Franchise Interviews

We have a great show.  We are meeting with Adenah Bayoh, co-founder of Cornbread Farm to Soul? Founded in 2017 by Co-Founders Adenah Bayoh and Elzadie “Zadie” Smith, Cornbread specializes in mouthwatering, soul food creations such as baked mac & cheese, collard greens, yams, chicken, signature cornbread, and other specialty menu items. Cornbread is based in New Jersey and has three open locations in the NYC/NJ area.

As Bayo and Smith set out to open their fast-casual restaurant business, they set their hearts on soul food. Soul food is a category of food that has the power to bring people together and lacks representation in most communities and within the franchise industry. The duo now aims to distinguish and establish its franchise system through Cornbread’s unique company goals, values, and promise to continually service residents in communities where they operate and help more women and minorities become successful franchisees. We play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast in Part Two.

We are meeting with the President and CEO of the Big Frog franchise opportunity, Tina Bacon DeFrece. 

Locally owned and operated, Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More specializes in Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printing, a clean and green apparel printing technology. Big Frog is a one-stop-shop for “un-frog-ettable” custom apparel with a wide selection of services including screen printing, embroidery, vinyl, and Ultra Print (heat press). Established in 2008 by co-founders Leeward Bean, Tina Bacon-DeFrece and Ron DeFrece, the franchise brand has since expanded to nearly 100 locations in 25 states and Canada offering free 15-minute, in-person design help, no minimums, and fast turnaround (often 24-hours) on DTG printing. Globally headquartered in Dunedin, Fla., Big Frog Franchise Group is led by President and CEO Tina Bacon-DeFrece. 

Big Frog launched the veteran-focused initiative to help veterans and first responders fulfill their dreams of owning a small business. Recently named one of the “Top Low-Cost Franchises” by Entrepreneur Magazine, Big Frog has made it a mission to help entrepreneurs start profitable small businesses.

Reflection Interview

Franchise Interviews started off as a newsletter.  I had no idea I would be hosting one of the longest running podcasts on the topic of franchising.  Sometime back in 2006, Anita Campbell invited me on her show Small Business Trends Radio to discuss the newsletter.  Needless to say, I was a bit nervous because this was my first appearance on the radio.  I recently listened to the podcast with Anita and realized how much I have grown as a person.  Several months later, I got an invitation to turn our newsletter into a weekly internet radio show/podcast.  I thank God I said yes to the offer.  I was able to see what our website looked like in 2005 from the website Archive.org.  I will include some of those photos in the show notes.  Listen to my interview with Anita Campbell over 17 years ago!

We are meeting with Jodi Scott and Brad James of the Superior Wash franchise opportunity. Superior Wash is a national 24-hour mobile fleet washing company. The company is a leader in the fleet-washing industry and services Fortune 500 clients such as Coca-Cola, Fed-Ex, UPS, and Budweiser trucks. Not only does the company help to alleviate the pressure of rising gas costs for corporate-owned fleet systems by conveniently traveling to an accounts fleet site, but it also uses an environmentally friendly water recovery system. Click the play button below to listen to the show.

We are welcoming back Andy Diamond, President of Angry Crab Shack. Combining bold flavors in Asian food with his knowledge of seafood, Ron Lou launched Angry Crab Shack in 2013 in Mesa, AZ. A family-friendly neighborhood restaurant, Angry Crab Shack offers a vibrant, memorable dining environment and high-quality seafood at a more affordable price.

Every business has a story.

Former NFL player Ron Lou spent four years in the league with the Houston Oilers than the Philadelphia Eagles. During the next 35 years, he created five different restaurant concepts: breakfast, a sports bar, and three Chinese restaurants. Ready for another success, Lou set out to create something unique – not just another wing, burger, or pizza place. In part wo, we play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

Interviewing the Interviewer

Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to be interviewed by Nancy Friedman, the founder of the Telephone Doctor. Nancy and I had a lot of fun discussing various topics like travel, actors, favorite interviewers and books, and Franchise Interviews. This November will be Franchise Interviews' 16th year of podcasting. In that time, we interviewed almost 800 guests. For this interview, I will provide the link to the video interview. If you are listening to this podcast on another podcast channel, just go to YouTube and type in keywords, "Martin McDermott". Nancy reminded me that listeners hardly get to put a face behind the podcast. I want to thank Nancy for an excellent discussion, and I look forward to listening to her future shows on YouTube via Zoom! Here is the link to listen to the show. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSXXYPXqwEI

Nancy is an expert on customer service, communication skills, and sales. She is a sought-after keynote customer service speaker at annual conferences and franchise and corporate meetings – both large and small. Her programs are inspiring, motivational, and entertaining (See testimonials), creating a memorable session all attendees can use immediately and forever. Fun, distinctive, fast-paced, and energy filled, this customer service speaker's fast wit and laugh-out-loud audience participation have everyone wanting more. Labeled a "don't miss" session, Nancy always delivers the 'goods

We are meeting with the founder of Creatif, Jaya Aiyar. Creatif is the experiential art destination that looks to entertain, educate and inspire. An art studio for all ages, Creatif boasts unique and innovative technology, a variety of options, and an award-winning studio space.

Creatif was founded in 2018 by Jaya Aiyar, realizing that while the demand for engaging family activities was growing, there were very few concepts suitable for kids & adults, especially when it came to art and family experiences. Wanting to change the narrative of what an art studio could be, one of her priorities was ensuring her studio reflected the experience she aims to provide.  Find out what happened next by listening to the podcast.

In part two, we play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

Great Quotes in Franchising Podcast - Three Questions You Should Answer Before Buying A Franchise - Today's Great Quote in Franchising comes from our weekly radio show with Todd Leff, the CEO and President of the Hand & Stone franchise opportunity. Todd is a veteran in franchising and gives our listeners three questions they should answer before buying a franchise.

We are meeting with CEO & Founder of Celebree School, Richie Huffman.  Since 1994, Celebree Schools has been caring for and positively impacting the lives of children in Maryland and Delaware. Today, their day care history is taking a big next step to supporting children and their parents in more locations and in more mid-Atlantic states.

Every business has a story

Richie was a straight D student in high school and knew college was unlikely, so he shifted his attention on business. It was through various grueling jobs in bakeries, real estate, and retail that he learned the value of hard work and its and payoff – many of the early lessons learned, he applies as a leader today.He was inspired to pursue entrepreneurship by his mother, “Betty,” who launched a preschool center that expanded into three locations under the name White Marsh Child Care, where Richie would sweep the floors up at the end of the day.Fast forward ten years later, he opened his first preschool in 1994 at the ripe age of 26 – this was the start of what would become Celebree School.Over the course of more than two decades, Richie grew Celebree from a single location into Maryland’s largest privately held chain of child care centers that is now franchising nationwide.

Find out what happens next by listening to the podcast.  In part two, we play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

Great Quotes in Franchising Podcast - You Have To Almost Work Harder To Fail Than Succeed in Franchising 

Chris Simnick was one of our favorite interviews. Chris Simnick has over 40 years of business and franchise experience as an independent business owner, franchisee, and franchisor. His background is at many levels, and he has held numerous positions in franchising.