ROLLER’s latest Scaling Success webinar brought together two powerhouse founders, Bron Launsby, CEO of Slick City, and Luke Finn, CEO of ROLLER, to unpack the systems, strategies, and mindset that powered one of the fastest franchise expansions in the family entertainment space.
Watch the webinar below, or keep scrolling for a summary of all the incredible insights.
Meet the speakers
Bron Launsby, CEO and Founder of Slick City
Bron’s entrepreneurial journey began in corporate retail and led to multi-unit trampoline park ownership before founding Slick City, an indoor action park featuring attractions for all ages.
In just 12 months, Bron awarded 41 franchise territories, signed over 1M sq ft of real estate, and made Slick City to be the fastest-growing brand in the active FEC space for 2024.
Luke Finn, CEO and Co-Founder of ROLLER
Luke Finn is the co-founder and CEO of ROLLER, an all-in-one venue management platform that empowers attraction venues of all sizes. With a background in finance and hospitality, Luke co-founded ROLLER in 2010 and has since grown it into a global company with over 2,000 customers.
In this webinar, Luke facilitated a deep dive into how Bron’s franchise-first strategy was enabled by ROLLER’s platform, HQ tools, and 24/7 onboarding support.
Key takeaways from the webinar
1. Franchise-first from day one
Bron didn’t stumble into franchising, he designed for it. Drawing from years as a franchisee himself, he intentionally built Slick City with a franchisee-first mindset.
"We knew that franchising was going to be in our DNA, and the best thing we could do is to perfect that model prior to selling to other people or growing aggressively."
Bron Launsby
CEO and Founder, Slick City
In 2022, Slick City opened its first two owned-and-operated locations: one in a retail setting and one in an industrial flex space. This deliberate choice allowed the team to test different real estate formats and iron out operational workflows before introducing franchisees into the system. Bron and his team used this early period to make tweaks to layout, pricing, programs, and processes.
That patience paid off. Once the model was fine-tuned, the team was ready to move fast and opened the third location in late 2023. Today, Slick City has 17 parks open and expects to hit 34 by the end of the year.
Even more impressively, they’ve awarded 46 franchise territories in under 12 months, a testament to the clarity and strength of their franchise-first vision.
2. Scaling systems, not chaos
Slick City isn’t just growing fast, they’re scaling smart. In the early days, Bron and his small team wore multiple hats, moving quickly and doing whatever it took to launch the business. But as the company matured, so did its operational strategy.
“Early on we had a very small team doing just about everything… we were generalists in a lot of ways.”
Bron Launsby
CEO and Founder, Slick City
Today, that’s changed. Bron has intentionally built expert-led teams across real estate, design, project management, and training—each with clearly defined responsibilities to support aggressive rollout timelines.
"We're still lean today, but we definitely have been able to hire experts in each field."
Bron Launsby
CEO and Founder, Slick City
Their internal 12-part operational framework, championed by COO Wade Paul, includes checklists, digital SOPs, and a learning library for team training and franchisee enablement. It’s all part of a strategy to empower teams to scale with intention, not chaos.
Luke echoed this theme, reflecting on the growing pains that often come with rapid expansion:
"In the early days, process sometimes feels like a bit of an overhead. But as you scale, if you don't have process, the cracks just deepen. The investment into process early, especially if you're scaling aggressively, is paramount."
Luke Finn
CEO and Co-Founder, ROLLER
3. Attractions that drive efficiency and profit
Slick City’s headline attraction, dry slides, is the backbone of its concept. But Bron and his team have strategically included additional features like sports courts, aerial attractions, and a toddler area to round out the guest experience and optimize how space is used.
These attractions not only boost capacity and flow, but also broaden the brand’s appeal, welcoming everyone from toddlers to parents and even corporate groups.
"Our main attractions are proprietary dry slides, sports courts. We have some aerial attractions, then a toddler area. We feel it's the perfect place for families, groups, and even corporate events."
Bron Launsby
CEO and Founder, Slick City
The result is a modular, flexible layout with proven guest appeal—ideal for repeatability across diverse markets. With an average unit volume of $4.96M and 41% EBITDA margins, Slick City’s model is as profitable as it is popular.
4. ROLLER as a scalable growth partner
When asked why Slick City chose ROLLER, Bron was direct: “Without technology, we’d fail.”
ROLLER’s HQ tools and Guest Experience Score (GX Score) enable Slick City to:
- Launch new venues fast with consistent systems
- Monitor guest sentiment in real-time
- Centralize control while empowering franchisees
- Integrate onboarding and training across locations
“ROLLER gives us insights into our data, helps us make decisions to positively impact the business much quicker than it would have been even five years ago… We get immediate feedback and pivot when needed, it's almost instantaneous.”
Bron Launsby
CEO and Founder, Slick City
Bron also called out the strong relationship between his internal tech leads and ROLLER’s team, one built on trust, responsiveness, and a shared vision for innovation.
5. The culture behind the growth
Scaling fast without losing your company’s soul is no small feat, but for Bron, culture is foundational. Most of Slick City’s leadership team worked together in the past, and that deep trust helped set the tone from the start.
"We've all worked together, prior. There's just so much trust already there."
Bron Launsby
CEO and Founder, Slick City
Culture isn’t just talked about, it’s formalized. Slick City’s core values are organized under the acronym S.L.I.C.K.:
- S: Stand tall together
- L: Love our community
- I: Innovate always
- C: Commit to fun
- K: Keep guests #1
These principles guide how the company hires, leads, supports franchisees, and builds a brand that resonates with both guests and employees. As new operators join the network, Slick City ensures they understand the cultural blueprint.
"We can’t control their culture, but we’re providing them the template for what our culture is."
Bron Launsby
CEO and Founder, Slick City
6. What’s next for Slick City?
With 17 locations already open and 17 more opening this year, Bron is already looking further ahead. His five-year vision?
"We expect five years from now or so to be 200 locations and a global brand."
Bron Launsby
CEO and Founder, Slick City
Slick City’s growth is guided by a deliberate internal rhythm. Bron describes a clear process for scaling: nail real estate first, then training, then operations.
"We don't scale just to scale. We follow a clear process. Real estate first, then training, then ops."
Bron Launsby
CEO and Founder, Slick City
And when things feel like they’re moving too fast?
"Some days we probably say, yeah, it’s maybe a little bit too fast, and we’ll either add people or change the process to accommodate that—or we’ll slow down, like we did at the very beginning."
Bron Launsby
CEO and Founder, Slick City
It’s that balance of vision and discipline that continues to set Slick City apart, and makes them a company to watch as they franchise the future of indoor entertainment.
Final thoughts
From proprietary slides to scalable systems, Slick City is proving what’s possible when vision, operations, and technology come together. As Luke Finn remarked:
"Your vision is super clear, your culture is awesome, you are attracting incredible talent, and people seem to be super inspired to do great things."
Luke Finn
CEO and Co-Founder, ROLLER
If you're considering franchising, exploring venue expansion, or just looking for inspiration from an operator doing it right, this webinar is a must-watch.
Interested in learning how ROLLER can help you scale like Slick City? Schedule a chat with our team.
