FranchiseU!

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Pete First, Chief Development Officer with BrightStar Care. First discusses the business of In-home and Facility Personal Care. Then, First shares how well franchising serves this industry and how offering complimentary brands provide amazing opportunities to franchisees.

First joined BrightStar Care in 2018 as the Vice President of Franchise Development and has served as the Chief Development Officer since 2022. In his current role, he is responsible for recruiting new franchise owners for all three brands under the BrightStar Group Holdings umbrella: BrightStar Care, BrightStar Senior Living®, and BrightStar® Care Homes™ and lead operations for start-up brands, BrightStar Senior Living, and BrightStar Care Homes. Prior to his time at BrightStar Care, he spent 14 years at Winmark Corporation, the franchisor for brands such as Play It Again Sports, Once Upon A Child, Plato’s Closet, Style Encore, and Music Go Round. During his tenure at Winmark, he secured dozens of new franchise agreements annually and helped build the system to over 1,200 locations across North America.

In this special edition of FranchiseU!, Kathy welcomes back Monica Rothgery to dive deeper into her book, "Lessons from the Drive Thru."

Kathy and Monica discuss such pivotal lessons as the importance of saying yes to opportunities and creating memorable first impressions for new team members. They delve into challenges faced by modern managers, such as, navigating social media dynamics, addressing wage increases, and competing in a rapidly evolving market.

Join Dr. Kathy Gosser and Monica Rothgery for an insightful discussion on leadership, teamwork, and navigating today's workforce challenges.

In today’s episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Brian Belmont, CEO of FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers. Belmont discusses the benefits of franchising services that are not traditionally organized as franchises. Belmont shares his career history, a reminder of the multiple opportunities provided by franchising a business.

In this bonus episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy speaks with Michael Gray about the recent ruling by the Federal Trade Commission that bans non-compete contracts and the potential impact on franchises and employees.

Mr. Gray serves as a Commercial Litigation attorney at Lathrop GPM. His 38 years' experience representing franchisors throughout the United States provides him a unique understanding of the new FTC rule.

In today’s episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Jim Holthouser, CEO of GoTo Foods. Jim Holthouser shares his career history as well as his thoughts on Leadership. Here is your opportunity to learn from a true success story in the Franchise Industry.

In today’s episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Monica Rothgery, former COO of KFC in the United States and Author. This is truly a special episode that shares an open conversation between two friends about lessons they have learned during their careers. Luckily, we are able to read about some of them in the book, Lessons From The Drive Thru.

Monica Rothgery’s Bio:

Thirty years ago, Monica was a Restaurant General Manager for a Taco Bell outside of Chicago where she struggled to understand the essence of leadership. It was a constant uphill climb. Frustrated, she couldn’t understand how to make her team care about customers, or even want to show up for work. Turnover was high and morale was low. She missed sales goals, turnover targets and of course, profit. 

One very late night, after a particularly

challenging day, she sat on the floor of her dining room. As the tears of

frustration fell, she made a vow: “IF I ever get promoted out of the

restaurant, I will spend my life trying to make life easier for managers.”

Monica did get promoted and over time

discovered the secrets to achieving great results and building great teams.

Along the way she studied human behavior, organizational effectiveness,

instructional design and business strategy. She analyzed great front-line

leader behaviors to find common threads. She discovered the essentials to

becoming a great business leader and achieving results: How to…

· Embrace who you are at work

· Make your mark on the lives of others

· Figure out what is yours to do

· Become the leader that no one ever leaves.

Monica went from running one restaurant to leading 4000 restaurants as the COO of KFC in the United States. Today, Monica continues her passion to empower frontline leaders through keynotes, coaching and workshops.

In today’s episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Gregg Majewski From Craveworthy Brands. Craveworthy Brands is an excellent representation of a platform brand. Listen to hear concrete examples of the opportunities that platform brands offer to franchisees.

In today’s episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with George Tinsley from GWTinsley Consulting. George shares valuable life lessons from his early career, how he grew his business, and his thoughtful succession plans. Make sure to get Mr. Tinsley’s books to learn more from his amazing life!

In today’s episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Jeremy Morgan from WellBiz Brands. During the discussion they share an interesting perspective on the benefits of franchising complimentary brands. Near the end of the episode they explore how Drybar® went international.

Jeremy Morgan is the Chief Executive Officer for WellBiz Brands, Inc, the nation’s premiere franchisor of five beauty and wellness franchise brands: Drybar®, Amazing Lash Studio®, Radiant Waxing™, Elements Massage® and Fitness Together®. With nearly 900 locations, 350,000 members and $600 million of system-wide sales across the portfolio, WellBiz Brands builds profitable businesses by catering to the needs of the affluent female consumer. Morgan began his tenure at WellBiz as the as the CEO for Elements Massage, where he worked diligently to support and build relationships with over 250 Elements Massage franchise owners, a community of 4,000 massage therapists, and over 120,000 members nationally. As a result, he led Elements Massage to achieve its most successful year in performance in 2018, as measured by studio revenue, client growth and customer satisfaction. Due to his open leadership style, he was recognized with a 91% Glassdoor CEO approval rating from the Elements system. Previously, Morgan was a Senior Vice-President of Marketing and Consumer Insights for Smashburger, and the CEO of Tava Kitchen. In addition to his professional achievements, Morgan is an active member of the community and supports Colorado Succeeds Board of Advisors, The Denver Boys and Girls Club, The Denver Chamber of Commerce and Duke Alumni Committee Denver, and is a member of the Kellogg Alumni Club of Colorado. Morgan was a member of the Denver Chamber of Commerce 2015 Leadership Denver Class, was recognized by the Denver Business Journal as a member of the 2018 40 Under 40 class of leaders, and is an active member of Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).

In today’s episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Carl Udler from Hughes. During the conversation they cover two interesting topics. The first is about the potential uses of technology in a brick-and-mortar franchise to improve efficiency. The second is how Hughes is an excellent example of the opportunities offered to suppliers of a franchise.

Carl Udler possesses a rare blend of technology expertise combined with Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) and Certified Foodservice Technology Professional (CFTP) industry credentials and over 25 years of professional experience, 15 of which has focused on the franchise industry. As a senior director at Hughes, Udler provides valuable guidance to Franchisors and retailers on a broad range of technologies, processes, networking best practices, and cybersecurity solutions, enabling them to solve the types of concrete challenges that impact business, customers and ROI. Udler routinely evaluates market forces and shares insights based on what he sees happening in the marketplace at industry events and on social media. He is active with the International Franchise Association, International Food & Beverage Technology Association, and Conexxus. Udler’s professional experience, background and MBA contribute to the data driven approach he applies when working with enterprises to identify their needs and then match the right solution to meet those needs.