What happens when you decide to join a family business that is an institution in the industry?

In this episode, we sit down with Zack Fishman, Chief Growth Officer at Fishman PR and Franchise Elevator. Zack didn’t just join the industry; he was practically born into it, drawing pictures of his parents’ franchise business as early as kindergarten.

Zack opens up about the "nepo baby" label, the pressure to prove his own worth, and how he modernized a legacy agency during the height of the pandemic. We dive deep into the current state of franchising, exploring why trends like frozen yogurt and cookies are cyclical, and why "operator-led" brands like Jersey Mike’s often outperform sales-led concepts.

Zack also offers a candid critique of the industry's sales incentives—drawing a fascinating parallel to the 2008 housing crisis (The Big Short)—and reveals the two recession-resistant industries he is most bullish on right now.

In this episode, we cover:

Ellen Latham was fired at the peak of her career as a single mother. Instead of giving up, she went home, opened a Pilates studio in her spare bedroom, and started listening to her clients. That listening turned into the "Ultimate Workout," which eventually became Orangetheory Fitness.

In this episode, Ellen sits down to share the raw and remarkable origin story of one of the world's most successful fitness franchises. She breaks down the science behind the "Orange Zone," how she found the "perfect storm" of business partners, and the specific mindset shift—taught by her father—that saved her career.

If you are a founder, a franchisee, or just obsessed with fitness business stories, this is a masterclass on resilience and scaling with purpose.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

The "Momentum Shifting" Theory: The psychological tool Ellen used to bounce back from failure.

The Science of the Zone: Why the workout is designed for metabolic change, not just burning calories.

The Tony Robbins Insight: Why Ellen’s partnership team was the "Perfect Storm" (Artist, Manager, Entrepreneur).

Scaling Pains: Why they completely stopped selling franchises early on to fix their quality control.

The Future of OTF: Ellen reveals the new focus on strength and longevity.

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Do you want to know what it really takes to scale a franchise from a single location to an 87-million-dollar empire?

Eric Martin shares his journey from working sales jobs to becoming a franchise owner in the golf simulator industry. In this episode, he breaks down how he searched for business opportunities, why franchising made sense for him, and how working with Franzy helped him find and evaluate the right business. He also shares how he convinced his dad to invest and what it was really like signing a franchise agreement.

Check out Franzy at franzy.com 

Peter Kourounis has seen franchising from almost every angle: business owner, franchisor, franchise development leader, and now founder of Patch It Up Drywall Repair and Chief Growth Officer at Elevate Franchise Brands.

In this episode, Peter walks through his unlikely start in the sign and graphics world, the lessons he learned franchising his first business (including what went wrong with partnerships), and how a bold move, showing up in person to apply for a job, led him into the 1-800-Plumber plus Air ecosystem and eventually the creation of Patch It Up.

We unpack how Patch It Up was built using proven home service fundamentals, why Peter obsessed over making onboarding simpler (including a startup bundle approach), and what he believes separates franchisees who win from franchisees who stall. Peter also shares his “3 year runway” framework for home services, why semi-absentee ownership is usually a trap, and how Elevate is investing in automation and follow up to help franchisees capture more of the leads they already pay for.

If you are exploring business ownership and want a real, no fluff take on what it actually takes to succeed in franchising, this one is for you.

In this episode, Aaron Harper, founder of Rolling Suds, shares his journey from Hollywood and telecom sales into franchising, explains why power washing became the ideal service-category to scale, and breaks down how he raised capital, structured deals, and grew the brand rapidly.

Listeners will hear practical criteria for choosing a franchise category, the realities of franchising costs and infrastructure, and traits of successful franchisees—plus lessons on content, hiring, and building national accounts.

What should you actually look for in a Franchise Disclosure Document before you wire a franchise fee and sign a 10 year agreement?

In this episode of How I Franchise This, Alex sits down with Adam Wasch, founding partner of The Franchise Firm, to break down how franchise attorneys help buyers reduce risk, negotiate smarter, and avoid the most common “I wish I knew this before I signed” mistakes.

Adam walks through how he reviews an FDD like a home inspector, why he checks Item 20 first (and what it signals about negotiation leverage), the sections buyers consistently underweight (and overweight), and why “it has an FDD” does not automatically mean it is a proven system. They also dig into industries where legal review gets more complex due to extra regulation, how incentives in franchising can get misaligned, and what “responsible franchising” should actually look like.

If you are buying your first franchise or evaluating emerging brands, this is a practical roadmap for doing diligence with your eyes wide open.

Most people think franchising means restaurants and retail. But Buddies Home Furnishings is proving there’s massive opportunity well beyond food — especially in the fast-growing rent-to-own category.

In this episode of How I Franchise This, Alex sits down with Mitchell Lee, Head of Franchise Development at Buddies, to break down how the brand built one of the highest multi-unit ownership rates in franchising — with over 85% of franchisees operating multiple stores.

They dive into:

How the rent-to-own model works (recurring revenue, high AUVs, and 24-hour delivery)

Why this category is truly recession-resistant and how it flexes with economic cycles

What top operators do from day one that separates them from the bottom quartile

Buddies’ approach to territories, conversions, and sustainable system growth

How Mitchell evaluates candidates — and the traits shared by great operators

If you’re exploring franchises beyond food or want to understand what makes a scalable, multi-unit model actually work, this conversation delivers a rare look from the brand’s side of the table.

At 26 years old, Katie Gillberg left a toxic job in medical sales, took a massive risk, and opened the first Hydrate IV Bar in Denver. Ten years later, she’s the founder and CEO of one of the fastest-growing IV therapy franchises in the country — with 25 locations open, 25 more on the way, and a plan to hit 100 units.

In this episode, Katie shares how she built Hydrate IV Bar from a grassroots wellness concept into a scalable franchise system, why franchising wasn’t the plan early on, and what finally convinced her to make the leap. She opens up about partner breakups, surviving COVID, the real cost of launching a franchise brand, and why her top franchisees outperform even her corporate stores.

If you're thinking about buying or building a franchise — especially in wellness — this episode is a masterclass in founder transparency and real-world scaling.

In this episode, Alex sits down with Matt Jeffries, a former supply chain leader who spent more than a decade running large teams across Target, Nordstrom, and other major corporations before making the leap into business ownership. Originally from Ecuador and now based in Chicago, Matt shares the full story of how he went from climbing the corporate ladder to becoming a first time franchisee with 1 800 STRIPER.

Matt gives an honest look at what the transition really feels like. The excitement of starting something new. The fear of giving up a stable path. The challenge of wearing every hat. The moments where the business feels like it is taking off. The moments where you question everything. He also breaks down how he chose his brand, what surprised him most in the first few months, the importance of following the franchise playbook, and why sales ends up on the owner’s shoulders more than most people expect.

If you are exploring franchising or already in the early stages of ownership, Matt’s candor and perspective will give you a realistic and encouraging look at what this journey actually looks like.