The Franchise Woman

How do you grow a franchise brand while keeping each location connected to its community? For Toastique founder and CEO Brianna Keefe, the answer starts with the people around her.

In this episode of The Franchise Woman Podcast, Rebecca Monet talks with Brianna about the journey from Division I cheerleader to restaurant founder and franchise leader. Brianna shares how she opened her first gourmet toast and juice café at 24, overcame the challenge of being taken seriously as a young entrepreneur, and learned to move from managing every detail to empowering a trusted team.

She also explains why Toastique encourages franchise partners to become the face of their stores, how owner insight helped the brand discover opportunities in unexpected markets, and why long-term success means more to her than a location count.

In this conversation, you will learn:

· How competitive cheerleading shaped Brianna's understanding of trust and accountability

· Why she combined her love of hospitality with fresh, convenient food

· How complementary business partners helped bring the first Toastique to life

· What changed as she moved from founder and owner-operator to CEO

· Why personal connections matter to franchisee and customer relationships

· How a Rapid City franchise challenged assumptions about where the brand could succeed

· Why intentional growth and room for existing partners to expand matter to Toastique

If you are building a business, leading a franchise system, or exploring franchise ownership, Brianna's story offers an inside look at the relationships and decisions behind a growing brand.

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What makes franchise marketing effective? For Stretch Zone Chief Marketing Officer Lindsey McFadden, it starts with understanding what franchisees need and making it simple enough to put into action.

In this episode of The Franchise Woman Podcast, hosts Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa talk with Lindsey about her journey from aspiring English teacher to consultant and marketing executive. She explains how moving inside the organization changed her perspective on growth, why marketing needs a closer connection with operations and training, and how friction in the customer journey can keep potential members from ever becoming leads.

Lindsey also shares the leadership habits behind her approach: one-page campaign briefs, meetings with a defined purpose, room for her team to experiment, and clear boundaries that help her stay present with her family. Her advice for franchise leaders and prospective owners begins with one question: What am I doing here?

In this conversation, you will learn:

· Why marketing, operations, training, and technology need to work together

· How simple campaign instructions can support franchisee adoption

· Why customer acquisition conversations should include the people who never enter the funnel

· How consumer marketing differs from franchise recruitment

· How Lindsey encourages thoughtful risks and learning from mistakes

· Why understanding your purpose matters in both business and life

Whether you lead a franchise brand, support franchisees, or are exploring ownership, this episode offers practical ideas for making your work clearer and more useful.

Subscribe to The Franchise Woman for more conversations with women shaping franchising. Share your biggest takeaway in the comments.

What does it take to turn a personal need into a business, and then turn that business into a growing franchise without losing what made it special in the first place?

Kristen Denzer, Founder and CEO of Tierra Encantada, joins Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa on The Franchise Woman Podcast to share the entrepreneurial journey behind the Spanish immersion early education brand.

Kristen describes herself as a 99 out of 100 on the optimism scale, and that mindset has shaped much of her life. Long before Tierra Encantada, she launched businesses in consulting, event rentals, and dog daycare. Then becoming a mother led her to recognize another opportunity.

She wanted a childcare experience that offered her children more: early Spanish language immersion, exposure to different cultures, fresh and diverse foods, and an environment designed to support children, parents, and teachers.

So she created it.

Tierra Encantada was founded in 2013 and has since expanded well beyond Kristen's original location. But when the opportunity to franchise first arose, Kristen hesitated.

Her concern wasn't whether the concept could grow.

It was whether it could grow without losing what made it special.

In this episode, Kristen shares why choosing the right franchise partners is only the beginning. She talks about the importance of training, infrastructure, corporate support, delegation, listening to franchisees, and building systems capable of protecting the brand as it expands.

Kristen also discusses one of the biggest transitions she had to make as a founder: learning to give other people room to make decisions, make mistakes, and sometimes find solutions better than her own.

Kristen's story is a reminder that scaling a company isn't simply about replicating a business model. It's about creating the people, systems, support, and culture capable of carrying the original vision forward.

Every successful business follows patterns—but so does every struggling one.

In this episode of The Franchise Woman Podcast, Rebecca Monet sits down with business growth strategist Rion Westfall, founder of Own Your Revenue, to explore how entrepreneurs can identify the hidden patterns driving (or limiting) their growth.

Drawing from more than 25 years of experience helping businesses around the world, Rion explains why simply increasing sales isn't enough. Sustainable growth comes from recognizing recurring patterns, improving leadership, creating accountability, and eliminating the chaos that quietly erodes profits.

Together, Rebecca and Rion discuss how business systems and human behavior intersect—and why putting the right people in the right roles is essential for long-term success.

In this episode you'll learn:

✔️ Why successful businesses are built on predictable patterns

✔️ How chaos grows faster than profit during expansion

✔️ The biggest leadership mistakes limiting business growth

✔️ Why accountability changes company culture

✔️ How franchisors can better support franchisee success

✔️ The relationship between people patterns and revenue patterns

✔️ Why scaling the wrong systems only multiplies problems

Whether you're a franchisor, franchisee, entrepreneur, or business leader, this conversation will challenge the way you think about growth and give you practical ideas you can implement immediately.

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What if your best marketing strategy wasn't advertising—but serving your community?

This week on The Franchise Woman Podcast, Rebecca Monet sits down with Kathleen Sears, owner of two Timber Pizza Co. locations in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, to discuss how generosity, community involvement, and servant leadership have become the foundation of her business success.

After beginning her career as a teacher and community outreach coordinator, Kathleen discovered that the same principles that build strong schools also build thriving businesses. Today, her restaurants are known not only for great pizza but for investing in local schools, nonprofits, volunteers, and families.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why community involvement should be part of your growth strategy
• How donating more than 300 pizzas strengthened customer loyalty
• Building a people-first culture that improves employee retention
• Creating meaningful partnerships with schools and nonprofits
• Leading with mentorship instead of micromanagement
• Why fun, trust, and purpose create stronger teams
• Lessons every franchise owner can apply to their own business

Whether you're a franchise owner, entrepreneur, business leader, or simply passionate about community impact, this conversation is packed with practical insights and inspiring leadership lessons.

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#FranchiseWoman #Leadership #SmallBusiness #CommunityImpact #Franchising #RestaurantLeadership #BusinessGrowth #TimberPizza #Entrepreneurship #ServantLeadership

What does it take to grow from one location to five while maintaining exceptional customer care?

In this episode of The Franchise Woman Podcast, Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa welcome Komal Kumar, a third-generation eye care entrepreneur and multi-unit Pearle Vision franchise owner.

Born and raised in Myanmar (formerly Burma), Komal grew up in a family dedicated to eye care before immigrating to the United States with a dream of owning her own business. Today, she owns five Pearle Vision locations throughout Orange County, California, serves as Chair of Pearle Vision's National Franchise Advisory Council, and continues expanding while remaining deeply committed to patient care and leadership.

In this episode you'll learn:

✔️ How Komal turned an entrepreneurial dream into a thriving multi-unit franchise business ✔️ Why franchising provided the roadmap she needed to succeed ✔️ The mindset shift required to become a successful multi-unit owner ✔️ Why "showing up" is her guiding leadership philosophy ✔️ How to build teams that believe in your vision ✔️ Balancing profitability with exceptional patient care ✔️ The importance of honest leadership and mentoring future franchisees

Whether you're considering franchise ownership, growing multiple locations, or leading a team, Komal shares practical insights on scaling a business without losing sight of the people you serve.

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#Franchising #Leadership #PearleVision #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #WomenInBusiness #MultiUnitFranchise #TheFranchiseWomanPodcast

Franchise development needs structure, speed, and consistency. But when automation begins to replace human connection, franchisors risk losing sight of the person behind the lead.

In this episode of The Franchise Woman Podcast, Rebecca Monet sits down with Dave Hansen, CEO of ClientTether, for a candid conversation about sales, leadership, intelligent automation, and the changing psychology of today's franchise buyer.

Dave explains why the best franchise development teams focus on lead quality, not simply lead volume, and why technology should create more room for meaningful conversations rather than make the sales process feel transactional. He also shares how franchisors can tailor communication to different candidates, where automation adds the most value, and why less should be automated as a prospect moves deeper into the discovery process.

The conversation also explores:

• Dave's unconventional first entrepreneurial venture at age five

• The role faith and generosity have played in his life and leadership

• Why franchise relationships should be approached as 10-year, and potentially 30-year, commitments

• How psychographics can improve candidate engagement

• The difference between a lead quality problem and a shift in buyer mindset

• How franchisors can support more cautious and risk-averse candidates

• Why candidate fit must be evaluated in the context of the brand and the role

• Where AI and automation belong in the franchise development funnel

If you work in franchise development, franchise sales, recruiting, or candidate qualification, this episode offers a practical reminder: the goal is not merely to move more people through a funnel. The goal is to identify the right people, understand what they need, and help them make a well-informed decision.

Want to continue the conversation? Join Dave Hansen and Rebecca Monet live on Thursday, September 10 at 12:30 PM ET for FranDev 2.0: Upgrade Your Strategy for a New Kind of Buyer. They will explore what is changing in candidate behavior, where development teams may be losing momentum, and how to adapt messaging, engagement, qualification, and follow-up.

Register for the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/jd8-m0EwQ7KuNxXBQaITag#/registration

Learn more about ClientTether: https://clienttether.com/

Learn more about Zorakle Profiles: https://zorakleprofiles.com/

Subscribe to The Franchise Woman Podcast for more candid conversations with the people shaping franchising.

What does it take to build a fitness brand that people don't just join—but genuinely feel connected to?

In this episode of The Franchise Woman Podcast, Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa sit down with Lynsay Flynt, Director of Marketing for Workout Anytime, to discuss leadership, branding, community, and the psychology behind authentic marketing.

After competing as a Division I softball athlete at the University of Georgia, Lynsay transformed her passion for teamwork into a career helping one of the nation's fastest-growing fitness franchises build lasting relationships with members and franchisees alike.

In this episode you'll discover:

✔️ How sports shaped Lynsay's leadership philosophy ✔️ Why authentic marketing outperforms artificial content ✔️ The strategy behind Workout Anytime's successful influencer campaigns ✔️ How community creates stronger brands and loyal members ✔️ Why attitude matters more than talent when building great teams ✔️ The future of marketing in the age of AI ✔️ How Workout Anytime partners with the American Cancer Society to make a greater impact

Whether you're a franchisor, marketer, entrepreneur, or business leader, Lynsay shares practical insights on creating brands people genuinely trust and connect with.

Subscribe for more conversations with the women shaping the future of franchising.

#Franchising #Marketing #WorkoutAnytime #Leadership #Branding #FitnessBusiness #WomenInBusiness #Entrepreneurship #TheFranchiseWomanPodcast

What does it take to grow one of the country's fastest-growing boutique fitness franchises without losing your culture?

In this episode of The Franchise Woman Podcast, Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa sit down with Kamille McCollum, President and Chief Branding Officer of BODYBAR Pilates, to discuss leadership, franchising, and building organizations that truly put people first.

Kamille shares her remarkable journey from social work and special education to studio ownership and ultimately leading a nationally expanding franchise brand. She discusses how servant leadership, intentional reflection, operational excellence, and strong company culture have fueled BODYBAR Pilates' incredible growth.

In this episode you'll learn:

✔️ Why encouragement is one of the most powerful leadership traits ✔️ How to scale a franchise without sacrificing culture ✔️ Lessons learned from opening studios during COVID ✔️ Why reflection—not perfection—is critical for entrepreneurs ✔️ The importance of hiring before you think you're ready ✔️ How franchise support creates stronger business performance ✔️ The metrics every franchise leader should monitor ✔️ Where boutique fitness is headed next

Whether you're an emerging franchisor, franchise executive, entrepreneur, or business owner, Kamille offers practical leadership insights that extend far beyond the fitness industry.

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#Franchising #Leadership #BODYBARPilates #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #WomenInBusiness #FitnessFranchise #FranchiseWomanPodcast #ServantLeadership

What do you do when every door closes?

For Kayla Curtis, the answer was simple: bet on herself.

In this inspiring episode of The Franchise Woman Podcast, Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa sit down with Kayla Curtis—former collegiate athlete, entrepreneur, real estate investor, inventor, mother, and multi-unit Orangetheory Fitness franchise owner.

After years of supporting her husband through college football coaching careers, Kayla found herself facing an unexpected crossroads when coaching opportunities disappeared. Instead of accepting defeat, she and her husband took a leap of faith into business ownership, acquiring seven Orangetheory Fitness studios and building a thriving operation rooted in leadership, culture, and purpose.

Throughout this conversation, Kayla shares how the athlete's mindset prepared her for entrepreneurship, the lessons she learned through motherhood, and why discomfort is often the first step toward growth.

In this episode, you'll learn:

✔ Why rejection is often redirection ✔ How an athlete's mindset translates into business success ✔ The power of mentorship and proximity to successful people ✔ Why "getting comfortable being uncomfortable" is a competitive advantage ✔ How Kayla and her husband transitioned from coaching careers into business ownership ✔ The leadership systems behind managing seven Orangetheory locations ✔ The role motherhood has played in shaping her leadership style ✔ How difficult life experiences built her resilience and confidence ✔ Why women should stop waiting for the "perfect time" to start

Whether you're considering franchise ownership, navigating career transitions, balancing family and business, or simply looking for encouragement to pursue your next big goal, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical wisdom.

Subscribe for more conversations where passion and purpose collide, profits are made, and relationships are forged.

#TheFranchiseWoman #Orangetheory #WomenInBusiness #FranchiseOwner #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Motherhood #BusinessGrowth #WomenEntrepreneurs #PersonalDevelopment