The Exit Plan

Have you ever bought a business and immediately thought: What did we just do? In this episode of How I Franchise This, host Alex sits down with Tamar Brown, the creative force behind two Frio’s Gourmet Pops territories in the Twin Cities. Tamar didn't just buy a dessert truck; she bought a vehicle for family education, community connection, and entrepreneurial growth. From a heart-stopping &q...

Three words that will change your life: WHY NOT ME? In this high-intensity episode of How I Franchise This, host Alex sits down with his early mentor and industry titan, Jeff Dudan. Jeff didn't just build a business; he built a category-dominating empire. From driving across the country with nothing but trash bags of clothes to founding AdvantaClean and launching Homefront Brands, Jeff’s jour...

In this episode, we sit down with legendary serial entrepreneur Andy Stenzler, the visionary behind global brands like Rumble Boxing, Cozy, and Kidville. Andy shares his "maniacal" approach to product quality—including the fascinating story of how a ski-boot heater saved the boxing industry—and why he believes data is the key to making any business a "thing." We dive deep into...

What happens when you decide to join a family business that is an institution in the industry? In this episode, we sit down with Zack Fishman, Chief Growth Officer at Fishman PR and Franchise Elevator. Zack didn’t just join the industry; he was practically born into it, drawing pictures of his parents’ franchise business as early as kindergarten. Zack opens up about the "nepo baby" label...

Ellen Latham was fired at the peak of her career as a single mother. Instead of giving up, she went home, opened a Pilates studio in her spare bedroom, and started listening to her clients. That listening turned into the "Ultimate Workout," which eventually became Orangetheory Fitness. In this episode, Ellen sits down to share the raw and remarkable origin story of one of the world'...

Do you want to know what it really takes to scale a franchise from a single location to an 87-million-dollar empire? I’m your host, Alex Smereczniak, and today I’m sitting down with Jon Toy, a former CPA turned turned franchise operator who used strategic mergers to 10X his business. Jon is what we call a MUMBO - a multi-brand operator—overseeing a massive portfolio including FastSigns and Rolling...

Eric Martin shares his journey from working sales jobs to becoming a franchise owner in the golf simulator industry. In this episode, he breaks down how he searched for business opportunities, why franchising made sense for him, and how working with Franzy helped him find and evaluate the right business. He also shares how he convinced his dad to invest and what it was really like signing a franch...

Peter Kourounis has seen franchising from almost every angle: business owner, franchisor, franchise development leader, and now founder of Patch It Up Drywall Repair and Chief Growth Officer at Elevate Franchise Brands. In this episode, Peter walks through his unlikely start in the sign and graphics world, the lessons he learned franchising his first business (including what went wrong with partne...

In this episode, Aaron Harper, founder of Rolling Suds, shares his journey from Hollywood and telecom sales into franchising, explains why power washing became the ideal service-category to scale, and breaks down how he raised capital, structured deals, and grew the brand rapidly. Listeners will hear practical criteria for choosing a franchise category, the realities of franchising costs and infra...

What should you actually look for in a Franchise Disclosure Document before you wire a franchise fee and sign a 10 year agreement? In this episode of How I Franchise This, Alex sits down with Adam Wasch, founding partner of The Franchise Firm, to break down how franchise attorneys help buyers reduce risk, negotiate smarter, and avoid the most common “I wish I knew this before I signed” mistakes. A...

Most people think franchising means restaurants and retail. But Buddies Home Furnishings is proving there’s massive opportunity well beyond food — especially in the fast-growing rent-to-own category. In this episode of How I Franchise This, Alex sits down with Mitchell Lee, Head of Franchise Development at Buddies, to break down how the brand built one of the highest multi-unit ownership rates in...

At 26 years old, Katie Gillberg left a toxic job in medical sales, took a massive risk, and opened the first Hydrate IV Bar in Denver. Ten years later, she’s the founder and CEO of one of the fastest-growing IV therapy franchises in the country — with 25 locations open, 25 more on the way, and a plan to hit 100 units. In this episode, Katie shares how she built Hydrate IV Bar from a grassroots wel...

In this episode, Alex sits down with Matt Jeffries, a former supply chain leader who spent more than a decade running large teams across Target, Nordstrom, and other major corporations before making the leap into business ownership. Originally from Ecuador and now based in Chicago, Matt shares the full story of how he went from climbing the corporate ladder to becoming a first time franchisee with...

Caleb Clayton has lived just about every role you can have in franchising — from working the counter at a Pelican’s Snoballs to becoming a franchisee at 25, to helping scale the brand from 10 units to more than 200 locations nationwide. He’s led franchise development across multiple national systems, trained new owners, worked with area developers, and seen firsthand what separates great operators...

Alex sits down with operator and investor Brian Beers to unpack how he scaled a family Midas business to 35 locations and roughly 50 million in annual revenue. Brian walks through buying vs building, the seller financed deal that changed everything, and his simple ladder from I do it to we do it to they do it. You will hear how local economies of scale create real leverage, why saying yes more oft...

Former Green Bay Packer Terrence Murphy joins Alex Smereczniak for a candid, high speed tour of his journey from the NFL to building a portfolio that spans real estate, construction, and franchising. Terrence explains why he doubled down on real estate after an early injury, how he grew a brokerage to 1.5B in sales, and why franchising became a core pillar alongside development and acquisitions. H...

Scaling from one location to many takes more than ambition — it takes smart financing. In this highlights episode, we dig into how successful operators structure funding for multi-unit franchise growth. First, Crumbl franchisees Taylor Byington and Shideleler Bennett share how they raised friends-and-family money, the mistakes that left them cash-strapped, and the smarter financing structure they’...

Sherman Walters grew up sleeping in an ice cream cone box at his family’s Dairy Queen—literally. What started as his father’s handwritten napkin deal in the 1970s turned into a 50-year family business that spanned generations. In this episode, Sherman shares how his family built and eventually sold their Dairy Queen locations, the lessons he learned stepping away from the counter to become a resta...

Josh Emison served as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps before becoming a franchise owner in Denver. Today, he and his wife operate three Tippi Toes territories, a mobile dance program for young children. Their journey started with a simple goal—to build something of their own—and grew into a thriving local business that blends structure, leadership, and community. In this episode, Josh shar...

Patricia Rincón and Felipe Lastra share their journey into franchise ownership with LuminLash in Houston. After careers in oil and gas, they decided to invest in themselves and their family by acquiring an existing eyelash extension studio. In this episode, they discuss choosing franchising over starting from scratch, what they learned in the early months, and how they’re planning for future growt...

Ashley Clark never planned on franchising. Fresh out of Clemson and headed for law school, a single suggestion from her dad led to a Kilwins inquiry and, twelve years later, a six-store operation across four states with five more in the pipeline. In this episode, Ashley breaks down how she and her husband went all in, financed growth through SBA and conventional debt, built systems, and learned to...

Barry Meisel grew up in the Philippines as the child of missionaries, built an early career in corporate America, and then made the leap into multi-unit franchising. In this episode of How I Franchised This, host Alex Smereczniak dives into Barry’s remarkable path — from Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Fortune 50 financial services to becoming CFO of a 30-unit franchise group and ultimately owning 12 sa...

Cody Weaver went from selling golf balls out of ponds as a kid, to launching edgy novelty products in college, to building a decade-long career in footwear with Steve Madden and Dolce Vita. Today he’s a Donatos Pizza franchise partner in Fort Mill, South Carolina. In this episode of How I Franchised This, host Alex Smereczniak talks with Cody about his path from entrepreneur to intrapreneur to fra...

What began as a summer project cleaning grills in Toronto has become a fast-growing franchise. Michael Sutton walks through the scrappy early days, the boost from Dragon’s Den, and the decision to scale through franchising. He talks about the shift from managing techs to leading franchisees, bringing on a COO, and the importance of picking the right operators. Plus, his advice for entrepreneurs co...

In this episode of How I Franchised This, Alex Vidor steps in as host and sits down with Stephen Tong, a former law enforcement officer who traded 12-hour shifts and overtime cycles for entrepreneurship in the turf industry. Stephen shares how his background in policing prepared him for business ownership, why time and family were central to his decision to leave law enforcement, and how Franzy gu...