• Managing the entire studio launch process including: the property search stage, implementing our detailed 8 week launch plan and supporting the first 3 months of commercial growth
• Responsible for answering questions about the properties being considered, offering useful input to help speed the early stages of the process 
• When a property is identified you will manage the launch kit pipeline, floorplanning support, studio fit-out and brand design questions
• Holding franchisee relationships close - being their main point of contact, assisting them throughout the busy launch period armed with an understanding of our best launch practices, offering project management tools, support and solutions
• Providing commercial insights and guidance to start building their business, offering day-to-day support, and generally putting their mind at ease throughout this exciting phase
• It’s absolutely imperative that we only launch and run commercially successful businesses. So, while there is an ambition to grow at pace, maintaining the quality of our launches is also key
• Improve and streamline the processes and systems for our franchisees - it's fast-paced, high-satisfaction and very multi-faceted

WHO IS THIS FOR?

At Hotpod Yoga we're ambitious, driven and passionate about what we do. We want team members to share that ambition with us and be motivated to build a great business.

The following skills are required for this role: 

• Experience in project management and/or event management 
• Knowledge of commercial property and leasing along with the processes required to progress launch (build/fit out, building control etc)
• Strong relationship management and communication skills
• Ability to build trust and rapport with potential franchisees
• Analytical thinker with very good attention to detail
• Good understanding of setting up a business, and the challenges that a franchisee might face
• Problem solver, who can identify opportunities to continuously develop and improve the systems in place
• A track record of building a strong relationships and delivering in multi-faceted project/event environments
• Ability to work autonomously on projects and prioritise tasks in busy period, whilst being able to delegate and draw in the wider team where required

We're a yoga business (obviously), and we all love a bit of yoga, but being a yoga obsessive isn't a prerequisite - it’s probably helpful if it’s something you can get interested in and passionate about. 

SALARY + WORKING MODEL

Depending on experience: Up to £40K + bonus structure

Occasional travel within the UK will be required - approximately 10% of the time

You will ideally be based in London where we operate a hybrid working model with a minimum requirement of 3 days working from our HQ in Brixton