Franchise Interviews

HTeaO offers 26 handcrafted flavors of ultra-premium caffeinated and decaffeinated tea varieties, in both sweet and unsweet options, at each location and its own proprietary water filtration system for the same consistent flavor no matter the location. The menu also features hot and cold tea and coffee drinks, such as the Texas Chai Tea Latte, Iced Horchata coffee, and other coffee favorites. We are meeting with Justin Howe, CEO of HTeaO.  Having officially launched the brand in 2018, HTeaO has seen a two-year revenue growth of 240% and just announced the inclusion of its first-ever ITEM 19 in its 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), showcasing an AUV of $1,352,540.98 (per 2023 FDD). HTeaO's recent success and growth highlights include: HTeaO has continued its substantial expansion in 2023 and will have 95 locations open by year-end. The brand has an impressively strong growth pipeline with over 100 sites under construction and hundreds of additional candidates applying to join the ever-growing HTeaO

Famous Toastery is a breakfast, brunch, and lunch franchise that encourages its guests, team, and franchise owners to “Be Famous” in their local community by offering “Famously Fresh” meals and a much-needed hub for friends, families, and neighbors to get together in a comfortable atmosphere where “every server is your server.” The brand began in 2005 before evolving into a franchise system in 2013 and growing to over 25 locations today. In 2020 and 2019, Famous Toastery was placed on Restaurant Business’ The Future 50, featuring the fastest-growing small chains. Famous Toastery was ranked No. 9 in the Full-Service Restaurants category of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Food Franchises of 2019 and on Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 Rankings in 2019 and 2022. In 2018, Famous Toastery received recognition by CNBC as a top franchise to buy, FSR Magazine as one of the Top 14 restaurant chains ready for lift-off, Inc. 5000’s list of the fastest growing companies, and Franchise Times’ Top 200+ franchise opportuni

Not long ago, we had a Great Quote in Franchising Podcast called "Date A Little". The podcast suggested the importance of getting to know you mate. Another element that is equally important is getting to know the parents and family members.

We are meeting with Sean Oatney, Vice President of Franchise Development Tommy's Express Car Wash Franchise. Built on a legacy of cutting-edge design and operations, Tommy's Express Car Wash leads the way in Equipment, Facilities, and Operations. Their products will support you every step of the way, from the smallest fitting to a comprehensive franchise solution. Tommy's Express Car Wash Franchise is listed in Franchise Times as one of the Smartest Growing Franchises in the US. Best in their category and now the fastest growing.   Every Business Has A Story Alex Lemmen, CEO of Tommy's Express, holds up a grainy photo to prove he started early in the business founded by the Essenburg family of Holland, Michigan. "IT'S A BOY," says the sign outside the Quality Car Wash managed by his father in 1990, when gas was $1.31 a gallon. "That's me!" Lemmen said. But Tommy's goes back much further, to 1969, when brothers Jun and Sonny Essenburg opened their first Quality Car Wash. "They were partners in life, did ev

Today's Great Quote in Franchising comes from Nick Friedman, of College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving franchise opportunity. College Hunks Hauling Junk is the fastest-growing junk hauling and moving franchise in America. Nick discusses the 5 Fs of franchising.

One of the shows I strongly recommend listening to if you are an aspiring entrepreneur is Stop Riding the Pine (http://www.StopRidingThePine.com). The show is hosted by the popular Jaime Jay. Jaime is an amazing interviewer and speaks with entrepreneur.

We are meeting with Adam Povlitz, the CEO and President of Anago Cleaning Systems, an internationally franchised commercial cleaning brand with over 30 years of experience. Whether you're a hotel looking for quality common area cleaning or a medical facility needing trustworthy commercial janitorial services, Anago the right choice for your commercial cleaning solutions. What sets Anago apart is their unique 3-tiered business format model, which offers master franchisees expansive territories, seven consistent revenue streams, and the opportunity to offer small business ownership to others. In part two, we play a clip from our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast. 

Today's Great Quote in Franchising comes from Joseph Berger - President of You've Got Maids, Joseph has a unique perspective on the franchise industry as the residential cleaning concept was founded by his parents, Frank and Cynthia Berger.

This week, I was a guest on Scotty Milas’ podcast, called “All Things Considered Franchising.” In this interview, Scotty and I discuss the significant changes the franchising industry has gone through. We also talk about the importance of doing research before diving into franchising. All you have to do isclick the link below to listen to the full interview. We will see you next week with another edition of Franchise Interviews. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8IkRdm-1ZM

We are meeting with Dan Doherty, Director of Operations and Vice President of Kelly's Roast Beef. Since Doherty could remember, he has always loved Kelly's Roast Beef. Their buttery roll filled with delicious roast beef, barbecue sauce, mayo, and cheese has been his go-to order since he was a boy. It was in the late 70s that he took his love for the brand and turned it into his summer job. From there, he learned valuable life lessons, such as the importance of a hard work ethic, that he has taken with him to the corporate side of the brand to extend its presence and make Kelly's a household name. Doherty, a Revere Beach native, says that in the brand's early days, Revere Beach was an amusement park, and Kelly's was the town's concession stand. Nobody was making or even thinking about a roast beef sandwich. Kelly's became a hub for Revere Beach and an integral part of the town as now prominent figures such as State Supreme Court Judges, Mayors of Revere, firefighters, police officers, and teachers have all

Today’s Great Quote in Franchising comes from Peter Baldine, the President of Moran Industries. Peter discusses some of the several advantages of franchising compared to non-franchise businesses are support and guidance. 

Every Business Has A Story When Dan and Ashley O’Loughlin were left without a groomer for their schnauzer, Bella, the couple took matters into their own hands- building their own dog grooming business. Their brand petbar has grown to 27 locations across six states with their franchising model. Dan and Ashley had yet to learn what was in store at the conception of the petbar brand. Initially, the couple’s goal was to see if their idea was valid and if people would be interested in taking advantage of their grooming membership service. It was a new and innovative approach to grooming, and they soon found that the model would flourish. With this proven concept, Dan and Ashley started exploring franchising possibilities. The couple has successfully led a team of franchisees to success and sees this success as a result of high-quality training and teams working well together. Every petbar franchisee is incredibly passionate about their pets and gets to bring that passion into their work every day.

Today's Great Quote in Franchising Comes from Mary Jane Riva, CEO of Pizza Factory. Mary Jane suggests aspiring entrepreneurs need to look under the hood before buying a franchise. Listen to this podcast to find out why. Partial Transcript Well, first, there are a couple of things. And one that as we're going through this journey ourselves from being a franchisee to the franchisor, it's understanding the roles of the franchisor versus the franchisee. That's important; what role are you playing versus the franchisor? And then, when you're looking at brands, the other thing for brands to me is really looking under the hood. Don't just look at all the stuff on the surface; dig down and see what extra charges there, you know, are they marking up stuff, you know, really evaluate a brand to a brand and not just the fluff kind of stuff you see on the top. And it's a lot of due diligence. But you know, ask the questions that will be once you're in there, you know, are they marking up the food product? Are they mark

My sister recently told me how she is addicted to Pickleball. She frequently sets her alarm clock at 11:55 PM EST to make reservations at midnight for a Pickleball court. Several months ago, I read a great article by Beth Ewen of Franchise Times on a franchise called Pickleball Kingdom. We are meeting with Ace Rodrigues, Founder & CEO of Pickleball Kingdom, an indoor pickleball facility with a membership model. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America, and Pickleball Kingdom is the leading brand of indoor pickleball facilities. In part two, we will play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast. 

Picture this scenario. You just started a company, and you need to hire a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Chief Operating Officer (COO). How much do you think it will cost to achieve this task?

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. 

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