Franchise Today

John Francis, a franchise expert, advisor, and speaker with over 30 years of experience, shares his deep understanding of the franchising world. Born into a franchise family, he was a franchisee and franchisor multiple times. His parents pioneered the franchise model in the hair salon industry, creating a global empire. John's diverse background includes working in various franchise brands, consul...

This week Alia Alston, founder of Icebox Cryotherapy Studios, shares her personal journey and business insights on Franchise Today. A car accident and childbirth complications led her to discover the pain-relieving benefits of cryotherapy, prompting her to open the first retail cryotherapy studio in the United States. Despite her lack of experience in owning a retail store, her background in produ...

Last week in Phoenix, I invited attendees from various facets of the franchising community to share the impact IFA has had on their careers. Collectively, I am calling this the Many Voices of IFA and presenting it as this week's episode of Franchise Today.  Seasoned industry professionals like Frank Fiume, Nick Friedman, Rocco Fiorentino, and others spoke to the value of the relationships, mentors...

Doug Willmarth shares his career journey from being a navy pilot to finding his passion in marketing and the restaurant business, leading to various roles including chief marketing officer at Wingstop and President at Mooyah Burgers, Fries, and Shakes. With experience in brand management at companies like Kraft Foods and PepsiCo, Willmarth transitioned into franchising, gaining a deeper appreciati...

This week on Franchise Today, Matt Haller, President and CEO of the International Franchise Association (IFA). offered a deep dive into various critical topics, notably the eagerly anticipated IFA Convention set to take place in less than two weeks in Phoenix. Haller shared insights into the convention, which aims to "franchise smarter" by fostering responsible business practices and enhancing the...

Heather Anderson shares her journey from working at a digital marketing agency to becoming Vice President of Marketing and Operations at The Little Gym, and then transitioning to a VP role at Eulerity, a supplier of efficient marketing platforms. She underscores the importance of adaptability in franchising and marketing, especially during the pandemic, and stresses the need for brand consistency...

Meet Dave Mortensen, the visionary co-founder and president of Self Esteem Brands, who along with partner and co-founder Chuck Runyon, have taken the franchise world by storm with the renowned Anytime Fitness brand, now over 5,500 locations strong, across 41 countries! From being inspired by the structure of companies like Pizza Hut and McDonalds, to creating a global fitness phenomenon, Dave’s st...

As we enter 2024 franchising as a business model is navigating a complex landscape of challenges, including new legislation that affects their operations and various factors that influence business decision-making. The labor market has experienced significant shifts as the result of the pandemic, with many companies turning to technological automation to adapt, especially in the restaurant space. ...

Jason Feifer in the Editor in Chief at Entrepreneur Magazine.  Like most of us in the franchise world, Jason never anticipated that small businesses of any kind would become a cornerstone of his career, much less those in franchising.  As a journalist, he wrote for various newspapers and magazines, with no particular attachment to the content.  That all changed when he landed at Entrepreneur in 20...

With more than 30 years in the franchise space that includes 20 years leading Fran Dev at Home Franchise Concepts, JT opened doors and created opportunities for thousands of those who aspire to own their own business. Helping people make their dreams of business ownership a reality with low-cost, home-based franchise opportunities in the home services industry is his passion. At HFC, their elite p...

Stefan Figley is President of 1-800-PACKOUTS. Since 2013, 1-800-Packouts has been shaping the contents restoration industry. Their story begins with a desire to create a consistent and professional process across the nation in the personal property space.  Their greatest strength is their people, from the corporate team to their franchise owners. 1-800-Packouts employs some of the most experienced...

This week we hear from Babz and Michael Barnett, a husband and wife franchisor team at the head of the table at Romp & Roll.  Romp n' Roll is a young childhood enrichment exercise, education, STEAM and STEM concept, with an AMAZING story and it's co-founders are here to tell it.  .   It’s not every day that a US emerging franchisor in the early stages of growth and development domestically, winds...

Ron Bender is an experienced Franchise Professional, dedicated to helping people improve their lives through franchise ownership with transparency and positivity in all aspects . He believes that enthusiastic networking, a strong social media presence, dynamic presentations and internal and external team building and mentoring help achieve top results, and he has a hard-won reputation for over del...

With nearly 10 years of experience in franchising, Ashly Loza brings both breadth and depth of knowledge as an experienced franchise executive. She has worked alongside 50+ franchise brands in a broad spectrum of areas including franchise sales, developing and implementing marketing and lead gen strategies, and driving operational excellence and efficiencies. Her approach to business development a...

This week you are going to have the pleasure of hearing from another very affable and capable franchise executive, as my guest today is Stacey Ryan, Chief Operating Officer at The School of Rock, one of my favorite franchised brands.  As their website describes them, "The School of Rock is a trailblazing global children’s franchise concept, that has over 2 decades, established locations in 15 coun...

This is a very special Edition of Franchise Today, in celebration of Veterans Day, coming up Saturday November 11th 2023, at 11AM.  Celebrations and parades will be kicking off across America in honor of all those who have served in our Nation ‘s Armed Forces.  To help us better understand the close ties and connections between veterans and franchising, we are joined today by my good friend and IF...

Paul Damico grew up on Long Island, in New York. He holds 3 degrees in culinary and restaurant management including a Doctorate of Business Administration in Restaurant, Food, and Beverage Management from Johnson and Wales University. Paul began the first 14 years of his career working for the Host Marriott organization, working on travel plazas and airport development, before getting into the mor...

Tarji Carter has been in franchise development for many years.  Beginning with Carvel and Cinnabon at Focus Brands, and stops along the way at Dunkin Donuts, WIngstop and Bojangles.  Today, she is the President of Guest First Services, a boutique consultancy and the Founder and President of The Franchise Player, a revolutionary initiative that aims to expand the number of Black-owned franchises ac...

Some have suggested that Floor Coverings International is to the flooring industry what Amazon is to retail.”  My guest today, Floor Coverings International President and CEO Tom Wood says, “This business model is only becoming more and more relevant. Homeowners are looking for convenience and value, and they reward us for delivering it. Our ability to disrupt the flooring industry by bringing the...

Bio-One Inc. is the first crime and trauma scene cleaning franchise, with over 100 locations operating in 41 States. Bio-One is committed to providing excellent service in recovery and suicide cleanup, homicide cleanup, hoarding situations, junk removal, deceased animal recovery, and much more.  Leading the charge, Bio One President Danessa Itaya is no stranger to franchise leadership in the servi...

This week I feature another in my series of Rising Stars in Franchising.  In fact, this week’s Rising Star also checks the box for amazing women in franchising as well..My guest is Julie Cartwright, a truly inspiring, emerging franchisor, who is making all the right moves to assure sustainable growth through sensible franchising.  Julie is the President of an impressive, emerging brand called Pvol...

This week I’m joined again, by industry veteran Greg Longe, CEO at Phoenix Franchise Brands, the franchisors of Fetch Pet Care, Door Renew, Spray Foam Genie and Furry Land, Mobile Grooming.  In our first installment, we talked about his storied franchise career and how that's led to the creation of Phoenix Franchise Brands.  This week, we discuss the road aheadd and how their mission is to, “Help...

Frank Fiume is a pioneer in the youth sports industry and the founder of i9 Sports—the nation’s first and leading franchisor of youth leagues and camps. Since 2003, i9 has generated over 300 million dollars—with more than two million participants in 900 communities across 30 states nationwide.  A baseball fanatic and native of Queens, New York, Frank graduated from St. John’s University and began...

This week I’m joined by industry veteran Greg Longe, CEO at Phoenix Franchise Brands, the franchisors of Fetch Pet Care, Door Renew, Spray Foam Genie and Furry Land, Mobile Grooming.  Their mission at Phoenix, is to, “Help those with entrepreneurial spirits create a legacy for themselves, their families, and the communities that they serve.” They do so living and breathing the following five core...

Brad Hillier, CEO of Re-Bath, who has successfully prioritized strategies to energize frontline workers and generate impressive results. Brad emphasizes that while digital technologies are essential, authentic human connection and 'real' experiences play a crucial role in making brands great. He has identified several best practices that have proven effective in energizing frontline workers: Culti...