The Franchise Woman

Two Life Themes Intertwine to Build Avanti Body Franchise.

Terri Simpson, Founder and CEO at Avanti Body, and Andrea Dobkin, President of Franchise Development, join us today on The Franchise Woman podcast.

Terri talks about her life theme of paradigm shifts. She thought she wanted to be a DJ … until she did it. Her life in radio was not for naught as she went on to work with Rush Limbaugh and owning several radio stations.

Andrea Dobkin’s life theme comes from the book: Love Yourself as if Your Life Depended on It, by Kamal Ravikant. This concept of loving yourself was not one discussed, encouraged or modeled by her mother or other female role models.

Both Terri & Andrea encountered health issues which forced them to make a paradigm shift and begin to love themselves as if their life dependent on it … because it truly did. 

Listen in to this insightful interview with Terri Simpson and Andrea Dobkin.

Diana Simmons, co-founder of Simply Cabinetry, joins us today on The Franchise Woman podcast. Her biggest pet peeve is when someone says: they don’t know something.

As a child she was a bit reserved and awkward. In high school she was 6’3” tall. Her time was spent listening to and observing others and playing basketball. Her keen observation skills caused her to be highly empathic, capable of putting the pieces together to see the big picture and learn anything … almost through osmosis.

Today, Diana enjoys translating the vision to others while pointing them in the right direction to find and implement the answers. Clearly being an empath has many benefits. Listen in to the full interview here.

More. 

Alesia Visconti joins us on this episode of The Franchise Woman podcast. She talks about the ‘more’. Why money should never be our sole motivator. There must be more and for Alesia it is to advocate, edify, and empower others. 

Raised by an abusive and alcoholic mother, Alesia made a conscious decision that her life would be different. She would not ‘buy into’ or believe the horrible words her mother flung at her. Instead, she would live a life proving her wrong. 

Alesia’s conviction has led to hundreds of individuals joining the ranks of business ownership. Don’t let the tough New Jersey exterior fool you. Alesia has a tender heart, especially for veterans and women. In fact, even as you read this she is penning her book: The Pink Tsunami: Women’s Rise in Franchising due out later this year. Listen to the full episode here.

Angela Olea is a true pioneer in the elder care space having founded Assisted Living Locators more than 20 years ago. Her daughter Angelica was often in tow as she worked with elders and their families. As the franchise system grew the franchisees became part of Angelica’s family. Angela suggests franchising is in Angelica’s DNA.

Angelica jokingly told us that when she was younger Assisted Living Locators was the sibling she never wanted. It was that younger brother or sister who can be annoying and distracting but you love them. She found her mom’s work as a nurse and entrepreneur fascinating and filled with purpose.

Today, mother and daughter work closely together. Angelica as VP of Operations and Angela as Brand President of Assisted Living Locators. In this interview, you’ll see chemistry, clear boundaries, mutual respect, and love. Each brings their unique, yet complementary talents and perspective to Assisted Living Locators. Listen to the full episode of The Franchise Woman podcast here.

Alison(Ali) McElroy is a recognized franchise industry leader with demonstrated success over nearly two decades in franchise and international businesses that span more than two dozen brands, over thirty countries, and thousands of franchised units.. Ali is the founder and CEO of Kaleidoscope Growth Advisors LLC, a woman-owned, full-service franchise advisory firm. Listen in to Ali's interview here.

What an interesting team they make.

Meet Casey Cooley, Director of Franchise Development of Real Estate at Jeremiah’s Italian Ice and President of Pivotal Growth Partners, and Michael Keller, president and CEO of Jeremiah’s Italian Ice.

Casey is naturally geared to think in terms of effectiveness. His background working with emerging brands taught him the importance of a strong foundation. He believes well thought out systems and processes are literally what result-driven and sustainable franchises are built on.

Michael is geared towards the people side of the business. He believes clear values and a team aligned with and committed to those values provide the framework (building blocks) of a successful business. A team with shared values is more synergistic, productive, and professionally fulfilled.

Both Michael and Casey are in essence architects, visionaries, and leaders. Listen in to their full interview on The Franchise Woman podcast.

Erin Fletter was raised by a free-spirited mother who instilled in her an insatiable curiosity about the world, food, people, and culture. They traveled the world together staying for extended periods of time to truly immerse within that culture. Naturally, food was a large part of enjoying festivals, holidays, and other culturally diverse get-togethers.

Today Erin Fletter, founder of Sticky Fingers Cooking® and five-time cookbook author, has brought these same worldwide experiences to over 150,000 students. Sticky Fingers Cooking® classes combine fresh ingredients, global flavors, math, geography, nutrition, food history—and a big dash of tasty fun! Listen in to this week’s episode of The Franchise Woman podcast here.

Your Next Hello Can Be Your Future

When asked what advice she would give women in business or considering business ownership, Natasha Cornstein, the CEO of Blushinton, answered: Your next hello can be your future. She shares personal stories of how her open mindset, curiosity, and talent for listening led to opportunities and friendships. So how does one do just that and do so without a hidden agenda?

Listen to Natasha Cornstein’s interview on this week’s episode of The Franchise Woman podcast where she provides leadership insights on how a harsh negative performance review in her earlier career opened her eyes to things she still needed to learn.

Blushington, the luxury blowout and makeup lounge, is disrupting the beauty industry by offering the most in-demand express beauty services all under one roof including blowouts, makeup application, and skincare.

Faith and Fortune

Today's special guests on The Franchise Woman podcast are life partners and kingdom workers, Todd Recknagel and Kristi Mailloux. 

Todd and Kristi talk openly about their faith and how it determines what projects and investments they make. Faith impacts everything they do including their marriage and charitable endeavors. 

Their company name, Three20 Capital Group, clearly demonstrates their mission:

Ephesians 3:20

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.

Todd and Kristi are the managing partners of Three20 Capital Group, a private investment firm focused on franchise, distribution and multi-unit investments. They have strong operational backgrounds and industry relationships. Three20 Capital Group excels in situations where they can partner with founders, management teams, and co-invest with other investment firms to build a platform that will scale and generate long-term value for all business stakeholders.

Listen to their story here.

Bridging the gap between franchise brokers and franchisors 

Today's episode of The Franchise Woman Podcast highlights Ari O'Brien and Jason O'Brien. Husband and wife team Ari O'Brien and Jason O'Brien specialize in bridging gaps and building relationships. Jason has experience as a franchise broker and franchisor and Ari is a whizbang sales professional. 

Together they founded Red Rock Franchise Ventures LLC where they specialize in working with franchise consultants and Emerging Franchise Brands to grow/scale with right-fit franchisees. There are several takeaways in this interview many dealing with the importance of authentic, win-win business relationships. Listen in.