Best of the Best in Franchising

In this episode, I talk with David Chapman on key lessons in franchise marketing and his thoughts on the future of marketing in franchising. David is the founder and board chair of Tidehouse (formerly 919 Marketing) in Holly Springs, North Carolina and has held key executive leadership roles, including CEO and EVP of Marketing for venture-backed companies, as well as Global Account Director for th...

In this episode, I talk with Kirk Allen, who is the Chief Operating Officer of Reshift Media on emerging trends in franchise marketing and AI and what franchisors and franchisees should be paying more attention to as they market and expand their businesses.

In this episode, we talk wtih Ewan Salter of Caring Senior Service about practical uses of AI in franchising and how their franchise uses these tools to improve the user experience for their clients and team members.  

In this episode, I talk with Betsy Hamm, who is a the CEO of Lifted Studio and host of the Loud and LIfted Podcast. Betsy shares her story about how she went from working in marketing at Hershey Entertainment to becoming involved in franchising. She worked with the founder of Duck Donuts, became its COO and then CEO and led the franchise from about 20 locations to over 200.  Today, Betsy partners...

In this episode, Richard Yoerk of Express Employment Professionals shares his story about how he and his wife got into the staffing business with Express Employment Professionals and build a multi-unit operation starting in Champaign, Illinois in April of 2008. Today, they have five territories and nine offices. Richard shares lessons he has learned as he has scaled his business, mistakes he has m...

In this episode, we talk with Barb Volk and Doug Birer, who run a multi-unit KidStrong operation in Florida, North Carolina, and New York. They talk about how their partnership started, lessons they've learned as they've been scaling their business, leadership advice on growing a team, and what they love most about being a part of the Kidstrong franchise organization.

In this episode, I talk with Ben Kiser, who owns a Fireside RV franchise in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Ben shares his story about how he got into franchising, why he chose Fireside RV, lessons he has learned that help him minimize his time in the business so he can spend more time working on it, what he enjoys most about business ownership, how he maximizes revenue on each rental, how he anticipates an...

In this episode, I talk with Phillip Morrison, who started a Kitchen Tune-Up franchise in Olathe, Kansas who opened his doors in January of 2022. He shares his story, how he got into franchising with Kitchen Tune-Up, details about how he has scaled his business, unique things they do to make their experience unique for their customers, and why he is so excited for the future growth of his franchis...

In this episode, TJ Azores, who currently owns four franchise territories with 1Heart Caregiver Services shares his story about how he got an E2 visa with 1Heart after completing an MBA and PhD on a student visa. TJ shares his story, what attracted him to the senior care industry, what he likes most about being a franchisee with 1Heart, and his vision for the future in helping seniors to age at ho...

In this episode, I talk with Benjamin Gregg, who owns a 1-800-PACKOUTS franchise in Southeastern Tennessee (specifically the Knoxville and Chattanooga area). Benjamin shares his story of how he became an entrepreneur and decided to get into franchising and choose to be a part of the cleaning and restoration industry with 1-800-PACKOUTS and Five Star Franchising. He shares lessons he has learned, a...

In this episode, I talk with Kamran Ghasri, who is the first franchisee of 1Heart Caregiver Services located in Beverly Hills, California. He joined 1Heart in early 2015. Kamra shares his story about how he got into the non-medical senior care business with 1Heart Caregiver Services and shares lessons he has learned, how he has grown his business, what he does to retain great talent, and why he lo...

In this episode, I talk with Jon Ostenson, who is the CEO of FranBridge Consulting, on his remarkable career as one of the top 1% of franchise consultants in the United States. He is a frequent contributor on the topic of "non-food franchising" for outlets such as Inc ., Forbes, The Franchise Journal and Franchise Connect. Jon is a multi-brand franchisee and is grateful to have strong operators le...

In this episode, I talk with Pat Abernathey, who owns and operates three Caring Senior Service franchises in Colorado. We talk about his story, how he started working at Caring Senior Service's corporate office, how he started his own locations, and lessons he has learned along the way of building a multi-unit franchise operation.

In this episode, I talk with Caty Witt, who is a multi-unit PostNet franchise owner in Arizona and California. Caty shares her story, how she got started and how she started scaling into multiple stores. She also shares lessons she has learned from scaling her business, working with others to review and enhance performance, and what she's most excited about as she continues to scale her business.

In this episode, I talk with Jason Wong, who with his wife Wati started a Studio Pilates International franchise in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York. Wati comes from the corporate world as a management consultant in banking and Jason spent the last two decades building and operating businesses in the hospitality and wellness industries across New York.  They decided to open their studio after Wati...

In this episode, I talk with Steve Buors about how he and his partner got into franchising and started providing digital marketing services with Reshift Media to franchisors and franchisees. Steve shares lessons he has learned in his business about marketing and promotion, the impact AI is already having on marketing for franchising today, and what he and his team are most excited about in the fut...

In this episode, I talk with Cathy Trlica and Lara Harris, a mother / daughter team that own a Caring Senior Service Franchise in New Braunfels, Texas. They share their story, how they chose the Caring Senior Service franchise, how they have scaled and grown their business, secrets to leadership, retention, and getting great referrals from clients, and what they're most excited about in the year a...

In this episode, I talk with Rich Schepler who started his AlphaGraphics franchise in December of 2015 and TJ Chillot, who is his Client Relationship Manager. Rich shares his story about how he went from working for a big commercial printer in Rochester, New York to moving to Charlotte, North Carolina and acquiring an AlphaGraphics franchise. He shares why he made the decision to start a franchise...

In this episode, I talk with Rachel Leuck of Gotcha Covered in Sugarland, Texas. Rachel shares her story of how she and her brother got into franchising and why they selected the Gotcha Covered franchise, lessons she has learned about scaling and retaining great independent contractors to help her build the business, awards that she has won, and why she is so excited about the future with Gotcha C...

In this episode, we talk with Matt Drescher, who recently opened The Grout Medic franchise to their existing Kitchen Wise Closet Wise franchise with Premium Service Brands in January of 2025. Matt shares how he and his family got started in the original business, the benefits that he has found with stacking on another brand to their business, how Premium Service Brands has supported and helped the...

In this episode, we talk with Rich Marzan, who owns a House Doctors franchise with Premium Service Brands in McLean, Virginia. Rich shares his story about how he started his House Doctors franchise after twenty-seven years of service in the Army, lessons he has learned about retention and management of great team members, how he has scaled his business, lessons he has learned from growing an impre...

In this episode, I talk with Pete Throndson, who is a franchise owner of Wonderly Lights and CertaPro Painting in Red Bank, New Jersey. Pete shares his story about how he got into franchising, lessons he has learned about employee retention and growth, what he likes most about adding the Wonderly Lights franchise to his existing franchise operations, and his outlook for the future with his franchi...

In this episode, I talk with Roland Ligtenberg, who is the co-founder and Senior Vice President of Growth and Innovation at Housecall Pro, which is the #1 rated easiest to use and most reliable field service management app for franchisors and franchisees in the home services industry. Roland shares his story about how they got started, how Housecall Pro works for franchisors and franchisees, how A...

In this episode, I talk with Todd Tyler, who owns a 1-800-PACKOUTS franchise in San Diego, California. Todd shares his story about his background prior to joining the franchise, his initial skepticism to being a part of a franchise and ultimately the value that he found in being a franchisee with 1-800-PACKOUTS. He also shares his story about how he has grown his business, his team, lessons he has...

In this episode, I talk with Matt Forbush, who is the founder and CEO of Zignyl, a revolutionary new software that helps multi-unit franchise owners to signal when a particular location or team member may need some particular help or attention. Zignyl is a digital platform designed for QSR franchisees, integrating scheduling, labor management, employee incentives, and real-time reporting to reduce...