Franchise Today

As a college student, Nick Lopez started a painting business to pay for his education. However, after reading the book "The E-Myth Revisited" Nick was inspired by the potential of the franchise model. This experience inspired Nick to explore franchising further, and eventually growing Lyme Painting into the scalable business it has become. Nick's story highlights how passion, adaptab...

 Listen to this episode to learn how military discipline and a servant's heart can create an extraordinary franchise leadership career. Steve White is the President, COO of PuroClean. Discover how coming out of the Army, Steve's military precision transformed Domino's Pizza's struggling equipment division into a well-oiled machine. Steve White, a former Army officer, leveraged his logistics expert...

This week on Franchise Today, Prospect Direct Founder and CEO Alex Oswiecinski shares his insights on the power of data-driven franchise development. He explains how focusing and targeting individuals with strong business acumen and financial capabilities, rather than just capturing leads from those who fill out forms online is a game changer. This more qualified approach sets them apart from gene...

In this final episode of Season 15, host Stan Friedman delivers a heartwarming tribute to family, gratitude, and success as he welcomes Charles Bonfiglio, franchise founder and CEO of Tint World. Inspired in large part by hiis father, Charles emphasizes the importance of relationships and shares his journey from humble beginnings in Brooklyn, NY to leading a 150-unit strong and growing automotive...

Tracy Stapp Herold is the special projects editor at Entrepreneur magazine. The Annual Franchise 500 is her MOST ANTICIPATED publications each year.  It is Franchising’s equivalent of the Oscars, the Emmy’s, the Grammys, albeit minus the red carpet, but it is the Big Deal of the Year, when it comes to ratings.  So, what goes into that pot of stew.  How many data points are included and how are the...

I’ve worked hard, built wealth, and won some awards along the way, and that’s all great, but I view my greatest accomplishments in life as my marriage to my beautiful and smart wife, Leslie, and raising our three beautiful children who have grown into amazing adults. They are grounded, balanced, nice people, who truly care about others. Family is everything to me. - Jimmy John Liautaud. As you wil...

This week Stan sits down with Stephen Preuss, co-founder and CEO of Paymore Electronics, to explore the journey of transforming a humble secondhand store into a thriving franchise concept.  Discover how Stephen and his partner Eric Helgesen redefined the secondhand electronics market by blending brick-and-mortar with e-commerce, harnessing the power of proprietary technology, and the need to overc...

This week I welcome Kyle McKeown, Senior Vice President of ProfitKeeper by PrimePay, as both a guest and a new sponsor. Kyle shares his journey into franchising, highlighting his 18-year experience in the industry and how ProfitKeeper has evolved over the years to support franchisees and franchisors alike. Kyle discusses the inception of ProfitKeeper, initially designed to assist franchisees with...

This week I am joined by Ryan Parsons, co-founder of The Brothers That Just Do Gutters and CEO of The Riverside Company's, Evive Brands. Dive into the journey of how "The Brothers That Just Do Gutters" transformed from being just a small business into a thriving franchise with 100 plus franchisees with hundreds of locations.  . Ryan shares insights on the unexpected path to franchising, the challe...

This week I welcome Kevin King, the newly appointed CEO of Donatos Pizza.  In this engaging episode, Kevin shares his incredible journey from a 14-year-old dishwasher at a local pizza joint to leading one of the most respected brands in the industry. Kevin reflects on his early career choices, including turning down a job at Procter & Gamble to join Dominos Pizza, where he discovered his passion f...

This week I am joined by Serial Entrepreneur Ron Holt, the founder of Two Maids and a Mop and Pink Zebra Moving.  Ron shares his inspiring journey from lab work, following graduating UGA with a degree in Biology, to a more inspiring, and exciting career, as a successful franchise entrepreneur. Discover how a traffic jam and a pivotal book, (The E-Myth) led Ron to rethink his career path and ventur...

Ron Bender was one of the most affable, caring, sharing professionals in all of franchising.  We lost him this weekend and he will be sorely missed.  I interviewed Ron on Dec. 6, 2023, while he was still at Threshold Brands I re-listened to that episode yesterday, after learning of his death.  While most of the conversation was centered around Threshold, all I could really hear was the warm, affab...

Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a leading franchise in the health-focused fast-casual market.  With nearly 1,500 locations nationwide, they offer an extensive menu of real-fruit smoothies, wraps, salads, sandwiches and flatbreads.  Charles Watson joined Tropical Smoothie Cafes in 2010 as VP of Franchise Development and was elevated to Chief Development Officer in 2015, following his personal responsibil...

Stephanie Johnson’s journey began with earning her Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications and gaining experience at a safety association. That path led her relocate to Denver and join AlphaGraphics, where she rapidly ascended from her initial role as Marketing Campaign Manager in 2019, to her present position, VP of Marketing for AlphaGraphics, POSTNET and World Options, All thre...

This week I present a very special edition of Franchise Today, featuring excerpts of me being interviewed by Tracy Panase and Shannon Wilburn, on their brand new podcast, The Franchise Leaders Forum. With permission from Tracy and Shannon, we are simulcasting that interview, right here on Franchise Today.  So, listen as we flip the script and I become the subject of the  interview, as opposed to b...

Welcome to another exciting episode of Franchise Today featuring Sean Bach, a seasoned franchise professional with a unique journey through the industry. From his early exposure to franchising through his father's association with the founder of Pizza Hut, to his pivotal roles at Cold Stone Creamery, Drybar, and now Pure Glow, Sean's story is one of constant learning and evolution. In this episode...

This week we are joined by Jenny Young, founder and CEO of Brooklyn Robot Foundry. Jenny is our Q-3, 2024 rising star of franchising and she shares her inspiring journey from a single unit in NYC, to the establishment of a successful, emerging franchise system, that is thriving!.. Jenny discusses how her background as a mechanical engineer and her passion for empowering children through creative r...

This week on Franchise Today I sit down with Brian Schnell, Partner and Chair of the Franchise Practice at Faegre Drinker, as well as the Chairman of the IFA's Franchise Relations Committee. Brian shares his journey into the world of franchise law, starting from his early days at Gray Plant Moody and his first project with International Dairy Queen in 1987. During this interview, Schnell delves in...

This week we are joined by Brett Larrabee, a seasoned franchise professional who has accomplished a great deal in his culinary and franchise career.  Brett’s incredible journey began right out of college, as a franchisee…, not just any franchisee, but as Subway’s very first, in the City of Seattle.  Over the next 20 years, Brett grew with Subway, opening many more locations and eventually helping...

This week we dive deep into the fascinating career of Jamie Izaks, co-founder and president of All Points Public Relations. Jamie's journey from journalism to the hospitality industry, and finally to entrepreneurship, is a story of inspiration and perseverance. Jamie and I have known each other for 18 years, but it wasn’t until recently that I truly understood the depth of his background. His earl...

Over the past two weeks, we've delved into some fascinating finance conversations, centered upon creating liuidity events via royalty transactions, thanks to insights from Sean Morrison and David Earle. This week, we remain in the capital arena with Alicia Miller, a strategic advisor to franchise founders, leaders, and investors.  Alicia Miller is the founder of Emergent Growth Advisors and author...

Welcome to Franchise Today.  In this week's episode, we continue our exploration of liquidity events that seem almost too magical to be true. Imagine achieving a liquidity event without sacrificing any equity or control over your brand. Last week, Sean Morrison from Diversified Royalty Management introduced us to this intriguing concept. Today, we're joined by David Earl, CFO at Stratus Building S...

In this episode, we hear from Sean Morrison, CEO of Diversified Royalty, as we delve into a groundbreaking approach to achieving liquidity for founder-led franchise concepts, without giving up any equity. This method allows qualified franchisors to monetize their current royalty base at very generous multiples of EBITDA, with no need to sell any equity, thus retaining ownership and the upside pote...

This week on Franchise Today, I am joined by Graham Chapman, who shares his unique journey into the franchising world, a path paved with family ties and serendipitous encounters. Discover how Graham's early experiences with 919 Marketing, a family business turned industry leader, shaped his career and set the stage for his current ventures. As the episode unfolds, Graham reveals some breaking news...

This week I welcome Erin Fletter, the passionate founder and CEO of Sticky Fingers Cooking. Discover how Erin's humble beginnings at her kitchen table led to the creation of a thriving children's cooking school franchise. Learn about her inspiring journey, the challenges she faced, and the innovative systems she implemented to begin successfully scaling her business across the United States. Erin...