Franchise Interviews

We are meeting with Ken Hutcheson, President of U.S. Lawns.  All of US Lawn’s landscaping professionals have a genuine commitment to improving communities and improving lives every day, which is a big reason they became part of the Network to begin with.  From the Home Office in Orlando, FL, community leaders across the United States are selectively onboarded and trained to do business proudly displaying the U.S. Lawns star. Right now, there are over 250 U.S. Lawns locations throughout the country, and their expansion continues to bring them ever closer to having franchises in all 50 states, so they can serve all major and secondary markets with first-rate landscape maintenance crews and commercial grounds management excellence. Even multiple location commercial property owners are secure in the fact every property is being treated with the same care; their grounds maintenance teams are all operating under the same code; all are equipped with the ideals and processes you’d expect from a top national chain; and all are united by a passion for service to their neighbors. In Part Two, we play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

We are meeting with Bill McPherson, the vice president of franchise development at AlphaGraphics, the global company that offers printing and marketing solutions at nearly 300 locations around the world.  Bill is a franchise veteran with nearly 30 years of executive and sales experience.. He’s also a Certified Franchise Executive and frequent IFA speaker/contributor.  In Part Two, we will play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

Special New Year's Day Show We thought we would start 2020 with a vintage show on motivation.  David Handler is a professional business coach who specializes in helping leaders find clarity and take action to achieve their goals. Much like sports coaches, he shows clients how to compete at the highest levels in their industries. David served as a senior executive and founder of several organizations, championing talent development as an essential key to producing extraordinary business results.

Explore the transformative power of personal development with insights from motivational speaker Steve Pavlina. Uncover strategies for self-discovery and overcoming detrimental habits through personal accountability. Learn the significance of ongoing reflection to identify areas for improvement. Delve into techniques for tapping into your subconscious for deeper understanding and alignment with your desires. The discussion also highlights practical tips for potential franchisees, emphasizing essential questions to consider before diving into business opportunities.

Today marks our 653nd show…Our special guest today is Chris Simnick, founder of the Synergy Franchise Group.  With over 40 years of experience as an independent businessman, franchisee, and franchiser, including fifteen years of international experience in launching and assisting franchise systems in Europe and the Pacific Rim, Chris Simnick knows the ins and outs of franchising, and how to establish and fine tune operations to ensure a profitable business at start-up, stability, or maturity - when a refresh or expansion to a new concept is desired. Chris has accomplished this by creating the Synergy Franchise Group Network consisting of the Synergy Franchis Group LLC and FranchiseTeacher.com. Through these organizations, Chris and his team has  guided clients through the process of identifying and purchasing the right franchise based on their interests, personality, and skill level; and assisted others on the opposite end of the spectrum determine if their concept was suitable for franchising, how to recruit and develop franchisees, and how to set up the infrastructure and processes necessary to operate the system effectively and profitably. They provide consulting to both franchisers and franchisees, in all industries and in all sizes, on specific issues ranging from the development of growth strategies to conducting operational reviews and profit & loss analyses to setting up lead generation and tracking programs. They also offer personalized one-on-one coaching to meet any need.

Not long ago, I came across several interesting articles written by the Telephone Doctor Nancy Friedman on the Millennials.  One article was called, “Millennials + Customer Service. An Oxymoron? Or Great Generation?” and “Do We Owe the Millennials an Apology?”.  Nancy and I discuss this fascinating topic.  Here is one of the scenarios Nancy encountered.  A young gal, about 25, preparing to sit in one of her presentations at the NAR conference in DC came up to her with arms crossed and in a slightly defensive mode says, “You’re not going to tell us how bad we are, are you?”  Find out what happened next by listening to the show.  Nancy is the author of nine books on communications, sales, and customer service, Nancy will energize, inspire, and motivate you with tips, ideas, skills, and techniques you’ll use the rest of your life. Nancy’s keynote speaker presentations are high-energy, high in content, and best of all, high-results!  For more information on the Telephone Doctor, go to https://telephonedoctor.com/ In Part Two, we play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

With communities and businesses becoming more aggressive in their fight against drain and sewage problems caused by FOG (fats, oils and grease) and other organic matter, EnviroLogik, the expert in commercial drain line and odor control solutions, is set to pave the way to stronger, healthier and more conscious city systems. Not just an industry leader, but an industry disrupter, EnviroLogik is positioned to see massive growth as the brand announces the launch of its first-to-market franchise opportunity, with plans to open more than 250 franchise locations by 2025.   EnviroLogik uses proprietary, naturally effective products to solve drain and odor issues in commercial spaces, including buildup of fats, oils and grease (FOG), starch, sugars and odor-causing compounds that commonly cause blockages in both commercial drains and city sewers. United Kingdom native and entrepreneur Aziz Tejpar recognized the need for businesses to have access to effective, environmentally friendly, affordable services as more communities continue to aggressively combat wastewater issues through compliance regulations. In part two, we play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

Today Franchise Interviews celebrates Thanksgiving, our 650th podcast, and 13th year anniversary.  We start our show with our most recent Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.  Today’s Great Quote in Franchising comes from Joseph Berger – President of You’ve Got Maids, Joseph has a unique perspective on the franchise industry as the residential cleaning concept was founded by his parents, Frank and Cynthia Berger. Joseph discusses why franchising is similar to taking an open book test. Next we play one of our earliest interviews with Scott Haner of the Yum! Brands franchise opportunity. Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, has over 48,000 restaurants in more than 145 countries and territories primarily operating the company’s restaurant brands – KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell – global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food categories. Worldwide, the Yum! Brands system opens over eight new restaurants per day on average, making it a leader in global retail development. In 2018, Yum! Brands was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index and ranked among the top 100 Best Corporate Citizens by Corporate Responsibility Magazine. In 2019, Yum! Brands was named to the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for the second consecutive year.

We are meeting Brandon Ezra, Founder and CEO of Grand Welcome, the leading vacation rental management franchise. With the vacation rental segment is looking stronger than ever - over $13 billion in 2018 with a projected annual growth rate of 7.2%  Grand Welcome is capitalizing on the growing trend. The popular vacation rental management company combines quality and consistency while tailoring every home to suit every type of visitor. It offers fully-stocked vacation rentals available throughout California, Hawaii and Idaho, Colorado and Nevada. The brand is just launching its franchise opportunity and is searching for passionate entrepreneurs who are looking to capitalizing on the popularity of vacation rentals. Company Highlights  * Founded in 2008  * Started franchising in 2019  * $2.8M in total annual revenue  * Exists in 16 cities throughout five states  * 700+ properties In Part Two, we play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.

We are meeting with Inger Nicolaisen the founder of Nikita Hair…an international hair salon chain with 150+ locations across Europe and recent franchise expansion to the United States. Inger is a prominent figure in Norway, most known from the Norwegian television series The Candidate in 2004, which was the Norwegian version of the American series, The Apprentice. Nikita Hair supports the foundation, A Hand to Children. This organization provides help and assistance to children. The involvement of this foundation is to give children a chance at a better life, and hope for the future. All projects within the scope of this foundation aim to provide support to those most in need by providing food and clothing. For every haircut, Nikita Hair will donate a portion of the proceeds to support this organization. In Part Two, we play a clip from our popular Great Quotes in Franchising podcast.