Franchise Empires

It may have started as a joke, but after scaling to over 200+ locations with nearly 3000 employees nationwide, College H.U.N.K.S. Hauling Junk & Moving is no laughing matter now.    From its early beginnings as a college startup to owner and co-founder Nick Friedman’s hard lessons in franchising, the Wolf’s gathering all the details on exactly how the business became one of the largest moving and...

Can you name the ingredients in a McDonalds French fry? We’ll give you a hint— there’s over 15 of them. And if that doesn’t give you pause for thought, we don’t know what will.  Meet the franchise creator who doesn’t think fast food should be an excuse to skimp out on health or ethics— and he’s doing everything within his power to build a better fast food system from the top down.  Jesse Konig, th...

With over 25 years of experience building brands, Kevin Wilson knows a thing or two about creating franchises that last.  Kevin stops by the pod to discuss how his decades’ worth of entrepreneurial experience led him to create the multi-brand franchise empire known as Buzz Franchise Brands. From his early experience scaling his startup services company, Mosquito Joe, to over 290+ locations, Kevin...

Think about it— it’s the weekend, and as much as you want to sit down, relax, and pop open an ice-cold bevvie, you’ve got chores to do. And what’s the one thing you hate doing more than anything?  Yep, you guessed it— laundry and the average American spends up to 36 hours a month doing it too. Dan D’Aquisto is the one man trying to change it all through his revolutionary franchise, 2ULaundry, whic...

What’s one of the few franchise markets that continues to grow year after year in customer spend? Hint: it’s furry, and it has four legs. Over 90% of people view their pets as family— meet the one franchise looking to make a splash in the pet health and wellness space.  Jacob Lee, franchisee to Scenthound, chats with the Wolf about why he chose to pursue the pet grooming business and how Scenthoun...

Meet the man who knows a thing or two about franchising: Jace Mattinson. Having franchised various brands, including Ace Hardware, Crumbl Cookies, and Big Chicken, Jace’s previous career in private equity was a natural segue into the franchising world.  The Wolf sits down to chat with Jace about his early experience franchising with Ace Hardware, as he explains just how different the hardware worl...

How does being an area representative differ from being a franchise owner?   Everbowl’s area rep, Alex Yeater, chats with the Wolf about the ins and out of working for a franchisor and the life cycle of opening stores as an area rep.  He and Wolf also discuss the lessons he’s learned from opening multiple Everbowl locations and how investing in excellent systems and operations is one of the best t...

How do you elevate breakfast food in a novel way that no other franchise is doing? By taking biscuits to a whole ‘nother level.  Biscuit Belly is a fast-casual franchise taking the boring out of breakfast and making Instagram-worthy foods all across the Southeast.   Owners Chuck Schnatter and Chad Coulter sit down with the Wolf to discuss how they distinguished themselves from franchises like IHOP...

How did former math teacher turned franchise developer Antonio McBroom open 14 Ben and Jerry’s locations across South Carolina by himself?   The answer is equal parts hard work and ingenuity. On this week’s pod, the Wolf finds out how Antonio hustled his way into franchise success by purchasing his own ice cream trailer, opening his stores at 2 am to hungry college kids, and trying just about ever...

How did Philz Coffee grow to become synonymous with fueling the likes of tech giants out of Silicon Valley?  Co-founder, Jacob Jaber, explains how the vision of Philz Coffee came to fruition from his father, who simply wanted to create a place where people could hang out and share great drinks together.  Now, with over 75+ locations, this growing franchise still relies on one key ingredient: creat...

What’s the best way to drive franchise growth in the senior healthcare industry?    According to Brightstar Care CEO Shelly Sun, it’s paying the best people the best salary possible, encouraging accreditation across all locations to ensure franchise consistency, and aggressive nationwide marketing tactics.     Shelly talks with The Wolf about her top components for a scalable franchise model, the...

What do fitness, skincare and swim schools have in common? Get ready to make a splash with Chris Kenny as he dives into the success of consumer service brands, from Heyday to Orangetheory to Big Blue Swim School. Chris is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Level5 Capital Partners. With over a decade of experience investing and operating in the consumer services sector, Chris has been an instru...

How do resale employees determine how much that five-year-old Lululemon shirt is actually worth?   The Wolf sits down with BaseCamp Franchising owners Zach and Tyler Gordon to discover exactly how Uptown Cheapskate and Kid to Kid streamlined resell value subjectivity and turned it into a finely-tuned, fully systematic, operational process across over 200 different locations.   Plus, how are Zach a...

How do you create a 1.7 million dollar franchise beast from a small-scale cleaning company?   According to Voda Cleaning and Restoration franchise owners Dan Clap and Zach Nolte, the secret to scaling lies in franchising a business that naturally lends itself to marketing multiple services.    Dan and Zach chat with the Wolf about how Voda Cleaning and Restoration cornered a large chunk of the hom...

How does a single, 17-year-old mother find the motivation to build an 83-territory health and wellness empire?    Cynthia May, co-founder of Beem Light Sauna, chats about how becoming a single mother at an early age gave her the strength to find financial stability by taking calculated risks and trusting her gut instincts.    Cynthia explains how she went from owning a high-end salon to transition...

Who doesn’t love a cookie, or a pretzel…or ice cream? CJ Adams is the multi-brand franchise owner growing his sweet treat empire. Find out how. CJ is the Owner of Nashville-based Cookies And Cream, the multi-brand franchise of Great American Cookies, Maggie Moo's, Marble Slab Creamery, and Pretzelmaker. The Wolf and CJ get into the logistics of cross training employees to work across all brands, h...

From pro snowboarder to CEO, find out how Brent Dowling grows promising young franchises - including his own brewery pub brand. Brent is Co-founder and CEO of Raintree, the company packed full of seasoned professionals, dedicated to growing promising young franchises into industry giants.   The Wolf and Brent discuss why it was time for Brent to put his money where his mouth is and get in on the f...

How do you succeed in franchising? Invest in what fascinates you and makes a positive impact. Andrew Garcia is the entrepreneur who hated the 9 to 5 and turned to franchising. He is a partner and co-owner of ServPro, the 24-hour mitigation and restoration service, and partner at Ellie Mental Health, a franchise offering mental health services at the office and at home for individuals, children and...

How does an art class, enjoyed by Pink and Matthew McConaughey, become a franchise? Maya Ratcliff is the Founder of Hawaii Fluid Art - an accessible art class with incredible results. Celebrities love it, but anyone can join in and create a one-off piece they’ll be proud to display on their wall. From one location in Hawaii, founded during the pandemic, to two more in Dallas and Kansas City, Maya...

Meet the founders of Cali Coffee, the franchise not afraid to take on the likes of Starbucks and Dunkin’. Craig Avera and Rose White are the couple behind Cali Coffee, founded in LA in 2018. Currently with three locations up and running, there are five more planned for opening later this year. The Wolf, Craig and Rose dive into why it was the right time to get out of the fitness industry, why they...

How does a side hustle wind up in the Franchise Times top 25 multi-unit operators? By creating a model that can be scaled and repeated endlessly. Al Bhakta is Principal at CMG Companies, working with brands including Taco Bell, KFC, Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Genghis Grill, Sonic, and Rent-A-Center - to name a few. With more than 300 restaurants, 90+ retail units and 8 hotels, this group of six foundi...

There’s no one way to get into franchising, but plenty of pitfalls. Dru Capenito is the Founder of Franchise Investment Systems, helping potential owners evaluate high-quality non-food franchises. The Wolf and Dru talk through how getting the right foundation in place will stop you making terrible business decisions, why you need a business model that fits your life, and why the world of franchise...

What’s the sweet spot of rapid growth and long-term sustainability? Meet Vanessa Melman Yakobson, the franchise owner with the secret sauce to success. Vanessa is CEO and Partner of Blo, Blow Dry. Bar. This North American franchise has already opened 100 units and is set to open 50 more in the next couple of years. The Wolf and Vanessa get into how growing responsibly means longevity, especially d...

Physically burnt out in his early 30s, Gregory Breitbart found a solution so effective, he knew he wanted to run it as a business. Greg is CEO of BODY20, the fitness franchise utilizing whole body Electro-muscle stimulation to condense 2 hours in the gym down to 20 minutes. The Wolf and Greg discuss Greg’s enduring business partnership with his father, how a ‘weekend warrior’ lifestyle caused more...

How do you take an established pet franchise and move it to the next level? CEO Bob Crawford reveals the secret sauce to how he’s scaling Central Bark. Central Bark is the daycare facility that specializes in science-backed enrichment and socialization for your best friend. This 25-year-old franchise has 35 locations in 12 states and ambitious plans for growth. The Wolf and Bob discuss why franchi...