Franchise Interviews

Today's Great Quote in Franchising Comes from Mary Jane Riva, CEO of Pizza Factory. Mary Jane suggests aspiring entrepreneurs need to look under the hood before buying a franchise. Listen to this podcast to find out why.

Partial Transcript

Well, first, there are a couple of things. And one that as we're going through this journey ourselves from being a franchisee to the franchisor, it's understanding the roles of the franchisor versus the franchisee. That's important; what role are you playing versus the franchisor? And then, when you're looking at brands, the other thing for brands to me is really looking under the hood. Don't just look at all the stuff on the surface; dig down and see what extra charges there, you know, are they marking up stuff, you know, really evaluate a brand to a brand and not just the fluff kind of stuff you see on the top. And it's a lot of due diligence. But you know, ask the questions that will be once you're in there, you know, are they marking up the food product? Are they marking up advertising materials? You know, what are you paying? So, dig down and ask many more questions, and I would talk to many franchisees in the system and see how they feel about the franchisor and the brand itself. I would do a lot of due diligence with franchisees because they're the ones that are going to tell you.

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

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

Last month, we met with Chad Harrison, Franchise Development Representative at Authority Brands, and Michael Hutchins, Franchise Development Manager. Authority Brands is the parent company of several leading home service companies. Over the years, Franchise Interviews has interviewed many of the franchises for Authority Brands. Today we will play clips from several brands we interviewed over the years under the Authority Brands umbrella. They include the following:

Screenmobile: Screenmobile provides the best selection of screen-related services and products—right to your door!

Monster Tree Service: Monster Tree Service employs professional arborists committed to healthy trees and satisfied customers.

Junkluggers - With sustainable disposal services, you can easily discard unwanted junk of all kinds — and feel good about it!

ASP - America’s Swimming Pool Company provides exceptional pool maintenance, repair, and renovation.

We are meeting with Lucas Clarke, VP of Franchise Development of Ninja Nation. Ninja Nation, is the leading provider of world-class obstacle course arenas and experiences across the country. Each Ninja Nation location offers a variety of obstacles designed to allow participants of all skill levels to get involved, and visitors can look forward to ever-evolving courses and equipment. mission is to provide a fun, safe, and engaging space where everyone can be a hero. Their goal is to create over one million heroes. That’s one million kids and adults pushing their minds and bodies to limits they never thought possible. In part two, we play a clip from our Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

This was an interview we did with the incredible, motivational speaker and talk show host Coach Lynn Johnson. The topic was entrepreneurship and franchising. We gave some of our key tips we learned on our radio show. Learn more by listening to the podcast.

Last month I posted on LinkedIn a conversation I had with my son titled “What is your favorite burger franchise?” I was surprised how many people enjoyed and responded to the post. It stated the following: Today my son Martin and I went hiking by the Delaware River. It is one of my favorite things to do in Lehigh Valley. My son caught me off guard today and said, “Dad, what is your favorite burger franchise?” I started our podcast Franchise Interviews before he was born. I never realized he took an interest or was paying attention all these years. It turned out to be a long and fun conversation.

I never shared with everyone the results of our conversation. One of our favorites we shared in common is Jake’s Wayback Burgers. Many years ago, we picked up Jake’s Burgers for July 4th. Since that moment, it has kind of become a tradition to pick up Jake's on holidays like Memorial Day, which is four days away and July 4th. Of course, McDonald’s was part of the conversation. In honor of Hamburger month, we are going to play our interview with Jake’s and play a roundtable discussion on the movie called “The Founder”, the story of Ray Kroc and the McDonald brothers. 

Our next hike is scheduled for next week! Perhaps we will continue our conversation on franchising and podcasting. Have a happy Memorial Day weekend!

We are meeting with Luke Carlson, CEO of Discover Strength. Founded in 2006, Discover Strength is a Minnesota-based strength training studio built on the principle that busy people don’t have time to waste on exercise that doesn’t work. Discover Strength delivers 30-minute strength training workouts twice per week with exercise physiologists. They help their clients look and feel their best in a fraction of the time. Discover Strength currently has 15 locations (11 in Minnesota, one Scottsdale location, and three locations awarded in Salt Lake Valley), with more on the way. As the consumer demand for quality boutique fitness continues to rise, Discover Strength, a strength training concept built on the principle that busy people don’t have time to waste on exercise that doesn’t work, is targeting Illinois for growth as it continues its expansion across the Midwest and beyond.

Martin and Luke also discuss some of their favorite business books. In Part Two, we play a clip from our interview with the legendary Michael Gerber.

Did you miss our podcast with Tootl Transport Founder, President Michelle Dacy, and Steve Greenbaum, Board Member and Advisor?

I was excited to have this opportunity to interview Michelle and Steve for several reasons. My dad suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Getting him from Point A to Point B was complicated towards the end of this disease, so I think Tootl Transport is such an essential service. Next was my opportunity to interview Steve Greenbaum. I have been following Steve’s career for a long time, and this was the first time I got to interview Steve. Tootl Transport has a strong advisory board. Besides Steve, other members include Brad Fishman, Debra Vilchis, and Jeff Matthews.

As the nation’s first special needs non-emergency transportation concept, Tootl is committed to providing individuals with temporary or permanent mobility and cognitive challenges with the reliable and comfortable rides they need. The brand has seen success with its two corporate locations in Milwaukee and Chicago and is looking to open 20 locations in 2023, choosing to focus on streamlining operations in its first year of franchising. Tootl approaches their business, employees, and customers through TREK, which stands for their core values of Trust, Respect, Empathy, and Kindness. With a low-risk, low-investment business model, Tootl is the perfect opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to break into the franchising space while providing a necessary and meaningful service to the underserved members of their community.

We play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast in Part Two.

According to the History Channel, Cinco de Mayo, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army's May 5, 1862, victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day, a popular misconception. Instead, it commemorates a single battle. The battle lasted from daybreak to early evening, and when the French finally retreated, they had lost nearly 500 soldiers. Cinco de Mayo is widely interpreted as celebrating Mexican culture and heritage in the United States, particularly in areas with substantial Mexican-American populations.

We thought a great way to kick in Cinco de Mayo was to play our interviews with the Margaritas Mexican Restaurant franchise opportunity. Over the years, we had two chances to interview Margaritas Mexican Grill. Our first interview was with Bob Hofmeister, President and COO of Margaritas. Next, we will play a clip of our interview with John Pelletier, Founder and CEO of Margaritas.

According to the Margaritas website, for over 40 years, Margaritas has built a cult following by staying focused and not chasing trends. Margaritas brings the spirit of Mexico to the U.S. through our scratch-made Mexican food, warm hospitality, celebratory environment, and of course - our world-famous Margaritas! While their decor and technology have changed over the decades - the big idea has always been the same. Deliver great Mexican food, fun, and the world's best Marg!  

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/cinco-de-mayo

Introduction Music

Music by FreeGroove from Pixabay