“There’s no such thing as failure. You just didn’t get there yet.”

Alex founded Dr. Dental in 2004 with the vision of retailizing dental care by providing convenient, accessible, quality care via retail dental clinics in convenient neighborhood locations. Now with 57 locations across the northeast, Dr. Dental isn’t a franchise in the strict sense, but a fascinating, franchising-adjacent model for entrepreneurship and scaling.

Listen along as Alex shares with Ab and Vini the core business competencies that power effective repetition and scale. Why the partnership model that fueled Dr. Dental’s beginnings is “a great way to grow but a challenging way to manage.” How being your own competitor (and identifying LITERAL “ground-floor opportunities”) can accelerate market share capture. And how to know when to “take the rocks out of your back pocket.”

“You can’t fire your way into building a better team of people. That’s why culture matters.”

Our 25th episode is our hairiest yet! In 2018 they asked themselves, “Why not?” and began extending the “Be Nice” culture of Paul Mitchell Schools (Winn as dean and co-founder, John as a ‘zee) to a new venture, Salty Dawg Pet Salons. Now they’re creating more opportunity for their Paul Mitchell students while delivering stress-free grooming to “paw-rents.” Along their franchising journeys, they’ve picked up priceless lessons about culture and leadership that will benefit ANY entrepreneur.

Join Ab and Vini to hear Winn and John’s views on the primacy of culture in any organization — and best practices for scaling culture in expanding franchises. How to bring out the best in people at work by addressing 3 basic human needs. Why the “circle of influence” is critical to effective leadership. How well-established brands might actually limit opportunities for ‘zees. And what to do about bored employees.

Read or listen to Winn’s book Be Nice (or Else!): and what’s in it for you

“As a franchisor, you’re entrusting your franchisees to continue the growth of your brand, and putting the essence of the brand in their hands.”

A proven entrepreneur, visionary and leader, Christo Demetriades has spent 3 decades as a CEO, CFO, and COO for franchising, restaurant, entertainment, and self-care brands. His superpower: Building and nurturing strong, loyal management teams that drive both culture and goal achievement. He’s also no slouch as a dealmaker — among his exits was selling a fitness venture to Sir Richard Branson’ Virgin Active. Today he (along with Episode 20 guest Heather Elrod) invests in and counsels ‘zors, helping them accelerate the growth of their brands while avoiding the landmines. 

Listen as Christo discusses with Ab and Vini the ways that ‘zees and ‘zors can seize opportunity — if they’re in sync with the pace of change in their market. How to anticipate the “curveballs” that can disrupt (and sometimes derail) a business. The combined threat and opportunity of technology for food businesses. His four bits of advice to young potential ‘zees. And the only two things better than starting and growing your own business!

Listen to the archive episode with star Heather Elrod.

“Franchising is like politics: It’s all local.”

After a 35-year career as an insurance executive, Gary Raphael found himself “on the short end of a merger” and embarked on a new entrepreneurial journey that has led him to the QSR (quick-service restaurant) franchising model with Rita’s Italian Ice and Frozen Custard. How did his high-level business experience prepare him for the pivot? And how did he ramp up a whole new skill set to establish himself as a successful and enthusiastic ‘zee?

Ab and Vini welcome Gary, who shares what he’s learned along the franchising path: Connecting with “both sides of the passion equation” when committing to a franchise. Why successful ‘zors embrace innovation from their ‘zees. Wrangling the “vapor trails” of online reviews. How young people — as employees AND customers — are influencing local social impact by ‘zees. And the personal trait that might make you want to think twice about getting into franchising.

“Sometimes, franchising is MORE entrepreneurial, because in the larger franchises all of the great ideas that the customers are experiencing come from the franchisees.”

Was Jonathan Epstein born to follow the franchise model to phenomenal success? With a dad who owned 37 Midas Muffler shops, it’s possible! But as he embarked on his own ventures as a young man, he saw in franchising a natural, logical extension of his entrepreneurial nature — with playbooks for rapid scaling. Sixty-seven Planet Fitness franchises later…

Join Ab and Vini as they welcome Jonathan to the podcast and learn his lessons on establishing a deep understanding of any market you aim to expand into — and making as much noise as possible when you do! The vital importance of being available to your people. “The energy test” potential ‘Zees should give themselves when choosing a franchise. The COVID response that drew Planet Fitness members closer to the franchise — and to each other. And the downside of a hyper-focus on growth.

“Unit economics is what makes investing in restaurants compelling and exciting.”

Dan Bonoff, a partner at Goode Partners, has been a private equity investor with a focus on the consumer sector for nearly 20 years. During his private equity career, he’s participated in platform investments and add-on acquisitions totaling more than $800 million of equity capital. His concentration on multi-unit restaurant and consumer brands is reflected in his roles as a board member of STONEFIRE Grill, Marolina Outdoor, Rosa Mexicano, and Silver Diner.

Listen as Dan shares his forward-looking perspective on restaurant franchising with Ab and Vini:  The dangers of the “growth bug.” How capital providers can have community-level impact.

Why even franchisees should study their competitors — PLUS the #1, can’t-fail competitive advantage for ANY business. And what he’d say to his 25-year-old self!

“As a franchisee, you have to work ON the business as well as IN the business.

Heather's career spans 30 years in the franchise, beauty, and wellness industries. She’s held executive positions in multi-billion dollar as well as emerging companies — most notably and recently, Amazing Lash Studios, which she shepherded from 70 locations to more than 200 in just 2 years. Today, as Managing Partner at Conscious Capital Group, she guides the firm’s investments in emerging franchisors AND leverages her experience to seek out and support growth brands. 

Join Ab and Vini as they tap into Heather’s decades of insights: Why you should study franchising at large (not just your brand!). The “franchisee death spiral” and how to avoid it. The value of giving location managers tangible “skin in the game.” The perils of overscaling. The 3 things she’d do differently. And the 3 future trends she’s tracking and preparing for.

“Some people are not meant to franchise. Some people absolutely SHOULD franchise.”

Talk about perfect timing: Tim Vogel opened the first Scenthound dog-care shop in 2020, just as pet ownership skyrocketed during the pandemic. Today, Scenthound boasts more than 50 franchises — so you can expect seriously actionable lessons in scaling from this episode!

Join Ab and Vini to hear Tim’s take on franchises as LOCAL businesses. The power of creating communities of ‘Zees. The 3 priorities of ‘Zees for driving brand success. How to apply the scientific method for successful scaling. The moment he discovered his biggest leadership blind spot (and how he fixed it). And how the ‘Zee/’Zor relationship is very much like baking!

“I did everything you’re not supposed to do in finance to open my first studio.”

For Redbird Fitness founder/CEO Elizabeth Roberts, it all started with a pair of “sticky socks” in 2015. Now operating a dozen Pure Barre locations in Massachusetts and Connecticut (scaling from 1 to 5 in her first 5 years), she’s the fitness brand’s top ‘Zee — AND a highly respected voice at the highest levels of corporate.

Liz’s journey to scale — and the actionable lessons she’s learned — is the centerpiece of this conversation with Ab and Vini. Learn how she found hot expansion opportunities when new territories were unavailable. Hear about the moment when her franchisee model changed from “business” to “investment.” And listen to her powerful observations on how radical transparency on the part of ‘Zees can transform an entire brand.