Franchise operations are often viewed as a defensive necessity to maintain standards, but what if you could "weaponize" them for explosive growth?

In this episode of The Training Effect, host Doug Mark talks with Dena Landers, VP of Operations at Lyftology Franchise and Senior Consultant with Unleashed, about building systems and cultures that truly drive business success.

Dena shares her playbook for scaling brands, including how she helped Kiddo Kinetics grow from 3 to 69 franchisees and added over $10 million in increased profitability. She breaks down why operations should be an offensive tactic, how to support franchisees during hyper-growth, and the critical difference between steering a "speedboat" and a "cruise ship" when blowing up old systems.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What "weaponized operations" means and how to align your systems to push the chains down the field.

• How to build a life-changing culture that allows employees to connect their work with their true vocation.

• The "Beyonce Rule": why you must evaluate your franchise systems by asking if Beyonce would be satisfied with the support.

• How to handle massive scaling by shifting support from Slack channels to ticket systems—while maintaining a 7-minute response time.

• The reality of franchise ownership and the "franchisee happiness scale" (trading a 9-to-5 for a 6-to-9).

• How the "Exit Without Selling" philosophy uses strong integrators (second-in-commands) to help founders step back while their business grows.

Whether you're a franchisor, an operations leader, or a founder navigating rapid growth, this conversation is packed with actionable insights you can put to use immediately.

Connect with Dena on LinkedIn to learn more about Lyftology Franchise and Unleashed.

How does Chick-fil-A consistently deliver industry-leading customer experiences while scaling thousands of franchise locations? The secret isn't just operational speed—it’s a relentless commitment to values-driven training, frontline culture, and clear operational purpose.

In this episode of The Training Effect, host Doug Mark talks with Cayden Hunsaker, software engineer, entrepreneur, and former Senior Director of Training and Leadership Development at Chick-fil-A. Starting as a 15-year-old team member and rising through the ranks to lead location-wide training and leadership pipelines, Cayden offers an insider look at how Chick-fil-A instills empathy, intentional habits, and operational excellence from day one.

Cayden breaks down the famous "Core 4" customer service principles, the emotional impact of training videos like Every Life Has a Story, why teaching "the why" drives true behavior change, and how Chick-fil-A trains team members to "go the extra mile" (from table touch-ins with mints and pepper grinders to second-mile service in the drive-thru).

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The Core 4 & Elevated Language: Why screening for natural warmth and calling customers "guests" while replacing "you're welcome" with "my pleasure" transforms brand perception.

• Teaching "The Why": How explaining the purpose behind tiny habits (like using ice scoops instead of foam cups) prevents costly mistakes and builds true ownership.

• Frontline Skill Pathways: How breaking down roles into bite-sized micro-training positions (bagger, runner, pusher, expediter) creates clear career growth and reduces turnover.

• Digitizing Franchise Training: Lessons on transitioning from paper training cards to automated digital workflows (Trello, Zapier, LMS) without losing human connection or milestone celebrations.

• Culture Trickles Down: Why frontline customer experience hinges entirely on whether executive directors and franchise operators model empathy and check in on their teams first.

Whether you're a franchisor, operations leader, or learning & development professional trying to scale operational consistency and build raving fans, this conversation is packed with frameworks you can put to use immediately.

Learn more about building high-impact franchise training programs at LearningZen.com, or connect with Cayden Hunsaker on LinkedIn.

How do you turn a 50-year family-owned bagel empire into a rapidly expanding national franchise without losing quality or culture? In this episode of The Training Effect, host Doug Mark speaks with Alex Rosner, COO and Training Supervisor at Bagel Boss.

Starting from the ground level—cleaning dining rooms and working counter shifts—Alex rose through the ranks to lead franchisee onboarding, store design, contractor build-outs, and hands-on operational training across Bagel Boss's 21+ locations in New York, Florida, California, and North Carolina.

Alex pulls back the curtain on how Bagel Boss balances 50 years of bagel-baking craft with modern franchising systems. He shares how standardizing store design, introducing dedicated cashiers, and creating an "expo station" drastically cut order errors and boosted customer retention. Plus, he dives into the harsh operational realities of expanding into tough markets like California and why franchisors must over-communicate to ensure long-term franchisee success.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• From Counter to C-Suite: How growing up in a multi-generational family business shapes hands-on franchise leadership.

• The End-to-End Onboarding Framework: How Alex guides franchisees from signing the FDD to site selection, architect design, and grand opening.

• Operational Excellence & Checks-and-Balances: Why implementing POS systems, ticket initials, and an "expo station" eliminated order mistakes during peak hours.

• Solving Market Disparities: Navigating labor, construction costs, and high minimum wages when scaling from New York to California.

• Protecting Brand Consistency: How shipping authentic Long Island dough keeps the core product consistent across state lines.

• Culture & Customer Service: Why being "the Chick-fil-A of bagels" and treating franchisees like family drives organic growth.

Whether you're a franchisor, COO, franchise operations leader, or multi-unit franchisee looking to refine your training and onboarding playbook, this conversation is packed with frameworks you can put to use immediately.

Connect & Learn More:

• Explore Bagel Boss franchise opportunities: bagelfranchise.com / bagelboss.com

• Connect with Alex Rosner on Instagram (@ACRosner) or LinkedIn.

• Subscribe to The Training Effect for more operational and franchise training insights!

Culture does not scale by accident — it scales through intentional systems, leadership behavior, and a shared language across your entire organization.

In this episode of The Training Effect, host Doug Mark sits down with Taylor Lamont, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner at Image Studios — recognized as one of America's fastest-growing companies and an Inc. Magazine Best Workplace, with 200+ salon suite locations in development across 29 states. Taylor, named the #1 Top Franchise Influencer, shares how Image Studios treats training as foundational infrastructure rather than a one-time event.

Taylor breaks down how to build "rolling education models" that engage franchisees and independent beauty professionals ("Image Pros") from the exact day they sign, how to sequence onboarding to eliminate overwhelm, why occupancy is a lagging indicator of franchisee engagement, and why the first 18 months of franchise ownership require active leadership to unlock long-term predictable success.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Training as Infrastructure: Why training must be integrated across all 5 stages of franchise growth (Real Estate, Pre-Opening, Lease-Up, Ongoing Ops, and Multi-Unit Scaling).

• The Rolling Education Model: How Taylor applied lessons from 14 years at Steiner Leisure to eliminate waiting for "training semesters" and capitalize on peak emotional momentum.

• Sequencing & Tiered Onboarding: How to deliver exact playbooks when franchisees need them—moving from 360 Training to weekly Business Coaching.

• Passive vs. Predictable Franchising: Why the salon suite model requires active involvement during the first 18 months to build semi-absentee predictability.

• Leading vs. Lagging Metrics: Why occupancy is a lagging indicator and how tracking engagement and execution cadence prevents operational breakdown.

• Scaling Culture: How Image Studios earned Inc.'s Best Workplace award by establishing shared language and systems that sustain culture when no one is watching.

Call to Action & Links:

• Learn more about Image Studios franchise opportunities at imagestudiosfranchise.com
• Connect with Taylor Lamont on LinkedIn

Franchise field coaching is one of the most misunderstood roles in the industry and one of the most underinvested-in. In this episode of The Training Effect, host Doug Mark talks with Stephanie Benze, Director of Education at AC Inc., certified franchise executive, and certified field coach, about what it actually takes to build a franchise field coaching program that changes behavior instead of just checking a box.

Stephanie breaks down why franchise field coaching works through influence and trust rather than compliance and authority, how AC Inc.'s 5-month Accelerator Program certifies field coaches, and how she used training and field support to drive 200% growth for a franchise brand in just three years.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The real difference between managing franchisees and coaching them

• How to measure whether field coaching is actually working (leading vs. lagging indicators)

• The two systems every franchise brand needs before scaling: a functional CRM and shared financial reporting

• Why "the system is the problem, not the people" when adoption fails

• Stephanie's favorite leadership analogy for balancing structure and flexibility: be the bamboo, not the oak tree

Whether you're a franchisor, a field coach, or an operations leader trying to scale franchise support the right way, this conversation is packed with frameworks you can put to use immediately.

Learn more about AC Inc.'s franchise field coaching programs and free weekly roundtables at fieldcoachexperts.com, or connect with Stephanie on LinkedIn.

In this episode of The Training Effect, Doug Mark sits down with Dave Levesque to explore what it really takes to build high-performing franchise operations and leadership cultures that scale.

Dave shares his journey from becoming an 18-year-old franchise owner to leading operations for major franchise brands across North America. Together, they discuss franchise growth, coaching and accountability, EOS, peer-to-peer learning, operational discipline, and why great leadership is something you do with people — not to people.

Whether you’re a franchisor, franchisee, operations leader, or entrepreneur, this episode is packed with practical insights on building systems, developing people, and creating businesses that thrive.

Most franchise training programs fail because they treat onboarding as a one-time event instead of an ongoing development system. Jeremy Morgan, Group President of Horsepower Brands, has spent nearly two decades proving there is a better way. In this episode, Jeremy reveals how he has launched several hundred franchisees into home services by building training systems that balance urgency with empathy, teaching with coaching, and structure with flexibility. He breaks down the three phases of effective onboarding, explains why confidence must be earned rather than given, and shares how he measures success beyond just metrics to include cultural buy-in and franchisee loyalty. From understanding different learning modalities to using AI tools for virtual ride-alongs, Jeremy demonstrates what it takes to set franchise owners up for sustainable long-term success. If you are building or scaling a franchise system, this conversation offers a blueprint for creating training infrastructure that serves franchisees for life, not just through launch.

Timestamps:

00:00 - The hardest lesson about multi-unit ownership

00:30 - Welcome and introduction to Jeremy Morgan

01:35 - The biggest mistakes new franchise owners make in the first 90 days

04:50 - Why urgency matters in the setup phase

06:05 - Delivering training through different modalities

07:30 - Balancing the what, how, and why of franchise training

09:10 - Why understanding the why changes everything

10:20 - Role modeling training methods for franchisees

12:10 - Teaching versus coaching in the field

13:05 - What an effective onboarding program actually looks like

14:40 - The flipped classroom approach to franchise training

16:35 - Why ongoing training matters as much as onboarding

19:05 - Thinking strategically about franchisee development

21:05 - Building confidence in first-time business owners

23:00 - Training requires ongoing coaching to succeed

25:00 - Creating training systems across multiple brands

28:00 - The warning about brand stacking too soon

29:15 - Why caring about franchisees matters more than P&L

31:15 - How to measure when training is actually working

33:00 - The linchpin of franchise culture starts at onboarding

35:10 - Preventing operational breakdowns before they happen

37:10 - Using personality profiles to understand franchisees

39:40 - A franchisee who learned to speak sales like learning English

43:10 - The franchise brand that feels like home

Follow Doug Mark:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougmark/

Website: https://www.thetrainingeffect.com

Connect with Jeremy Morgan:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremynmorgan/

Website: https://www.horsepowerbrands.com

What does it take to build teams that don't just perform but truly excel in a franchise environment? MK Piacentini-Kao, Studio and Field Training Manager at Heyday, shares how she bridges the gap between corporate standards and frontline execution across 36 locations nationwide. From spending 16-20 hours a week on the front desk to implementing "Thriving Studios" workshops, MK reveals why the best training happens when managers lead from the front, not from the office. Learn how to use KPIs as storytelling tools, why explaining the "why" is critical for younger generations, and how to have difficult conversations early before they become performance issues. Plus, MK shares insights from her role on a school board managing a district of 12,000 students and how it shapes her approach to team development.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction and MK's role at Heyday

1:50 Traveling across 36 locations: coaching franchisees and managers

4:20 The relationship between operations and training

6:30 Why explaining the "why" matters for younger generations

8:05 Common operational breakdowns in franchise environments

9:15 The 33.3% communication split: franchisor, franchisee, shop manager

10:30 The myth of passive franchise ownership

12:10 The importance of active listening in franchise success

14:00 Training teams to deliver consistent high-touch service experiences

15:30 How Heyday provides 100+ hours of additional education

17:20 The relay race: front of house and back of house working together

20:10 Recruiting and training high-performing teams: finding the "why"

23:45 Using KPIs strategically without creating fear

25:50 Why membership conversion is the most important metric

27:15 Onboarding approach: first week, first month, first 90 days

29:30 Handling underperformance and difficult conversations

32:05 Maintaining brand standards without micromanaging

33:45 Building trust and accountability as a field trainer

36:30 School board experience and its impact on operations

40:05 Case study: turning around a struggling franchise location

42:10 Rapid fire questions begin

42:25 What franchise operators should stop doing immediately

44:40 Favorite training tools and resources

45:40 Why men should get facials

48:30 Favorite cheesesteak in Philly

54:00 How to connect with MK and learn more about Heyday

Follow Doug and MK:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-mark-649866a/

Website: https://www.learningzen.com/

Connect with MK: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkpiacentinikao/

Website: https://heydayskincare.com/

What separates thriving franchise systems from struggling ones? It starts with understanding that franchisees are not buying a playbook. They are buying into a network, a support system, and a business coach who shows up in their backyard. In this episode, Kristin Del Sontro, Director of Operations at Retro Fitness, shares how 20 years of retail leadership prepared her to revolutionize franchise operations. From becoming a certified personal trainer to prove credibility, to fixing underperforming locations by focusing on the people piece and operational routines, Kristin reveals why teaching beats telling, why trust matters more than directives, and how protecting low coach-to-franchisee ratios creates genuine partnerships. She breaks down the suite of services that sets Retro apart, explains why your front desk staff shapes member experience more than equipment ever will, and shares the mindset shift required when moving from corporate mandates to franchise suggestions. If you are scaling a franchise system or leading distributed teams, this conversation offers a masterclass in building infrastructure that supports without suffocating, trains without overwhelming, and wins by treating every interaction as relationship-building first.

Timestamps:

00:00 - The power of peer networks in franchise systems

00:30 - Welcome and introduction to Kristin Del Sontro

02:00 - From retail management to franchise operations

04:10 - Becoming certified to build credibility

06:00 - Blending fitness knowledge with operational expertise

08:15 - The scary leap franchisees take

09:30 - Buying into a network, not just tools

11:10 - Being generous with time and paying it forward

11:40 - Transitioning from corporate retail to franchise

13:40 - What surprised her most about franchise operations

16:00 - Why mental health matters in fitness

16:45 - Creating consistency without crushing autonomy

19:00 - The suite of services that supports franchisees

21:00 - Protecting coach span for authentic support

24:00 - The role of the franchise business coach

27:50 - Meeting franchisees where they want to play

29:30 - Story time: Turning around underperforming locations

34:10 - The critical role of training in distributed networks

36:00 - Treating first jobs as formative experiences

38:00 - Building a people-first culture that retains talent

41:00 - The importance of the front desk role

41:35 - Advice for franchise leaders

42:05 - Founding New Jersey Sip Saver Social

44:25 - Where to connect with Kristin

Follow Doug Mark:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougmark/

Website: https://www.thetrainingeffect.com

Connect with Kristin Del Sontro:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-delsontro/

Retro Fitness Franchising: https://www.retrofitness.com/franchising

New Jersey Sip Saver Social: @njsipsaversocial on Instagram

In this episode of The Training Effect, host Doug Mark sits down with Katin Keirstead, Vice President of Operations at The Junk Luggers and Certified Franchise Executive, to explore what it takes to build training systems that can scale from hundreds to thousands of locations while maintaining quality and driving real business outcomes.

Katin shares her journey from education and adult learning into the franchise world, where she helped scale Planet Fitness from approximately 600 to over 2,500 locations globally. During her nearly decade-long tenure, she established and transformed operational training programs that impacted over 30,000 team members, navigated the post-COVID landscape, and helped recapture 97% of the membership base.

Throughout the conversation, Katin reveals the practical realities of implementing learning management systems, the critical difference between compliance training and behavior-changing training, and why the answers to your training challenges are always in the field, not in your office. She discusses the importance of understanding adult learners, the mistakes franchisors commonly make when developing training programs, and how to align learning KPIs with strategic business objectives.

From mobile app adoption strategies that drove engagement from 63% to 89% to creating emotional connections through training materials, Katin provides actionable insights for franchise training professionals at any stage of growth. She also shares her philosophy on communication, leading distributed teams, and why unit level profitability should be the metric every franchise system tracks.

Whether you are just starting to build your training infrastructure or looking to take your existing programs to the next level, this episode offers a masterclass in franchise training and development from someone who has done it at scale.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Introduction and welcome
• 02:05 - Katin's journey from education to franchise operations
• 02:50 - What is a Certified Franchise Executive and why pursue it
• 04:35 - Scaling Planet Fitness from 600 to 2,500 locations
• 06:45 - The state of training when Katin joined Planet Fitness in 2014
• 08:10 - Going back to basics: focusing on customer experience
• 10:20 - The role of the learning management system in enabling scale
• 13:20 - Common mistakes with technology implementation and change management
• 14:50 - Aligning learning KPIs with strategic business objectives
• 18:30 - Creating meaningful metrics beyond vanity numbers
• 20:45 - Training initiatives that directly impacted business results
• 21:20 - The mobile app adoption story: from 63% to 89%
• 27:00 - Compliance training versus behavior-changing training
• 30:05 - Designing learning for different audiences in franchising
• 34:20 - Deciding which training modalities to use
• 38:15 - Biggest mistakes franchisors make when developing training
• 41:45 - Knowing what format will be most effective
• 43:00 - Leading distributed teams and driving change
• 46:30 - Ensuring every team member's voice is valued at scale
• 49:25 - Quick questions: one piece of advice, common beliefs, key metrics
• 51:00 - What excites Katin about The Junk Luggers
• 52:10 - Regional food dish of New Hampshire
• 53:25 - Closing and how to connect with Katin

Connect with Doug: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-mark-649866a/

Website: learningzen.com

Connect with Katin: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katinkeirstead/

Website: https://katinkeirstead.kit.com/684fccda83