Franchise Today

How do you build not one — but multiple — successful fitness franchise brands? In this episode of Franchise Today, Stan Friedman speaks with Stephen P. Smith, Founder and CEO of Planet Beach and HOTWORX. Stephen shares how his journey began in independent gym ownership and evolved into launching Planet Beach in 1996, and scaling to 500 locations by year six. He explains how a pivotal conversation...

What does it take to lead a category-defining franchise in a cyclical industry? In this episode of Franchise Today, Stan Friedman sits down with Charles Furlough, President & CEO of Pillar To Post Home Inspectors. Charles shares how the brand continues to grow by focusing on franchisee performance, operational excellence, and a differentiated customer experience. The conversation explores scal...

What happens when a franchisor prioritizes franchisee survival over growth—and comes out stronger on the other side? In this episode of Franchise Today , Stan Friedman sits down with Neal Courtney , CEO of Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids and Snip-Its, to explore a franchising journey shaped by operational discipline, franchise ownership experience, and crisis leadership. Neal shares how a casual...

From a college painting business to a multi-brand franchise empire with more than 1,100 locations—this episode of Franchise Today dives deep into the entrepreneurial journey of Paul Flick , founder and CEO of Premium Service Brands and Extraordinary Brands . Paul’s story began nearly 40 years ago with Student Painters in Canada, followed by a brief corporate stint at Coca-Cola. In 2005, he launche...

What happens when you ignore everything that industry tells you to do—and it works? On this episode of Franchise Today , Stan Friedman sits down with Alex Filipuk , Founder and CEO of Ideal Siding , to unpack one of the most unconventional and successful franchise models in home services today. Alex’s journey into franchising began unexpectedly—with a college assignment at age 23 and early work ex...

Success in franchising takes more than financial expertise — it takes relationships. In this episode of Franchise Today , Stan Friedman sits down with Jessica Wescott , CEO of Stellar Service Brands , to explore her unexpected journey from private wealth management to leading some 200+ franchise locations across Stellar's home service brands. Jessica entered franchising twelve years ago believ...

What if the best franchise systems aren’t planned—butdiscovered? In this episode of Franchise Today , Stan Friedmansits down with Shane Evans , CEO of Heights Wellness Retreats , to explore how an unplanned franchise journey turned into a 120+ unit wellness brand built on organic demand, adaptability, and resilience. Shane opened the first Massage Heights location in 2004 withno intention of franc...

Franchise Today did not begin as a polished podcast… farfrom it.   — it began as a live radio show in the middleof the Great Recession of 2009. In this special episode, Paul Segreto and Stan Friedman look back on the early days of Franchise Today, one of, if not the very first podcasts dedicated to franchising. From guests broadcasting live from their cars during federalbuilding lockdowns, to last...

What happens when two veteran franchisors look at the industry and realize that one of the biggest challenges of all at the unit level - is driving local traffic! You get Sweet Influencers , a first-of-its-kind platform built by Angela Olea and Liberty Bernal , designed specifically to connect franchise systems with vetted nano and micro influencers, who move the needle at the local level. Angela...

After years in recruiting, franchise development, and lead generation, Dan Claps sold his company to build something else, on his own. That decision became the foundation for VODA Cleaning & Restoration — but the company nearly collapsed after launch. In this episode, Dan shares the gritty truth behind VODA'S early struggles: high monthly losses, a failing model, and the moment he realized...

After 41 years in hospitality and franchising, Paul Damico has seen it all — scaling restaurant brands through explosive growth, navigating economic downturns, selling companies for a combined $90 million, and now revitalizing two iconic, 60-year-old legacy brands: Perkins and Huddle House . In this episode, Paul sits down with Stan Friedman to share how his career began at Marriott in 1986 before...

Nick Lopez left Colorado as a wide-eyed first-generation college student, to work on a BS in Business Marketing at Michigan State. His plan was to "walk on" to the wrestling team, which would ultimately pay for the cost of tuition and living. The reality was that a scholarship was a couple of years away, so Nick made the tough decision to hang up his wrestling boots for an entrepreneuria...

What separates a successful franchise exit from a costly one? In this week’s episode of Franchise Today , Stan Friedman sits down with Patrick Galeher , Founder, CEO and Managing Partner of Boxwood Partners , one of the leading M&A advisory firms focused on franchising and multi-unit brands. Patrick has lived every side of the franchise world — franchisor, franchisee and supplier — giving him...

What happens when two brothers nearly lose everything—only to discover they were accidentally building a franchise model the entire time? In this Encore episode, host Stan Friedman sits down with Ryan Parsons , CEO of Evive Brands and co-founder of The Brothers That Just Do Gutters . What started as a small family-owned gutter business nearly went bankrupt during the 2007–2008 recession, after div...

What happens when a journalism graduate with no franchiseexperience gets assigned a PR client that changes her entire professional destiny? That’s exactly what happened to Monica Feid , co-founder and COO of Thunderly Marketing, Advertising and PR. What started as a random PRassignment to the Dwyer Group in 1996 became the beginning of a decades-long career shaping some of franchising’s most recog...

"This week, Shelly Sun Berkowitz, founder ofBrightStarCare, joins host Stan Friedman for a deeply personal and inspiring conversation about the intersection of franchising, family, and female entrepreneurship. Shelly’s journey was born out of her personal need to find care for her grandmother. Shelly’s decision to expand BrightStar through franchising came later though, and began with a spark...

What happens when a hurricane changes your entire life philosophy? For Jeff Dudan , a late-night drive home from Hurricane Katrina relief became the turning point that transformed him from a traveling restoration contractor into a franchise empire builder. Starting with a college painting business and pivoting into restoration after Hurricane Andrew, Jeff launched Advanta Clean in 1994. By 2005, h...

After five years as Chief Development Officer at Another Broken Egg, Jeff Sturgis is making another bold pivot—returning to independent consulting. In this conversation with host Stan Friedman , Jeff reflects on three decades in franchising, from his unexpected entry after leaving professional sports to senior leadership roles at Coldwell Banker, U.S. Franchise Systems, Focus Brands, Fantastic Sam...

From exile at 17 to CEO of a billion-dollar franchise platform. Shirin Bezhadi’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and remarkable leadership. Hear how she scaled Budget Blinds/Home Franchise Concepts, survived a brain tumor, and turned adversity into her greatest advantage.📌 Key Takeaways Exile and hardship can fuel resilience and leadership ambition. Fractional CFO work can shape company...

Carlos Hesano is the brand President of Authority Brands DRYmedic Restoration Services, a company that steps in…  when life takes unexpected turns. Whether it’s water, fire, storm, or mold damage, DRYmedic is there 24/7 to helpfamilies and businesses recover, rebuild, and reclaim their lives. And, they’re not just about restoring properties — they’re about restoring peace of mind. In this episode,...

This week we welcome Mike Bahun, founder and CEO of Fundraising University. His journey into fundraising and franchising began as a high school coach, igniting his passion for enhancing resources for schools in need. Mike shares his vision to revolutionize fundraising through a service-based model that prioritizes the needs of students, teachers, and coaches. Discover how he shifted traditional fu...

“Welcome back to Franchise Today! I’m your host, Stan Friedman, and this week we’re exploring how AI is changing the game for franchising. My guest is David Owasi, co-founder of Outreach Genius, who has taken his experience as both a franchise owner and software engineer to tackle one of franchising’s biggest challenges: missed calls and lost opportunities. From his journey from Nigeria to Canada,...

In this episode of Franchise Today, host Stan Friedmanwelcomes Bob Gappa, founder of Management 2000 and one of franchising’s most respected voices. Bob’s journey began in the middle of a recession with an unconventional move — offering free consulting — which soon grew into adecades-long career guiding some of the world’s most successful franchise brands. From navigating economic downturns to ant...

In this powerful episode of Franchise Today , host Stan Friedman welcomes Stéphane Breault, a very highly respected leadership coach and award-winning figure in Canada’s franchise community. What began as a spark during an MBA lecture in 1983 has since evolved into a decades-longmission: helping franchise leaders build better businesses by becoming better leaders. Stephane takes us through his per...

This week, we hear from Chris and Andrew McCuiston, two of the dynamic leaders behind Goldfish Swim School, as they share their remarkable journey from a single swim school in Birmingham, Michigan, to a thriving franchise with nearly 200 locations across North America. What began as a spontaneous entrepreneurial leap, evolved into a national brand rooted in safety, trust, and memorable customer ex...