S9 E9: 130 Units in 60 Months: Inside Soccer Stars’ Booming Franchise Model

Who can forget being shuffled around to soccer games in the back seat of mom’s minivan, eagerly waiting to find out what post-game snacks awaited you at the end of your little league matchup? What if there was a franchise that could capture that same magic? The Wolf talks to Adam Geisler and John Erlandson, the co-founders of Youth Athletes United, which represents brands like Soccer Stars and Amazing Athletes, about the plan behind their youth sports immersion platform. With over 130 locations and 76 owners, they share their unique insights on scaling the business and the potential of selling more franchises. The Wolf also chats with Kevin and Chelsea Meyer, two owners of the Soccer Stars franchise, about the challenges they faced in converting businesses into successful franchises. What was the importance of hiring a GM? And how has the growth of soccer in the US contributed to the astounding success of Soccer Stars? Tune in to find out John, Adam, Kevin, and Chelsea’s insights into what just might be the most fun franchise in America to own! Soccer Stars is one of the nation's leading youth educational soccer programs in the country. We are a mobile-based franchise focused on teaching the fundamentals of soccer while having fun. Our programs are class and game-based activities focusing on kids starting at 1 and up to 14+ years of age. You can learn more about us at soccerstarsfranchise.com. 00:00:50 - Youth Sports Platform Expands Franchise 00:06:26 - Discovering Soccer Stars Brand Journey 00:10:35 - Balancing Full-Time Jobs with Franchise 00:16:16 - The Power of People in Business 00:18:26 - Hiring a GM for Scaling Success 00:22:32 - Adapting to Franchisee Growth Challenges 00:29:14 - Developing Long-Term Goals for Soccer 00:30:54 - Lionel Messi Joins MLS, World Cup 2026 in America 00:36:10 - Connecting with MLS Franchise Opportunities 00:38:46 - Challenges of Starting a Franchise 00:40:57 - Franchise Challenges: Staffing and Retention Follow Adam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-geisler-1442697/   Follow John: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-erlandson-62409b4/   Follow Kevin: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-meyer-4168632a4/   Follow The Wolf: Newsletter: https://workweek.com/brand/the-wolf-of-franchises/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewolfoffranchises Twitter: https://twitter.com/franchisewolf Website: https://www.krokit.com   And for exclusive insider content, don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel.   Are you a future franchise entrepreneur? Find all of the tools you need to launch, operate, and expand your franchise empire with the platform created by The Wolf himself, Krokit.com.   And if you’ve enjoyed listening to Franchise Empires, I’d be so grateful if you could drop me a 5-star review on Rate My Podcast. Thank you so much!