Franchise Today

After 41 years in hospitality and franchising, Paul Damico has seen it all — scaling restaurant brands through explosive growth, navigating economic downturns, selling companies for a combined $90 million, and now revitalizing two iconic, 60-year-old legacy brands: Perkins and Huddle House . In this episode, Paul sits down with Stan Friedman to share how his career began at Marriott in 1986 before...

Nick Lopez left Colorado as a wide-eyed first-generation college student, to work on a BS in Business Marketing at Michigan State. His plan was to "walk on" to the wrestling team, which would ultimately pay for the cost of tuition and living. The reality was that a scholarship was a couple of years away, so Nick made the tough decision to hang up his wrestling boots for an entrepreneuria...

What separates a successful franchise exit from a costly one? In this week’s episode of Franchise Today , Stan Friedman sits down with Patrick Galeher , Founder, CEO and Managing Partner of Boxwood Partners , one of the leading M&A advisory firms focused on franchising and multi-unit brands. Patrick has lived every side of the franchise world — franchisor, franchisee and supplier — giving him...

What happens when two brothers nearly lose everything—only to discover they were accidentally building a franchise model the entire time? In this Encore episode, host Stan Friedman sits down with Ryan Parsons , CEO of Evive Brands and co-founder of The Brothers That Just Do Gutters . What started as a small family-owned gutter business nearly went bankrupt during the 2007–2008 recession, after div...

What happens when a journalism graduate with no franchiseexperience gets assigned a PR client that changes her entire professional destiny? That’s exactly what happened to Monica Feid , co-founder and COO of Thunderly Marketing, Advertising and PR. What started as a random PRassignment to the Dwyer Group in 1996 became the beginning of a decades-long career shaping some of franchising’s most recog...

"This week, Shelly Sun Berkowitz, founder ofBrightStarCare, joins host Stan Friedman for a deeply personal and inspiring conversation about the intersection of franchising, family, and female entrepreneurship. Shelly’s journey was born out of her personal need to find care for her grandmother. Shelly’s decision to expand BrightStar through franchising came later though, and began with a spark...

What happens when a hurricane changes your entire life philosophy? For Jeff Dudan , a late-night drive home from Hurricane Katrina relief became the turning point that transformed him from a traveling restoration contractor into a franchise empire builder. Starting with a college painting business and pivoting into restoration after Hurricane Andrew, Jeff launched Advanta Clean in 1994. By 2005, h...

After five years as Chief Development Officer at Another Broken Egg, Jeff Sturgis is making another bold pivot—returning to independent consulting. In this conversation with host Stan Friedman , Jeff reflects on three decades in franchising, from his unexpected entry after leaving professional sports to senior leadership roles at Coldwell Banker, U.S. Franchise Systems, Focus Brands, Fantastic Sam...

From exile at 17 to CEO of a billion-dollar franchise platform. Shirin Bezhadi’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and remarkable leadership. Hear how she scaled Budget Blinds/Home Franchise Concepts, survived a brain tumor, and turned adversity into her greatest advantage.📌 Key Takeaways Exile and hardship can fuel resilience and leadership ambition. Fractional CFO work can shape company...

Carlos Hesano is the brand President of Authority Brands DRYmedic Restoration Services, a company that steps in…  when life takes unexpected turns. Whether it’s water, fire, storm, or mold damage, DRYmedic is there 24/7 to helpfamilies and businesses recover, rebuild, and reclaim their lives. And, they’re not just about restoring properties — they’re about restoring peace of mind. In this episode,...

This week we welcome Mike Bahun, founder and CEO of Fundraising University. His journey into fundraising and franchising began as a high school coach, igniting his passion for enhancing resources for schools in need. Mike shares his vision to revolutionize fundraising through a service-based model that prioritizes the needs of students, teachers, and coaches. Discover how he shifted traditional fu...

“Welcome back to Franchise Today! I’m your host, Stan Friedman, and this week we’re exploring how AI is changing the game for franchising. My guest is David Owasi, co-founder of Outreach Genius, who has taken his experience as both a franchise owner and software engineer to tackle one of franchising’s biggest challenges: missed calls and lost opportunities. From his journey from Nigeria to Canada,...

In this episode of Franchise Today, host Stan Friedmanwelcomes Bob Gappa, founder of Management 2000 and one of franchising’s most respected voices. Bob’s journey began in the middle of a recession with an unconventional move — offering free consulting — which soon grew into adecades-long career guiding some of the world’s most successful franchise brands. From navigating economic downturns to ant...

In this powerful episode of Franchise Today , host Stan Friedman welcomes Stéphane Breault, a very highly respected leadership coach and award-winning figure in Canada’s franchise community. What began as a spark during an MBA lecture in 1983 has since evolved into a decades-longmission: helping franchise leaders build better businesses by becoming better leaders. Stephane takes us through his per...

This week, we hear from Chris and Andrew McCuiston, two of the dynamic leaders behind Goldfish Swim School, as they share their remarkable journey from a single swim school in Birmingham, Michigan, to a thriving franchise with nearly 200 locations across North America. What began as a spontaneous entrepreneurial leap, evolved into a national brand rooted in safety, trust, and memorable customer ex...

In this episode of Franchise Today, host Stan Friedmanwelcomes Bobby Lloyd, CEO of Magnolia Bakery, and Jason Mattes, VP of Domestic Franchise Development & Sales. Together, they unpack the remarkable transformation of a charming NYC bakery—immortalized by pop culture—into abeloved global franchise brand. Hear how Magnolia’s fame exploded from media appearances rather than traditional marketin...

In this insightful episode of Franchise Today , Tony Zaccario, President & CEO of Stretch Zone, shares his extraordinary rise from 22-year-old General Manager to the leader of a 400-location wellness brand . Tony opens up about his unplanned entrance into franchising, the early lessons from licensing missteps, and the critical pivot to training and supporting franchisees for sustainable growth...

Barb Moran planned to be an artist, but life had other ideas. She faced other challenges including being fired from her family’s business by her father and suffering a traumatic brain injury, but she turned these setbacks into stepping stones. Today, Barb is the CEO of the Moran Family of Brands, parent company to six automotive-related franchise brands: Mr. Transmission, Milex Complete Auto Care,...

What do you get when you mix structural engineering, with immigrant grit, a viral video, and a love for Hawaiian poke? What you get is the recipe for one of the most exciting fast-casual franchise stories of the past decade . This week on Franchise Today , Stan Friedman welcomes Peter Yang , co-founder and managing partner of Pokeworks —a premium poke concept that exploded out of a 750-square-foot...

Clarissa Windham-Bradstock, CFE, CEO, CPO on transforming healthcare access and building a franchise model for the future With a unique background that spans healthcare, franchising, and public policy, Clarissa Windham-Bradstock brings a bold, mission-driven leadership style to the helm of one of the nation’s most innovative direct-to-consumer lab testing brands. Under her guidance, Any Lab Test N...

Josh Wall is an accomplished brand leader with a stellarrecord of driving shareholder value through strategic acquisitions, innovative market development strategies, and dynamic team growth.  His passion is fostering high-performance cultures and delivering exceptional results. He is adept at steering organizations toward sustained success and market leadership. Josh has been growing successful fr...

This week I am joined by Don and Evonne Varady, a dynamic husband and wife team who are the founders and franchisors of Clean Eatz, one of the fastest-growing healthy food franchises in the country. Evonne and Don share their incredible journey — from launching their first café to building a purpose-driven brand, that’s changing lives across the nation. We talked about: ✅ The early struggles and...

True story: Transitioning from military life to the world of franchising can be a pivotal moment in one's career. Back in 1994, Mary Kennedy Thompson, a former Marine, embarked on this journey seeking stability for her family. Inspired by a simple franchise brochure from Cookies by Design, she took a leap that led to multiple successful locations and eventually to the role of President of the comp...

True story: Navigating the challenges of a male-dominated industry can be daunting, but through perseverance and mentorship, it's possible to carve your own path. Lora Kellogg's inspiring journey from becoming the first female VP at Scotty's, a chain of home improvement stores, to the founder and CEO of Curious Jane, The Ad Agency for Franchise Brands. Key insights from Laura's story and the podca...

This week on Franchise Today , host Stan Friedmanwelcomes John Teza , a franchising veteran with more than 20 years of leadership experience across top-tier brands. John’s journey includes influential roles with Quiznos , Jersey Mike’s , and currently as CEO of Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa , one of the fastest-growing wellness franchises in North America. Known for his strategic vision,...