Franchise Interviews

Last month, we met with Chad Harrison, Franchise Development Representative at Authority Brands, and Michael Hutchins, Franchise Development Manager. Authority Brands is the parent company of several leading home service companies. Over the years, Franchise Interviews has interviewed many of the franchises for Authority Brands. Today we will play clips from several brands we interviewed over the years under the Authority Brands umbrella. They include the following: Screenmobile: Screenmobile provides the best selection of screen-related services and products—right to your door! Monster Tree Service: Monster Tree Service employs professional arborists committed to healthy trees and satisfied customers. Junkluggers - With sustainable disposal services, you can easily discard unwanted junk of all kinds — and feel good about it! ASP - America’s Swimming Pool Company provides exceptional pool maintenance, repair, and renovation.

We are meeting with Lucas Clarke, VP of Franchise Development of Ninja Nation. Ninja Nation, is the leading provider of world-class obstacle course arenas and experiences across the country. Each Ninja Nation location offers a variety of obstacles designed to allow participants of all skill levels to get involved, and visitors can look forward to ever-evolving courses and equipment. mission is to provide a fun, safe, and engaging space where everyone can be a hero. Their goal is to create over one million heroes. That’s one million kids and adults pushing their minds and bodies to limits they never thought possible. In part two, we play a clip from our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast. 

This was an interview we did with the incredible, motivational speaker and talk show host Coach Lynn Johnson. The topic was entrepreneurship and franchising. We gave some of our key tips we learned on our radio show. Learn more by listening to the podcast.

Last month I posted on LinkedIn a conversation I had with my son titled “What is your favorite burger franchise?” I was surprised how many people enjoyed and responded to the post. It stated the following: Today my son Martin and I went hiking by the Delaware River. It is one of my favorite things to do in Lehigh Valley. My son caught me off guard today and said, “Dad, what is your favorite burger franchise?” I started our podcast Franchise Interviews before he was born. I never realized he took an interest or was paying attention all these years. It turned out to be a long and fun conversation. I never shared with everyone the results of our conversation. One of our favorites we shared in common is Jake’s Wayback Burgers. Many years ago, we picked up Jake’s Burgers for July 4th. Since that moment, it has kind of become a tradition to pick up Jake's on holidays like Memorial Day, which is four days away and July 4th. Of course, McDonald’s was part of the conversation. In honor of Hamburger month, we are goin

We are meeting with Luke Carlson, CEO of Discover Strength. Founded in 2006, Discover Strength is a Minnesota-based strength training studio built on the principle that busy people don’t have time to waste on exercise that doesn’t work. Discover Strength delivers 30-minute strength training workouts twice per week with exercise physiologists. They help their clients look and feel their best in a fraction of the time. Discover Strength currently has 15 locations (11 in Minnesota, one Scottsdale location, and three locations awarded in Salt Lake Valley), with more on the way. As the consumer demand for quality boutique fitness continues to rise, Discover Strength, a strength training concept built on the principle that busy people don’t have time to waste on exercise that doesn’t work, is targeting Illinois for growth as it continues its expansion across the Midwest and beyond. Martin and Luke also discuss some of their favorite business books. In Part Two, we play a clip from our interview with the legenda

Did you miss our podcast with Tootl Transport Founder, President Michelle Dacy, and Steve Greenbaum, Board Member and Advisor? I was excited to have this opportunity to interview Michelle and Steve for several reasons. My dad suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Getting him from Point A to Point B was complicated towards the end of this disease, so I think Tootl Transport is such an essential service. Next was my opportunity to interview Steve Greenbaum. I have been following Steve’s career for a long time, and this was the first time I got to interview Steve. Tootl Transport has a strong advisory board. Besides Steve, other members include Brad Fishman, Debra Vilchis, and Jeff Matthews. As the nation’s first special needs non-emergency transportation concept, Tootl is committed to providing individuals with temporary or permanent mobility and cognitive challenges with the reliable and comfortable rides they need. The brand has seen success with its two corporate locations in Milwaukee and Chicago and is

According to the History Channel, Cinco de Mayo, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army's May 5, 1862, victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day, a popular misconception. Instead, it commemorates a single battle. The battle lasted from daybreak to early evening, and when the French finally retreated, they had lost nearly 500 soldiers. Cinco de Mayo is widely interpreted as celebrating Mexican culture and heritage in the United States, particularly in areas with substantial Mexican-American populations. We thought a great way to kick in Cinco de Mayo was to play our interviews with the Margaritas Mexican Restaurant franchise opportunity. Over the years, we had two chances to interview Margaritas Mexican Grill. Our first interview was with Bob Hofmeister, President and COO of Margaritas. Next, we will play a clip of our interview with John Pelletier, Founder and CEO of Margaritas. According to the Margaritas webs

We have a great show. We are meeting with Chad Harrison, Franchise Development Representative at Authority Brands, and Michael Hutchins, Franchise Development Manager. Authority Brands is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, and is the parent company of several leading home service companies. Over the years, Franchise Interviews has interviewed many of the franchises for Authority Brands. The brands include the following: America's Swimming Pool Company, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, The Cleaning Authority, Color World Painting, DoodyCalls, DRYmedic, Homewatch CareGivers, The Junkluggers, Mister Sparky, Mosquito Squad, Monster Tree Service, One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Screenmobile, and STOP Restoration. Combined, these brands have over 1,900 locations throughout the United States and the world.  We will also play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast in Part Two. 

Today's quote comes from the President of the International Franchise Association Steve Calidiera. It is a quote that has been used often on our show but explained on a deeper manner. One of the many benefits of franchising is support.

Darren Guccione gives great advice to those individuals looking to buy a franchise. Darren Guccione is the CEO and co-founder of Keeper Security, Inc. Keeper Security, Inc. is the creator of Keeper, the world?s most downloaded password manager and digital vault.

Today's Great Quote in Franchising comes from Giuseppe Grammatico. Giuseppe is a franchise veteran who simplifies the process of franchising and excels at guiding his candidates to the model that best suits them. His greatest joy is helping people realize the American dream.

We are meeting with Laura Eich, BIGGBY® COFFEE’s Chief Purpose Officer, to discuss how the coffee house’s unique and innovative approach to employee culture and team health through its LifeLab® Program has poised BIGGBY to succeed in today’s challenging labor market. Formerly known as BOOST, LifeLab® is a culture incubator as the company works toward its vision of refined human leadership. As the current labor market continues to be challenging, with as many as 11 million job vacancies in the food service industry, BIGGBY® COFFEE’s culture centers around uniting the entire BIGGBY® population, ensuring baristas feel they are part of a healthy team and can see a future with the company. Through the LifeLab® program, a remarkable result has been a strong tenure among baristas. Some franchise owners have built an average barista tenure of 3 years, while some have been with the brand for over 20 years! With a strong company culture and a team dedicated to the mission, the concept offers something unique to empl

Today's Great Quote in Franchising podcast comes from franchise expert and veteran Craig Slavin. Craig has 5 decades of experience in all aspects of the franchising. His great quote that pertains to franchising was, "Just because you can afford the airplane doesn't mean you should be the pilot." He eloquently explains how this pertains to buying a franchise.

Every Business Has A Story In 1958, two guys started making mattresses for their furniture store in Illinois. The mattresses were a bigger hit than the furniture and soon became the focus of their business. Later, when they incorporated in Wisconsin, they renamed their mattress company by combining their wives' first names. Find out what happened next. We are meeting with Dirk Stallmann, President of Verlo Mattress. With a Verlo Mattress® franchise, you can become the local mattress expert and bring a better night's sleep to the people in your community. Verlo's unique mattress franchise model combines building personalized mattresses locally and selling them directly to the customer. This notion cuts out the middleman markup and allows us to offer a Lifetime Comfort Guarantee — the only guarantee in the mattress industry! In Part Two, we play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

Franchise Interviews Meets franchise legend John Hewitt. This podcast is one of those must-listen-to shows. John Hewitt is the founder of Jackson Hewitt and Liberty Tax Service. In this show, we met with one of Liberty Tax Service's top franchisees, Dan Castallini. We had two opportunities to meet with the Liberty Tax Service franchise opportunity. Marc Johnson is the area developer for Liberty Tax Service. These guys make taxes fun! Listen in. Hit the play button to listen to the show (90-minute show). Original recording 2006.

We are meeting with Prakash Karamchandani (PK), the Co-founder of Balance Grille. Balance Grille, the Asian Fast Casual concept that is redefining the franchising and restaurant industries. The brand is focused on clean eating, menu transparency, authenticity, and tech innovation, setting it apart from its competitors and position itself as the rising leader of the Asian Fast Casual Category.Balance Grille has been turning heads throughout the fast-casual industry since it was founded in 2010, solving for nearly every issue facing the restaurant arena today and instead turning them into key differentiators for the brand. Every Business Has A Story The innovators behind this industry disruptor are co-founders Prakash Karamchandani (PK) and HoChan Jang (CJ) — two buddies-turned-business-partners. CJ handles all kitchen operations, while PK’s focus is on the business side of things, including refining kitchen efficiencies, overall customer experience, and franchising. In Part Two, we play a clip from our popul

This podcast was one of our first historic shows, with Bob Goggins, VP of Franchise Development for Service Brands International, talking about the company and the particular franchise opportunities offered. Discover if this is an opportunity that is right for you. 

We are meeting with Michael Kraner, founder of My Backyard Sports. Founded in 2017, My Backyard Sports has been committed to providing its clients with high-end products and services that create unmatched sports experiences at home or in the community—offering customized small, medium, and large-sized sports projects, My Backyard Sports services residential and commercial clients - including homes, schools, churches, recreation centers, condominiums, real estate developers, and businesses. The brand offers a unique and valuable concept by promoting health and staying active both physically and psychologically. We play a clip from our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast in Part Two.

Marty and Don have suggested Street Smart Franchising is a must read for anyone looking to buy a franchise.  It is now a must listen to interview!  Understand How to Run a Profitable Franchise from “Street Smart Franchising” Author Joe Matthews “Street Smart Franchising” Author Joe Matthews talks about the KASH model of success and the skills you need to have as a franchisee to be profitable.

Over a decade ago, we met with Sam Ballas, the founder of East Coast Wings + Grill. Today we are meeting with Mark Lyso, CFE, Chief Development Officer at East Coast Wings + Grill. East Coast Wings + Grill is a full-service, family dining wings franchise that spotlights buffalo wings. Guests can choose from 60 award-winning wing flavors and seven heat indexes to create over 420 combinations of Buffalo-style wings. Our secret East Coast Wings + Grill wing sauce has been a catalyst in winning the Best Hot Sauce at the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, NY. East Coast Wings + Grill prides itself in offering a complete dining experience by providing a warm and inviting atmosphere and a variety of menu items, including signature burgers, flatbreads, skillets, craft beer, and exceptional hospitality. Their mission is to find the best entrepreneurs to join our chicken wings franchise and stay committed to helping these franchisees succeed. In part two, we play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchis