How I Franchised This How Buddies Built a Franchise System Where Nearly All Owners Scale Up
Most people think franchising means restaurants and retail. But Buddies Home Furnishings is proving there’s massive opportunity well beyond food — especially in the fast-growing rent-to-own category.
In this episode of How I Franchise This, Alex sits down with Mitchell Lee, Head of Franchise Development at Buddies, to break down how the brand built one of the highest multi-unit ownership rates in franchising — with over 85% of franchisees operating multiple stores.
They dive into:
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How the rent-to-own model works (recurring revenue, high AUVs, and 24-hour delivery)
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Why this category is truly recession-resistant and how it flexes with economic cycles
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What top operators do from day one that separates them from the bottom quartile
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Buddies’ approach to territories, conversions, and sustainable system growth
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How Mitchell evaluates candidates — and the traits shared by great operators
If you’re exploring franchises beyond food or want to understand what makes a scalable, multi-unit model actually work, this conversation delivers a rare look from the brand’s side of the table.