Episode Summary: Building Leadership, Trust, and Connection in Franchising with Stephane Breault In this episode of The Advisory Board Podcast, we sit down with Stephane Breault, a 40-year veteran of Canadian franchising and the founder of Imagine Franchise Consulting, to unpack the real keys to franchise leadership.

Stephane dives into the fundamentals of building a successful franchise system: competence, connection, and trust. We explore why the best franchisors take 100% responsibility for their franchisees’ results, the importance of human connection over relying solely on technology, and how rituals—like alignment meetings—can strengthen trust and culture across a franchise network. Stephane also shares practical advice for field coaching, creating executive alignment, and avoiding the costly mistake of surrounding yourself with the wrong team.


Whether you’re a franchisor scaling your brand or a franchise leader looking to build stronger relationships, this episode is packed with actionable insights on how to create leaders at every level of your system. A big thank you to our episode sponsor, ClientTether, for supporting the podcast and helping franchise leaders streamline their operations and engagement with franchisees.

Big ideas + real-world hustle this week on The Franchise Advisory Board. Dave chats with Angela Olea — serial founder, franchise veteran, tech tinkerer, and the founder & CEO behind Sweet Influencers — about how franchisors and franchisees can use influencer marketing the smart way (hint: think local, not celebrity stunts). Angela walks us through the why, the how, and the landmines — from nano & micro influencers who actually move customers in a 15–25 mile radius, to measurement, contracts, FTC rules, and realistic budgets. You’ll hear practical pilot stories (an estate-sale client quadrupled traffic), concrete ROI thinking, and why franchisors should build guardrails instead of blocking social media altogether.Special thanks to our episode sponsor — ClientTether — for supporting conversations that help franchisors grow smarter.What you’ll learn

• Why nano and micro influencers (1k–10k followers, local reach) often outperform flashy celebrity spends for franchise-level impact.
  
  
• How to find authentic creators, vet for fake followers, and avoid legal/brand pitfalls (FTC disclosures, music licensing, usage rights).
  
  
• Practical measurement: establish baseline KPIs, use coupon/QR/discount codes to track conversions, and calculate ROI based on average ticket and lifetime value.
  
  
• Typical local pilot budgets and structure: expect to test with modest mixes (a healthy starter program around ~$2,000) and iterate using human + AI workflows.
  
  
• How franchisors can control narrative while empowering franchisees — build guardrails, provide training, and reuse creator content for long-term value.
  
  

Notable moments

• Angela’s origin story: meeting her muse on a plane and building Sweet Influencers from that spark.
  
  
• Estate-sale pilot that opened new demo markets (younger thrifters) and produced dramatic short-term lift.
  
  
• The laundry list of contract and compliance issues brands routinely miss — from FTC hashtags to music licensing and content reuse.
  
  

Resources & next steps

• Want a consult? Angela mentioned Sweet Influencers: sweetinfluencers.ai and connecting on LinkedIn for a free consultation and brand fit assessment.
  
  
• Start simple: map your ideal client profile, establish baseline run rates, and pilot a 3–4 month program to gather real data.
  
  

Thanks again to our sponsor, ClientTether — helping franchise leaders focus on growth (and letting us bring you guests like Angela).If this episode sparked ideas, share it with your marketing team, bookmark the ROI checklist, and — yes — consider dipping a toe into local influencer pilots for next year’s budget

Thank you to ClientTether for sponsoring this episode of The Advisory Board Podcast.

In this episode, Dave Hansen sits down with Jania Bailey, CEO of FranNet, to unpack the changing role of brokers and consultants in franchising. Jania opens with FranNet’s backstory — 38 years in the business, built as a franchise model rather than a typical membership organization — and explains how their centralized Marketing, IT, and Support teams free consultants to focus on what matters most: qualifying high-quality candidates and matching them to the right brands. That operational difference, she says, is why FranNet consistently delivers strong fits for both candidates and franchisors.

The conversation moves into regulation, where Jania argues that the push for disclosure and registration is long overdue. California is leading the charge with new rules that require broker disclosures, brand lists, and placement data; other registration states in the NASAA group are likely to follow. Jania believes transparency will weed out bad actors and elevate the entire industry. She compares the current state of franchise brokering — where almost anyone can hang out a shingle — to industries that require licensing, and says consumers deserve that same level of protection when their life savings are on the line.

Dave and Jania also dig into the practical implications. Candidates could face a flood of disclosures and multiple brands to evaluate, so brokers will need to guide them through what to prioritize rather than overwhelm them with paperwork. For broker firms, the new requirements could be a heavy lift for smaller operations; larger franchised groups like FranNet can centralize filings and streamline compliance for their consultants. Jania expects some consolidation and exits — she’s not shy about saying a few operators should probably leave the industry — but she views that as a healthy cleansing that will build trust.

For franchisors, Jania urges honesty and preparedness. Brands that want broker support should make sure their house is in order: validated unit economics, happy franchisees, adequate capitalization, and systems that let the business run without the founder’s constant involvement. Sharing placement data and success metrics with broker partners will not only help compliance but also become a powerful marketing differentiator. On economics, Jania suggests realistic expectations: Working with brokers usually implies meaningful broker fees — entry-level economics start around $25K, with many opportunities sitting in the $30–35K range — and brands must ensure total investment supports those fees without undermining franchisee success.

Throughout the episode, Jania’s insistence on transparency and consumer-first thinking is steady and unapologetic. She believes clearer disclosures and higher standards will protect prospective franchisees, lift the reputation of good brokers, and ultimately strengthen the ecosystem. If you’d like to follow up with Jania, visit FranNet.com or email [email protected].

Thanks again to ClientTether for making this episode possible. Tune in for more conversations aimed at helping you build lasting brands.

Episode Summary: The Human Edge in a Bot-Driven World

This week on The Advisory Board Podcast, host Dave Hansen is joined by the ever-iconic Karen Booze—yes, the one with the unmistakable blue hair and a résumé as colorful as her story. From playing the oboe on the White House lawn with the Beach Boys to sharing a high school band room with Kurt Cobain, Karen’s life is as fascinating as her decades-long expertise in answering services.

As Director of Business Growth & Partnerships at AnswerConnect and AnswerForce, Karen has seen firsthand how answering the phone—well, and properly—can make or break a business. She and Dave dig into why human connection still outperforms bots (despite the hype), how generational preferences shape communication, and why not having a phone number on your website might be quietly draining your revenue.

Karen also shares battle-tested best practices—from scripting empathetic greetings to boosting “speed-to-lead”—and warns of the very real cost of inaction for franchise brands and small businesses. Whether you’re managing after-hours calls, figuring out AI’s role in customer service, or just looking for ways to create a more human experience for customers, this episode delivers insights worth answering the call for.

A big thank-you to our episode sponsor, ClientTether, for making these conversations possible and for empowering franchise brands to connect with leads faster and more effectively.

Tune in for stories, stats, and a little rock ‘n’ roll nostalgia as Karen proves that in the world of business growth, human connection never goes out of style.

A big thank you to ClientTether for sponsoring this episode of The Advisory Board Podcast. Their balance of automation and human touch is exactly what today’s discussion is all about.

This week, host Dave Hansen sits down with Bryan Shankman, co-founder & CEO of LeadTruffle, an AI-enabled sales follow-up platform built for speed-to-lead. Bryan’s path runs from early-stage rocket ships (Frame.io → acquired by Adobe) and time at TikTok to TinySeed alum—plus a background in rugby that explains his bias for quick, clean hits over slow, sloppy drives.

Bryan breaks down where leads really come from today—third-party aggregators, out-of-home, your website, and the phone—with the 80/20 action living on website + phone. He makes the case that Reddit is a sleeper channel: it ranks on page one, fuels LLM training data, and hosts hyper-local “who should I hire in Austin?” threads. TikTok, meanwhile, is getting more local (location tags, city-flavored feeds), which means a single time-lapse job video can spark real, no-cost leads.

The big theme: AI + humans > AI or humans alone. Automation shines for instant engagement, intake, spam filtering, qualification, and booking—especially when your team can’t call back in 10 seconds. But complex, high-trust moments still deserve a thoughtful human who can reassure, advise, and close. Post-service, AI can nudge reviews, trigger owner callbacks on negative sentiment, and identify smart cross-sell windows—gold for lean “couple-person” franchise units.
On future-proofing without a Frankenstack: keep it stupid simple. Prioritize responsiveness (pick up the phone—or let AI do it), do excellent work, and nail the unsexy fundamentals: a clear website, a healthy Google Business Profile, and steady reviews. Then add automation exactly where tedium kills consistency. Measure what matters, iterate, and don’t be afraid to partner—platforms and clean APIs beat duct-taped zaps every time.

Want to connect with Bryan? Visit leadtruffle.com or ping him at [email protected]—true to form, he’ll get back fast.

A big thank you to ClientTether for sponsoring this episode of The Advisory Board Podcast. Their balance of automation and human touch is exactly what today’s discussion is all about.

This week, host Dave Hansen sits down with Amanda House, Director of Franchise Development Marketing at Lightbridge Academy—a leading early education and childcare franchise with over 160 centers open or in development. With experience across more than 35 brands, Amanda brings a rare perspective from both the franchisor and supplier side of FranDev marketing.

Amanda shares why the industry is moving beyond chasing lead volume and instead focusing on fit—finding the right owners who align with a brand’s culture. At Lightbridge Academy, this means deliberate scaling, thoughtful discovery days with executive involvement, and a relentless focus on their “circle of care.” She emphasizes that data is the new scoreboard, where cost-per-lead and return on ad spend matter more than simple reach.

The conversation also explores how AI and SEO must work together. Rather than choosing one or the other, Amanda highlights the need for strong technical SEO and backlink strategies to ensure brands surface in AI answers, while also using AI tools to research, analyze, and tailor communication. Still, she insists that the human touch remains non-negotiable when building trust with future franchisees.

Reputation also plays a starring role. Prospects are looking at Google reviews, social content, and franchisee transparency before they ever pick up the phone. Amanda’s advice? Treat every touchpoint as proof of culture. And her favorite north star metric is simple but powerful: Would your franchisees buy in again? With Lightbridge Academy boasting a high “yes” rate and 70% multi-unit ownership, the results speak for themselves.

Her closing encouragement: if you can’t measure it, you can’t sell it. It’s never too late to start tracking data, refining your digital presence, and leaning into AI tools that amplify your efforts—without replacing the personal relationships that make franchising work.

Big energy today with guest Josh Yonke (yes, you nailed the pronunciation) — co-founder & CRO of Leashed AI and a long-time operator in franchising and services (Thumbtack’s first sales hire; helped scale to $100M+). Josh and Dave get real about how to actually use conversational AI to drive sales ROI — not the “spin up a chatbot and pray” version, but the integrated, on-brand, compliant, and relentlessly iterative version.

Josh’s backstory sets the tone: military family roots (Navy dad), four high schools, zero fear of striking up conversations — basically, the DNA of a top seller. He and partner Russ Burnett spun Leashed AI out from earlier work to focus on practical, revenue-producing automations: inbound/outbound AI calls, 24/7 web agents and chat that can book, SMS/email cadences, social DM responders across Meta, Google LSA responders, and even a roofing estimator that quotes straight from aerial imagery.

What We Cover (and Why It Matters)
The 3 ingredients of useful AI: great inputs (brand knowledge), continuous training/QA, and an operator who actually understands sales math and objection handling.

Implementation that sticks: plug AI into your CRM, calendar, and phone systems so it can log notes, set tasks, and adjust cadences automatically — the follow-through humans intend to do.
Compliance or consequences: get explicit opt-ins for SMS and automated calls; the “we haven’t been caught” strategy is not a strategy when fines can stack fast.

After-hours wins: most bookings happen when humans are off-duty. 24/7, on-brand AI captures those opportunities in home services and franchise development.

Mid-funnel momentum: re-engage no-shows, answer FDD basics, and keep qualified prospects moving without making reps hike the ball and block.

Customer experience > hold music: if AI can solve the problem now, don’t make customers wait 45 minutes to talk to a human who can’t.
Augment > replace: use AI to eliminate minutiae so your best reps spend time selling — then iterate faster than your competition.

Partner Tease
Dave hints at fresh collaboration between The Advisory Board and Leashed AI — announcements coming soon.

Connect with Josh & Leashed AI
Site: LeashedAI.com

Josh direct: 385-888-6457 (main line routes to his AI after hours — fitting, right?)

Sponsor Love
Huge thanks to ClientTether for powering this episode. If you care about speed-to-lead, compliant follow-up, and real pipeline lift, ClientTether’s the quiet force that makes the loud results possible.
Pull Quotes
“AI is only as good as the operator and the inputs.”
“Identify the minutiae, then automate it. Let reps do what only humans can do.”
“Adoption, not hype, is the next big thing.”

On this episode of The Advisory Board Podcast, host Dave Hansen chats with Nuttha “Nita” Goutier, founder of Sabai Thai Spa, about what it really takes to grow a brand without losing its heart. Nita opens up about the whirlwind launch of Sabai—complete with thousands of franchise inquiries in the very first months—and the real-world challenges of guiding candidates through the fear of making that first big investment.

Together, Dave and Nita dive into the balancing act between single-unit and multi-unit franchise ownership, the realities of $650K–$1M spa buildouts, and why culture can either be your greatest strength or your biggest hurdle when scaling. Nita also shares her blueprint for creating operators through training, systems, and ongoing support—ensuring consistency across every location while still leaving room for franchisees to thrive.

This conversation isn’t just about numbers and logistics—it’s about people. It’s about building confidence in hesitant franchisees, creating a pathway for sustainable growth, and designing a culture that sticks no matter how many units you open.

A special thank you to ClientTether, our episode sponsor, for powering smarter franchise growth and helping leaders like Nita keep their systems—and their sanity—running smoothly.

If you’ve ever wondered how to scale a franchise without losing the culture that makes it special, this episode will give you both the strategy and the inspiration to do just that.

What really makes a franchisee “wealthy”? Is it the best location, the longest hours, or just a bit of good luck? According to franchise performance coach and bestselling author Scott Greenberg, it’s none of the above.

In this episode of The Advisory Board Podcast, host Dave Hansen sits down with Scott—author of The Wealthy Franchisee and Stop the Shift Show—to unpack the real secrets behind top-performing franchisees. With decades of experience as a franchisee, speaker, and coach, Scott has seen firsthand what separates thriving owners from those who constantly struggle.The conversation dives into:

• The human factor: why mindset, emotional control, and humility are non-negotiables for success.
  
  
• Franchise myths debunked: from the “good location” excuse to the myth that the hardest workers always win.
  
  
• The hourly employee challenge: how brands can better support franchisees who depend on frontline teams.
  
  
• Innovation vs. following the system: finding the sweet spot between executing proven processes and embracing change.
  
  
• Constructive dissent: why healthy debate (not constant agreement) actually strengthens franchise systems.
  
  

Scott also shares personal stories—from beating cancer twice to building his own successful units—that highlight his belief in resilience, service, and the power of putting people first. He reminds us that the best franchisees don’t make it about themselves—they make it about their employees, customers, and communities.

Dave and Scott keep it real (and a little playful), swapping stories about innovation battles, FACs that work, and even a nod to Ted Lasso’s famous suggestion box scene. By the end, you’ll walk away inspired to manage your emotions, invest in your people, and lead with humility.

Big thanks to our episode sponsor ClientTether for helping make these conversations possible.🎧 Tune in—you’ll laugh, you’ll nod in agreement, and you might just rethink what it truly means to be a wealthy franchisee.