Franchise Simply Podcasts

Zac Underwood is the Head of Sales & Partnerships at Procuret, an Australian-owned financial technology company or FinTech. He has over 15 years’ experience in sales and account management across a variety of industries and has spent the last 3.5 years at Procuret.

Procuret is a business-to-business finance provider that partners with professional and essential services suppliers in Australia and New Zealand. These supplier partners can embed Procuret’s finance option on their invoices or offer it as a part of their sales process so they can get paid upfront while their business customers pay in monthly installments.

To learn more or to speak to Zac go to his LinkedIn account https://au.linkedin.com/in/zacunderwood or you can contact me

at [email protected] or 61 417 211 366.

Kody Thompson is a dynamic entrepreneur and visionary leader with a track record of success. He is renowned for his achievements as the founder of Lightning Sites, a web development company that he built from a $250 startup into a multi-million-dollar enterprise generating in excess of $5M profit across eight years. Over that time, Lightning Sites was able to build over 1,500 websites, servicing over 800 clients monthly and generating in excess of 500,000 leads for his clients.

After successfully building his own remote teams to grow and exit Lightning Sites, Kody developed and launched the Business WrkPod, with Co-Founder Dale Beaumont.

WrkPod specialises in helping companies build teams in the Philippines, offering comprehensive services that include talent recruitment, state-of-the-art co-working spaces, and extensive training and support for both client and Filipino talent.

In 3 short years, Kody facilitated the placement of over 650 remote staff for WrkPod client and grew, enabling them to achieve greater efficiency, reduce operation costs, and strengthen their enterprises.

Beyond his business endeavours, Kody is a devoted husband and father of two daughters who is deeply committed to philanthropy. Kody’s journey is a testament to his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to making a positive impact in both the business world and the community.

To learn more or to speak to Kody go to wrkpod.com or you can contact me at [email protected] or 61 417 211 366.

Damien is an Author, Entrepreneur and Franchisor.

Damien is the founder and CEO of Urban Clean, a national commercial and office cleaning franchise. Started as a side business in 2009, Damien franchised the business

in 2014. It now has well over 100+ franchisees across Australia and is expanding internationally.

Urban Clean has serviced thousands of clients and cleans some of the biggest companies in Australia. Its strategic business model helps its franchisees build scalable, profitable businesses with low fixed costs using a unique approach to franchising in the commercial cleaning industry.

Damien grew up in Adelaide. After a challenging start, he travelled and lived overseas after completing university. On returning to Australia, he built, sold, and developed millions of dollars' worth of property in his twenties before starting a commercial cleaning business.

He is the author of ‘Clean Up with Franchising’ and generously shares his experiences and learnings.

To learn more or to speak to Damien go to urbanclean.com.au or you can contact me at [email protected] or 61 417 211 366.

Dean Lightfoot has had a hands-on journey spanning over three decades in franchising with Gelatissimo, Baskin-Robbins, Subway and Andersens, and delved deep into every facet of the industry. From site selections, lease negotiations, and store training to delivering marketing programs both locally and internationally, his commitment has always been to uplift and support franchisees. Dean firmly believes that when you prioritise and support your franchisees, success naturally follows for the brand. At heart, he is an advocate for creating unparalleled customer experiences.

“Emerging Franchisor Insights – Nautical Bowls” with Dean Lightfoot

To learn more or to speak to Dean go to https://nauticalbowls.com.au/ or you can contact me at [email protected] or 61 417 211 366.

Richard Parker has been helping people achieve their dreams of owning a business for over 30 years. His ‘How To Buy A Good Business At A Great Price’ program has sold over 100,000 copies in more than 80 countries.

He has personally purchased 13 of his own companies plus one co-investment with purchase prices ranging from $50,000 to over $200 million.

Richard has appeared in Forbes, The New York Times, TheStreet.com, Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc., and has over 300 published articles to his credit.

He was hired by Ray Dalio, the famous investor and investment banker currently worth over US$15 million, and for several years, he worked as a mentor to one of Ray’s sons, teaching him the art of buying small businesses.

To learn more or to speak to Richard go to RICHARD PARKER or you can contact me at [email protected] or 61 417 211 366.

Paul Blackburn is an internationally acclaimed author and leader in the human potential movement, Paul has taught more than 400,000 people on 4 continents how to reach their personal and professional potential during 38 years as a success coach, author, instructor and keynote speaker.

Paul has trained 350+ life/business coaches, held one of the world’s largest fire-walks, was appointed by the Australian Government to its business advisory panel and is a partner in a multi-million dollar business operating in 100+ countries (not related to personal development).

To learn more or to speak to Paul go to https://quantumorange.com/ or you can contact me at [email protected] or 61 417 211 366.

Rhiannon Simcocks is an experienced leader and solutionist; applying entrepreneurial thinking that pushes the boundaries of even the most established business models.

As CEO of James’ Home Services Australia, Rhiannon conceptualised and has led the development and implementation of Australia’s first subscription model to business ownership, the Netflix of franchising… revolutionising business ownership in our country. We believe the model is also a world-first. The model stands to disrupt an established and mature sector with this modern approach that is wholly responsive to changing consumer demands when it comes to individuals’ business ownership goals.

This was achieved whilst simultaneously rolling out transformational organisational change, to entirely rebuild the foundations of the 30 year old company and reposition James Home Services Australia for this new chapter.

With a background in business management and business consulting, Rhiannon brings a balance of strategic thinking, sharp business acumen, a strong moral compass and an acute focus on honed execution. She is strong across all core organisational verticals including strategy, operations, risk, finance, HR and marketing; however, her real strength is the ability to bring together a team of people around shared goals to achieve truly remarkable outcomes.

To learn more or to speak to Rhiannon go to https://jameshomeservices.com.au/ or you can contact me at [email protected] or 61 417 211 366.

Neil Fairley and his team specialise in offering intelligent, proven, and legally compliant solutions for workforce engagement and contractor compliance that do not rely on traditional employment models.

These solutions, known as Modern Workforce Strategies, provide managers and business owners with options to navigate the complexities of modern business and uncertainties in industrial relations.

A Modern Workforce Strategy focuses on ethically and lawfully mitigating obstacles in industrial relations and, when appropriate, removing constraints imposed by Awards.

Strategies also emphasise maintaining or regaining of operational flexibility and achieving productivity goals.

Neil and his team collaborate with businesses to ensure the lawful and compliant engagement of non-employment-based individuals from independent contractors to developing strategies that enable businesses to offer higher compensation to workers, while saving costs.

Savings are validated through the input of client-provided data into their purpose built Cost of Employment Calculator revealing the true cost of employment.

With over 15 years of experience, Neil and his team have honed their proprietary framework for non-employment-based solutions, allowing them to create tailored Modern Workforce strategies for many sectors, including franchising.

To learn more or to speak to Neil, go to www.contractright.com.au or you can contact me at [email protected] or 61 417 211 366.

Stan Phelps is a TEDx speaker, Forbes contributor, IBM futurist and Certified Speaking Professional that focuses on the future of customer experience.

Throughout his career, Stan held many marketing leadership roles with Adidas, International Management Group, the PGA of America and Synergy.

He’s the best-selling author of the Goldfish Series of books. They all focus on the little ways to drive differentiation, increase loyalty, and promote positive word of mouth. He has spoken at over 600 events in 19 countries.

Stan holds a JD/MBA from Villanova University and a Certificate in Achieving Breakthrough Service from Harvard Business School.

To learn more or to speak to Stan go to STAN PHELPS SPEAKS or you can contact me at [email protected] or 61 417 211 366.

Adam Houlahan is an International Keynote Speaker specialising in LinkedIn strategies for entrepreneurs and CEO of one of the few truly global LinkedIn agencies, Prominence Global.

He hosts arguably the world’s largest free online LinkedIn training event, with thousands of people registering 5 times each year. He is considered one of the world’s leading experts in harnessing the power of LinkedIn for business.

Adam is also the author of three Amazon best-selling books: Social Media Secret Sauce, The LinkedIn Playbook, and Influencer.

He believes real and meaningful change comes through the world’s entrepreneurs. His purpose is to positively impact 12 million people in need and has surpassed 10 million impacts on the way to that target.

To learn more or to speak to Adam go to Prominence or you can contact me at [email protected] or 61 417 211 366.

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