Beauty in Scale: Empowering Franchise Leaders with Meg Roberts
In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, Meg Roberts, CEO of Head to Toe Brands, explains how empowering franchise leaders means protecting the franchisee relationship first, treating franchise fees as a starting point rather than a business model, and never stopping when it comes to mentorship.
Empowering franchise leaders starts with a blunt admission: the relationship is usually the first thing to break when a system grows too fast. In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, Meg Roberts, CEO of Head to Toe Brands, a beauty and wellness franchise platform that includes The Lash Lounge, Frenchies Modern Nail Care, Bishops Cut & Color, and Delta Crown Extensions, joins hosts Stephen Sakach and Tullio Siragusa to share what she's learned scaling The Lash Lounge from 14 to more than 140 locations.
In this episode we explore:
• How leaders scale brands without losing culture
• Why mentorship is essential in franchising
• How multi-brand platforms create shared strength
• What franchise owners need from executive leadership
• Why connection supports sustainable growth
• How the next generation of franchise leaders can be developed
The Relationship Breaks First
Asked what usually breaks first when a franchise system grows quickly, Meg doesn't hesitate: "What breaks first is the relationship." Training, real estate, and construction can all strain, she says, but once trust cracks between franchisor and franchisee, "the listening stops. Now you're just playing defense all the time."
Servant Leadership Isn't a Slogan
Meg calls it "a privilege" when someone invests in her system: "We don't over promise, but we absolutely want to over deliver." That means answering the phone outside of nine to five, because "your stores are not open nine to five," and it means never treating franchise fees as the business model: "you can't live on your franchise fees, and you never ever should."
Mentorship Softens Hard Edges Without Costing You Strength
Meg credits Mary Thompson, past chairwoman of the International Franchise Association, with teaching her that "a powerful person can lower their voice and have more impact than when raising their voice." At Zero Company, that's the kind of franchise culture (the sort we help brands build) where strength and empathy work together instead of against each other.
Meg's own definition of the role: love in leadership is strength and empathy together, not one instead of the other. Learn more about Meg Roberts and Head to Toe Brands at httbrands.com, or find her on her guest profile.
Key Takeaways
• (7:41-9:49) Why not every great business should become a franchise: “re-examine your why.”
• (11:39-13:57) Culture as the distinguishing factor, and honoring the craft of nail technicians, lash artists, and stylists
• (14:35-16:28) The EOS Level 10 meeting ritual: starting every meeting with “good news.”
• (18:04-19:40) “What breaks first is the relationship,” and why it’s hardest to recover early
• (24:01-25:28) What mentor Mary Thompson taught her about softening edges without losing power
• (30:05-31:41) “It is a privilege” when a franchisee invests, and why over-delivering matters more than over-promising
• (32:00-33:13) The Love Question: love in business as “strength and empathy” together
FAQ
What does Meg Roberts say breaks first when a franchise grows too fast?
The relationship between franchisor and franchisee. Meg Roberts says training, real estate, and construction can all strain under fast growth, but once franchisee trust breaks, “the listening stops,” and the franchisor shifts into defense instead of support.
How does Meg Roberts define empowering franchise leaders?
As servant leadership: treating the franchisee as the customer, answering outside of nine to five, and never relying on franchise fees alone, “you can’t live on your franchise fees, and you never ever should.”
What role does mentorship play in Meg Roberts’ leadership?
A central one. She credits mentor Mary Thompson with teaching her that a powerful leader can lower their voice and have more impact than raising it, and co-founded a 30 Under 30 program to connect emerging franchise leaders with experienced mentors.
🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Tullio Siragusa
🎧 Produced by Martha Huerta
Read the full recap on Beauty in Scale: Empowering Franchise Leaders Through Care, Culture, and Mentorship, meet more franchise leaders like Nicole Peel, or explore the Featured Guest Series.
CEO
Meg Roberts is the CEO of Head to Toe Brands (HTT), a leading beauty and wellness franchise platform owned by Riverside Private Equity. The HTT platform currently includes The Lash Lounge, Frenchies Modern Nail Care, Bishops Cut & Color and Delta Crown Extensions.
Prior to being acquired by Riverside in 2024, Roberts served as the CEO & President of The Lash Lounge, where she successfully grew the brand from 14 to over 140 open stores. Meg began her career in franchising in 2007 with Service Brands International where she served as the youngest President to lead the Molly Maid brand, a system of over 250 franchisees. Roberts was instrumental in the sale of Molly Maid to Riverside Private Equity, where the brand was synergistically added to Neighborly, the world’s largest home service network.
Roberts credits her success to understanding the value of having great mentors, including Craig Donaldson, CEO of Authority Brands and Mary Thompson, CEO of BNI.
Meg holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts in Marketing Research from Michigan State University. In 2020 Roberts was appointed to the Board of the IFA. In 2026 she was appointed Vice Chair of the IFA Foundation where she is focused on fundraising and political action in support of the franchising industry. Roberts career in franchising includes being named to Crain’s Detroit Magazine 40 under 40, being featured in an episode of the A&E series “Be the Boss” and co-founding the 30-under-30 Mentor Program designed to inspire and coach those …
