Social Geek

We’re continuing our series of one-on-one talks with this year’s Social Geek Franchise Thought Leadership Award winners. Sean Falk, President and COO of Careertopia, is here to share what he sees happening right now in Franchising. We dive deep into: What has happened to the Fran Dev Sales role over the past 2 years How Private Equity’s move into Franchising has affected hiring Talent not “of Fran...

Recorded Live in New York – host Jack Monson is at The International Franchise Expo 2026 interviewing some of the top executives in Franchising! They will share the latest about their brands, their goals for ’26 & ’27, and the opportunities for franchise owners. In part 3, we’ll chat with: John Hayes of Hayes Worldwide and The Titus Center for Franchising Dave Lamere of Almera Tech Services Ro...

🎧 Recorded Live in New York City – Social Geek host  Jack Monson  is continuing our series of interviews at The International Franchise Expo 2026 with some of the top executives in Franchising. They are sharing the latest about their brands, their goals for ’26 & ’27, and the opportunities for franchise owners. Today, it’s part 2 featuring: Agnes Mauro One River School of Art + Desi...

Recorded Live in New York – host Jack Monson is at The International Franchise Expo 2026 interviewing some of the top executives in Franchising! They will share the latest about their brands, their goals for ’26 & ’27, and the opportunities for franchise owners. In part 1, we’ll chat with: Cheri Mullen, GNC Craig Sherwood, The Joint Chiropractic Stephanie Benze, AC Inc Greg Salzano, Philly Pre...

Social Geek presents a mini-episode today getting ready for World Franchise Day! Join Sherry McNeil, CEO of the Canadian Franchise Association and the creative mind behind World Franchise Day, along with host Jack Monson. They'll chat about the background for WFD and what franchise pros across the globe can do to celebrate and spread the word about Franchising! Thanks to The Canadian Franchise Ass...

AI-generated slop versus Premium content created by talented humans. You know what side I’m on ... where do you land?? But, maybe there’s a third leg of this stool.  We’re talking to John Jantsch,  founder of Duct Tape Marketing.  Thanks to today’s sponsors Thunderly , AnswerConnect , and Pilot . Special Guest: John Jantsch.

Social Geek, the most popular franchise podcast, presents another One-on-One conversation with a 2026 Franchise Thought Leadership Award winner. James Stapleton, Vice President of Franchise Development at Caring Transitions, joins host Jack Monson to discuss: The difference between coaching & helping versus managing & bossing in franchise leadership The changes James has seen in the franch...

On our kind-of-weekly chat on the franchise restaurant space, Lauren Fernandez of Full Course and Jack Monson of Thunderly are discussing updates like franchisee buyouts, IPOs, and AI blowback. AND we have a preview of Lauren and Jack's workshop at The Franchise Growth and Marketing Conference. Join us at FGMC in Atlanta June 2 - 4. To register for FGMC, please visit: https://www.franchisegrowthma...

Rebranding – what brands have done it well? Or maybe not so well? And when should you rebrand? The Franchise Rock Stars are here: Scott Greenberg, Ali Kraus, Danielle Wright, Kristen Pechacek, and Derrick Ableman. We’ll dive into these elements of rebranding including: Not just changing the logo, but repositioning a brand’s identity The “curse of the new CMO” who wants to rebrand for the sake of r...

We’re continuing our series of one-on-one conversations with this year’s Social Geek Franchise Thought Leadership Award winners with Dustin Thompson, Director of Franchise Development & Marketing at Jack In The Box Dustin is a marketing expert who thinks like a sales guy. Or maybe he’s a successful salesperson who sees the landscape through the eyes of a marketing pro. Either way, he’s our kin...

On our kind-of-weekly chat on the franchise restaurant space, Lauren Fernandez of Full Course and Jack Monson of Thunderly are investigating where potential restaurant owners are investigating. We’ll discuss the Franchise Disclosure Document and how it’s evolved into AI-fuel. And, we’ll share our hot tip for making your brand THE answer when candidates are researching brands on AI apps.  &nbs...

We’re continuing our series of one-on-one talks with this year’s Social Geek Franchise Thought Leadership Award winners. Larisa Walega, CGO of Ziebart International and a member of the IFA Board of Directors, is here to share what she sees happening right now in Franchising. We dive deep into: The rise of the Chief GROWTH Officer Her journey into – and discovery of – Franchising AI & tech for...

On our kind-of-weekly chat on the franchise restaurant space, Lauren Fernandez of Full Course and Jack Monson of Thunderly are looking for the cash this week! Where will the restaurant industry find an the next $1.5 Trillion this year? Franchisee consolidation Organized, focused resales Professional multi-unit operators Not the small, individual location operators Special Guest: Lauren Fernandez.

We’re continuing our series of one-on-one talks with this year’s Social Geek Franchise Thought Leadership Award winners. Edith Wiseman, President of FranData, is here to share what she sees happening right now in Franchising. Every chat I have with Edith makes me feel smarter! Today we discuss: Definitions of the faster growing franchise brands The value of more sophisticated franchisees The “happ...

Today on Social Geek, we’re kicking off a series of conversations with this year’s Franchise Thought Leadership Award winners. I can’t think of a better way to start the series than to sit down with Richard Snow. Richard is leading Franchising on many fronts as the Founder & CEO of  Amplify Franchise Financing, Franchisee with Brooklyn Robot Foundry, a member of the IFA Board of Directors...

Welcome to Social Geek, the most popular franchise podcast! In our latest Marketing & Innovation update for the franchise community, we'll first chat with Steve Buors, CEO of ReShift Media. Steve's team is rolling out a new marketing platform made specifically for Franchising called Franify. Next up, Lauren Fernandez of Full Course is back with another installment of the So, Here's the Thing s...

Cleanup on aisle 7 of the restaurant and franchising business!  There is a lot of messy stuff in the business right now that needs a good spring cleaning.  Join Lauren Fernandez and Jack Monson for Part 1 of this conversation including: A focus on franchisees and unit level profitability The ratio of company owned units to franchised units Revising labor schedules and models Part 2 comin...

Welcome to the first in a series of podcasts recorded at IFA 2026 that will be available for you on Social Geek, IFA’s Franchise Voice, The WFC’s Her Success, Franchise Freaks, and The Franchise News Podcast. The Franchise Rock Stars are all together live and in person to share what they’ve seen so far at the event and how it affects their Franchising plans for 2026. Thanks Ali Kraus, Derrick Able...

Who's going to have a bigger year: Restaurant IPOs or Fractional C-Suite? The "it girl" of 2026 may be the Fractional C-Suite. Join Lauren Fernandez and Jack Monson for a conversation on IPOs and a bit of a debate on if Fractional workers can really be considered your C-Suite.  Special Guest: Lauren Fernandez.

We went all-in on delivery, and now the pendulum is swinging back. When you trade the dining room for grab-and-go, your labor model changes. Your ops change. Your customer changes. Before you know it, you look like a totally different brand. I think a lot of brands are finally realizing they were never just selling food in new channels. They were selling identity. When I work with restaurants, I l...

The Franchise Rock Stars are back on Social Geek to share their tips and advice for navigating the International Franchise Association Convention and all business travel in 2026. On the show today: Derrick Ableman, Ali Kraus, Scott Greenberg, and Kristen Pechacek with host Jack Monson. Our tips include: Explore the newly Evolved schedule Engage the all-new Franchise Main Street Bring changes of sh...

So, Here's The Thing ... Lauren Fernandez and Jack Monson are chatting today about all of the things that get assigned the Marketers within a restaurant brand. We're also keeping an eye on the use of Bitcoin as payments by some of our favorite brands including Steak 'n Shake  Special Guest: Lauren Fernandez.

Today we’re announcing the winners of this year’s Franchise Thought Leadership Awards. We’ll name the 10 Franchise Leaders are currently leading all of us in Franchising to more prosperity and growth by sharing their ideas, speaking up, putting out thoughtful content, getting people talking, and inspiring others to do the same. The nominees were submitted by you, the Social Geek listeners, and the...

So, Here's The Thing ...  Lauren Fernandez and Jack Monson have been chatting regularly about the changes, acquisitions, and deals in the restaurant space. Now we're sharing those conversations with you. Please join us! Special Guest: Lauren Fernandez.

Year 17 of the most popular franchise podcast rolls on! This week…we’re live in chilly Fort Lauderdale at Franchise Expo South. The iguanas are freezing, but the franchise opportunities are heating up. We’re talking to fran dev leaders and CEOs of several brands to find out how hot the landscape is for 2026. On today’s show: Justin Denham, Pool Duck Scott SirLouis, FSC Franchise / Beef O’Brady’s /...