Franchise Today

Today’s guest is Kevin Bazner, CEO of one of America’s historic, if not iconic and legendary restaurant franchise brands. Are you thinking McDonalds, Burger King or perhaps KFC… Nope, all three of those upstarts go no further back than the fifties. You’d have to travel back to before sliced bread was created in 1928 to get even close, to the birth of this brand, I’m talking America’s first restaur...

One can only wonder what it might be like to be surrounded in business, by leaders the likes of David Barr, current and past member or chair of dozens of boards, of franchised Brands, and those of restaurant concepts, both on the zor and zee side, as well as being nothing less than past chair of the IFA Board itself.  And what must it be like to work side-by-side with FranWorth founder and CEO Joh...

Off for the holiday this week, but I present an encore of  the most fun I have ever had producing Franchise Today.  It features me on WSB Radio, talking about my favorite topic, (aside from franchising) CHICKEN WINGS!  Mark Arum hosts the wildly popular, Afternoon Drive on Atlanta’s News & Talk.  Well, tune in to listen what happened when I wound up on the air with him...It all took place 1 year a...

Today I welcome John Erlandson to Franchise Today. John is the Co-Founder, President, Board Member and an Investor, in Youth Athletes United, a recently created portfolio company, building a family of brands, all centered upon child enrichment, through youth sports. While the company itself, is fairly new, it was established out of the pairing of youth sports and activities brands Amazing Athletes...

This week I feature May's Rising Star in Franchising, Angela Healy, CEO at AvenueWest Corporate Housing and AvenueWest Franchising.    As some of you may know, I began my franchise career in residential real estate franchising, converting large, local brokerages , to brands such as ERA and PRUDENTIAL.  In those days, it was my job to convince high powered, independent real estate brokers that thei...

Today’s conversation is with Greg Cook.  Many of you know Greg fro his 10 years at the IFA, running all things marketing. Well, today he has parlayed all of that experience and more, as he heads up Silvercrest Technology and Marketing, as President and CEO.  Among our topics of conversation today, are just how much the lines have fuzzed between the disciplines of marketing and technology and what...

Pete First has been with BrightStar care for nearly 4 years, beginning his journey there, as Vice President of Franchise Development for BrightStar Care.  During his tenure, Pete has grown that brand’s nationwide presence to 365 locations and has expanded the brand into new territories and markets. Today, as Chief Development Officer of BrightStar Holdings Group, Pete is responsible for recruiting...

This week we are joined by WOWorks CEO Kelly Roddy, to discuss his instance of one of the hottest, trends in franchising, rollups. Roll-ups are formed when a company is created, usually backed by private equity, to group multiple, compatible brands under a single umbrella, such that they may all leverage back-end economies of scale.  It's simply smart business.for so many reasons. Kelly is a veter...

Matthew Gourgeot, a true advocate and champion for small business in America.  Today, he heads Corporate and Business Development at Thryv, where he is responsible for leading their franchise division and developing the company’s strategic corporate partnerships.  Traded on the NASDAQ, THRYV is the provider of software that supports more than 40,000 loc al businesses and nearly 500,000 users, acro...

Acceler8Success Group was formed mid-2020, building upon Acceler8Success principles and methods, all proven successful, since 2014. Between them, Founder and CEO Paul Segreto and Erik Premont, President, possess nearly six decades of practical, hands-on experience in the fields of:  - Entrepreneur & Leadership Coaching - Business Accelerator Consulting - Small Business & Franchise Consulting - Res...

I'm back next week to kick-off a great line-up of guests for this Spring Season.  C-ya then.-Stan

Best Life Brands is a family of companies focused on the well being of clients at any stage of life and includes - ComForCare, At Your Side, premier franchised providers of in-home caregiving and private-duty nursing services, CarePatrol, the nation’s largest franchised senior placement organization, Boost Home Health Care and Blue Moon Estate Sales, the leading estate sales franchise in the U.S. ...

This week I talk with Scott Gittrich, founder and CEO of TOPPERS Pizza.  Scott Gittrich delivered his first pizza in 1984 while attending the University of Illinois. He dropped out of college after only two weeks into that job to pursue a full-time pizza career. Ever since then, he’s been a “pizza guy” through and through. He loved everything about the business, from the rush of the kitchen and in...

Back in 2007, Shuckin’ Shack co-Founders Matt Piccinin and Sean Cook had a craving for fresh oysters. Living in the sleepy coastal town of Carolina Beach, North Carolina, they figured it shouldn’t be too hard to find an oyster bar, right? WRONG. Realizing they’d stumbled onto an unmet need in their local restaurant scene, Matt and Sean hatched a plan to open their own fresh oyster bar and seafood...

Marking 62 years of excellence, education, and advocacy, last week the IFA celebrated it's Annual Convention, this year in San Diego and featured speakers that included NBA legend and franchisor, Shaquille O’Neal, Inspire Brands CEO Paul Brown, and Self Esteem Brand’s David Mortensen, along with America’s first black female combat pilot Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour, and author and workforce innovator ...

In the early 2000s, eight Baltimore-Washington Metro Area premier dry cleaners banded together to create a powerhouse brand: ZIPS Dry Cleaners. Together, they brought 100+ years of garment care expertise to the table. Their combined knowledge allowed them to perfect the dry-cleaning process from start to finish.  While known in franchising more for his years in food service, restaurants and hospit...

This week I am happy to feature Katrina Mitchell, someone who seldom takes hold of the mic, or is seen center stage.  Rather, she is usually working behind the scenes, securing center stage keynote opportunities for her ever- growing roster of speakers and/or planning conferences for an expansive roster of franchise brands.  Franchise Speakers Bureau is the ONLY speakers bureau dedicated exclusive...

Cliff Kennedy bought a frios gourmet pops franchise in 2018, and not even a year later, purchased the ENTIRE company. Why?  Because Cliff believes in magic.  You see,one fateful afternoon, Cliff was stuck in traffic as he was every afternoon in Mobile, AL, when he spotted a crowd of happy faces at a Frios Gourmet popsicle stand at the side of the road.  Next came the magic. Cliff pulled off, walke...

Greg Nathan is the Founder of the Franchise Relationships Institute (FRI) and recognized as the global thought leader on the psychology of franchising. He has been a registered psychologist for 35 years and is regularly invited to deliver keynote addresses at franchise sector conferences around the world. Greg's books such as Profitable Partnerships and the Franchisor's Guide to Improving Field Vi...

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...

I planned to kick off a new season this week, but COVID got in the way.  Instead, I return you to one of my favorite episodes of all time, as 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. Da...

I wasn't plannig to post again until January, but here's a little ditty to celebrate Santa's dark side.  Kidding aside, please stay safe, travel easy and avoid the plight of Corona Virus during the year end holidays! See you in 22.     Merry Christmas! Stan

This week, in Part 2 of my conversation with Michael E. Gerber, we look ahead, to how the E-Myth can touch you too, above and beyond his books.  This week we look ahead to Michael’s E-Myth Vertical Publications, The Dreaming Room, Radical U., and we close out this 12th Season of Franchise Today, with a special offer from Michael E. Gerber to Franchise Today listeners, that invites you to bring all...

My guest this week is the iconic Michael E. Gerber, author of the mega-bestselling E Myth Series of books.  Inc. Magazine calls him “the World’s #1 Small Business Guru” — the entrepreneurial and small business thought leader who has impacted the lives of millions of small business owners and hundreds of thousands of companies worldwide, for over 40 years. With an estimated 5,000,000 books sold to...

The Rising Stars of Franchising returns this week with retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Paul Huszar, President, CEO and majority owner of VetCor LLC, a restoration company focused on disaster recovery.  What makes VetCor so unique, is that their franchise network is comprised predominantly of veterans and/or veteran advocates, who in turn hire veterans as technicians, to perform their services.   When i...