Franchise Today

Christian Pillat is passionate about transforming disruptive ideas into actionable business strategies.  As co-CEO of TRANSITIV, he does just that.  Transitiv provides franchisors and franchisees with cutting edge intelligence about their customers and local store marketing.  By enabling franchisees to identify their best customers, they can then market more effectively to them and bring them back...

This Grandpre is all about slow and steady... No race here!  Chris Grandpre is the Chairman and CEO of Outdoor Living Brands, the franchisors of multiple brands:  Archadeck, the world's leading designer and builder of custom decks, porches, sun rooms, patios and outdoor living spaces; Outdoor Lighting Perspectives, whose name is self explanatory, Renew Crew, a cleaning and protection company carin...

Jonathan Barnett is Founder, President and CEO of Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning, one of the fastest growing cleaning franchises in North America, with over 300 locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Their Mission is to be an environmentally friendly, green carpet cleaning company, who’s #1 goal is to provide their customers with the highest quality carpet cleaning experience in the industry and acc...

Angela Cote is a second-generation franchising pro and consultant, from the Canadian Pacific Northwest.  Angela refers to herself as a Franchise Growth Catalyst.  Uniquely, she has experienced both sides of franchisor-franchisee relationships.  Her family founded the iconic Canadian franchise brand, M&M Meat Shops, a hugely well-known and successful franchise company that grew to just under 500 lo...

The UPS Store, Inc. recently launched, Mission: Veteran Entrepreneurship, a program offering significant financial incentives – valued at nearly $300,000 – for a select group of qualified U.S. military veterans to help open their own The UPS Store® franchise location.   The UPS Store, Inc. is proud to support America’s U.S. armed forces as they pursue starting their own business and as a part of t...

During this episode of Franchise Today, Chip Baranowski talks about he awards franchises, with Authority.  As VP of Franchise Development for Authority Brands, Chip discusses everything from marketing and lead generation, to processes, procedures and pipeline, funnel and candidate management.  All that and more, on this episode of Franchise Today.

In the Front of the House, I talk with Ryan Hicks, about his 15 day, Multi-State Modrn Businss Podcast Road Show and tour, starting July 15th.  Then, my interview this week is with Brig Sorber, Chief Brand Officer and co-founder of Two Men and a Truck. He and his brother Jon started in the early 1980s as a way to make extra money while in high school. 30 years later, the company has grown to more...

Fully Involved: Most of the subs at Firehouse Subs by default, are served "fully involved." (one of many kitschy firehouse references), which to customers means, automatically topped with a whole bunch of stuff, including lettuce, tomato, mustard, and a generous helping of mayo.  Fully Involved is also an apt description for Firehouse Subs Chief Executive Officer, Don Fox, a life-long over-achieve...

Unlike DISC or other assessment tools that simply gauge personality and communication styles, Zoracle is franchise specific and scientific.  In fact, its predictive analysis is based on 7 sciences that absolutely nail the results, each and every time.  Franchise prospects simply answer a few on-line questions and within minutes, Zoracle’s algorithms scientifically analyze their thresholds for risk...

Kit Vinson is a marketing specialist with over 20 years of experience from the ground up. His resume includes corporations such as Hillenbrand Industries, Service Corp. International and Infinity Broadcasting, showing his experience in advertising, financial services, and manufacturing. Kit earned an MBA from The American Graduate School of International Management (a.k.a. Thunderbird) in 1994. Hi...

When No Limit Agency was created in March 2008, Nick Powills saw an opportunity within the agency world, to deliver better relationships, strategy, service, and results, while consistently accomplishing and exceeding clients’ expectations. Now, 10+ years later, No Limit has earned national recognition, by maintaining a high level of professionalism in the eyes of its clients, the media, the indust...

With more than 25 years of experience in business, including time as a consultant, entrepreneur, executive, venture capitalist and successful franchisor, Kevin Wilson’s passion has always been to build and lead strong teams of people, then support their successes.  He's already done that quite effectively with Mosquito Joe, recently sold to Neighborly and here he GROWS again.  This time Kevin is c...

His life hasn’t been simple and success certainly wasn’t handed to himon a silver platter. Devan Kline has faced obstacles, defeat, and disappointment. Seven years ago, sitting alone in a hotel room– he was devastated. After setting his sights on making it to the big leagues, he had just been released from the San Francisco Giants organization,  after his third spring training. All he could think...

The franchise resale market is hot and continues to build steam.  Smart money is on those franchisors who embrace this and actually weave franchise resale programs into their development mix.      This week on Franchise Today we talk about all of this and more, with Terry Kelm, President of the Franchise Division at Sunbelt Business Brokers. Terry's focus at Sunbelt is on helping franchisors creat...

That’s the business philosophy of Multi-Flagged aread developers, empire builders and co-founders Grant Simon and Greg Thomas...It's also how they got their name – LSGF Management.  (Life's Short, Grow Fast!) LSGF Management provides management services to franchisees and operators of retail and quick service food locations across the southeast. We currently support 50+ Great Clips in Alabama, Flo...

This week we’re joined by two marketing gurus:  919 Marketing's Founder and CEO, David Chapman and Rallio’s VP of Business Development, Ryan Hicks.  This promises to be a robust discussion about the intersection between traditional marketing and today’s digital world, as described by the ubiquitous Gary Vee and others.  In this conversation, David and Ryan will discuss the ingredients needed for t...

Retro Fitness CFO Robbie Sprechman talks about both the Fiscal and Physical Gains of Retro Fitness Ownership, This Week on Franchise Today! $2,197,482: AVG GROSS SALES PER UNIT FOR THE TOP 10% OF RETRO FITNESS CLUBS $628,203: AVGERAGE EBITDA REPORTED BY TOP 10% OF RETRO FITNESS FRANCHISE OWNERS 3,029 :MEMBERSHIP BASE AT THE AVERAGE CLUB (TOP 10% HAVE OVER 5,800) $140.18: AVERAGE REVENUE PER SQUARE...

Shane Evans co-founded Massage Heights in 2004 with her husband Wayne. Today she is responsible for the company’s services, products and programs, and also helps develop strategic initiatives. Shane feels whole when balancing a busy career with family life, supporting her children and husband in their passions: exercise, art, dance, horseback riding and sports. She also relishes getting frequent m...

It all started when two enterprising women, Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney, wanted to do their part to rebuild their Hurricane Katrina-devastated community and give people a place to relax, unwind and get creative. Their guests loved the idea so much that today Painting with a Twist has created over 11 MILLION PAINTINGS in fun-filled studios in 39 states.  This week on Franchise Today, co-founder C...

"Everybody has problems and issues," says J.D. Busch, chief energy officer of Houston-based Busch Global. "It is about how people have succeeded and grown effectively. I'm not afraid to ask people to learn from their mistakes and to learn from people who are doing things right." Busch has been a disrupter in franchising from the start. In 1995, the former college cheerleader put three different fr...

Michael Isakson is the retired President and COO of ServiceMaster Franchise Services Group, an international franchise services company, where he had responsibility for the development and growth of more than 5,000 franchises worldwide with sales totaling more than $2 billion annually.  As part of the $4 billion ServiceMaster Company, Mike led ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, Furniture Medic and...

Ray Margiano started working in his dad’s Derby, CT, auto garage when he was just 10 years old. After a brief stint in the Navy, he returned home to pump gas, wash windshields and do service repairs 50 hours a week, all while attending school full time. Although he couldn’t wait to get away, it was his first generation Italian father’s entrepreneurial spirit and fierce determination that laid the...

This week on Franchise Today, I speak with serial entrepreneur, founder and franchising icon, David McKinnon.  Over the past forty years, David has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to recognize unmet needs in the marketplace, innovate solutions, and establish recognizable brands. David is a fire-tested executive with business acumen that is combined with a set of unshakeable beliefs, With tha...

From a living room in Tulsa, OK, in 1997, to Forbes Magazine's list of top ten U.S. franchises for three straight years, (JBF) Just Between Friends co-founder and President, Shannon Wilburn joins us this week on Franchise Today.  With more than 150 locations across 30 states, JBF has also been named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 500 Franchises for the past six years, earned The Franchise Busi...

Shane Evans  co-founded Massage Heights in 2004 with her husband Wayne. Today she is responsible for the company’s services, products and programs, and also helps develop strategic initiatives. Shane feels whole when balancing a busy career with family life, supporting her children and husband in their passions: exercise, art, dance, horseback riding and sports. She also relishes getting frequent...