Franchise Voice

Access to capital is one of the biggest challenges to growing diverse and representative franchise ownership. In fact, it is one of the most common issues or barriers to entry raised among potential franchisees from communities of color. But accessing capital doesn't have to be that hard if you know where to look.

Join IFA Foundation Executive Director Rikki Amos, Senior Vice President of External Affairs at the Opportunity Finance Network Dafina Williams, and Principal of Liquid Capital of Greater Philadelphia Jack Wilson for a conversation on Community Development Financial Institutions and what you need to know to become a local business owner.

Want more? Listen to this May 2022 webinar for a deep dive on Community Development Financial Institutions and how to access capital for your entrepreneurial dream.

Special Guests: Dafina Williams, Jack Wilson, and Rikki Amos.

Robin Gagnon is the Co-Founder of We Sell Restaurants and the Chair of the IFA Women's Franchise Committee. She joins Franchise Voice hosts Bill Meierling and Jack Monson to discuss the success of the franchise model during and post-pandemic as well trends she's spotting for the restaurant industry for the rest of this year and next.

Special Guest: Robin Gagnon.

The California FAST Recovery Act is a continued attempt to end the franchise model as we know it and harm thousands of local restaurant business owners in California and the jobs they support. The legislation will establish an unaccountable, unelected council of political appointees to oversee workplace policy, independent of the legislature and outside of existing labor law. In addition, by statue, it will eliminate the franchise model in California, turning hardworking local franchise business owners into middle managers, decimating equity they have spent their livelihoods building. Recent amendments purport to allow for legislative oversight but are instead window dressing and do not eliminate the serious legal and policy issues that doomed AB 257 last session.

Special Guests: Greg Flynn, Jeff Hanscom, and Roy Gilad.

Today's Franchise Voice features Constance Hill-Johnson, owner of Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services of Cleveland with your hosts Bill Meierling and Jack Monson. Today, Hill-Johnson was announced as the Chairman of the Board for the Cleveland Foundation, the world’s very first community foundation that today is also one of the largest with assets exceeding $2.5 billion and annual grant making of more than $100 million. Learn how Connie grew her business through community involvement and about the Cleveland Foundation’s intentional approach to serving diverse communities.

Special Guest: Connie Hill-Johnson.

Links:

• The Cleveland Foundation

In this episode, we are discussing the impact of the war in Ukraine on franchised businesses and the decision of many to cease operations in Russia, as highly reported in the media. We will dive in to how all of this works, answer frequent questions, and address common misperceptions about the franchise business model. We have two international franchise experts who will help set the record straight about how franchising works and what this means for businesses with units in these areas.

William Edwards, CEO & Global Advisor to Senior Executives, Edwards Global Services, Inc.

On today’s podcast, Bill Meierling and Jack Monson sit down with IFA’s Jennifer Brandeen and Sandie Curtis. Then, we have a conversation with Wanda Williams, Head of Global Franchising at Yum! Brands.

For more information on The Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence, please visit

The International Franchise Association welcomes you to Franchise Voice Episode 1!

Join hosts Bill Meierling and Jack Monson for a conversation with IFA CEO Matt Haller. Matt shares his vision on how this podcast will integrate with other communications channels for the franchise community. We'll also preview the upcoming IFA Annual Convention and other events that will help small business owners grow in 2022!

Special Guest: Matt Haller.