“Back to Basics” with Rachael Nemeth

"They see a future, not a job."

Kathleen Ferguson, Founder and CEO of Life360, joins Rachael Nemeth to challenge one of the biggest assumptions in the fitness industry: that there simply aren't enough great coaches and trainers to hire.

The real problem? Retention.

Kathleen explains why gyms and studios continue to lose talented people within their first months on the job, and why solving staffing requires much more than filling open positions. It starts with creating a career path, building intentional onboarding, developing a strong culture, and giving employees a reason to see a future with your organization instead of just another job.

Drawing from nearly two decades in the health and fitness industry, Kathleen shares how operators can turn staffing from a constant, reactive problem into a true growth strategy. When leaders aren't scrambling to fill shifts and replace departing employees, they can spend more time developing their teams, serving members, marketing their businesses, and driving revenue.

The conversation also explores how technology and AI are changing the role of fitness professionals. Rather than replacing coaches, Kathleen believes technology can remove the administrative work that contributes to burnout and give trainers more time for what humans do best: building relationships.

Kathleen and Rachael also discuss why Gen Z isn't searching for jobs the way previous generations did, how companies can communicate their culture before someone ever applies, and why career development begins during onboarding, not after an employee has already proven themselves.

Kathleen gets personal about building Life360, leading with vulnerability, navigating the fitness industry as a woman, and overcoming the self-limiting beliefs that once made her question whether she could build a company of her own. Her conclusion after years of fighting for a seat at someone else's table? Build your own damn table.

If you're struggling with turnover, constantly hiring, trying to engage the next generation of frontline employees, or looking for ways to make technology strengthen not replace human connection, this episode offers a different way to think about the people powering your business.

Key Takeaways

• You Don't Have a Staffing Shortage—You Have a Retention Problem: The talent exists, but poor onboarding and unclear career paths push good employees out.
• Give People a Future, Not Just a Job: Employees are more likely to stay when they can see where their career can go inside your organization.
• Staffing Can Be a Growth Strategy: Building a strong talent pipeline gives operators more time to focus on leadership, marketing, member experience, and revenue.
• Gen Z Isn't Looking on Traditional Job Boards: The next generation of employees is discovering employers through social media, content, community, and word of mouth.
• Culture Isn't Your Logo or the Words on the Wall: Culture is how leaders show up and how employees actually experience the organization.
• AI Should Give People More Time to Be Human: Technology can handle programming, training, emails, and administrative work so coaches can focus on relationships.
• Turnover Has a Direct Business Cost: Losing trainers can mean losing clients, revenue, institutional knowledge, and consistency in the member experience.
• Build Your Own Damn Table: Sometimes creating your own opportunities is more powerful than continuing to fight for someone else's approval.

Perfect For

Fitness executives, gym and studio operators, franchise leaders, general managers, HR and people leaders, fitness entrepreneurs, learning and development professionals, and anyone responsible for hiring, developing, or retaining frontline teams.

Time Stamp Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Kathleen Ferguson and Life360

01:00 How personal loss led Kathleen to the fitness industry

04:00 Building Life360 around relationships and sustainable fitness careers

05:00 What's broken about onboarding in gyms and studios

06:00 Why the fitness industry doesn't actually have a staffing shortage

07:00 Giving employees a career roadmap from day one

09:00 Hiring for emotional intelligence and adaptability

10:00 Why Gen Z isn't using traditional job boards

12:00 Turning staffing and retention into a growth strategy

14:00 Why AI won't replace great personal trainers

16:00 Fitness is a business of relationships

17:00 The real cost of 100% employee turnover

18:00 Leading with your heart as a strength—and a risk

22:00 Navigating leadership as a woman in the fitness industry

24:00 "I'm going to build my own damn table"

27:00 The mentor who made space for Kathleen's voice

29:00 Lightning Round

About Us

Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare, and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let's Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, José Andrés Group, and more.

Learn more at www.opus.so

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

About Us
Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more. 

Learn more at www.opus.so

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

"Every opportunity in the business comes back to the conversation around the people."
Michelle Jagroop, Chief People Officer at Paris Baguette North America, joins Rachael Nemeth to explore one of the biggest challenges facing franchise brands today: how do you create a consistent culture, develop leaders, and deliver an exceptional guest experience when the people serving your customers don't technically work for corporate?

With more than 25 years of experience leading people strategy across retail, entertainment, and hospitality, Michelle shares how she's helping one of the fastest-growing bakery café franchises scale without sacrificing culture. From building leadership through franchise operators to creating systems that reinforce brand standards, she explains why every operational challenge ultimately traces back to people.

Michelle discusses why HR leaders must earn their seat at the executive table by deeply understanding the business, why accountability only works when employees are properly trained, and why the strongest organizations focus on developing managers—not just managing employees. She also shares practical lessons on franchise leadership, hiring, coaching, employee engagement, and maintaining consistency across hundreds of locations.

The conversation explores the unique challenges of franchising, measuring culture at scale, balancing compliance with people-first leadership, and creating systems that help operators build stronger teams. Michelle explains why great cultures aren't built through mission statements, but through leadership habits, clear expectations, and intentional training repeated every day.

If you're leading a franchise organization, managing frontline teams, building leadership pipelines, or looking to create a stronger workplace culture that scales, this episode is packed with practical lessons you can apply immediately.

Key Takeaways

Every Business Problem Is a People Problem: Operational issues often trace back to hiring, training, leadership, or accountability.
Culture Is Built Through Systems: Strong cultures come from consistent training, leadership habits, and clear expectations—not slogans.
HR Must Understand the Business: People leaders earn influence by driving measurable business outcomes.
Train Before You Hold People Accountable: Employees can't meet expectations they were never taught.
Leadership Scales Through Leaders: Developing managers creates consistency across every location.
Guest Experience Starts with Employee Experience: Better people practices create better customer experiences.
Curate Your Team Intentionally: Great leaders actively build teams that strengthen culture and performance.
Perfect For

Franchise executives, restaurant operators, HR leaders, Chief People Officers, learning and development professionals, operations leaders, multi-unit businesses, and anyone responsible for building strong cultures across distributed teams.

Time Stamp Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Michelle Jagroop

00:41 Michelle's leadership journey to Paris Baguette

02:38 Why leadership is about adapting—not unlearning

06:41 Leading through franchise operators at scale

08:27 Why every business problem comes back to people

09:45 Measuring whether culture is actually scaling

10:27 Using guest feedback to improve people performance

15:04 The biggest people mistakes franchisees make

20:14 Why HR deserves a seat at the executive table

24:09 Measuring people strategy through business outcomes

26:55 Why culture is built through systems—not slogans

27:40 Becoming the curator of your team

29:13 Lightning Round

About Us

Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare, and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let's Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, José Andrés Group, and more.

Learn more at www.opus.so

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

About Us
Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more. 

Learn more at www.opus.so

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

"Every opportunity in the business comes back to the conversation around the people."

Michelle Jagroop, Chief People Officer at Paris Baguette North America, joins Rachael Nemeth to explore one of the biggest challenges facing franchise brands today: how do you create a consistent culture, develop leaders, and deliver an exceptional guest experience when the people serving your customers don't technically work for corporate?

With more than 25 years of experience leading people strategy across retail, entertainment, and hospitality, Michelle shares how she's helping one of the fastest-growing bakery café franchises scale without sacrificing culture. From building leadership through franchise operators to creating systems that reinforce brand standards, she explains why every operational challenge ultimately traces back to people.

Michelle discusses why HR leaders must earn their seat at the executive table by deeply understanding the business, why accountability only works when employees are properly trained, and why the strongest organizations focus on developing managers—not just managing employees. She also shares practical lessons on franchise leadership, hiring, coaching, employee engagement, and maintaining consistency across hundreds of locations.

The conversation explores the unique challenges of franchising, measuring culture at scale, balancing compliance with people-first leadership, and creating systems that help operators build stronger teams. Michelle explains why great cultures aren't built through mission statements, but through leadership habits, clear expectations, and intentional training repeated every day.

If you're leading a franchise organization, managing frontline teams, building leadership pipelines, or looking to create a stronger workplace culture that scales, this episode is packed with practical lessons you can apply immediately.

Key Takeaways

• Every Business Problem Is a People Problem: Operational issues often trace back to hiring, training, leadership, or accountability.
• Culture Is Built Through Systems: Strong cultures come from consistent training, leadership habits, and clear expectations—not slogans.
• HR Must Understand the Business: People leaders earn influence by driving measurable business outcomes.
• Train Before You Hold People Accountable: Employees can't meet expectations they were never taught.
• Leadership Scales Through Leaders: Developing managers creates consistency across every location.
• Guest Experience Starts with Employee Experience: Better people practices create better customer experiences.
• Curate Your Team Intentionally: Great leaders actively build teams that strengthen culture and performance.

Perfect For

Franchise executives, restaurant operators, HR leaders, Chief People Officers, learning and development professionals, operations leaders, multi-unit businesses, and anyone responsible for building strong cultures across distributed teams.

Time Stamp Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Michelle Jagroop

00:41 Michelle's leadership journey to Paris Baguette

02:38 Why leadership is about adapting—not unlearning

06:41 Leading through franchise operators at scale

08:27 Why every business problem comes back to people

09:45 Measuring whether culture is actually scaling

10:27 Using guest feedback to improve people performance

15:04 The biggest people mistakes franchisees make

20:14 Why HR deserves a seat at the executive table

24:09 Measuring people strategy through business outcomes

26:55 Why culture is built through systems—not slogans

27:40 Becoming the curator of your team

29:13 Lightning Round

About Us

Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare, and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let's Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, José Andrés Group, and more.

Learn more at www.opus.so

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

About Us
Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more. 

Learn more at www.opus.so

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

"The best competitive advantage isn't your brand. It's your people."

Neil Amin, CEO of Shamin Hotels, joins Rachael Nemeth to discuss how one of the nation's largest privately held hotel operators has built a people-first culture that continues to thrive across 76 hotels, six states, and more than 3,000 associates.

Growing up living in motels before beginning a career at Goldman Sachs, Neil eventually returned to the family business with a unique perspective on leadership, operations, and long-term growth. Since becoming CEO, he's helped transform Shamin Hotels into an organization known not only for exceptional guest experiences, but for developing leaders from within and creating a culture employees rarely want to leave.

Neil explains why family culture can't be manufactured through mission statements or policies alone. Instead, it requires leaders who model the behaviors they expect, invest in people before profits, and empower frontline employees to solve problems and create memorable guest experiences. He shares why Shamin hires for values over experience, how listening to associates has shaped operational improvements across the company, and why privately held businesses have a unique advantage when they focus on the long game.

The conversation also explores franchise operations, leadership development, employee training, hospitality innovation, and succession planning. Neil discusses why training should teach judgment instead of simple compliance, how technology can accelerate career development, and why organizations that genuinely care for their people ultimately create better experiences for their customers.

If you're leading a multi-unit organization, building a strong workplace culture, or looking for practical leadership lessons that scale, this episode offers valuable insights into creating a company where people—and performance—grow together.

Key Takeaways

• Culture Can't Be Faked: Great workplace cultures are built through consistent leadership and genuine care for people.
• Hire for Values, Train for Skills: Character and service mindset matter more than prior experience.
• Your People Are Your Competitive Advantage: Brands create standards, but employees create memorable customer experiences.
• Leadership Means Serving Your Team: The best leaders remove obstacles and support frontline employees.
• Think Long-Term: Sustainable organizations prioritize people and communities over short-term wins.
• Train for Judgment, Not Just Compliance: Great training teaches employees how to think, not simply what to do.
• Listen to the Frontline: Employees closest to the work often have the best ideas for improving operations.

Perfect For

Hospitality executives, hotel operators, franchise leaders, multi-unit businesses, operations professionals, HR and training leaders, and anyone interested in building strong workplace cultures that scale.

Time Stamp Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Neil Amin

01:16 Growing up in the hospitality industry

03:04 Transitioning from CFO to CEO

06:21 Why culture matters more than industry

08:02 Hiring for values over experience

09:20 Creating the "Shamin Touch"

12:13 Building a people-first competitive advantage

15:27 Long-term thinking and transforming communities

18:56 Learning from frontline employees

20:42 Leading through the 2008 recession

23:45 Modernizing training with Opus

26:33 Succession planning and leadership legacy

27:56 Lightning Round

About Us

Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare, and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let's Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group, and more.

Learn more at www.opus.so

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

About Us
Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more. 

Learn more at www.opus.so

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

“Culture isn’t built through policies. It’s built through people.”

Heather McKeon, COO of Gringo’s Mexican Kitchen, joins Rachael Nemeth to share her unconventional journey from hostess to executive leadership and the lessons she’s learned helping grow one of Texas’ most beloved restaurant brands.

After nearly three decades with Gringo’s, Heather has experienced almost every part of the business firsthand. Starting as a hostess in 1996, she moved into restaurant management, built the company’s marketing function, and eventually stepped into the COO role. That unique path has given her a rare perspective on how brand, operations, and culture work together to create long-term success.

Heather explains why employee retention starts long before onboarding, how storytelling becomes a leadership tool, and why the strongest restaurant cultures are built by developing people from within. She shares how Gringo’s has maintained remarkable team tenure while expanding into new markets and why protecting culture becomes even more important as organizations grow.

The conversation also explores leadership evolution, founder influence, operational training, and the challenge of scaling without losing what made a company successful in the first place. Heather discusses why great operators must balance systems with human connection, how technology should support—not complicate—the employee experience, and why the best leaders never stop learning.

If you're leading teams, growing a multi-unit business, or trying to create a culture people want to stay part of, this episode offers a practical blueprint for sustainable growth.

Key Takeaways

• Culture Is the Competitive Advantage: Strong cultures create loyalty, retention, and long-term performance.
• Leadership Starts with Storytelling: Employees connect more deeply when they understand the company's history and purpose.
• Promote From Within Whenever Possible: Developing internal talent creates stronger leaders and preserves culture.
• Growth Requires Culture Protection: Expansion only works when the core values remain intact.
• Training Must Move at the Speed of Operations: Systems should support real-world execution, not slow it down.
• Technology Should Remove Friction: Simpler tools create better adoption and stronger frontline engagement.
• Great Leaders Evolve: Listening, humility, and intentionality become increasingly important as responsibilities grow.

Perfect For:

Restaurant operators, hospitality leaders, multi-unit executives, training professionals, franchise organizations, and anyone responsible for building strong teams and scalable cultures.

Time Stamp Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Heather McKeon

01:22 From hostess to restaurant leadership

05:05 Marketing, operations, and career growth

07:44 Protecting culture while expanding

10:53 The power of storytelling and tenure

15:54 Why Gringo’s rethought training

19:34 Staying fresh after decades with one company

23:05 Protecting culture during growth

26:33 Leadership lessons learned over 30 years

30:18 Lightning round

About Us
Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more. 

Learn more at www.opus.so

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

“Growth doesn’t break businesses. Weak systems do.”

Julian Barnes, Co-Founder and CEO of BFS Network, joins Rachael Nemeth to unpack what’s happening across the boutique fitness industry and why many of the challenges operators think are unique are actually shared by almost everyone trying to scale.

With visibility across thousands of fitness, wellness, and self-care businesses, Julian brings a perspective few operators get to see. He explains why fitness is moving from a niche activity to a lifestyle category, how post-pandemic behavior shifts accelerated that change, and why the industry is still in the early innings despite the rapid growth surrounding wellness.

But growth introduces a different challenge: people and systems. Julian shares why founders often become the biggest bottleneck in their own businesses, how hiring decisions shape long-term performance, and why operators consistently underestimate the impact of recruiting, onboarding, and ongoing development.

They also explore the gap between identifying people problems and understanding how to solve them. From founder dependency and training blind spots to consistency across the customer experience, Julian breaks down why scaling is less about adding complexity and more about building repeatable systems that allow teams to execute at a high level every day.

If you're building a fitness, wellness, or service-based business where people deliver the product, this episode is a playbook for creating sustainable growth.

Key Takeaways

• People and Systems Drive Growth: Most scaling challenges come back to hiring, operations, and execution.
• Founder Dependency Creates Ceilings: Businesses stall when owners stay trapped in day-to-day delivery.
• Recruiting Starts Earlier Than Hiring: Job descriptions, expectations, and onboarding shape outcomes.
• Consistency Wins Retention: Customers experience the entire journey, not just the service itself.
• Training Is Often Underestimated: Teams need ongoing development, not one-time onboarding.
• Growth Requires Investment: Hiring the right manager can create leverage before it feels affordable.
• Sustainability Beats Hype: Long-term businesses are built through repeatable systems.

Perfect For
Fitness operators, wellness founders, multi-location leaders, hospitality executives, and business owners scaling service-based businesses where people are central to the customer experience.

Time Stamped Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to BFS Network
• 03:03 Fitness as a lifestyle category
• 08:40 The patterns operators miss
• 11:48 Why people challenges aren't being measured
• 14:22 Founder dependency and the manager effect
• 17:46 Where learning and development matters most
• 23:16 Building sustainable businesses
• 27:11 Consistency as the real challenge
• 30:34 Recruiting, onboarding, and preventing drift
• 34:41 Why training is still overlooked
• 36:30 Lightning round

About Us
Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more. 

Learn more at www.opus.so

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

“When consistency is the product, simplicity becomes the strategy.”

Chris Griebe, COO of VASA Fitness, joins Rachael Nemeth to break down what it takes to deliver a consistent, high-quality member experience across a rapidly scaling fitness brand where thousands of daily interactions determine whether members stay or churn.

Stepping into 70+ clubs and 3,700 frontline employees mid-expansion, Chris shares how his team simplified operations to focus on what actually matters: equipment that works, staff that are welcoming, and clubs that feel clean and comfortable. He explains why most service failures fall into three categories and how distilling complexity into “fixed, friendly, clean” became the backbone of VASA’s operating model.

They also dive into the operator’s role in a high-data environment, why more metrics don’t lead to better outcomes, how to identify the few numbers that actually drive behavior, and why frontline execution matters more than strategy.

If you operate in fitness, hospitality, or any business where the experience is delivered by people in real time, this episode is a masterclass in simplifying operations to scale consistency.

Key Takeaways

• Consistency Is Built on Simplicity: Most service breakdowns come down to broken equipment, unfriendly interactions, or unclean environments.
• Frequency Raises the Stakes: Frequent visits make small inconsistencies compound quickly.
• Focus, Not Frenzy: Distill metrics down to behaviors that drive outcomes.
• Train for Behavior: Short, targeted training outperforms long onboarding.
• Talent Is the Constraint: Growth depends on recruiting and retaining strong teams.
• Remove Friction: Great operations feel invisible to the customer.
• Scale Breaks Systems: What works at 10 locations won’t hold at 70.

Perfect For
Fitness operators, multi-unit leaders, hospitality executives, founders scaling service-based businesses, and anyone managing large frontline teams where consistency is the core value proposition.

About Chris Griebe
COO of VASA Fitness, overseeing 70+ locations and thousands of frontline employees. Chris has spent his career in fitness, from personal trainer to executive leadership, scaling operations across national platforms.

Time Stamp Chapters

• 03:08 Industry growth and post-pandemic shifts
• 04:44 What great service looks like
• 06:26 The “fixed, friendly, clean” model
• 10:03 Hidden drivers of member experience
• 14:31 Cutting through data overload
• 18:55 Rethinking training
• 22:34 From personal trainer to COO
• 27:00 Leadership lessons
• 30:49 Mentorship and recognition
• 33:55 Lightning round

About Us
Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more. 

Learn more at www.opus.so

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

“When the product is the experience, service isn’t support — it’s the show.”

Jason Thompson, COO and Co-Founder of Sounds Fun Entertainment, joins Rachael Nemeth to unpack what it really takes to scale experiential brands where technology, energy, and frontline teams collide in real time.

As the parent company behind Activate Games and Breakout Games, Sounds Fun operates 50+ locations with plans to double. Jason shares his unconventional path from frozen yogurt to escape rooms — and why entertainment ultimately proved easier to scale than restaurants.

This episode dives into the art behind great service in location-based entertainment: creating “hero moments,” delivering perfectly timed clues, and designing wow experiences that feel effortless to the guest. Jason explains why barrier-to-entry saturation reshaped the escape room industry, how Activate became their next growth engine, and what changes operationally when you go from 10 to 50+ units.

Key Takeaways

• The Guest Is the Hero: The best service feels invisible. Design experiences so customers feel like they won — even when your team guided the way.
• Barrier to Entry Changes Everything: Easy-to-copy concepts create fast saturation. Long-term advantage comes from operational discipline and brand scale.
• Build for Extensibility Before Scale: Make early decisions that can replicate across markets — from training to real estate to tech systems.
• Empower “Create Yes” Culture: Policies are flexible. Judgment is not. Hire people who want to serve, not enforce.
• Visibility Is the Founder’s New Job: At 50+ units, success depends on seeing the whole system — data, metrics, maintenance, and morale — in one place.
• Iterate Relentlessly: What worked at 10 units will break at 30. Proactive iteration beats reactive fixes.
• Entertainment Is Recession-Resilient: In a digital world, people crave in-person connection more than ever.

Perfect For

Multi-unit operators, entertainment & hospitality leaders, founders scaling experiential concepts, franchise groups, and anyone building a brand where frontline teams are the product.

About Jason Thompson

COO & Co-Founder of Sounds Fun Entertainment, the parent company of Activate Games and Breakout Games. Jason helped grow the business from a single escape room to 50+ units nationwide, leading expansion, operational systems, and culture across a rapidly scaling experiential platform.

Time Stamp Chapters

• 01:05 From frozen yogurt to escape rooms
• 03:10 Why entertainment is easier to scale than restaurants
• 06:14 Inside the daily operations of an escape room
• 15:07 Designing “hero moments” and invisible service
• 18:02 When training systems break — and what to fix
• 20:42 Scaling from 10 to 50+ units
• 23:34 Tech overload and the visibility challenge
• 26:02 Where the entertainment industry is headed
• 30:06 Letting go as a founder
• 36:32 Advice for operators scaling fast
• 37:21 Lightning round

About Us
Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more. 

Learn more at www.opus.so

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!

EP18: Great Service Isn’t Expected in Recreational Sports and That’s Why It Works

“In service businesses, the win isn’t the task—it’s the relationship.”

Gary Archer is CEO and President of a leading indoor soccer facility with 19+ locations across 9 states, built on a simple idea: great service is relational, not transactional.

In this episode, Gary joins Rachael Nemeth (Opus CEO) to break down what customer service looks like in recreational sports—and why it’s a surprising blueprint for any service-driven business. He shares how LPS uses technology to remove friction so staff can focus on what actually matters: human connection, retention, and community.

Gary also unpacks how they hire “specialists” who live by one job description—get teams, keep teams—and the interview method that reveals self-awareness, coachability, and the mindset of an A-player. From scaling via acquisitions to rebuilding standards, he explains why people are the competitive advantage—and why training only works when you can practice it.

Key Takeaways

→ Relational Beats Transactional: Move paperwork and payments to tech so human interactions can be genuine and memorable.

→ Retention Is the Real Moat: When customers are regulars, service becomes community—and that’s hard to replace.

→ Hire for Talent, Train for Refinement: Look for curiosity, listening, and coachability—not just experience.

→ The Interview Reveals Everything: Role practice + feedback shows self-awareness, defensiveness, and growth mindset fast.

→ Acquisitions Expose Standards: Most integrations fail on people and culture, not strategy.

→ Practice Drives Behavior Change: Training only matters when it’s reinforced through practice and accountability.

Perfect For

Service operators, recreational sports leaders, multi-unit operators, training & L&D teams, and founders scaling culture through growth, acquisitions, and workforce development.

About Gary Archer

President & CEO of Let’s Play Sports (Let’s Play Soccer), a leading indoor soccer facility with 19+ locations. Gary began at the company at 16, worked every role, and has spent 38 years building a service-first organization centered on relationships, operational discipline, and people development.

Time Stamp Chapters

01:06 What Let’s Play Sports is + who it serves

02:32 What great service looks like in recreational sports

03:02 Removing transactional friction to build relationships

04:39 Workforce model + hiring for relational talent

06:56 The interview method that reveals self-awareness

09:43 Scaling through acquisition + operational consistency

12:45 Switching training systems + why Opus worked

16:32 Why change didn’t happen sooner

18:36 Why service is declining—and why that’s opportunity

21:04 Lessons from the ground level + leadership evolution

26:36 Succession, leadership development, and the next chapter

30:43 Lightning round

About Us

Opus is the hospitality training platform purpose-built for the frontline. Train 100% of your team in 101 languages on the job to quickly get them up the productivity curve. With full visibility across your workforce, you get the frontline business intelligence needed to drive your business.

Have an idea or experience you’d like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn

About Us
Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more. 

Learn more at www.opus.so

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“Modern franchising isn’t about more support—it’s about smarter, scalable support.”

Jenna Henderson has spent nearly two decades inside franchise systems, operating across field ops, brand services, development, growth, and tech. After almost 15 years at Saladworks, she stepped into SaaS as COO at WorkMerk (helping build the ServSafe Ops platform), then returned to franchising leadership as Group Chief Operating Officer for NewSpring Franchise. Today, she oversees operations, marketing, and supply chain across Great Harvest Bakery Cafe, Duck Donuts, and Federal Donuts & Chicken.

In this episode, Jenna joins Rachael Nemeth (Opus CEO) to break down what the modern franchisor must look like: agile, cross-functional, and intentional about franchisee support. She explains why “one size fits all” fails, how segmenting single-unit vs multi-unit operators changes outcomes, and why operations must help approve franchisees—because ops lives with what happens after the check clears.

Jenna also shares the structural fix that instantly improves alignment between development and ops: an onboarding specialist connecting signing through opening day. She unpacks where franchisors still operate too manually, how tech and AI only matter when insights become action, and what private equity brings when done right: discipline, a clear North Star, and shared infrastructure.

Key Takeaways

→ Smarter Support Scales: Modern franchising isn’t about more touchpoints—it’s about systems that scale support intelligently.

→ One Size Fits None: Franchisee support must be segmented by operator type and brand maturity.

→ Ops Belongs Upstream: Operations should help approve franchisees, not just manage post-sale fallout.

→ Onboarding Drives Alignment: A dedicated onboarding specialist linking signing → opening improves execution.

→ Tech Must Be Actionable: AI only matters when insights drive real behavior change at the unit level.

→ Discipline Beats Sprawl: Clear ROI, a North Star, and shared infrastructure outperform tool overload.

Perfect For

Franchisors building scalable support models, operators navigating growth, PE-backed leadership teams, and brand executives reducing tech sprawl.

About Jenna Henderson

Group Chief Operating Officer at NewSpring Franchise, overseeing operations, marketing, and supply chain across Great Harvest Bakery Cafe, Duck Donuts, and Federal Donuts & Chicken.

Time Stamp Chapters

00:00 Intro + Jenna’s role

02:06 The modern franchisor

06:16 Development vs operations

09:26 The onboarding specialist

11:10 Tech debt, AI, and action

16:32 PE-backed discipline

21:34 Lessons from Saladworks

33:13 Lightning round

About Us
Opus is the leading training operations platform for multi-unit brands with frontline workforces, helping operators deliver consistent, engaging training that delivers measurable results. Trusted in thousands of locations across restaurants, retail, fitness, healthcare and consumer services, Opus customers include Smashburger, Craveworthy Brands, Let’s Play Soccer, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sound Fun Entertainment, Big Chicken, York Building Services, Gordon Ramsay Group, Jose Andres Group and more. 

Learn more at www.opus.so

Have an idea or experience you'd like to share? Keep the conversation going with us on LinkedIn!