Franchise Today

Leo Resig is the CO-Founder and CEO of Atmosphere TV, the world's largest provider of audio-optional, streaming TV services for businesses.  With more than 50 channels to choose from, there is a channel for every business and mood imaginable.  Atmosphere's TV fills the void for businesses in a world dominated by linear cable TV, better suited for at-home viewing. No cable carrier has addressed the need for TV programming that doesn't require audio or the love of sports to be enjoyed.

This week we are rejoined by one of my favorite Washington insiders, Bruce Mehlman.  Bruce heads Mehlman, Castignetti, Rosen and Thomas, a premier inside the Beltway lobbying firm, that helps Fortune 500 companies and innovative startups understand, anticipate and navigate ever-evolving policy, environment and political trends, likely to impact the global marketplace.

Bruce joins us for a look back on the projections he made during his visit in August of 2020, as well as for a look ahead.  We’ll talk about today's political landscape, 100 days into the Biden presidency and some of the many changes ahead. 

Bruce will tell us, that while things may feel very different now, as compared to the past four years, according to data, things are very much the same.  When he joined us last August, as a nation we were deep into lockdown and both our business and persosnal lives seemed very uncertain. 

His quarterly updates on political trends are widely read by business leaders and political observers across the country and have been frequently covered in leading publications, including the Washington Post, Axios, Politico, CNN, Fortune, and the Daily Caller and more recently, right here, on Franchise Today!

Clarissa Windham Bradstock had a wealth of prior experience prior to joining Any Lab Test  Now.  But, it was also her very first job in franchising.  Now, she's the CEO, has reimagined the brand significantly, greatly enhanced unit level economics as well as support, for their nearly 200 franchised locations.  What else has she accomplished?  She is the Chair Emeritus, of the Southeast Franchise Forum, the IFA's largest Franchise Business Network affiliate in Atlanta and also serves in for the Atlanta Chapter of the IFA's Women's Franchise Committee.  And, speaking of the WOmen's Franchise Committee, in Feb. 2020, they honored Clarissa as the recipient of their coveted Crystal Compass Award.  This award recognizes individuals who exemplify leadership and who have made significant contributions through their leadership, within their franchise organizations, the franchise community, or the community where they live.  Clarissa indham Bradstock checks all three of those boxes and more.

Today we are going to hear the story of a magical brand that began franchising the “first time” in 2009, with lots of sizzle and appeal.  But along with all that, came mis-queued marketing messages and less than stellar unit level economics.  Stories like that usually don't end well.  NOT SO, with  ZOOM ROOM.  Mark Van Wye is a founding partner, but he was not the CEO back then.  Nor, was he the go-to-guy, responsible for their business systems, financial disciplines, or unit level economics. 

All of that changed in 2016, when Mark took a Mulligan, buying out his partner, becoming CEO, bringing in venture capital and seizing the opportunity to do things better.  This is a great story about a magical brand.  Zoom Rooms are indoor dog training gyms with locations across the USA, with many more are on the way. Founded in 2007, they claim to have already made more than 100,000 tails wag.  Their motto too, spells it all out.  "We don't train dogs.  We train the people that love them."  

Zoom Room v 2.0, came out of the gates in 2018 and has been exploding ever since, with wildly profitable, sustainable growth.  Today, in addition to being best in class at in their core competencies, they have also become proficient, in the practice of "sensible franchising."

My guest today is Steve Jackson, President and CEO of Hungry Howie’s.  Steve, as some of you may remember, was my very first guest interview, following the COVID lock downs last spring.  We were actually just entering week 3 when he joined us to talk about the radical changes that were under way then, to assure the ability to safely continue doing business, for both his franchisees and their teams, as well as for his corporate teams, both on the franchise AND supply chain and distribution sides of his business. 

Well, it’s been just over a year since that last conversation and Steve is back today with a tale of the tape.  A look back retrospectively, as well as a look ahead.  How much has his business changed?  ow much must it continue to evolve, post COVID? 

For many of us, these times have felt more like the pages of a best-selling fiction thriller, than real life.  But this is not a book, nor is it a drill.  It’s the real deal and we all continue wrestling with the dual impacts of Corona Virus… medical and economic, as even a year later, it continues to wreak havoc on businesses, employees and customers.   

Steve Jackson has 46 years on the front lines in pizza and franchising, with more than 500 take-out and delivery restaurants in 21 states, Steve is a guy, who’d thought he’d seen it all.  But, as he will confess,  these times are different than anything he’s ever experienced, in nearly half a century in pizza and franchising.

Scott Greenberg knows franchises. For more than ten years he ran a thriving multiunit Edible Arrangements enterprise that won the “Best Customer Service” and “Manager of the Year” awards out of more than 1000 locations worldwide. He’s presented keynotes and workshops to countless franchise systems. He’s seen the best, the worst and learned what it takes make a franchise operation prosper. Scott will help your franchisees get more from their business and perform at much higher levels, in service to their brands, their employees and of course, the customer experiences that they deliver in their communities.

Art Coley has been passionate about small business ownership since he opened his first burger stand at age 15.  It was that early-stage business that sparked his interest in franchising.  Art’s various career endeavors have all centered upon making small business ownership accessible for entrepreneurs around the world.

In 2015, Art noticed an anomaly in the franchising space.  While many franchise concepts from start-up to mature, might have a good business model and initial success in unit-growth, there seemed to be a lack of structure and discipline around their ongoing franchise development processes and procedures, slowing growth and even stalling the brand out.  Using decades of experience driving system-wide revenues for Top 200 brands, Art saw this as his calling and formed CGI Franchise, where his mission is to close that gap for CGI’s brand partners and provide their development teams with systems and processes for that deliver thriving, successful franchise development and onboarding. The system is called the Recruitment Operating System®.

Paul Wolbert is a straightforward, out of the box thinker who believes in himself and others. With four decades of experience in franchise operations and administration, he has a balanced perspective, with vision from both the franchisor and franchisee paradigms. He began his franchise career working with the most extensive franchise system in the world, has served on several executive teams during periods of rapid growth, and has co-founded several franchise concepts.

Paul has a passion for developing new concepts and working with start-ups and early stage franchise concepts and has passion for taking an active and hands-on role, advising early-stage franchisors on how to build a successful franchise system from the ground up.

He is an accomplished and recognized franchise expert and a frequent speaker at industry events. I am proud to call him my friend and to have him here as my guest.

HomeTeam has over a quarter century of experience successfully training new owners how to develop their powerful team approach to home inspections and how to dominate their territories.  HomeTeam's industry-leading four-step training, vastly increases revenue potential and teaches franchisees how to establish a true business that will create equity as it grows.  ​

HomeTeam pays for and sets up initial technical franchisee training which, upon completion, will lead to a franchisee earning his/her home inspection license, or state certification.  They also help prospective franchisees set up their legal entity, insurance, banking accounts, etc.  Something seldom, if ever seen.  

HomeTeam provides true technical training and certification, small business coursework, and then actual field experience before franchisees ever open their doors for business.

Mike Bidwell is President and CEO of Neighborly, formerly known as the Dwyer Group.  Last year during the height of Coronavirus, Neighborly ended the year with 382 new franchises awarded across their 2 dozen plus brands.  They also managed to add five new franchised brands to their corporate portfolio and generate more than $2 billion in global sales.  Mike will tell us that none of this came easy, in fact it didn’t come at all… they chased it.  They did what they have done since their humble beginnings.  They strategized, they adjusted, made many necessary pivots and they went after it.  Mike's own story is inspiring and he shares that along with the history of the Dwyer Group and Neighborly.         

Moreover, he is chock full of take-home value, applicable to any and all in franchising.  From his start in franchising, as a single unit franchisee, to leading the charge for all of Neighborly, Mike Bidwell is now responsible for 26 franchised brands, more than 4,500 franchises and 1,000 employees, at 8 corporate support centers throughout North America, the U.K. and Germany.