Stories from Franchisees & Founders To commemorate the 100th episode of The Franchise Story Podcast, Brian and Erik share some of their biggest takeaways and favorite episodes as they take a look back on these amazing past two years. The duo recounts the entire history of the show, from the very earliest days. They also discuss why they think their efforts to create such a podcast ended up working, and where the project goes from here. Thank you to our listeners for your support over the las...
Oct 09, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 100
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this week’s episode, Erik is joined by Scott Kaspar, a high-performing SPENGA franchisee based in the Chicago area. SPENGA is an unrivaled fitness experience that incorporates elements of cardio, strength training, and flexibility into every one-hour workout through a combination of spin, HIIT training, and yoga. Scott shares with Erik how he was able to successfully build his first SPENGA location, and his goals for expansion. In his first year of oper...
Sep 29, 2020•28 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, Brian and Erik are joined by Roger McGreal, who has served in his role as CEO for SPENGA since March 2015 as well as being a co-founder. As one of the fastest growing brands to keep your eyes on, SPENGA currently has over 307 locations sold and offers a boutique fitness experience that combines spin, strength, and yoga elements to the workout. The trio talks about how SPENGA was conceptualized and developed in the early days, and how franc...
Sep 25, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 98
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, Brian is joined by Harold Mills, a successful Urban Air franchisee. Urban Air is the preeminent indoor adventure park hosting open jump, fitness classes, dodgeball, and parties. Harold just safely and successfully opened one of the largest Urban Air parks in the country this summer, which has been among the franchise system’s top performers even in the midst of a global pandemic. In addition, Harold is also the CEO of VMD Ventures focused ...
Sep 15, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, we are joined by other purpose-driven franchising experts who are Brian’s co-authors of the newly released book Franchising Freedom! In this book, 15 franchisors and franchising experts that share the best thinking and proven strategies for successfully franchising a business. Brian is joined by seven of his coauthors— Peter Daly-Dixon, Daren Taylor, Shireen Smith, Pieter K de Villiers, Stan Friedman, Aveline Clarke, and Haroon Danis. This...
Sep 10, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, Brian is joined by Andres Barcenas, a multi-location franchisee of Smoothie King in Austin, Texas. Andres talks about his journey starting out as a manager for a Smoothie King location to becoming a multi-unit franchisee for the brand in a short period of time. He shares with us the first steps you can take in a turnaround situation, and some of the most essential lessons he has learned throughout his business journey. Tune in and learn mo...
Aug 28, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this week’s episode, Brian is joined by Kevin Dubois, the President & CEO of Lapels Dry Cleaning. Lapels Dry Cleaning was founded on the premise of convenience and a true 100% environmentally non-toxic way to clean clothes. With nearly 100 locations nationwide, the brand was recently named to Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 for 2020. Kevin shares his journey leading into franchising and the lessons he’s learned along the way that ultimately al...
Aug 20, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, we are joined by Reed Daniels, the CEO and President of Red’s Savoy Pizza. Since 1965, the original Red’s Savoy Pizza has earned a reputation as a landmark restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota. Red’s began licensing in 2006, replicating its mom and pop pizzeria in dozens of Midwest communities. Now, the franchise currently has 19 locations and is growing fast. Brian and Reed discuss the importance of honing in on the company branding and busi...
Aug 14, 2020•49 min•Season 1Ep. 93
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, Brain is joined by special guest Dr. George Tinsley Sr. who is a Hall of Famer, an entrepreneur, an author, podcast host, speaker, and a franchisee. Tinsley is CEO of PenGeo, Inc., Tinsley Group, Inc. and Tinsley Family Concessions — collectively Tampa Bay's 3rd largest Black-owned enterprise, and one of the fastest growing independent restaurant conglomerates in the nation. As someone who has managed to turn every obstacle into opportunit...
Aug 05, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Stories from Franchisees & Founders This week, we take a step back in time to discuss the lifework of Martha Matilda Harper— one of the greatest businesswomen you may not have heard about. In this special episode, Erik is joined by Jane Plitt, the author of the book Martha Matilda Harper and the American Dream: How One Woman Changed the Face of Modern Business. Martha Matilda Harper is an American businesswoman, entrepreneur, and inventor who launched modern retail franchising and then built...
Jul 28, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Stories from Franchisees & Founders Dustin King is a 32-year-old third-generation operator steering his family’s multi-brand snack empire which now includes Auntie Anne’s, Häagen-Dazs, Cinnabon, Planet Smoothie, Jamba, Nestle Toll House Cookies, and Carvel. As the COO of SE Co-Brand Ventures, the company operates just shy of 60 locations and is still growing. Dustin shares how he’s been able to beat out the competition and his method of scaling the business. The portfolio allows him to contr...
Jul 21, 2020•45 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this week’s episode, Brain is joined by Shaun Grove, the president of Club Pilates. As the largest Pilates brand in the world, Club Pilates is also one of the world's largest franchised fitness brands with over 600 locations open worldwide. Before becoming the president of Club Pilates back in 2015, Grove was involved with LA Boxing as General Counsel. Later uncovering his entrepreneurial side, he opened four franchise locations with the brand himself. ...
Jul 14, 2020•48 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, Erik Van Horn is joined by Brian Scudamore on a favorite episode from the Franchise Secrets Podcast. Brian is a franchising legend. After realizing that he learned more from working than he did from studying, he dropped out of college to attack his junk removal business full-time. That business became 1-800-GOT-JUNK, a top-flight low cost to entry franchise that has swept both the US and Canada and annually grosses over a half billion doll...
Jul 07, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 88
Stories from Franchisees & Founders Scott is a respected entrepreneur from Utah that has led several companies from their growth stage to exit. Most notably, Scott co-founded Five Star Painting, one of America’s largest painting franchise systems, taking it to over 100 locations in four countries. Now, Scott is the CEO of ProNexis, leading that company to become a fully integrated business solution for service based businesses. In terms of finding the next evolution for your business, Scott ...
Jun 30, 2020•45 min
Stories from Franchisees & Founders Andy Pittman is the CEO of ShelfGenie, the nation’s leading custom shelving and home improvement solutions franchise. Andy doesn’t have your typical franchise story, though. Back in the day, Andy was running his own appliance store with 13 employees in Raleigh, North Carolina, when he found an article about ShelfGenie in a national business magazine. Within a month, he purchased the rights to the Raleigh franchise territory. A few years later, he had expan...
Jun 23, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 86
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, Brian and Erik are joined by Scott Marr. Scott is the founder and CEO of Koala Insulation, an emerging installation franchise serving residential and commercial customers based in Melbourne, Florida. Before Koala Insulation, Scott started and sold another successful franchise, Fleet Clean USA, one of the largest mobile truck washing companies in the country. Scott shared how he successfully built and scaled his business through franchising...
Jun 16, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, Brian talks with Jeff Dudan, the CEO of Dudan Partners. Jeff is a franchise executive with 25 years of experience founding, building, operating, and ultimately exiting a national brand. After the successful sale of AdvantaClean, a light environmental service franchise, Jeff founded Dudan Partners. Jeff is a published author, Forbes contributor, speaker, and consultant to emerging brands as well as serving YPO as Chapter Chair of the Southe...
Jun 09, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 84
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, Brian talks with James Williams, co-founder of the Mayweather Boxing + Fitness concept. James has been serving as the brand’s CEO since their inception in 2017. Previously, James was a co-founder and Principal at Ivy Venture Partners, where he partnered with Floyd Mayweather and Beyoncé to develop each of their various business ventures. He is a former strategy consultant at premier global consulting firm, Bain & Company; and a former...
Jun 02, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 83
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, Brian talks with the owner and operator of two Kilwins Chocolates, Fudge, & Ice Cream franchise locations in North and South Carolina, Ashley Clark. Ashley entered the franchising world at a young age, eventually acquiring a second Kilwins location. After graduating from Clemson at 23 years old, she chose to take the entrepreneurial path over attending law school. Ashely reflects, “It’s so rewarding, my organization grows at the speed ...
May 26, 2020•36 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, we are joined by a top performer franchisee, Jon-Anthony Lui. Jon-Anthony is a 10-year, multi-unit franchisee with Tutor Doctor. Together with Erik and Brian, Jon-Anthony shares his experiences in starting out and growing in the world of franchising where he developed notable life and leadership skills that definitely scaled him up to the level of success that he is in now. He also talks about the mindsets and mental health of entrepreneur...
May 19, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 81
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, we have a special guest who is the Founder and CEO of Loyalty Brands— John Hewitt. Prior to Loyalty Brands, John was also the co-founder of Jackson Hewitt and the Sole Founder of Liberty Tax Service. Given his 50+ years of experience in the industry, John talks with Brian about some key values on how to lead in times of uncertainty. They also talked about building the best business system by having a healthy franchisor-franchisee relations...
May 12, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In today’s episode, Brian talks with Andrew Alfano, the CEO of Retro Fitness, and Robbie Sprechman, the brand’s CFO. Retro Fitness is a rapidly growing fitness company with over 140 locations in 14 states open or in development. Andrew points out, “I don’t build business, I build people, and people build business. That’s probably the greatest attraction with franchising for me because you’re really serving and helping others be successful.” The trio dives ...
May 05, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 79
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, Brian talks with Ed Cunningham, a Firehouse Subs franchisee in Arizona. Within 5 months of opening, Ed’s location became the #1 ranked location in the entire Firehouse Subs system. How did he do it? Before becoming a Firehouse Subs franchisee, Ed served as a firefighter. Being a public safety professional, Ed learned the importance of upholding one’s reputation at all times within the entire community. This all-encompassing approach to his...
Apr 28, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 78
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In the second installation of our special panel discussion, we have the privilege of talking with three guys you may have heard from before—Jeff Bevis, Henry Kim, and Stephen Vereb. Today’s panel is made up of high-performing franchise veterans across different industries to share with us what their crisis management has looked like over the past few weeks. Jeff Bevis has over 38 years of business leadership experience and a deep emphasis on franchising. H...
Apr 21, 2020•50 min•Season 1Ep. 77
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In light of this new reality we are all living in, we thought it would be best to conduct a special panel discussion made up of high-performing franchisees across different industries to share with us what their crisis management has looked like over the past few weeks. The ability to collaborate during this time will be incredibly beneficial for all of us. Today, we have the privilege of talking with two guys you may have heard from before, Peter Hansen a...
Apr 14, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, Brian and Erik talk with Craig Jooste, the Co-founder and CEO of Local Handyman Group. Craig is an accomplished entrepreneur and senior executive with more than 15 years of success in franchising multiple brands across the United States and Canada. He was previously a part of the leadership team at 1-800-GOT-JUNK, and Wow 1 Day Painting. The lessons learned from those early days have been extremely valuable as he pivotes his current busine...
Apr 07, 2020•37 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Stories from Franchisees & Founders In this episode, Brian and Erik talk with Fred Tomlin, the CEO of Accelerated Waste Solutions, and Sherrod Hunter, the President and Co-founder of Accelerated Waste Solutions. They share key moments of growth for their company and how they made sure to keep the business on top within the industry. They also share how technology has been a valuable asset to their growth and how they worked to have a well-developed system and processes before getting into fr...
Mar 31, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 74
Stories from Franchisees & Founders Our third installment from the 2020 “Best of IFA” series features Vanessa Yakobson, CEO of Blo Blow Dry Bar. Blo Blow Dry Bar is North America’s original blow dry bar. No cuts, no color: Just wash, blo, and go! Vanessa talks with Brian about her experience launching this category that didn’t previously exist. Since it’s advent, Blo Blow Dry, and the category, has seen tremendous growth across the U.S. and Canada. Brian and Vanessa have an honest conversati...
Mar 17, 2020•27 min•Season 1Ep. 73
Stories from Franchisees & Founders Our second installment from the 2020 “Best of IFA” series features Chris McCuiston, CEO and co-founder of Goldfish Swim School Franchising. Just two years out of college, Chris and his wife took a major risk by starting the brand. “We thought we’d open up 4-5 locations out in Michigan, all company owned, and that was it.” Fast-forward to 2020, the brand has just crossed the 100 location threshold and ranks #1 in the 2019’s Entrepreneur’s Top Children's Fit...
Mar 10, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 72
Stories from Franchisees & Founders Our first installment from the 2020 “Best of IFA” series features Don Fox, CEO of Firehouse Subs. In this live conversation with Brian, Don sheds light on best practices to create the type of brand that can grow and sustain 1,000+ locations. Don joined Firehouse Subs in 2003 as a Director of Franchise Compliance before rising to CEO in 2009, growing Firehouse franchise locations from 65 to almost 1,200. We dig into the importance of developing strong leade...
Mar 03, 2020•42 min•Season 1Ep. 71
