Scaling Culture: Keep what makes you great as you grow

As a franchise development director, I often talk with people who are thinking about owning a Great Clips salon. They ask smart questions about profitability, operations, and growth. But one of the most important topics we dig into—sometimes indirectly—is culture.

Scott Greenberg, a franchising consultant and speaker we often work with at franchisee events, put it plainly in his blog about leadership and culture: “Culture doesn’t just reflect leadership—it is leadership.”

That rings true in every business I’ve seen—strong cultures don’t emerge by chance. They are shaped, intentionally or not, by the person at the top. This is especially true when you’re growing your business.

A recent Entrepreneur article titled “Scaling Your Business Is Hard — Scaling Your Culture Is Even Harder” offers five key lessons that really resonate with me. Here’s how they show up in franchising:

1. Accept that culture must evolve.
This is especially true in a multi-unit business. The way you ran your first salon might not work once you have five. I’ve seen franchisees struggle when they try to recreate a small-team vibe across a growing operation. What worked at one size needs to flex and adapt as your team grows—and your culture needs to grow with it.

MORE: Teaching a Franchisee How to Be a Great Franchisee

2. Know when to evolve and when to change.
I appreciated this distinction. Evolving is about refining; change is about transforming. Franchisees face this constantly—maybe you need to restructure your management roles or rethink how you measure performance. The most successful owners I know don’t cling to the old way if it’s no longer serving the team or the customer.

3. Get out of the echo chamber.
This one hit home. As a franchisee, you’re the boss. That means you may not always get honest feedback unless you actively seek it. Building trust with your managers and listening without defensiveness is a skill—and a choice. Culture thrives when communication goes both ways.

And this goes for franchisees talking with each other, too. Great Clips franchisees support each other through frequent, candid conversations—sharing what’s working, what’s not, and how they’re adapting. That kind of peer-to-peer honesty strengthens not just individual businesses, but the culture of the whole brand.

4. Embrace change but hold tight to core values.
Change is inevitable. But values like respect, accountability, and fairness—those should stay rock-solid. Whether you're leading a single salon or a whole district, your values guide your decisions and build trust with your team.

5. Be the chief reminder officer.
Your team is busy. It's your job to keep the culture visible. That might mean recognizing someone who went above and beyond or simply reminding your manager why your team’s success matters. Repetition doesn’t dilute the message—it reinforces it.

Culture doesn’t scale on its own. It needs your attention, your action, and your leadership. If you’re exploring franchise ownership, ask yourself: Am I ready to lead in a way that shapes culture as well as business outcomes? Because the best franchisees do both—and that’s when real growth happens.

If you’d like to know more about being a Great Clips franchisee and how the team at the corporate office would support you as you build a hair salon franchise, give me a call! I’d love to talk with you.

Beth Nilssen

Director of Franchise Development | Great Clips, Inc.
800-947-1143 | [email protected]