Career and experience
More than thirty years of other people's big decisions.
Rob Lancit has worked in nearly every seat in franchising: consultant, franchisor, franchisee, area developer, supplier and executive. This is the business record. The book is about the rest of his life.
The record
In order.
- 1995
- Joined a technology start-up to lead its franchise division.
- 2000
- Founded CANAM Franchise Development Group to help U.S. franchisors enter Canada and Canadian franchisors expand, and to guide people buying a franchise.
- 2002 to 2009
- Built online franchise directories: BeTheBoss.ca, its French-Canadian edition PlaneteFranchise.ca, and BuyThatFranchise.
- 2010s
- Created FranchiseExpo UK and sold it in 2013. CANAM became FranTech Media, which he later sold.
- MFV Expositions
- Vice President of Digital Properties for the franchise trade show producer.
- FranServe
- Executive Vice President at the franchise consulting company.
- 2021
- Founded The Franchise Zone, a franchise consultancy.
- Today
- Vice President of Franchise Development at Stratus Building Solutions.
- Writing
- Contributor to Entrepreneur on franchising.
Sources: The Franchise Zone biography, Rob's Entrepreneur contributor profile and the Stratus leadership page, read on October 13, 2026.
How he talks about it
Skeptical of easy money. Serious about the person across the table.
Rob's business writing keeps returning to the same few ideas: a franchise will not run itself, a pile of leads is not the same as a few good candidates, and a person buying a franchise is making a decision that touches their money, their time and their family.
In a 2025 Franchise Assembly roundtable, he was the developer asking about lead source and cost per sale, and about finding qualified buyers in secondary and tertiary markets.
The other record
The business taught him plenty. The book is about everything else.
Family, fatherhood, loss, money and the decisions he would handle differently.