FranchiseU!

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Aicha Bascaro, Founder of American Franchise Academy. Bascaro’s amazing career began when a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver drove by at the exact right time. After many years working in franchising nationally and internationally, she now educates others on how to manage businesses and themselves.

Bascaro is a 35+ year veteran in the franchise industry who grew through the ranks of global brands like Domino’s Pizza, Popeyes and Olive Garden. She led a global franchise brand, managed country-wide franchise organizations and even developed her own protype brand. She has worked in domestic and international operations and lived in 14 countries throughout her career supporting International Master Franchisors for legacy brands around the world.

Bascaro is the author of the Amazon best-selling books “The Franchise Fix” and “The Multi-Unit Franchise Mastery”. The books are a compilation of the business management best practices of top performing franchisees in the US and around the world as well as her personal experience running small, medium, and large organizations.

Bascaro founded the America Franchise Academy, LLC™ in 2016 after realizing the great need that many new and emerging franchise owners had. Her passion now is to protect the American Dream of business ownership through franchising and to provide easy access to the knowledge, tools and resources that are missing in the industry.

Bascaro lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband and three children.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Gary Liskovich, Co-Founder & CEO at Harmonyze. Harmonyze is an AI-driven company that aims to enhance franchise operations through the use of cutting-edge technology.

With a strong foundation in engineering, Liskovich holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His early career led him through roles at Deloitte and several high-growth startups, where he developed expertise in AI and its application to solve complex problems.

Prior to founding Harmonize, Liskovich was a product manager at Evolution IQ, where he worked on AI solutions for the insurance industry, helping to simplify and expedite decision-making in a notoriously complex field. With a passion for innovative technology, he co-founded Harmonize alongside his best friend to make franchise operations more efficient by utilizing AI to process unstructured data and provide actionable insights.

Liskovich is dedicated to empowering franchise owners by reducing their administrative burdens, allowing them to focus more on strategic decision-making and building relationships within their networks. His approach emphasizes a human-centric technology that adapts to users' needs, making the franchise system more dynamic and responsive.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Samantha Gorman, Franchisee with Fitness Premier Clubs. Samantha’s personal and professional history offers inspiration and insight for those interested in making money with a franchise while not abandoning personal strengths and aspirations.

Samantha Gorman has always believed that it is our birthright to live a healthy, happy and fulfilling life. It has been her purpose to educate and empower clients to transform their health, life and spirit for the better. With a deep love for all things health and wellness related, Gorman was searching for a career that would allow her the opportunity to transform lives using her extensive knowledge of holistic health. Gorman’s journey with Fitness Premier began early at the age of 21 years old when she began her career as a part-time Personal Trainer. This role was the key that unlocked the door to a long-term opportunity to lead others down a healthier path. Through years of hard work and experience, she was able to gain the professional experience in the fitness industry needed to become a Franchisee. Over the course of her 10-year career in the industry, she has been honored to serve many clients on their journey towards better health. She is proud to be a franchisee of a company with a brand that represents more than just a tagline. At Fitness Premier, membership means more and we’re going to help you live a life that you never thought was possible.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Mike Esposito, Founder of Franchise Equity Partners. Listen and learn why franchisees are good investments!

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Stephanie Schon, MBA, PMP, CSP, President at The Bar Method.

As President of The Bar Method, Stephanie Schon leads operations and growth for the low-impact barre fitness studio chain, with approximately 80 studios in the United States and Canada. The Bar Method was acquired in 2019 by Self-Esteem Brands, which also owns Anytime Fitness, Basecamp Fitness, Waxing the City, and Stronger U. Schon leads the strategy development, builds the capabilities for profitable operations and franchisee support, and grows the brand.

Prior to joining SEB, Schon served as Chief Operations Officer at Erbert & Gerbert’s Sandwich Shop. She turned the company’s sales trajectory around in just one year; she helped lead the company through the first eight months of the pandemic, generating comparative sales and keeping stores open at better rates than the industry average.

Previously, Schon built an incredible franchise operational wheelhouse and deep business strategy experience at Buffalo Wild Wings, Digineer and IBM.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Heather McLeod, MBA, CFE, Chief Growth Officer at Authority Brands. McLeod oversees the key growth drivers for the premier home service franchisor in North America. She is also a franchisee with Woofie's Pet Sitters, Dog Walkers & Mobile Pet Groomers. This special episode offers you sage wisdom from both a franchisor’s and franchisee’s perspective.

Heather McLeod’s focus at Authority Brands is on increasing same-store sales for existing franchisees and expanding the network with new locations across the US and Canada. With a proven track record, McLeod excels as a change agent, revitalizing programs, systems, and processes. She is skilled in building collaborative, high-performing teams and has a strong background in creating scalable marketing systems to support ongoing franchise growth. McLeod holds an MBA in Marketing and a BBA in Entertainment Marketing and Management, and actively contributes to community organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Baltimore and the Women’s Franchise Network. Her specialties include lead generation, digital marketing strategy, branding, cross-functional team management, and franchisee relationship building.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Alicia Miller, Author of Big Money in Franchising: Scaling Your Enterprise in the Era of Private Equity. The marriage of private equity and franchising may be a mystery to you, but one thing is certain. The influx of Private Equity capital in franchising has accelerated the growth of many franchisors and multi-unit franchisees. Make sure to listen as Miller provides valuable insights into the impact that Private Equity has made on the franchise model.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Dennis Weese, Chairman of the Board of West Point Optical. During their lively conversation they discuss Weese's career journey (which emphasizes the importance of collaborative relationships between franchisors and franchisees), the support and training provided by Pearl Vision, as well as West Point Optical's infrastructure and plans for growth. Weese offers valuable advice that stresses the significance of collaboration and active listening in the journey towards success.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Del Salinas, Director of Franchise Development at the Caring Senior Service. Kathy and Del discuss the unique principles that make up Caring Senior Service and specifically talk about how they use AI to improve their customer service.

Salinas is responsible for expanding the Caring brand into new territories. Salinas was recruited to work with Caring from his previous roles in restaurant and service leadership that spanned over 20 years working with large companies implementing new systems to grow staff and profitability. Salinas stays active with his family of 6 boys with his wife Melissa.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Doug Smith, Senior Vice-President of Franchise Development at BELFOR Franchise Group.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Doug Smith, Senior Vice-President of Franchise Development at BELFOR Franchise Group.

During the interview Smith stresses the importance of setting realistic expectations and the dedication needed for success. Smith also shares the evolution of BELFOR to their current 14 home service brands.

Doug Smith became the SVP of Franchise Development for the BELFOR Franchise Group in July of 2019 after BELFOR Franchise Group acquired Harris Research, Inc. (A family of home-service franchise brands that included Chem-Dry Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning, N-Hance Wood Refinishing and Delta Restoration Services). 

Smith joined the Harris Research family back in June of 2015, as the Senior Vice President of Franchise Development. In his role, he managed a team that was directly responsible for all Franchise Development, including the territory expansion of existing franchisees. In his role, he was also responsible for all lead generation, associated marketing and brand awareness. Smith came to HRI most recently from the Affinion Group, where he was Senior Vice President of Business Development in their Financial Services division. Smith is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, (R.I.T.), in their Hospitality Management program. He started his career with Perk Development Corporation, who at the time was the largest franchisee of Perkins Family Restaurants, as well as both Chilis and Bobby Rubinos locations throughout New York and Pennsylvania. He and his wife got tired of the long winters and relocated to Atlanta, GA where he went to work for The Cheesecake Factory Corporation. After successfully managing their highest performing location, he then left to become a District Sales Manager for Edward Don and Company, working closely with several corporate, independent and franchise restaurant operations throughout the Southeast. Smith resides in Brentwood, TN, with his wife Michele, their two children, and their two mischievous dogs. Doug can usually be found coaching on the baseball fields or camping with the Scouts as an assistant Scout Leader.