Team & Network
Who you’ll be working with at FranchiseForYou – and how we make targeted use of our network.
Our franchise team is here to find the right solution for you
FranchiseForYou combines personalised advice with a strong network of experts in franchising, digitalisation, legal matters, finance, taxation, business development and growth.
At the heart of the business, you’ll be working with Sylvia Steenken and Marcus Severin – two franchise enthusiasts with many years’ experience in operations, strategy and consultancy. Depending on the project, we specifically expand our team with experts who can provide additional depth exactly where your system needs it.
The result is not an anonymous team of advisers, but a tailored project set-up: personalised, experienced, independent and consistently focused on your objectives.
Franchise systems are complex. That is why good advice requires not only specialist knowledge, but also a deep understanding of entrepreneurship, head offices, franchisees, growth, digitalisation and change.
We think like entrepreneurs, speak our clients’ language and take a solution-oriented approach: personalised, pragmatic and to the point. Our core team has been working together successfully for many years and is supplemented by selected network partners depending on the task at hand.
For us, digitalisation, data and AI are not just buzzwords, but key drivers for efficient, standardised and customer-focused franchise systems.
The core team
Founder · Franchise, digitalisation and governance expert · FranchiseForYou
Sylvia Steenken
Making franchise systems fit for the future – from business models to digitalisation and governance.
Sylvia Steenken founded FranchiseForYou in 2014. Her driving force: to develop franchise systems in such a way that they are sustainable in the long term, professionally managed and well-positioned for the future.
She combines strategic clarity with operational experience. For many years, she was personally responsible for the design, development, restructuring and management of a large-scale system comprising over 400 franchisees, more than 400 branches and over 1,000 retail partners. This experience continues to shape her view of franchising to this day: concepts must not only look good, but also work in practice.
Franchise expertise and commitment within the German Franchise Association
Sylvia Steenken is an associate expert at the German Franchise Association and has been actively involved in the association for many years. Since 2017, she has chaired Digitank, the German Franchise Association’s committee for digitalisation and innovation. The committee addresses future-oriented topics such as digital handbooks, digital academies, partner relationship management and AI for the franchise community. She also works as a lecturer in collaboration with the German Franchise Institute.
Governance and digital sustainability
Another key area of focus for Sylvia Steenken is governance within franchise and growth structures. She has been a certified supervisory board member since March 2026 and aims to help embed governance more firmly within the franchising sector – particularly in Renewal and Succession processes.
As Head of Quality at Deutsche Digitale Beiräte, she brings her perspective on digitally-oriented governance to the organisation. Her membership of FidAR and the Berlin Institute for Governance & Leadership complements this focus on sustainable corporate governance, advisory board work and professional oversight.
Key areas
- Franchise development and concept creation
- Strategy and Organisational Development
- Digitalisation and AI
- Documentation of expertise, manuals and knowledge management
- Renewal, Succession and Transformation
- Governance, Advisory Board and Supervisory Board
- Seminars, workshops and facilitation
Profiles and memberships
Video & podcast
Sylvia Steenken
External content: YouTube
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Sylvia Steenken: Staying Ahead, Episode 20 with Sylvia Steenken
External content: Spotify
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Franchise Strategist · Partner Management, Oversight & Performance · FranchiseForYou
Marcus Severin
Developing, managing and ensuring the success of people, businesses and franchise systems.
Marcus Severin brings decades of experience in the franchising sector – in operational and strategic roles, and in senior management positions. He has been working in franchising since 1998 and understands the responsibilities of modern franchise head offices from his own experience in management.
His focus is on developing, structuring and positioning people, companies and franchise systems for growth. He combines strategic vision, operational experience and a deep understanding of partner management, communication, governance and performance.
Marcus Severin is a developer, doer, sparring partner and strategist. He helps organisations clarify roles, make leadership more effective, professionalise partner management, and harness data, CRM and business intelligence to make better decisions.
Marcus Severin is an associate expert at the German Franchise Association and is involved in the Communication & Leadership Committee. He is also active as a lecturer in continuing professional development within the franchise community.
Key areas
- Strategy and Organisational Development
- Management and leadership
- CRM, business intelligence and data
- Partner Management
- Communication and Leadership Communication
- Succession and Transformation
Profile
Video & podcast
How Marcus joined FranchiseForYou
External content: YouTube
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Marcus Severin
External content: YouTube
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Our network of experts
Not every project requires the same expertise. That is why we work with a select network of specialists who strengthen franchise systems from a variety of perspectives – ranging from franchise law, financing, tax advice and partner acquisition to digitalisation, B2B sales and governance.
We only bring in network partners if they add genuine value to the specific project. FranchiseForYou maintains its role as an independent consultancy and does not accept referral commissions. Recommendations are based on professional suitability, experience and trust – not on financial dependencies.
Partners
Stephan Neuschulten
Financial advice and setting up a business through franchising
This collaboration is particularly valuable when franchise systems wish to provide their franchisees with professional support in the areas of financing, business planning and creditworthiness. This makes partner recruitment, start-up preparations and financing more seamlessly integrated.
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Stephan Neuschulten is the managing director of Neuschulten Unternehmensberatung GmbH. For many years, he has been supporting start-ups, entrepreneurs and franchise networks with business planning, financing, meetings with banks and succession planning.
Key areas
- Business plan and financing
- Bank meetings
- Starting a business
- Expansion and Succession
- Financing for franchise partners
Sabine Krämer / awicontax Franchise
Tax advice, bookkeeping, management accounting and franchise dashboard
Collaboration creates added value when franchise systems seek to professionalise their data infrastructure, make outlets more comparable, and align the head office and franchisees with a common business management framework.
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Sabine Krämer brings many years of franchise experience to the role and is responsible for expanding the franchise consultancy services at the awicontax Group. awicontax Franchise supports franchisors, franchisees and franchise networks with tax, business management and digital matters.
Key areas
- Tax advice and accountancy for franchise systems
- business analyses
- KPI transparency
- Franchise Dashboard
- Standardisation and comparability of key performance indicators
Michael Ladendorf
Investor, B2B sales, organisational and team development
This collaboration is particularly valuable for young or newly scaling organisations that wish to refine their sales strategy, pilot phase, organisational structure and team focus.
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Michael Ladendorf supports up-and-coming start-ups as an investor and mentor. His expertise lies particularly in B2B sales, building organisational structures and teams, and helping young companies focus on the key steps required for growth.
Key areas
- B2B sales
- Growth
- Structural development
- Team building
- Mentoring for start-ups
Dr. Hermann Lindhorst
Franchise law and legal framework design
This collaboration is particularly important when strategic and operational system logic needs to be accurately translated into contractual frameworks. A sound legal framework helps to clearly define roles, rights and obligations, and to ensure sustainable long-term partnerships.
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Dr Hermann Lindhorst is a solicitor and a recognised expert in franchise law. He advises franchisors on legal matters relating to contract drafting, system development, rights and obligations, and conflict prevention.
Key areas
- Franchise agreements
- Franchise law
- Distribution law
- Conflict management
- legal support for franchisors
Marco Hero
Franchise, distribution and trade mark law for modern franchise systems
This collaboration is particularly valuable when the business model, digital system logic and legal structure need to be considered together at an early stage. This enables innovative franchise concepts to be set up in a way that is both legally sound and practical.
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Marco Hero is a solicitor, Certified Franchise Executive and partner at SCHIEDERMAIR. FranchiseForYou has already developed several franchise systems with Marco Hero, particularly digital ones.
Key areas
- Franchise law
- Sales and Procurement Law
- industrial property rights
- Antitrust and Competition Law
- Legal support for digital franchise systems
Why our network is valuable to our customers
Our network is not an end in itself. It complements our consultancy services precisely where a project requires additional specialist expertise. For clients, this means:
- a dedicated core team with a clear understanding of the project
- targeted input from qualified experts
- fewer gaps between strategy, implementation, legal matters, financing, business development and management
- greater interoperability of the solutions
- independent recommendations with no commission
- Access to people who really understand franchising
Let’s talk about your system
An initial consultation is the easiest way to get to know FranchiseForYou and receive an initial professional assessment of your situation. 30 minutes, free of charge, with no sales pressure.