Franchise Today

By Franchise TodayBusiness

Franchise Today episodes

February 05, 2025 A Sweet Story of Transformation: Part 2: How Peach Cobbler Factory CEO, Greg George Went From ”Addiction to Awakening”
Greg George, Franchisor, CEO and co-owner of the Peach Cobbler Factory, reflects on his 35-year career in franchising and the personal transformation he underwent in his late 50s following a significant awakening.
The Peach Cobbler Factory has become the fastest-growing dessert chain in America, opening over 112 locations in less than three years. Despite this success, Greg shares his previous struggles and long history of drug and alcohol addiction, which began at age 12 and lasted until he was 46—a pattern he describes as a “family curse” affecting multiple generations.
Greg recounts the challenges of witnessing his oldest son’s
eight-year opiate addiction, which involved multiple overdoses and homelessness. This family crisis became a turning point, when his son entered a faith-based treatment center after hitting rock bottom. Shortly after, Greg
faced his own moment of reckoning, deciding to attend 90 Narcotics Anonymous meetings in 90 days, which marked the start of nearly seven years of sobriety.
His son also turned his life around and now holds a high-level position in Greg’s company. Together, they have helped 43 individuals find treatment for addiction.
Greg also highlights the significant influence of his business
partner, Larry Johnston, a Fortune 50 CEO who became a mentor and friend through an unexpected social media connection. Throughout his journey, Greg emphasizes hope for those struggling with addiction, noting that many
successful people may secretly battle similar issues. He advocates for admitting powerlessness and seeking help, sharing how willpower and discipline led to his recovery and a more balanced life. Greg is dedicated to assisting others, particularly the homeless, by providing essentials and emphasizing that true fulfillment comes from helping others rather than financial success. Greg expresses gratitude towards Larry for supporting his growth and enabling him to aid others. He encourages individuals facing similar challenges to reach out for support and aims to positively impact at least one person through his story. The conversation concludes with appreciation for
Greg’s transparency and dedication to personal and business growth, inviting interest in the Peach Cobbler Factory and his mission to help others.
27 min
January 29, 2025 Sweet Success: Greg George’s Journey from Peach Cobbler Factory to Empowering Franchise Executives!
This week on Franchise Today, I host Greg George, founder and CEO of Peach Cobbler Factory, who shares his compelling story from designing cigar lounges to building out a 100+ unit dessert and treat concept. Greg’s story is one of passion, resilience, and family values. Key highlights include: Greg’s strategic approach to franchising, staying with brands until they soar, and his emphasis on strong products and financial diligence. The rapid expansion of Peach Cobbler Factory, growing to 112 locations across 22 states by 2022, thanks to Greg’s visionary leadership and a mentor’s guidance. Personal stories of triumph over adversity, including Greg’s own battle with addiction and his commitment to supporting others on similar paths. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or a seasoned business leader, this episode is packed with valuable insights on scaling businesses, overcoming obstacles, and the profound impact of people in business. Don’t miss out on Greg George’s inspiring story and learn how franchising can be a powerful platform for change.
38 min
January 22, 2025 Nick Lopez: From College Painter to Franchise Innovator: The LIME Painting Story
As a college student, Nick Lopez started a
painting business to pay for his education. However, after reading the book "The E-Myth Revisited" Nick was inspired by the potential of the franchise model.
This experience inspired Nick to explore franchising further, and eventually growing Lyme Painting into the scalable business it has become. Nick's story highlights how passion, adaptability, and a willingness to learn, can lead to unexpected opportunities in the world of
franchising. Nick also describes how his entrepreneurship journey is guided by his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, thereby making him the Founder and Steward of the business, as opposed to Founder and CEO.
Nick and Stan talk too about how the unique competitive advantage of the business is in its market
segmentation. Nick was intrigued by the lack of national players focused on the high-end homeowner
market, which led him to pursue a scalable franchise model in this segment of the home improvement space.

Nick Lopez, this week on Franchise TOday.

34 min
January 15, 2025 Steve White's Journey: From Military Logistics to Franchise Leadership!
Listen to this episode to learn how military discipline and a servant's heart can create an extraordinary franchise leadership career. Steve White is the President, COO of PuroClean.
Discover how coming out of the Army, Steve's military precision transformed Domino's Pizza's struggling equipment division into a well-oiled machine. Steve White, a former Army officer, leveraged his logistics expertise to revolutionize Domino's operations in the 1980s, setting the stage for his remarkable career in franchising.
Steve's problem-solving abilities caught the attention of Domino's founder, leading to successful turnarounds in multiple divisions. His leadership journey continued as he helped consolidate several companies under the Allegra brand and later became President and COO of PuroClean, where he continues to make an impact in the restoration industry.
A passionate advocate for franchise community involvement, Steve serves on the IFA board, has chaired the IFA's VetFran committee and he currently chairs the IFA Educational Foundation.
40 min
January 07, 2025 Prospect Direct Co-Founder, CEO, Alex Oswiecinski
This week on Franchise Today, Prospect Direct Founder and CEO Alex Oswiecinski shares his insights on the power of data-driven franchise development. He explains how focusing and targeting individuals with strong business acumen and financial capabilities, rather than just capturing leads from those who fill out forms online is a game changer. This more qualified approach sets them apart from generic lead generation portals that cast a wide net. Prospect Direct's process involves thoroughly vetting prospects' professional backgrounds and experience to identify the best-fit franchisee candidates for their clients.
Alex attributes Prospect Direct's rapid growth, ranking 753 on the Inc. 5000 list, to factors like the pandemic disrupting traditional lead generation methods and their ability to connect with high-earning, six-figure potential franchise owners through targeted email campaigns. The key lessons from Alex's journey?
• Embrace a data-driven approach, focus on quality over quantity, and foster transparent, sustainable relationships between franchisors and franchisees.
• Identify and target high-quality franchisee prospects with strong business acumen
• Thoroughly vet candidates to ensure a good fit with the franchise model
• Manage expectations and deliver realistic results in the franchise development process
• Prioritize transparency and responsible franchise growth over short-term gains.
34 min
January 07, 2025 Prospect Direct CEO Alex Oswiecinski’s Unconventional Franchise Journey!
This week on Franchise Today, Prospect Direct Founder and CEO Alex Oswiecinski shares his insights on the power of data-driven franchise development. He explains how focusing and targeting individuals with strong business acumen and financial capabilities, rather than just capturing leads from those who fill out forms online is a game changer. This more qualified approach sets them apart from generic lead generation portals that cast a wide net. Prospect Direct's process involves thoroughly vetting prospects' professional backgrounds and experience to identify the best-fit franchisee candidates for their clients.
Alex attributes Prospect Direct's rapid growth, ranking 753 on the Inc. 5000 list, to factors like the pandemic disrupting traditional lead generation methods and their ability to connect with high-earning, six-figure potential franchise owners through targeted email campaigns. The key lessons from Alex's journey?
• Embrace a data-driven approach, focus on quality over quantity, and foster transparent, sustainable relationships between franchisors and franchisees.
• Identify and target high-quality franchisee prospects with strong business acumen
• Thoroughly vet candidates to ensure a good fit with the franchise model
• Manage expectations and deliver realistic results in the franchise development process
• Prioritize transparency and responsible franchise growth over short-term gains.
34 min
December 18, 2024 Season 15 Finale: A Tribute to Family & Success. Tint World's Charles Bonfiglio
In this final episode of Season 15, host Stan Friedman delivers a heartwarming tribute to family, gratitude, and success as he welcomes Charles Bonfiglio, franchise founder and CEO of Tint World. Inspired in large part by hiis father, Charles emphasizes the importance of relationships and shares his journey from humble beginnings in Brooklyn, NY to leading a 150-unit strong and growing automotive aftermarket franchise chain.
This episode also highlights his expanding portfolio of ventures, which starts with Tint World, ranked 249 on Entrepreneur Magazine's 2024 Franchise 500, his new emerging concept Cars Cafe and Auto Parts Network®, a Patent Pending, Automotive Aftermarket Parts and Accessories Distribution and eCommerce software company. Stan closes the episode extending gratitude to sponsors guests and listeners, marking the season's end with well-wishes for the holidays.
35 min
December 11, 2024 Entrepreneur's Tracy Stapp Herold: Six Weeks to the 46th Annual Franchise 500!
Tracy Stapp Herold is the special projects editor at Entrepreneur magazine. The Annual Franchise 500 is her MOST ANTICIPATED publications each year. It is Franchising’s equivalent of the Oscars, the Emmy’s, the Grammys, albeit minus the red carpet, but it is the Big Deal of the Year, when it comes to ratings. So, what goes into that pot of stew. How many data points are included and how are they massaged, measured and weighted. How much if any, has the changing nature of franchising influenced the curation of the data that drives the 500. Not that long ago, our industry was more Mom and Pop, operator centric with what were typically founder-led brands. Today, it’s not unusual to see franchisee enterprises that eclipse many franchisor organizations in size and infrastructure. Massive MUMBO’S multi-unit multi branded operations with dozens sometimes hundreds of locations. And, on the Zor side, we see tons of roll-ups... Portfolios of brands, dominating specific verticals and service areas, led by divisions and subdivisions of Private Equity Sponsors replacing those founder-led concepts of yester year, with the power of professional management, deep pockets for growth and investment, igniting the economies of scale like rocket fuel. It’s safe to say that our corner of the world, franchising is a changed place not your dad’s old Buick which means what’s important in 2025 to the compilation of the Franchise 500 too, must look a lot different. Or does it? Here to answer that and talk a whole lot more about it: Tracy Stapp Herold, Editor of Special Projects, at Entrepreneur Media.
32 min
December 04, 2024 Jimmy John Liautaud: The Gift That Keeps on Giving!
I’ve worked hard, built wealth, and won some awards along the way, and that’s all great, but I view my greatest accomplishments in life as my marriage to my beautiful and smart wife, Leslie, and raising our three beautiful children who have grown into amazing adults. They are grounded, balanced, nice people, who truly care about others. Family is everything to me. - Jimmy John Liautaud.
As you will hear in this episode, benevolence is right up there, with love for his family. The iconic Jimmy John Liautaud, this week on Franchise Today!
39 min
November 20, 2024 Stephen Preuss: PayMore, Revolutionizing the Secondhand Electronics Marketplace!
This week Stan sits down with Stephen Preuss, co-founder and CEO of Paymore Electronics, to explore the journey of transforming a humble secondhand store into a thriving franchise concept. Discover how Stephen and his partner Eric Helgesen redefined the secondhand electronics market by blending brick-and-mortar with e-commerce, harnessing the power of proprietary technology, and the need to overcome challenging industry stigmas.
In this episode, Stephen shares insights into the meticulous process of franchising, the strategic decisions that led to their rapid expansion, and the unique value proposition of Paymore stores. Learn about their innovative approach to customer experience, which boasts a repeat customer rate nearly 10X StephenR.Preussthe industry standard, and their commitment to eco-friendly practices through free electronics recycling.
Tune in to understand the challenges and triumphs faced by Paymore as they scale nationwide and internationally, and get a glimpse into their vision for the future of the secondhand electronics industry.
34 min

About Franchise Today

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to Franchise Today as it celebrates its 16th Season in 2025. Join host Stan Friedman, President of FRM Solutions every Wednesday at 12 PM ET / 11 AM CT as he serves up discussions with weekly guests, who will talk about best practices for scaling their franchise businesses for sustainable growth, through sensible franchising.