Patrick Buckley

Empires

Business EN ↓ 35 episodes

Empires explores the top brick & mortar businesses through stories, and interviews of multi-unit franchise operators, founders, and executives. empirespod.substack.com

Author

Patrick Buckley

Category

Business

Podcast website

empirespod.substack.com

Latest episode

Jul 10, 2026

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Episodes

He's Building a Dave's Hot Chicken Empire (25+ Stores) 12.09.2025

Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.frandawgs.com/buy-a-franchise   For multi-unit franchisees looking to sell their locations: https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/   Kal walked away from a Wall Street career to chase his dream of entrepreneurship — and went 5-for-5 picking winning brands. From butcher shops and pizzerias to Orangetheory, European Wax Center, Marco’s Pizza, Dave’s Hot Chicken...

He's Building a Testosterone Clinic Empire (5+ Locations) 27.08.2025

For help evaluating franchises, reach out: https://www.frandawgs.com/buy-a-franchise     For multi-unit owners considering selling their locations: https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/     Jon Benson’s journey into franchising wasn’t traditional. After scaling a Utah startup from $20M to $450M in sales, and later launching a COVID testing lab that served thousands of people a day, Jon stumbled across G...

They're Building a Thrift Shop Empire 20.08.2025

If you’re a multi-unit franchisee considering selling your locations, get in touch https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/   Interested in buying a franchise? Reach out here: https://www.frandawgs.com/buy-a-franchise   Episode Summary: In this episode of FranDawgs, Patrick sits down with Margarette and her husband Richard - franchise operators who turned their passion for resale into a thriving multi-unit...

The #1 Dog Grooming Franchisee in America - Jacob Lee 12.08.2025

🎙️ Guest: Jacob Horton, Multi-Unit Franchisee at Scenthound and Co-Founder of SBA Source 📍 Location: Birmingham, AL & Nashville, TN If you’re a multi-unit franchisee considering selling your locations, get in touch https://www.fdcapitalgroup.com/     Interested in buying a franchise? Reach out here: https://www.frandawgs.com/buy-a-franchise   🔥 Episode Summary: Jacob Horton went from PowerPo...

He Built and Sold His Wingstop Empire (20+ Stores) 29.07.2025

In this episode, Patrick sits down with Michael Horowitz to unpack his journey from venture capital and real estate to owning and operating 20 Wingstop franchises in Ohio. Michael shares the full story of how he sourced his initial 7-unit acquisition, competed for the deal, and navigated the franchise transfer process without prior restaurant experience. They dive deep into the realities of QSR ow...

He Owns a Little Caesars Empire (33+ Stores) 11.07.2025

In this episode, I sit down with Ryan Feghali, also known on X as the famous QSRguy, a powerhouse multi-unit franchisee who: Owns 33 Little Caesars across California, Oregon, and Arizona Operates a Jersey Mike’s Founded his own viral cookie-and-coffee concept, Coco Playa, which did $1.3M+ in its first year We cover: 🍕 Ryan’s roots folding boxes in his dad’s Little Caesars and why he initially swo...

How Philz Coffee Became an Empire (ft Philz co-founder) 18.06.2025

Jacob Jaber helped turn his dad’s corner store in San Francisco into one of the most beloved coffee brands in the country. In this episode, we break down how Philz became a Silicon Valley icon — without ever serving espresso. We cover: How Jacob scaled from 1 store to 80+ The real reason they refused to add espresso machines Why hospitality was always the product (not coffee) Their $100M raise — a...

How He Built an OrangeTheory Empire 05.06.2025

Bret Borock co-owned 5 Orangetheory studios—including one of the top 10 locations in the country. At the peak, they were printing cash. But when COVID hit, he nearly lost it all. The deal fell through. And Bret had to wait until 2024 to finally exit. So what did he do next? He went from boutique fitness… to garbage. He bought into Smash My Trash—and then doubled down with a Heavyweight Waste franc...

Why He's Building a Crumbl Empire (13+ stores) 26.05.2025

Taylor Byington owns 12 Crumbl Cookies franchises doing over $13 million a year in revenue — but it didn’t start that way. In this episode, Taylor shares the insane story of how he and his partner signed a franchise agreement with no capital, got ripped off by a contractor for $400,000, and still clawed their way into becoming top operators across four states. You’ll learn: Why they chose Crumbl o...

How He Built a 25+ Unit Mathnasium Empire 10.05.2025

In 2009, James Temple had just lost his father to a heart attack. He was 30 years old, getting his MBA at UVA, and facing a choice: take a stable consulting job… or buy a $40K franchise that barely made money. He chose the latter. James partnered with his mother—a retired teacher—and bought a struggling Mathnasium tutoring center in Richmond, VA. It had done just $70K in revenue the previous year....

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