Franchise Today

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.  This trend towards technology-driven operations is part of a broader movement involving brand consolidation and evolving franchising strategies. Amidst all of these developments, my conversation today with iconic franchise finance expert and IFA Government Affairs Advocate, Ron Feldman highlights the ongoing issues faced by franchising, but concludes with the expectation that franchisor valuations will remain stable, nonetheless.  .   Ron Feldman, this week on Franchise Today.  

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 2015 and started meeting and writing about Entrepreneurs.  Inspired in part by Author, Speaker, Podcaster Malcolm Gladwell, these days Jason is doing more than just writing about Entrepreneurs.  He is speaking, coaching, consulting and himself, living the dream.  This month Entrepreneur celebrates the release of it's 45th Annual Franchise 500.  Jason and I spend a fair amount of time discussing that, as well.      

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 portfolio of brands;includes segment leaders Budget Blinds®, Tailored Living®, Kitchen Tune-Up, Bath Tune-Up, AdvantaClean, Two Maids & A Mop, and Concrete Craft®; offers aspiring business owners a uniquely comprehensive and professional support program that provides every opportunity for success. Through thoughtful analysis and inspiring leadership, his team at Home Franchise Concepts works with and empowers the next generation of men, women, couples, veterans, seniors, and others to control their own lives through successful business ownership. He joined Home Franchise Concepts in 2003 as a Franchise Licensing

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 professional in contents restoration. They offer unparalleled professionalism, quality of work, and efficiency during all parts of the process. Stefan Figley, their President is a Global Strategic Marketing and Operations Executive, a Growth Driver and Results Oriented Leader bringing strategic vision, focused on key metrics that drive increased EBITDA performance. Stefan leads organizational change, enhancing brand strength through innovative marketing solutions and products, stimulating dynamic marketing performance and multimillion-dollar revenue growth. He is a business leader, a team builder, and a motivationa

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 up selling a complete country out to a Master, who actually collaboratively with the franchisor, awards hundreds of units in their country, especially, when the country is China, before the US franchisor, even hits a dozen units sold domestically.  It’s one of those stories that you just can’t make up, but it’s true and you are going to hear all right now, from Babz and Michael Barnett.   

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 delivering on expectations, in everything he does.  Ron is very active in promoting franchising for veterans and members of diverse communities, and he loves to learn from and to mentor others in the Franchise Community. He does so today, as VP of Franchising at Threshold Brands, a highly curated collection of home services providers. Their mission is simple, to open the door to a better lifestyle. Whether you’re looking to repair, maintain or enhance your home or property, or, to own a business that helps people do just that. Their family of brands is environmentally conscious, franchisee and consumer-friendly and pl

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 and scalability starts by honoring the client brand’s growth phase and goals, while identifying challenges and capitalizing on strengths.  This enables the Blue Maven Team to craft an actionable plan and vision, that creates forward momentum and a competitive edge, for the sustainable growth of their clients.  She’s here right now, to tell us her story and it’s another one that will inspire. 

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 countries across the globe.   Now, with more than 338 locations globally, they are also the largest music school franchise in the United States, helping aspiring musicians master skills, unleash creativity and develop tools they need to thrive in life.  They do it all, with their patented, performance-based curriculum, improving people’s lives with the power of Rock n' Roll. Stacey joined School of Rock as an Independent Consultant in 2015, and worked her way up the ropes to VP of Operations, and ultimately COO.  Stacey oversees the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of School of Rock worldwide. As you

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 IFA VetFran Chairman, Ralph Yarusso.   Ralph is the Chairman of IFA’s VetFran Committee.  His franchise career spans almost 40 years of experience, holding executive-level positions with multiple brands.  But all of that came after first spending many years as a very successful multi-unit franchisee, with as many as 15 locations under his ownership in multiple cities.  Ralph is a United States Air Force Veteran, a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) and a Certified Franchise Consultant (CFC). No matter the role, zee or zor, Ralph Yarusso is passionate about helping others succeed in franchising and has always been ha

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 more traditional side of the restaurant business many years later.  He has had a spectacular career leading up to his most recent assignment, but as he will explain, it hasn’t all been roses. But in his present role as President of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, this 3X Undercover Boss is all fired up fired up and excited to take this emerging brand nationwide.      

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 across the country, by providing education, resources, and opportunities to aspiring franchisees and small business owners. She operates out of suburban Atlanta, developing and executing strategic franchise expansion plans and lead-generation tactics for her brand partners.  On her Guest First Services website she says, "If You Don’t Build Your Dreams, Someone Will Hire You to Build Theirs!"  Well, in Tarji's case, she's got the best of both worlds.  She has built her dream of owning her own business AND her clients hire her to help them build theirs.  Well, how's that for win/win?  

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 flooring directly to the customer is exactly why our franchise will continue to grow over the coming years. Tom Wood joined Floor Coverings International in 2005 after previously serving three years as a Vice President of it's parent company FirstService Brands,overseeing the strategy and operational direction of several brands within their franchising portfolio. Tom actually initially joined FSB as a franchisee in 1985 and had worked in a few of its sister companies, including: College Pro Painters as both a franchisee and as an executive at CertaPro Painters as Vice President and part of the founding team. This w

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 service brand space.  In fact, she brings 30 years of experience in the franchise industry, 10 of which were spent in national and international leadership roles, growing what are now household brand names, like: Molly Maid, Maid Right, and Property Management Inc., (PMI). Danessa also serves on the IFA’s  Women in Franchising Committee and was named one of Entrepreneur’s Top Influential Women in Franchising in 2022. With her lead by example style, she’s excited to embrace the culture of ‘Help First’ and continue making a difference in the lives of others. Danessa Itaya, this week on Franchise Today.

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 Pvolve.  In 2017 Julie’s partner, Rachel Katzman went searching for solutions to feeling broken from high-intensity workouts, which when mingled with her chronic scoliosis pain, caused her to search for a better way to get the results she wanted in terms of sculpting her body, minus the aches and pains and broken body that comes along with high intensity workouts.  So, with that as her motivation, Rachel sought some seed capital to create a new modality that they’ve now dubbed, “functional fitness.”  That investor, a successful serial entrepreneur in his own right, also just happens to double as Rachel’s dad.  With his

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 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 values:  Honesty, Character, Courage, Inclusivity and Integrity.  As you’ll hear yet again, Greg is rich in experience and collectively, his team is changing lives, one business at a time, across their ever-expanding portfolio of brands, with a combined 130+ years of franchising experience.   Greg Longe, with a look ahead, this week on Franchise Today.

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 a career as a medical equipment sales rep, though he was determined to pursue his life’s true purpose. So in l995, he created his own adult men’s softball league, ABA Sports. The start-up company quickly grew to over 900 teams in just six years, making it the largest adult sports organization on Long Island. In 2003, Frank sold ABA in order to create i9 Sports, a business that catapulted him to national recognition and that Entrepreneur magazine ranked as the #1 children’s fitness franchising. Frank has been featured on Fox Business News, HBO Real Sports, and in dozens of publications and national news media outlet

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 values:  Honesty, Character, Courage, Inclusivity and Integrity.  As you’ll hear Greg is rich in experience and collectively, his team is changing lives, one business at a time, across their ever-expanding portfolio of brands, with a combined 130+ years of franchising experience.   Greg Longe, this week on Franchise Today.

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: Cultivate a Culture of Appreciation: Recognize and appreciate frontline workers for their invaluable contributions. Implementi employee recognition programs, foster a culture of appreciation, and celebrate individual and team achievements, organizations can boost morale, job satisfaction, and overall productivity.Empower with Autonomy: Grant autonomy and decision-making power to frontline workers enabling them to take ownership of their work and make meaningful contributions. Allow employees to leverage their firsthand knowledge and expertise, fostering innovation, problem-solving capabilities, and increasing engagement.Pr

Huey Magoo’s was founded in 2004 by Matt Armstrong and Thad Hudgens, two southern boys with a passion for quality chicken and a penchant for serving others. Now, Andy Howard and other former executives from one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing franchise chains, Wingstop, have partnered with the founders, bringing a shared passion and laser-like focus for the perfect chicken tender, crafted into everything that Huey Magoo’s offers today. Their leadership team includes other notables of Wing Stop fame, including Wes Jablonski, Mike Sutter, Matt Poleos, and Bill Knight.This week,Huey Magoo's President and CEO Andy Howard serves it all up, on Franchise Today.  

Master Messaging helps clients increase their revenue in predictable and sustainable ways. Their approach applies the latest principles in behavioral psychology. These include how individuals perceive value and communicating in ways that increase engagement throughout the buyer’s journey. This empowers sales reps to communicate value with prospects and customers, which is crucial for increasing revenue. David Kurkjian, Author of "6X - Convert More Prospects to Customers: A Road Map for Early-Stage Sales Conversations" and Creator of Master Messaging, breaks it all down.  This week, on Franchise Today.