Franchise Masters

In this episode of Franchise Masters, Dru Carpenito chats with a dynamic entrepreneur who owns and operates nine Crumbl franchise locations. Get ready for a deep dive into the rollercoaster journey of scaling a high-growth, fast-paced franchise in the booming cookie industry. Shideler Bennett shares behind-the-scenes stories about the challenges of rapid expansion, from managing supply chain disruptions to building strong teams across multiple locations. You'll hear about the systems and processes that were pivotal to handling such rapid growth.

What does it take to scale a $30M+ home service business? Ron Weatherly shares his journey and lessons learned from scaling his foundation repair and crawlspace encapsulation company and exiting to a private-equity-backed company rolling up operators. This candid conversation delves into the strategies, challenges, and key decisions that fueled Ron's growth and success. From navigating the complexities of scaling operations to assembling a winning team and leveraging systems like EOS, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at what it took.

Looking to save money while improving your back-office operations in the process? The key could be in outsourcing those things to offshore talent! Connor Groce is a multi-brand, multi-unit franchisee in his twenties running a multimillion-dollar operation. He gives us the goods on how he saves $100K+ per year by outsourcing his back-office operations to offshore talent (e.g. HR, AR/AP, bookkeeping, marketing, etc.) We get into why he believes it's more effective to do it this way (besides saving a ton of money). Connor walks us through his systems, software he uses, checks and balances, etc. Lots of insights in this episode, so tune in!

The dream of franchise ownership is freedom and financial success. But how do you turn a single home service franchise location into an eight-figure powerhouse? It takes strategic planning, operational excellence, and leveraging the power of the franchise system. In this episode, Caleb Brunz shares his story and journey of scaling his Paul Davis Restoration franchise into a monster business. Caleb opens the kimono on what it took to achieve this scale – including his leadership strategy, people development philosophy, and more. He also gives a glimpse into his future expansion plans via a unique joint venture strategy with the corporate office. Join Caleb to learn from his experience and adopt his best practices to accelerate your growth in your franchise journey.

Adam Wasch, Founding Partner of The Franchise Firm, shares insights any emerging franchise company and franchise buyer should hear. Adam has extensive experience advising franchisors and new franchisees on the legal ins and outs to be aware of. He covers a lot in this episode.

One of the surprising elements of a successful franchise system is the power of the franchisee community. In this episode, Tim Morris shares secrets about tapping into the collective mindshare of franchisees to develop high-performing franchise owners. Tim has spent many years helping franchise brands grow throughout the world. He's an expert in franchising and a skillful facilitator. Tim offers so many insights in this episode. So, don't try to miss this opportunity!

Ryan Muhlbauer got into the pet boom before it was booming. He opened his first Dogtopia in 2017 and has since grown to a second location. Interestingly, he owns the real estate on his second Dogtopia location. Ryan talks with us about how he pulled off owning the dirt and why owning the real estate is an important part of his scaling strategy. He also shares secrets he's used to scale his multi-unit operation including how implementing EOS was a game-changer.

Alicia Miller, an author, joins the podcast to walk us through insights about private equity in franchising (at both the franchisor and franchisee level). Alicia has analyzed private equity's extensive involvement in franchising and offers a candid under-the-hood perspective that hasn't been very public before. Alicia has deep ties within the private equity and franchising world. She's also just released a book that covers this very topic called “Big Money in Franchising: Scaling Your Enterprise in the Era of Private Equity.” This episode is packed with nuggets and takeaways anyone involved in (or considering getting involved in) franchising can benefit from.

Cole Simpson launched his Mighty Dog Roofing franchise and started cranking from day one. His company and team signed close to $1M in revenue during his first three months and planned to do $3M this year (his company's first full calendar year in business). In the long term, Cole sees a path to build a $10M business. And he's only five months into his business! We talked through how he's scaled so fast, lessons learned (it hasn't been easy), taking calculated risks, the power of building a strong network of peers, ETA vs opening a de novo franchise, and his favorite tweets (including an encounter with the FBI. He didn't do anything wrong). So, join us in this episode, and you will grab some golden nuggets today!

Mathis Young left the banking world in 2008 to launch his Aussie Pet Mobile franchise. He had no experience grooming dogs. He didn't know the financial crisis was about to paralyze the world's banking system and economy. But he didn't really care. Perseverance and ambition pushed him forward. Today, he's scaled his business to 24 mobile grooming vans on the road. He's built his own training center for groomers and has a management team in place to run the day-to-day. Mathis walks us through his journey as he's built a monster of a business in a surprising niche. He also talks about how Vistage and EOS played a big part in his success. And how the Doodle boom helped.

When Scott Tobin joined one of the early Burn Boot Camp locations as a trainer, he never dreamed that one day he would own 12 locations. Scott joins Dru Carpenito to walk us through his journey and how he has built a fitness empire with over 4,000 members and 200 employees. He also shares how he plans to grow to 20 locations. Through the highs of adding more locations under his belt to the lows brought on by different challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, Scott paints a great picture of what it takes to be a successful multi-unit franchisee owner. Tune in now for more wisdom and insights!

Connor Groce is a multi-brand multi-unit franchise owner with Smash My Trash and Shine, who is growing through acquisition with plans to roll up franchises. Connor takes us through his journey starting his first franchise while still an undergrad at UNC during COVID, building it to a manager-run level, moving halfway across the country to acquire his first Smash My Trash unit, and how he's growing through acquisition via roll-up with funding through his hold co.

The Wolf of Franchises joins Dru Carpenito, and they get real and raw about the realities of what it takes to succeed as both a franchisee and franchisor. What does semi-absentee really mean, and what do prospective franchise owners need to beware of when they hear this word? Why do the minority of franchisors share profitability metrics in their Item 19? Why do only the small majority of franchise systems successfully scale nationally? And more. This is a fun and informative episode.

If you're an emerging franchise brand trying to figure out how to find high-quality franchise owners, this episode is for you. Dru is joined by long-time franchise insider, Andrew Horton. Andrew and Dru dive into 20+ years of experience in the emerging franchise development world. They share a number of different approaches emerging franchises have used to find the right franchise owners. From recruiting franchise owner #1 to scaling to 100+ units across the country, this episode covers the entire spectrum of growth. They also get into the realities of what it takes to grow sustainably, responsibly, and financially.

Jasmine and Xan Carr got an early look at KidStrong before it skyrocketed and sold 400 units. Interestingly, when they heard about it, the KidStrong business model was being prototyped and hadn't been franchised yet. They knew it was unique and special. When KidStrong began expanding through franchising, they eagerly joined as Area Developers. They left their W2 jobs, moved their young family to Louisiana, and started building their KidStrong business. Today, Jasmine and Xan have five KidStrong locations open with plans to open many more throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. During this episode, they share their journey of building a successful multi-unit operation and share some insights into getting in early with an emerging franchise.

Masterminds are the rocket fuel for entrepreneurial success. Welcome to an enlightening exploration of the dynamic world of mastermind groups, where we uncover the extraordinary potential they hold for catapulting your entrepreneurial journey to unparalleled heights. In this episode, we are privileged to be joined by Kurt Graves, an accomplished Vistage Chair who presides over a multitude of mastermind groups. Kurt's role revolves around facilitating peer-to-peer learning and collectively addressing the formidable challenges that his clients encounter on their quest for success. Drawing upon his extensive experience working closely with countless entrepreneurs and franchise owners, he shares the driving forces behind their triumphs, often defying conventional expectations. Discover how the art of skillfully posing the right questions and ingeniously reframing opportunities or challenges can catalyze breakthroughs that transform your business endeavors. Don't miss this opportunity to gain priceless insights into the secrets of success from a true expert, Kurt Graves. Tune in now.

Success in youth sports isn't just about scoring goals; it's about finding the right team, nurturing passion, and creating champions in life. Join us as Brittany Bennett takes us through her journey of building a multi-unit, multi-brand empire under the Youth Athletes United franchise platform. Brittany shares her and her husband's story, from their humble beginnings as personal trainers striving to make ends meet to becoming a dynamic force in the youth sports industry. She reveals her strategies for finding the perfect coaches, scaling a business empire, and more! Tune in now to learn, be inspired, and embrace the power of passion, hard work, and unwavering dedication in the world of youth sports.

When is it time to transition out of the game and focus on being a franchisee or even further your growth as a franchisor? During this episode, we take a deep dive into all things exit strategy with Brian Alas, Managing Director at Boxwood Partners. Boxwood is a mid-market mergers and acquisition firm with a keen focus on franchising. Brian shares sell-side insights and from-the-trenches perspectives, helping multi-unit franchisees and growing franchise systems sell to institutional investors. From operating a franchise system and thresholds for exits to next-level strategic growth for franchisors, Brian gives us a show full of great insights that you don't want to miss. So tune in and learn more tools for success in the franchising world.

Jay Palmer is a 14-unit franchisee of Floyd's 99 Barbershop with locations across multiple non-contiguous states. During this episode, Jay takes us through his journey of how a chance encounter on a bike in Colorado led him to become a franchisee in 2006. Right now, he runs a multi-unit-multi-state operation with locations in Colorado and Kentucky managed by 250 employees. He shares some great advice around scaling multi-units, funding his growth, engaging with his growing number of employees through a daily email, structuring his company, and more.

Have you wondered what it takes to scale a non-food franchise and exit the business successfully? Today's guest, JT Singh, a CPA, M&A expert, and multi-unit franchise owner, joins the podcast to drop tons of nuggets from his unique experience and perspective on franchising in this episode. JT is currently the CFO for FranWorth and talks about his strategies for scaling a non-food franchise. He also shares his tips on what franchise owners should look for to identify if an emerging brand has potential. JT's formula to success proves to be effective for businesses with certain niches. So tune in to this episode to learn more from JT Singh's business model and scale your franchise business today.

Can you run a business where you have no background on it? How do you scale that business? In this episode, Jon Smith shares his journey of how one entrepreneur is scaling a multi-unit Club Pilates Empire with zero background in Pilates. The large demographic that Club Pilates serve is a huge factor in their growth. The more people with experience you get involved in your business can be your determiner in success. Jon mentions for general managers to be successful, they must have the sales arm and the ability to manage a process and people. Dive in for all of these and more!

As emerging business owners, what are the things we need to learn to grow our business? In this episode, Kevin Wilson, Chairman and CEO of Buzz Franchise Brands, join us for a fascinating conversation about growing and scaling multiple franchise brands using many of the principles he learned in private equity. Kevin started his career with a prestigious consulting firm, Bain & Company, but had the entrepreneurial itch to build his own successful business and stumbled across franchising. From building Mosquito Joe into a household name via franchising to forming Buzz Franchise Brands, which owns several soon-to-be-household names, Kevin shares his journey and the insights he picks up along the way that have played a big part in helping him achieve a mountain of success in franchising. There is so much to learn on how you go about the business looking from the perspective of first-time business owners to emerging brands. Tune in to this episode now!

Jim Donnelly, founder of Restore Hyper Wellness, shares his entrepreneurial journey and the story behind creating and leading one of the fastest-growing franchises in the country. If you want to feel better, go visit a Restore near you!

Entrepreneurs who want to expand their business rapidly should start thinking about franchising. Letting other people use your brand poses both risks and opportunities, and therefore you must know the right franchisor practices to follow. In this episode, Dru Carpenito is joined by Jeff Dudan, Author of Discernment: The Business Athlete's Regimen for a Great Life through Better Decisions. He is a seasoned franchise entrepreneur who founded and exited one franchise company. Jeff takes us deep into various best practices for emerging franchisors. He unpacks his thoughts on why franchising is the greatest wealth creation tool. Listen as we explore his vast expertise in this episode of Franchise Masters.

Navigating through the site selection process to find the right location and negotiating with landlords to get the best lease terms for a franchise is critical in setting your business up for success. In this episode, the expert on retail real estate shares his trade tips. Joe Dougherty has spent over a decade helping retailers and franchise owners find the right location for their business. He is a partner in one of the largest retail commercial real estate firms in the Mid-Atlantic and has a firm ear to ground on the retail market. Tune in to this episode as he shares some best practices for working with brokers, landlords, and other nuggets. Don't miss out on this episode and hop into the Franchise Masters!

Kelsey Stuart and his two brothers are carrying on their mother's legacy by expanding their family-run Bloomin' Blinds business via franchising. By focusing closely on systems, culture, franchisee profitability, and partnering with the right franchise owners, Bloomin' Blinds is hitting its stride as they rapidly expand across the county. In this episode, Kelsey shares his and his family's franchise journey including how their mother going dumpster diving played a key role in the company's genesis.

Nick Lopez, founder and CEO of Lime Painting, joins us to share his journey of expanding Lime into a national company via franchising by paying particularly close attention to the values and culture of the company. Nick's journey in the franchise world started when he founded a painting company in college and built a unique business model by applying many of the things he was learning in classes. Fast forward a few years, and Nick has built Lime Painting into a national company with 80 locations. Nick also shares how his crawl-walk-run approach to franchising helped him accelerate his franchise expansion.

Bret Chevrier owns a franchise business that most people underestimate. It's one of the biggest low-investment sleeper franchises out there because it can scale in a big way. The franchise is ShelfGenie, and Bret is a top-performing franchise owner. Bret takes us through his journey from banking to franchise ownership and reveals the simple secrets he's used to achieving a mountain of success. Do you want to know how to become a high-performing franchise owner? Tune in to this episode and learn more secrets from one of our Franchise Masters!

Ben Crawford's journey is one for the ages. Ben built a wildly successful real estate and construction company – and was recognized as Ernst and Young's Entrepreneur of The Year and featured on Inc.'s 500 fastest growing companies – and then it all changed when The Great Recession arrived. That's when Ben's franchise journey began. Soon after the crash, Ben pushed all his chips in to bet on himself and a young emerging franchise that no one had heard about: The Joint Chiropractic. Even with no chiropractic background, Ben made the leap, and it paid off. Fast forward to today, and Ben owns a number of The Joints in the greater Houston area. Ben shares his journey about why and how he invested in a franchise (here's a hint: it has to do with recurring revenue).

A special treat is stored in us in this episode because the dynamic duo who are successful franchise owners will grace us with wisdom today. From teaching high school students Spanish to building and running a successful multi-unit operation, Amy and Jesse Hudson share their journey about building a successful business with their Exercise Coach franchises. This husband and wife duo takes us behind the scenes about managing their growing business while only working 15 hours weekly. Amy and Jesse also share insights into their personal growth as entrepreneurs and what's helped them cultivate a mindset that has helped them scale successfully. Learn how you can run a multi-unit franchise by tuning in to this episode!

The best way to grow and franchise your brand is to use the roll-up strategy. You roll everything up, acquire new locations by making deals, and you plug-and-play. You're combining smaller companies in the same industry under one roof. You're cutting down on costs and increasing revenues. That's the beauty of franchising, it's just plug-and-play. Join Dru Carpenito as he talks to the President of Prenlyn Automotive Group and the host of Business with Beers, Brian Beers. Discover how Brian and his brother built a franchise empire by scaling to 30 Midas franchise locations (without ever fixing a car himself). Find out how he scaled his multi-unit business by strategically acquiring fellow franchise owners who are ready to exit. Also, get some insight into how he's structured his organization, what's inspiring him to scale, and his from-the-trenches opinion about the electrical vehicle trend and why he sees it as a "phantom menace."

Chris Kenny, the CEO of Level 5 Capital Partners, takes us inside his world of creating some of the most well-built franchise brands in the industry, including Restore Hyper Wellness, Big Blue Swim School, Heyday Skincare, KidStrong, and Level 5's newest brand, GoDog. You'll hear Chris explain how a relentless focus on the unit model can transcend a brand into greatness, along with other nuggets of wisdom. Chris also takes us on a deep dive through his entrepreneurial journey in franchising from a technology executive turned franchise owner and how these experiences shaped what Level 5 is today and how it operates. Buckle in because this episode is filled with nuggets of wisdom that can have a massive impact.

Want to know how you can take your franchise business to the next level and become a high-performing franchisor and franchise owner? Here to help you find out is serial franchise entrepreneur Erik Van Horn. Erik is the Co-founder of Front Street Equity Partners and podcast host of Franchise Secrets. From owning six different emerging franchises across eight states to founding a franchisor to advising emerging franchises, Erik has seen and done just about everything you can do in franchising. In this episode, he joins Dru Carpenito to dive deeply into the emerging franchise world with tips on how to stand out in the industry. Don't miss this episode's valuable insights and practical advice and tune in!

From technology to trampoline parks…Alan Wilson shares his journey about getting in early with Sky Zone and how he now owns multiple units. When Alan Wilson decided to stop climbing the corporate ladder and start building his own business, the franchise he found was in its early days. Not only that, the entire trampoline park niche was in its early days. Landlords didn't understand the business. Banks were wary. But, Alan had two things that pushed him through the obstacles: passion and perseverance. And it paid off!

From banking executive to successful multi-brand franchise owner, Tony Cortina walks us through how he made the transition from the corporate world into full-time entrepreneurship by purchasing multiple existing franchise sales. Tony started his entrepreneurial journey by acquiring a Cleaning Authority franchise. A few years later he acquired sixteen SuperCuts franchises that the corporation was selling. From how Tony analyzes deals to what he's done to improve the performance of the franchises he bought, Tony walks us through it all.

One of the biggest myths people tend to have about franchises is the more expensive the business costs, the more money you can make. Diane Wilson, a successful franchise owner with Tutor Doctor, joins Dru Carpenito to explain why that's the not the case. Diane shares her journey in franchising and how she's built her Tutor Doctor franchise in a small rural town in northern Ontario into a thriving business she's passed down to her daughters.Diane shares many valuable nuggets in her journey including:• What it was like to open an education franchise without any background in education and why she decided to do it• What it's like to open a franchise during one of the largest recessions the world has ever experienced• How she's built her business through a keen focus on solving her customers' problems and helping them• How she overcame her fear of “sales” by shifting her mindset• And, how she's been able to pass the business along to her daughters who now run it.

If you've ever wondered why the home improvement category is such an attractive space, listen in. Turp Ricketts, Vice President of Franchise Development, shares the inside story about how HorsePower Brands is rapidly expanding home improvement franchises in specific niches within the massive home improvement sector. Turp dives into HorsePower's strategy and the unique pieces of the business they've put together to help franchise owners with critical fundamentals such as hiring great employees, managing a call center for customer intake and bookings, in-house advertising, and more.This is a great listen for anyone thinking about investing in a franchise in the home improvement space or any emerging franchisors that are starting to scale nationwide.

The Wolf of Franchises dropped in to talk about all things franchising with a deep dive on multi-unit franchising and how some franchise owners have used this strategy to create true wealth. The Wolf is an up-and-coming figure in franchising and has built a name for himself by sharing fascinating stories on different franchise brands, interviewing successful multi-unit franchise owners, and putting out refreshingly transparent content. This is one you don't want to miss.

What makes a business successful? Are your core values aligned with it? In this episode, Lyle Nearby shares his journey about leaping from working for one of the most recognized brands in luxury to mold remediation, water damage cleanup, and air duct cleaning when he opened his first AdvantaClean franchise. He talks us through a critical change in his business that has enabled him to scale it so it's not dependent on him to operate successfully. He also walks us through how he has dovetailed his success as an entrepreneur into a new coaching venture, where he consults other entrepreneurs and helps them figure out how to scale their businesses. Tune in for in-depth insights on how you can create happy customers and help your company grow!

Alex Smereczniak and Dan D'Aquisto, co-founders of LaundroLab, share their secrets to how they are disrupting the laundromat industry with a tech-enabled business model and expanding it via franchising. They discuss why the laundromat industry is ripe for disruption and how they've been able to bring on some big hitters as the first franchise owners. Dan and Alex are seasoned laundrapreneurs. Their first laundry business is a brand called 2ULaundry (think the Uber of laundry pickup and delivery). The duo discusses how they are vertically integrating LaundroLab into their 2ULaundry expansion and the benefits this strategy can provide their franchise owners.

Dwayne Duprey and his wife Karen were early franchisees and area developers with Orangetheory Fitness. Dwayne shares their journey of building a successful multi-unit franchise empire and exiting private equity. Dwayne covers everything - from how they structured their organization and hired and developed their employees to how they prepare their business to sell. He also shares his insight into the next franchise they bought - Restore Hyper Wellness.

Ever wondered what it's like to run one of the fastest-growing franchises in the country? Lou DeFrancisco talks us through his journey leading StretchLab's growth from infancy to over 700 studios in development. He also takes a deep dive into multi-unit franchise ownership and how StretchLab found success setting their franchise owners up to take advantage of opening multiple locations. Lou also demystifies “fitness franchises” and shares some from-the-trenches insight about owning and operating them successfully (and why you don't have to be a trainer or fitness professional to be successful). And at the end, he gives us a glimpse into Xponential Fitness' newest brand, Body Fit Training (which he's now President of).

Having funding is a critical factor in starting any business. So, how do you fund a franchise? Here to help you out is Shirley Kefgen, Director of Business Development at FranFund and one of the top franchise funding consultants in the country. In this episode, she walks us through the various ways to fund a franchise. From how to use funds in a 401(k) without having to pay taxes or early withdrawal fees to loans through the SBA, Shirley covers it all and takes through the pros and cons of each strategy. Listen to her chat with host Dru Carpenito and get practical, valuable tips you can use for your business.

Running a multi-unit semi-absentee franchise is what a lot of people dream to do. Meet Steve Hitzemann, one of the early franchisees with StretchLab, along with his wife Stacey.Join Dru Carpenito as he talks to Steve Hitzemann about building a successful multi-unit business. Learn the secrets to running the franchise semi-absentee (and keeping his job). Discover how they decided to invest in StretchLab when it had zero franchises open. And find out how to conquer unforeseen obstacles and his plan for the future.

Here to share the secret to scaling his national bookkeeping and tax company is Ryland Beard, the Founder of Ledge. He sits down with host Dru Carpenito to share his entrepreneurial journey in building Ledge into a national firm managing the books and taxes of franchisees with some of the top brands in the country. Ryland has amassed massive success at such a young and today, he shares how he scaled and grew an emerging brand simply through word-of-mouth marketing and outstanding service. It all starts with building trust. Tune in to hear more of his incredible business growth and the inspiration behind his success.

Large PE companies don't want to be in the trenches. They buy existing businesses, let them grow, then sell. Horse Power Brands does it on a whole different level. Join Dru Carpenito as he talks to a Co-Founding Partner at Horse Power Brands, Zachery Beutler about what they're doing differently. Zach takes Dru on a deep dive into Horse Power's vision. Discover the unique moves they are making to create a portfolio of leading franchise brands in the home improvement sector. From their first brand, Mighty Dog Roofing, to their newest brands and acquisition, Zach explains why and how they expand so quickly! Learn how to support franchise owners uniquely today.

Childhood education and real estate aren't the usual combinations in a business conversation, but Drew McWilliams found a unique way to incorporate the two. Real estate covers a vast scope, from home rentals to senior living and even educational spaces. In our first episode, Dru Carpenito is joined by Drew McWilliams, the Founder of IvyBrook Academy and Franchise Realty Partners. Drew shares his and his wife's journey in building IvyBrook, the Nations #1 Half Day Pre-School, into a national company via franchising. He walks us through the process of how he managed to own the building and land where his education business stands. Listen in as Drew shares his new venture and how he helps emerging franchisors navigate the site selection process.