You Don't Need to Live Near Your Franchise | Walking with Walfinch. Can you really run a franchise from a different state? Kimberly Douglas is the COO of Sticky Fingers Cooking, a mobile children's cooking school franchise — and she also owns her own franchise territory in Orange County, California, while living and working full-time in Denver. In this episode of Walking with Walfinch, Kimberly shares how she balances franchise ownership with her role as COO, an MBA programme, and being a parent. She breaks down the daily routines, systems, and partnership structure that make remote franchise ownership work — and explains why service-based franchises with no fixed location are built for exactly this kind of flexibility.

Are you over supporting your franchisees without realising it? In this episode of Walking with Walfinch, we sit down with Angela Cote, CEO and founder of AC Inc., to talk about why doing too much for your franchisees is burning out your support team and creating dependent operators instead of confident business owners.Angela works with franchise brands ranging from early-stage networks to systems with over 2,000 locations. She shares a practical coaching framework that shifts franchise field support from reactive problem-solving to proactive growth coaching — helping franchisees take ownership of their own success.

Your GP sees your loved one a few times a year. Your care worker sees them every day.So who really holds the fuller picture — and what could that mean for the future of healthcare?In this episode of Walking with Walfinch, Amrit sits down with Max Parmentier — CEO andco-founder of Birdie, the UK's leading home healthcare software platform — to explore whydomiciliary care providers are uniquely positioned to transform healthcare outcomes, andwhat artificial intelligence now makes possible at the frontline of community care.They cover:→ Why home care providers collect more longitudinal patient data than any hospital or GP→ How AI can automatically audit care notes to improve CQC compliance and reduce risk→ Birdie's UTI detection pilot — and why flagging health risks early created an unexpected problem→ The case for a subscription-based prevention model for private-pay clients→ Why labour costs make up ~95% of a care provider's P&L — and where 20–30% could be recovered→ What home care in the UK looks like in 10 years (Max believes the market could triple)→ Why the real barrier to better care isn't technology — it's the incentive model→ One action Max would take if he were a care entrepreneur starting today───────────────────────────────────────👤 ABOUT MAX PARMENTIER──────────────────────────────────────Max Parmentier is the CEO and co-founder of Birdie, a home healthcare technology platformthat helps domiciliary care providers deliver better outcomes, manage operations moreefficiently, and prepare for the future of community health. Birdie works with careproviders across the UK and is building towards agentic AI orchestration for careback-office workflows.🔗 Find out more about Birdie: https://birdie.care───────────────────────────────────────Learn more: https://walfinch.com#HomeCare #DomiciliaryCare #AIHealthcare #CQC #Birdie #Walfinch #LiveInCare#WalkingWithWalfinch #CareProviders #HomeHealthcare #PreventativeCare #FranchiseUK

Kishan Patel, Managing Director of Walfinch Leicester, joins the podcast to explain how he transitioned from a third-generation family jewellery business into running a UK home care franchise, why trust is the foundation of domiciliary care, and how his Thrive Club is helping elderly residents in Leicester beat isolation. He shares an 18-month behind-the-scenes view of building a Walfinch franchise, including a partnership with the NHS to bring a roving healthcare unit to the local community.In this episode you'll learn:Why trust is the most important currency in UK home careHow a Walfinch franchisee runs a free weekly Thrive Club for 25+ peopleWhat preventative home care looks like in practice for dementia clientsWhy a home care franchise outperforms going it alone for first-time ownersHow Walfinch Leicester is partnering with the NHS on community vaccinationsThe real reason this third-generation jeweller chose the care industryOne piece of advice for anyone moving from employment into franchisingKishan brings a business heritage rooted in quality and consistency, paired with the lived experience of building a regulated home care business in a saturated market. His perspective is grounded, practical, and shaped by daily contact with clients, carers and family members.Subscribe to the Walfinch channel for weekly conversations with home care franchisees, industry experts, and the people building the future of UK domiciliary care.

Most franchisors default to telling franchisees what to do. Jennifer Brandon explains why that approach fails — and what to do instead.In this episode of Walking with Walfinch, we're joined by Jennifer Brandon, Chief Growth Officer at AC Inc. (Angela Coté Incorporated), who has spent 30+ years in franchising as a franchisee, franchise developer, and coach. Jennifer breaks down the real difference between consulting and coaching in a franchise system — and why the shift from telling to asking is the single biggest unlock for franchisee performance.We dig into why great franchisees don't automatically make great coaches, why most franchise field support teams lack formal coaching training, and how tapping into a franchisee's intrinsic motivation produces results that compliance checklists never will. Jennifer also shares AC Inc.'s mission to professionalise the franchise coaching role through the only dedicated field coach certification programme in the industry.

What's a franchise actually worth when you sell it? Boris Katsnelson breaks down the real multiples — from 3x SDE for multi-unit franchisees to 15x EBITDA for scaled franchisors.In this episode of Walking with Wolf, we walk the Las Vegas strip with Boris Katz Nelson, investment banker at Black Iron and former franchise CEO. Boris started on Wall Street doing M&A, then bought and ran Speedpro — a sign and graphics franchise — taking it from 100 to 135+ units before selling his equity. He then bought two more franchise businesses in 90 days: a College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving location and a Primrose preschool.Now he helps franchise owners and franchisors sell their businesses, and in this conversation he opens up the numbers most people never hear — what drives valuation, where the inflection points sit, and why interest rates are compressing multiples right now.We cover:0:00 Introduction1:10 What Boris does — investment banking for franchises1:33 Origin story — buying Speedpro and running it as CEO2:34 Buying two businesses in 90 days3:02 Why operating experience changes everything4:33 "It's more cleaning toilets than smoking cigars"5:00 How to evaluate a franchise if you're starting from zero6:25 Passion vs economics — what matters more7:31 Why resales beat startups — buying existing cash flow8:10 Exit multiples for multi-unit franchisees — the 3x to 4x SDE band8:59 Why you can't push much above 4x on the franchisee side10:35 Franchisor multiples — 6x to 15x EBITDA explained11:16 The $2M EBITDA inflection point12:34 Why recurring royalty revenue gets valued higher than franchise fees13:05 Where the market sits in 2026 — interest rates and private equity demand14:15 The book recommendation — Big Money by Alicia Miller16:09 How interest rates are compressing franchise multiples17:47 The franchise M&A market is still hot19:08 Boris's advice — the three questions to ask before buying19:45 What's next — equity ownership and advisory board work🔗 Learn more about Walfinch: https://walfinch.com#franchise #franchisevaluation #franchiseresale #exitmultiples #franchiseM&A #WalkingWithWalfinch #franchisebusiness #EBITDABoris Katsnelson is a registered representative of Independent Investment Bankers Corp.("IIB"), a FINRA member broker-dealer. Investment banking services and securities are offered exclusively through IIB. Boris also serves as Managing Director at Black Iron Advisers. Black Iron Advisers is not affiliated with Independent Investment Bankers Corp.

Tracy Penase went from top-performing franchisee to buying the entire Just Between Friends franchise brand. Here's how she did it — and what changed. In this episode of Walking with Wolf, we sit down with Tracy Penase, CEO of Just Between Friends (JBF), who made the rare leap from franchisee to franchisor. What started with a decorated cookie at a Christmas party in 1998 became a multi-unit franchise career spanning Cookies by Design and eventually JBF — a seasonal buy-and-sell franchise for parents now operating in 150 locations across 31 states. Tracy shares how she acquired the brand from its founder in December 2022, the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) framework that's driven 41% company growth in three years, and why getting technology right has been her hardest challenge as a new franchisor.🔗 Learn more about Walfinch: https://walfinch.com#franchise #franchisor #franchisee #EOS #JustBetweenFriends #WalkingWithWolf #franchisebusiness #franchisegrowthTime Stamps:0:00 Introduction0:48 How a cookie started a franchise career2:12 Growing to four Cookies by Design units3:10 Discovering Just Between Friends4:23 Buying the first JBF franchise in 20084:49 The moment she decided to buy the brand5:14 Franchisee vs franchisor — two different businesses7:47 State of JBF at acquisition — 150 locations, 31 states8:40 Redefining culture and core values9:04 Introducing minimum royalty responsibility10:23 How EOS transformed the business12:06 The road show — visiting 8 major markets in year one13:06 EOS explained — rocks, L10s, quarterly sprints14:58 Technology — the hardest challenge16:33 Helping franchisees implement EOS18:48 The 10-year vision — becoming a household name19:36 101% increase in average unit volume

ChatGPT is powerful, but is it safe for client data? The short answer: not really.In this episode of Walking with Walfinch, Amrit sits down with Charles Cross from Emma AI to discuss why generic AI tools aren't enough for the UK social care sector. We dive into the massive difference between "digital care planning" and actual intelligent automation—and why data privacy is the biggest hurdle to clear.Charles breaks down how Emma AI helps care providers move away from typing up notes after a visit to capturing voice data in real-time, all while keeping private client data secure and compliant with CQC standards.ABOUT WALFINCHWalfinch is a national home care provider and franchise network dedicated to quality, compassion, and independence. We help people stay in their own homes with bespoke domiciliary and live-in care.GET IN TOUCHThinking about starting your own care business?👉https://walfinchfranchising.com/

Is 37 training modules excessive for a home care worker? Some providers might think so, but the CQC—and our compliance team—disagree.In this episode of Walking with Walfinch, Amrit speaks with Amanda Keeler from the National Support Office. Amanda reveals why Walfinch insists on such a rigorous training schedule (minimum 37 modules) and how "front-loading" the hard work makes the actual job of care much safer and easier.We also dive into Amanda’s fascinating backstory—from working inside prisons with young offenders to managing a convent—and how those high-pressure environments prepared her to lead compliance and support for a national care network.ABOUT WALFINCHWalfinch is a national home care provider and franchise network dedicated to quality, compassion, and independence. We help people stay in their own homes with bespoke domiciliary and live-in care.GET IN TOUCHThinking about starting your own care business?👉 https://walfinchfranchising.com/

It sounds unbelievable, but it’s true. When Amrit conducted a mystery shop of 10 local care businesses, only 3 actually picked up the phone. In a sector where trust is everything, are you losing private clients before you’ve even said hello?In this episode of Walking with Walfinch, Amrit chats with Debbie Harris, founder of Autumna, about the changing landscape of finding care. Debbie shares her origin story (finding a home for "Auntie Margaret" using the Yellow Pages) and explains why 95% of care decisions are now made online before anyone steps foot in your building.We discuss the disconnect between hospitals and social care, why quality care should cost more (the "Waitrose" effect), and how to prove your value to self-funders in a digital world.ABOUT WALFINCHWalfinch is a national home care provider and franchise network dedicated to quality, compassion, and independence. We help people stay in their own homes with bespoke domiciliary and live-in care.GET IN TOUCHThinking about starting your own care business?👉 https://walfinchfranchising.com/