Tell Us Your F'ing Story

In this episode of the BDC Partners Podcast, Kristie Coade, CEO of AMC Commercial Cleaning, shares her inspiring journey from a young performer and telemarketer to leading one of Australia’s largest commercial cleaning franchise networks. She discusses her early career, the challenges of growing a family business, and her transition into executive leadership. Christie also provides valuable insigh...

In this episode of Tell Us Your F’ing Story, Bruce McFarlane interviews Alexia White about estate planning for business owners and franchisors. They discuss how wills alone are often not enough because business assets are commonly held through companies, trusts, and shareholder structures. Alexia explains the importance of shareholders agreements, buy-sell agreements, insurance policies, and power...

In this episode of Tell Us Your F’ing Story, Damian Gooden, CEO of HR Central, shares his journey from country Victoria to leading a growing HR business. He discusses how basketball shaped his leadership style, why leaving university became a turning point, and how an unexpected business sale led him to launch HR Central. Damian also explores building a subscription-based HR model, scaling through...

In Episode 64 of Tell Us Your F’ing Story, David Lindsay speaks with Bruce McFarland about how investment is reshaping franchise growth. Originally an advisory firm, BDC expanded into investing to help emerging franchise brands move beyond early-stage limitations by providing both capital and strategic expertise. The conversation highlights major U.S. trends, including private equity involvement,...

n Episode 63 of Tell Us Your F’ing Story, Bruce McFarlane and John Sully speak with Sarah Allen, co-founder of Appliance Tagging Services (ATS), about her journey from a sailing-focused childhood in Adelaide to building a national electrical safety franchise. Sarah shares her early career path, moving from university into marketing and spending 13 years at Colgate before joining the family busines...

In Episode 62 of the Tell Us Your F’ing Story podcast by BDC Partners, Marty Wilson, Founder of Fresh Front, shares his journey from being a Scottish-born kid who grew up in Adelaide to a tech-minded teenager building websites to earn money. After more than 12 years working in IT and the defence industry, Marty wanted a simpler, more practical business. In 2016, he started Fresh Front, an exterior...

A night full of energy, big ideas, and bold entrepreneurs. Each team presented exciting ideas to the judges and audience, creating an atmosphere of collaboration, mutual support, and inspiration from founders across diverse industries. Congratulations to Fresh Front, this year’s winner, and Spin Zone, the runner-up. Both teams demonstrated remarkable potential and vision for driving the next level...

In Episode 61 Brooke Rodger joins Bruce MacFarlane and John Sully to unpack a career built across retail, media and international expansion — from early PR and TV roles through to high-growth retail brands. Brooke shares practical lessons on building trust with franchisees, measuring marketing ROI, localising global brands, and what it takes to turn a marketing function into a revenue driver. Spon...

Tell Us Your F’ing Story: Gary Harley on Building Kieser Australia and the Realities of FranchisingIn this episode, Bruce MacFarlane and John Sully sit down with Gary Harley, founder of Kieser Australia, to talk about how he brought a Swiss physiotherapy and strength-training concept to Australia and turned it into a nationwide network. Gary shares his journey from discovering Kieser in Europe to...

Bruce McFarlane and Jon Sully talk with Linda Sultmann, General Manager of SIGNWAVE Australia (FASTSIGNS), a former L’Oréal and Estée Lauder executive turned business owner and franchise leader. Linda shares her journey from corporate life to café owner, business consultant, and now head of one of Australia’s leading visual communications franchises. She talks about the lessons learned from failur...

In episode 58, Bruce talks with Anya Haywood and Adrian Warner about the power of listening, the value in winning corporate accounts, and how buying small businesses and reinvesting can compound into big returns. Highlights include why a listening tour matters for franchise culture, how corporate accounts create a competitive moat, and why stability beats flashy growth. Practical, no-nonsense disc...

In episode 57 of the Tell Us Your F’ing Story podcast by BDC Partners, Jane Garber Rosenzweig discusses franchise resales and the responsibilities of franchisors when a franchisee wants to exit. She emphasises that franchisors should tightly manage the resale process. Allowing franchisees to handle the sale themselves can lead to delays and negatively impact the overall franchise network. Selectin...

In episode 56 of the Tell Us Your F’ing Story podcast by BDC Partners, Hilarie Legg, Franchise Operations Manager at World Gym Australia, shares her journey from a sport-loving kid in New Zealand to a leader in the global fitness franchising sector. Growing up in a family business, Hilarie developed a strong work ethic that carried into her early career as a personal trainer and gym manager, befor...

In episode 55 of the Tell Us Your F’ing Story podcast by BDC Partners, Tom Elliott, CEO of Hog’s Breath Cafe, shares his career journey from a football-loving kid in South London to a leader in the Australian franchising space. After moving to Queensland at age 12, Tom’s early experience in hospitality and marketing led him into franchising, where he held key roles at Retail Food Group (RFG) acros...

In episode 54 of the Tell Us Your F’ing Story podcast by BDC Partners, Peter Bailey shares his extensive franchising journey, starting from his upbringing in Hobart, Tasmania. With a background in commerce and early experience in accounting, Peter progressed to leadership roles in various franchise businesses. He led Banjo’s bakery franchise, managing both company-owned and franchised stores, and...

In episode 53 of the Tell Us Your F’ing Story podcast by BDC Partners, Richard Thame, experienced franchise leader and Chairman of the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA), shares his multifaceted career journey and insights into the evolving franchising landscape. Richard's story begins in conservative suburban Sydney, where his strong work ethic was shaped by his family upbringing. He launched h...

In episode 52 of Tell Us Your F’ing Story podcast by BDC Partners, Jay Westbury, the experienced CEO of the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA), shared his diverse career journey. His path began in his family's businesses, pubs and butcher shops before he moved into the hospitality and travel industries. Notably, he served as CEO of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA), where he...

In Episode 51 of Tell Us Your F’ing Story features Damian and Joshua Hopper, brothers and co-owners of Bubba Pizza, sharing their family and franchising journey on the BDC Partners podcast. Growing up just 14 months apart, their childhood was shaped by moving around Australia due to their father’s retail roles and a strong family bond. Their dad’s early retail career and partnerships led to the cr...

In episode 50 of Tell Us Your F’ing Story, Jamie Keyzer, CEO of Floorworld, shares his journey from growing up in Berwick to leading a successful retail franchise. After working at Barbecues Galore and learning valuable lessons from his time at Masters and Clive Peeters, Jamie became the driving force behind Floorworld’s growth. Despite facing challenges in the past 12–18 months, Jamie is optimist...

In episode 49 of Tell Us Your F’ing Story, Stuart Harley, CEO of ComputerXplorers UK, shares his journey from growing up on the UK coast to owning multiple franchise brands. After exploring careers in sales and law enforcement, Stuart became a ComputerXplorers franchisee in 2019. Despite COVID-19 disruptions, he adapted the business model and eventually took ownership of the UK brand. Stuart expan...

In episode 48 of Tell Us Your F’ing Story, we speak with Jon Sully, CEO of BDC Investments, shares his journey in franchising, starting as a master franchisee for Michelle’s Patisserie in Victoria. He turned around the struggling brand by improving product quality, operations, and franchisee relationships, eventually expanding it to over 360 stores before selling to RFG. He also reflects on a fail...

In episode 47 of Tell Us Your F’ing Story, we speak with David Christie, Co CEO of Bakers Delight, one of the great Australian franchise businesses. David shares his story from growing up on a farm in Zimbabwe to living in South Africa, travelling the world and meeting his future wife to be and Co CEO of Bakers. He spills the beans on some of the great success Bakers Delight has had, what has driv...

In the latest episode of TUYFS, we sit down with Tracy Cooper, CEO of Dokio, a groundbreaking communications marketing platform designed to streamline operations in the franchise sector. Tracy shares her journey about launching a solution that bridges the gap between sales, marketing, and compliance. We dive into the challenges franchises face in maintaining brand integrity while empowering local...

In the latest episode of TUYFS, we sit down with Michelle Price, Chief Commercial Officer at InXpress. Michelle shares her journey in the franchising industry, from her early career to helping entrepreneurs build successful businesses through the InXpress model. With a passion for empowering franchisees, Michelle discusses the key factors behind InXpress’s growth, the importance of strong support...

In the latest episode of TUYFS, we speak with Claire Wilson, CEO of The Alternative Board. From an early age, selling fruits from her family farm and negotiating with her siblings to work "in the business", Claire has been an entrepreneur at heart. Her career has been one of decisions, from choosing an engineering degree at Oxford over a budding tennis career, to emigrating to New Zealand and late...