David Grossman is the President and CEO of Epic Burger, a Chicago-based restaurant chain focused on crafting "a more mindful burger." An expert in business development, David knows exactly what it takes to grow a successful brand. Throughout his 30-plus years in the restaurant industry, David has led organizations like Subway and Freshii to incredible success, opening more than 150 stores combined for the two franchises. His latest venture is building Epic Burger into a dominant burger chain in the Midwest.

It's a simple but painful truth: You can't be everywhere at once. No matter how much attention you give your business, no matter how hard or how long you work, success often hinges on factors outside your control. But how do you know what areas to focus on to set yourself up for success?

When David Grossman teamed up with Epic Burger, the brand was struggling to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. But, by leveraging his restaurant experience and implementing his expert business strategies, David transformed the restaurant chain into a one-of-a-kind brand that is now leading the burger niche. Now, David is here to share the key components that helped him take Epic Burger to the next level.

In this episode of the SpotOn Series, Chad Franzen chats with David Grossman, the President and CEO of Epic Burger, about his strategies for scaling a restaurant chain. With 30-plus years in the restaurant industry, David shares his expert advice on real estate selection and negotiation, transforming a restaurant during a pandemic, and more. He'll also make your mouth water as he describes what's next for his Chicago-based burger joint.

Dr. Jeremy Weisz is the Co-founder of Rise25. He has been involved in podcasting for 11 years and was a Senior Producer for one of the early business podcasts; he assisted in putting all of their systems in place and helped them add volume, feature, and edify various business leaders.

Dr. Weisz has also been running his podcast, Inspired Insider, since 2011. He has featured top entrepreneurs, founders, and CEOs of P90X, Atari, Einstein Bagels, Mattel, the Orlando Magic, and many more.

In addition to running Rise25, Dr. Weisz owns a nutritional supplement business and runs his chiropractic and massage facility, Chiropractical Solutions & Massage.

John Corcoran is a recovering attorney, an author, and was a former White House writer and speechwriter to the Governor of California. Throughout his career, John has worked in Hollywood, the heart of Silicon Valley, and has run his boutique law firm in the San Francisco Bay Area catering to small business owners and entrepreneurs.

John has been the host of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast since 2012. He has interviewed hundreds of CEOs, founders, authors, and entrepreneurs, from Peter Diamandis and Adam Grant to Gary Vaynerchuk and Marie Forleo.

John is also the Co-founder of Rise25, a company that connects B2B businesses with their ideal clients, referral partners, and strategic partners and generates ROI through their done-for-you podcast service.

Do you feel like you don't have the time to start a podcast because you are too busy? Would you like to learn at least 10 reasons why you should start a podcast because it can actually save you time?

With two-plus decades of podcasting experience under their belts, Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran have a strategy in place for starting and conducting successful podcasts. They know that having a podcast saves time and attracts more business to your company. Companies can generate ROI and connect with their ideal clients through their done-for-you podcast service.

In this episode of the Top Business Leaders Show, Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran, the Co-founders of Rise25, talk about the value of having a podcast and how it can save you precious time. They discuss how podcasting helps you build strategic relationships and connects you with your ideal clients through referral partners, which speeds up your sales cycle. Stay tuned to find out how it can save you time and help you achieve your primary business objectives.

Aylwin Lewis is a seasoned business leader with decades of experience in the restaurant industry. Before retiring in 2017, Aylwin was the Chief Executive Officer for multiple companies including Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Kmart, and Sears. He also spent four years as the Chief Operating Officer for Yum! Brands, which includes KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. Additionally, he has served on the board of directors for The Walt Disney Company, Red Robin, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and Marriott International.

Most people have worked jobs they dreaded showing up to every day. So what makes or breaks a company's culture? Is it the clients, the other employees, or the actual work?

Seasoned restaurant business leader Aylwin Lewis says that people don't quit companies — they leave bosses. If your leader is unstable or lacks certain characteristics, the business doesn't have a shot. Instead, employees respect a leader who is steady under stress, who can calmly coach new employees, and who upholds their fundamental values. So, how can you improve the leadership at your restaurant business?

In this episode of the SpotOn Series, Chad Franzen is joined by Aylwin Lewis, former COO of Yum! Brands and restaurant industry leader, to talk about cultivating a positive workplace culture. Aylwin shares the fundamental lessons that shaped his professional work values, the experiences that taught him to become a more compassionate leader, and his advice for steering a company through any crisis.

Chris Yang is the Founder of PopCultivate, a chef-driven culinary group creating cannabis-infused cuisine. Chris is formally trained as an organic chemist with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in management from Chang Gung University in Taiwan. Chris started his career in the pharmaceutical industry, but he soon discovered a passion for food and turned his science knowledge into cooking techniques. Since then, he's built multiple culinary companies and has been featured on the Food Network.

What do organic chemistry and cannabis-infused dining have in common? You'll have to ask Chef Chris Yang.

Chris started his career path in the pharmaceutical industry after studying organic chemistry in college. Along the way, he discovered a passion for cooking that exceeded his desire to continue in the medical field. His first steps in the culinary world included a delivery-only restaurant and a cooking incubator, but it was a question from a friend that sparked his current company — "Can you add this marijuana to your dishes?" Now, Chris is revolutionizing catered fine dining with his cannabis-infused cuisine.

In this episode of the SpotOn Series, Chad Franzen is joined by Chris Yang, the Founder of PopCultivate, to talk about turning a unique idea into a new niche in the food industry. Chris discusses how his organic chemistry background influences his cooking, the experimentation that led to PopCultivate's revolutionary brand, and the hurdles he overcame during its inception.

Danijel Velicki is the Founder and CEO of Sqwire and the Founder and Senior Partner of Opus Wealth Strategies LLC. With only $40 in his pocket, Danijel left Croatia in pursuit of the American Dream. After working his way through college, he became a successful entrepreneur.

With decades of experience in personal finance, education, and communication, Danijel and the team at Sqwire help low to moderate-income families realize their financial promise by providing them with financial education. Opus Wealth Strategies is an independent financial and insurance services firm that guides businesses, families, and individuals nationwide to achieve the financial goals that are most important to them.

How do you go from a 17-year-old Croatian immigrant with only $40 in his pocket to a successful entrepreneur in America? Hard work, dedication, and some chance-taking.

Sqwire Founder and CEO and Opus Wealth Strategies Founder and Senior Partner Danijel Velicki says, "you miss 100% of the shots that you don't take." Danijel took a shot in 1995 when he came to America and began working his way through college. He now owns several businesses and has a family of his own. He enjoys the financial advisement work he does and continues to give back to his community.

In this episode of the Top Business Leaders Show, Chad Franzen sits down with Danijel Velicki to discuss how his early life shaped his entrepreneurship, career, and family.

Dan Pool is the Owner and CEO of Pools Restaurant Group. He has owned and opened over 150 restaurants throughout the United States. Pools Restaurant Group currently consists of 30 Gandolfo's Delis and 18 Petro's Chili & Chips. Previously, Dan worked for Chili's and Bennigan's, owned several gourmet food trucks, and was the President of Golden Corral.

Some people learn through years of expensive college education. Others, like Dan Pool, learn through the school of hard knocks.

When 15-year-old Dan came home to find all of his belongings tossed onto the front lawn, the future didn't look bright. He was sleeping in friends' cars and barely making enough to eat by working at fast food restaurants. But what started as a way to survive turned into a lifelong passion for the restaurant industry. Since then, he's started several restaurants, became the President of Golden Corral, and created his current business, Pools Restaurant Group.

In this episode of the SpotOn Series, Chad Franzen is joined by Dan Pool, Owner and CEO of Pools Restaurant Group, to discuss how to turn unfavorable circumstances into roaring success. Dan shares how he learned to run a business without any formal education, the mistakes that turned into valuable lessons, and why he decided to start his own restaurant group.

Paul Allen is the President and Co-founder of Nextbite, a virtual restaurant. Nextbite helps commercial kitchens add innovative, online food delivery concepts to their line-up. Paul has over 25 years of experience spanning technology sales, marketing, and product development. He's worked with teams at Intel, Motorola, Adobe, Autodesk; the states of Connecticut, Colorado, and Ohio; and dozens of technology startups. He has been a founder, investor, and board member of numerous venture-backed technology companies and led two tech startup accelerators, including one backed by Dan Gilbert, Founder and Chairman of Quicken Loans.

Restaurants have downtime. They've got space, employees, and ingredients to make food — but there's no way to use them without orders flowing in. Wouldn't it be nice to use those resources for some extra cash flow?

Paul Allen started Nextbite to fill the gap. He's created online brands that are made in local kitchens, using ingredients and kitchen space that restaurants already have. Consumers get delicious food orders to their doorstep, and restaurants fill empty hours with more revenue. It's a win-win situation for the restaurant industry.

In this episode of the SpotOn Series, Chad Franzen is joined by Paul Allen, President and Co-founder of Nextbite, to discuss how he is helping local restaurant owners with a new virtual restaurant. Paul talks about why he's passionate about keeping local restaurants alive, how his other company, Ordermark, helps businesses with online ordering and delivery, and the process of partnering with Nextbite.

Mike Malatesta is an entrepreneur, author, investor, and the Founder of Advanced Waste Services. He is the Leader of ERC Midwest, a holding company formed to purchase and grow other businesses that specialize in solving complex waste problems. Mike is also the author of the forthcoming book, Owner Shift: How Getting Selfish Got Me Unstuck, and host of the How'd It Happen Podcast.

Mike is on a mission to help 1,000 entrepreneurs create companies that become worth more than $20 million each. Options rather than obligations drive him, and he hopes to create new opportunities, relationships, and success stories as a result of doing what he loves.

Many people have come to a point in their career where they feel like they've eclipsed their skillset or begun hating the things they used to love. Mike Malatesta calls this the "valley of uncertainty." So, how do you avoid getting stuck in this dark place?

Sometimes you need to break to discover a breakthrough. After tragically losing his business partner, Mike found himself in the valley of uncertainty. He had no luck thinking his way out of the situation and decided that his perspective needed to change. Mike concluded that he had the power to turn this bleak situation around and became receptive to the help he needed — something difficult for many entrepreneurs. The most significant factor in pulling himself out of the valley of uncertainty? Mike became selfish.

In this episode of the Top Business Leaders Show, Chad Franzen sits down with entrepreneur, investor, and author Mike Malatesta to talk about overcoming entrepreneurial struggles. Mike discusses how he came out of the valley of uncertainty, shifted his business, and teaches others to think big. Mike also details the entrepreneurial advice in his book, Owner Shift, and shares how you can get a free chapter of the book before it's released!

John Bonavia is the Founder of The Gateway Advantage, a luxury business club in Baltimore. The Gateway Advantage aims to create a professional network environment for business owners, entrepreneurs, and investors to meet like-minded people and find innovative solutions. John is a sales and marketing guru who uses his skills in problem-solving, ethics, leadership, and creativity to meet sales, profitability, and growth objectives. Previously, he was a Regional Sales Manager for First Data Corporation, a Property Manager for Macerich, and a Contract Specialist for The National Institutes of Health.

You look to the left and see a successful CEO of a multimillion-dollar company. You look to the right and see an energetic young owner of a startup. This is the exciting reality of The Gateway Advantage in Baltimore.

A luxury business club, The Gateway Advantage fosters an environment of ingenuity, class, and success. Members mix and mingle to create new partnerships, network with other entrepreneurs, and meet investors. It's a haven for brilliant minds to meet and generate a brighter future for businesses. So come sip exquisite wine, dine on fine fare from the city's top chefs, and let the ideas flow.

In this episode of the SpotOn Series, Chad Franzen is joined by John Bonavia, the Founder of The Gateway Advantage, to discuss how he created a stellar business club in Baltimore. John describes his vision for The Gateway Advantage, the hurdles he's overcome on his business journey, and the benefits that new club members will enjoy.

Verne Harnish is the Founder and CEO of Scaling Up, a global executive education and coaching company with over 180 partners on six continents. Verne chairs the annual ScaleUp Summits and serves on several boards, including Chair of The Riordan Clinic, Co-founder and Chair of Geoversity, and Board Member of the Million Dollar Women community.

Verne is the Founder of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), a peer-to-peer network for entrepreneurs with over 14,000 members worldwide. He is also a keynote speaker and the author of multiple best-sellers, including Mastering the Rockefeller Habits and Scaling Up — which has been translated into 23 languages and won eight major international book awards.

Nowadays, employees are gravitating towards non-traditional compensation plans. But what's the benefit of exploring new incentive methods?

Verne Harnish says that there's a strategic advantage in crafting a cutting-edge compensation plan. You'll stand out from competitors, drive more candidates to your company, and bring your team closer together. However, there are some key techniques to find success in a new compensation method. You shouldn't copy another companies' plan — it should be a distinctive plan that aligns with your organization's culture and customer. Want to learn more about the value of differentiating your compensation plan?

Listen to this episode of the Top Business Leaders Show, where Verne Harnish, Founder and CEO of Scaling Up, is interviewed by Co-hosts John Corcoran, Dr. Jeremy Weisz, Elise Holtzman, Joshua Chin, and Adi Klevit. Verne shares everything business owners need to know about compensation plans, including where to start, important perks to consider, and mistakes leaders make when drafting their compensation methods. You don't want to miss it!