Franchise Today

Today we hear another inspiring story when Zach Buetler, co-founding partner of Horsepower Brands, shares the story of his amazing ascent from becoming a multi-unit franchisee in his early 20s, to ultimately losing it all.  Following his wipe out, which included a bankruptcy, Zach took a Mulligan and bounced back even bigger and better, with his second bite of the apple.  All of this led to his migration to the Zor side of the business where he learned first-hand,the difference between franchise sales and franchise development, for sustainable growth and sensible franchising. Today we’ll hear another inspiring story when Zach Buetler, co-founding partner of Horsepower Brands, shares the story of his amazing ascent from becoming his career as a multi-unit franchisee in his early 20s,to ultimately losing it all.  Zack took a Mulligan following his wipe-out and bankruptcy and bounced back bigger and better, with his second bite of the apple.  He has since migrated to the Zor side of the business, where he has learned first-hand, the difference between franchise sales and franchise development.  Today, it's all about  sustainable growth and sensible franchising, at Horsepower Brands..

Michael Isakson is the retired President and COO of ServiceMaster Franchise Services Group, an international franchise services company, where he had responsibility for the development and growth of more than 5,000 franchises worldwide with sales totaling more than $2 billion annually.  As part of the $4 billion ServiceMaster Company, Mike led ServiceMaster Clean, Merry Maids, Furniture Medic and AmeriSpec brands, specializing in residential and commercial cleaning services, disaster restoration, on-site furniture repair, and home inspections.Mike was also the Chair of the IFA in 2008-2009 and is the Immediate Past Chair of the IFA Education Foundation.   Today, he and his partners Doug Pound and Jim Wassell, give guidance to their clients and through Insight to Execution, help guide them on their journeys.

I planned to kick off a new season this week, but COVID got in the way.  Instead, I return you to one of my favorite episodes of all time, as I speak with serial entrepreneur, founder and franchising icon, David McKinnon.  Over the past forty years, David has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to recognize unmet needs in the marketplace, innovate solutions, and establish recognizable brands. David is a fire-tested executive with business acumen that is combined with a set of unshakeable beliefs, With that as a foundation, David McKinnon has guided his companies through three major recessions including the dot-com meltdown and the Great Recession itself.

McKinnon’s business interests have spanned technology, home services, business-to-business telephony, and consumer products. As co-founder of Service Brands International (SBI), he built numerous franchise companies that employed more than six thousand people with combined revenues exceeding $400 million. McKinnon sold his interest in SBI in 2015.  Today, McKinnon is provides a sizeable endowment to the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) Educational Foundation for the funding of its “NextGen Franchising” – a worldwide program that supports young entrepreneurs. Through his leadership as a senior advisor to The Neighborly Brands and through his other business interests David continues help people around the world achieve their dreams and ambitions.  We’ll talk about all of that and more, this week on Franchise Today.

I wasn't plannig to post again until January, but here's a little ditty to celebrate Santa's dark side.  Kidding aside, please stay safe, travel easy and avoid the plight of Corona Virus during the year end holidays!

See you in 22.  

 

Merry Christmas!

Stan

This week, in Part 2 of my conversation with Michael E. Gerber, we look ahead, to how the E-Myth can touch you too, above and beyond his books.  This week we look ahead to Michael’s E-Myth Vertical Publications, The Dreaming Room, Radical U., and we close out this 12th Season of Franchise Today, with a special offer from Michael E. Gerber to Franchise Today listeners, that invites you to bring all of this to bear, in a very personal and impactful way.  A very generous offer from Michael E. Gerber, for Franchise Today listeners, wraps up Season 12 of Franchise Today.

My guest this week is the iconic Michael E. Gerber, author of the mega-bestselling E Myth Series of books.  Inc. Magazine calls him “the World’s #1 Small Business Guru” — the entrepreneurial and small business thought leader who has impacted the lives of millions of small business owners and hundreds of thousands of companies worldwide, for over 40 years.

With an estimated 5,000,000 books sold to date, the E-Myth is taught in 119 universities around the world, with over 39 published works, translated into 30 languages.

Michael E. Gerber's mission is "to transform the state of small business worldwide™."

In Part 1 of this 2 part interview, we learn more about Michael E. Gerber the man and look back over the 35-year history of the E-Myth.  Next week In Part 2, we will look ahead to some very exciting news, regarding his future plans for the E-Myth and what that could mean for you.  Two weeks, back-to-back with Michael E. Gerber and the E-Myth, a big finish to this, our 12th season of The Franchise Today Podcast.

The Rising Stars of Franchising returns this week with retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Paul Huszar, President, CEO and majority owner of VetCor LLC, a restoration company focused on disaster recovery.  What makes VetCor so unique, is that their franchise network is comprised predominantly of veterans and/or veteran advocates, who in turn hire veterans as technicians, to perform their services.  

When it comes to achievements in both civilian and military life, Paul Huszar sets the bar high. Born and raised in Akron, Ohio Lt. Col. Huszar earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point and his Master’s in Civil Engineering, at the University of Washington, before making the US Army and it’s corps of engineers, his career for some 23 years.

Jimmy John is known for many things, but few know how benevolent this man and his family actually are.  From youngg kids working front lines in stores, to hospitals, universities, the military and the arts, Jimmy John has a kind heart and shares his thoughts on benevolence in this interview.  Originally aired in 2019, this is still a great story and worth listening to again, or for the first time.  Next week I am back with Paul Huszar, a career military man and President and CEO of VetCor Services.  These guys are role models for doing things the right way and paying it forward for our veterans.  

Then, on December 8th and 15th, a two-part series and a big finish for Season 12, featuring the iconic Michael E. Gerber, author of more than 37 books on small business, including the legendary, E-Myth.  It's all coming up right here, on Franchise Today!

After almost 25 years Robeks has earned a healthy portion of the growing açaí bowl, fresh juice and smoothie franchise market – which has grown to over $2 billion in annual sales. They know what works, and the kind of leaders that thrive in their fun, yet fast-paced environment. What they look for in franchisees, are difference makers, as committed to their community as they are passionate about their portfolio.  Here to tell us all about that and more is Mitch Baker, Robeks VP of Marketing.  Mitch is the guy responsible for driving their message, both to consumers, as well as potential franchisees.

You know the last voice I featured last week, during my tribute to Jerry Darnell, was Ryan Hicks, when he told us about how much time he spent during the past few years, his early years in franchising, being guided and mentored by Jerry. That got me thinking about how many others are fresh faces and rising stars in this business.  It got me thinking too, about how many of them  could also use a leg up from time to time, by some of us that have been at this for a minute or two.

Emily George is one such Rising Star.  Emily has a clear understanding of the power behind building partnerships, be those with brand clients, professional organizations, or vendor partnerships, that enable scalable solutions for those that she serves.  At Franchise Business Review, Emily joins Michelle Rowan’s team, working  with franchisors to measure and then use franchisee feedback, to make their organizations stronger and more successful.

Emily is multi-talented and what will be abundantly clear, after hearing from her today, is her passion for helping franchise systems.  Emily wants to help brands grow the right way: by investing in people, creating a positive culture and measuring success so they can continue to grow better, faster.  Who better to feature in this initial episode of Franchising’s Rising Stars, presented monthly, in memory of Jerry Darnell.