Mark Setterington, co-founder and CEO of Island Fin Poké Co., has grown his successful franchise system with the help of some very inspirational young women. By Cindy Charette
Mark Setterington, co-founder and CEO of Island Fin Poké Co., has grown his successful franchise system with the help of some very inspirational young women. Taylor Setterington, Mark’s oldest daughter, has been working for Island Fin Poké Co. since it was founded in 2016. She started as an hourly team member in high school, and she took on the role of training manager in 2019, while working toward her bachelor’s degree.
Today, all training material goes through Taylor. “Right now, we’re working on virtual reality and eLearning training platforms, which we rolled out at our 2023 franchise conference,” she said.
As the training manager, Taylor gets a lot of one-on-one time with franchisees. She takes part in training at corporate headquarters in Orlando, Florida, and she conducts training for 10 days at each new franchise location.
Zoe Setterington, Mark’s youngest daughter, also has worked for Island Fin Poké Co. since its inception. She started when she was 15 as an hourly team member and eventually managed the company’s first location before it was sold to a franchisee.
Zoe now provides operational support for the company and travels with the team to open new franchises. She supports the day-to-day operations and helps owners with point-of-sale and app issues. She also manages backend discounts and promotions. Zoe enjoys traveling to new startups and building relationships with franchisees.
“You make relationships with people that you would have never encountered anywhere, so it’s nice to meet all of these new faces,” she said.
Corporate Marketing Manager Morgan Foster joined the Island Fin Poké Co. team in September 2021. Although Foster isn’t Mark’s daughter, she considers herself one, because their families have been close for years. One of Foster’s responsibilities is to communicate with franchisees. She acts as a conduit between the agency and any requests coming from the franchise community.
The culture at Island Fin Poké Co. offers Foster the perfect work-life balance. “I don’t consider coming to work like a job. It’s getting to hang out with people that I consider family,” she said.
Cindy Charette