CRACKING THE CODE OF TRAINING & SCALABILITY IN FRANCHISING

From EV fleets to preschools and chess academies leaders across sectors reveal what it really takes to scale a franchise without losing your soul.

- BY PARINA SOOD

Growth is the dream. But for franchisors, growth often comes wrapped in its most complicated package: people. Training them, aligning them, scaling them—and ensuring the brand you've spent years building doesn't get diluted in the process.

We spoke with leaders that are expanding rapidly across different sectors- Sandeep Mukherjee, Co-founder & COO of BLive EV, Sahana Kulkarni, CEO of Chess Klub, and Spoorthi Vishwas, Co-founder & CEO of Junior Toes International Preschool at FREX Bangalore 2025 (Franchise and Retail Expo and Conference by Franchise India) and they told us how they're meeting the biggest challenges in training and scalability in the franchising world.

HIRE, TRAIN, RETAIN

In theory, scaling a business is about systems. In practice? It's about people.

"In the mobility business, it's easy to scale your fleet, hubs, tech... but people? That's the real challenge," says Sandeep Mukherjee, BLive EV (India's pioneering multi-brand EV mobility platform offering tech-first fleet management and a unique franchise opportunity in last-mile delivery.)

Sandeep started the franchise business a few years ago, riding the wave of India's transition to electric mobility. "EV is the future," he says. "Our business model is very unique. The highest adoption of EVs is happening in the commercial sector—especially in last-mile delivery. E-commerce, quick commerce, and delivery companies are switching due to sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency."

BLive's franchise opportunity allows partners to manage entire EV fleets, offering end-to-end solutions—vehicles, delivery agents, charging, and tech. "People can now become EV entrepreneurs and serve a booming industry," Sandeep says.

Retention comes down to reward and purpose. "Some of our riders are making ₹60-70K a month, more than some MBAs today. When they see clear personal growth, they stay engaged."