
I Fired My Boss - A Franchise Podcast
Welcome to the I Fired My Boss Franchise Podcast, formerly known as the Franchise Founders Podcast. Hosted by Dan Claps, founder and CEO of Franchise Playbook—a platform that creates, owns, and operates dynamic franchise brands in the mobile services space—this show is dedicated to helping people like you fire your boss and take control of your future through business ownership. Dan’s mission is to empower aspiring entrepreneurs to hire themselves and live the American dream through franchise opportunities.
Latest episodes

Jan 25, 2023 • 29min
How to Know Which Franchises Are REALLY Exceptional...And Which Aren't
Welcome to the Franchise Founders Podcast. We are on a mission to help aspiring entrepreneurs just like you take action through franchise ownership allowing you to obtain more financial freedom, time with family, and ultimately, a business that can run on its own without you.Dan Claps has co-founded several franchise development firms and currently runs Franchise Playbook. Christian Dadulak is a successful Franchise Consultant and runs his independent Franchise Consulting business, The Franchise Guys. Courtney Stillings is the Director of Client Development for Franchise Business Review, an immense resource for franchise buyers. Franchise Business Review empowers potential franchise buyers with franchise reviews, downloadable reports, top franchise lists, and industry insights—all in one convenient place! FBR surveys over 30,000 franchise owners from 300+ franchise brands to reveal the top franchises with the highest ratings in franchisee satisfaction, franchise culture, company performance and other key benchmarks. This data helps potential buyers narrow their search and make better-informed buying decisions. Tune in to learn from Courtney about how to use FBR as one more tool to help provide transparency in your franchise due diligence process. Franchise Founders is a huge supporter of the International Franchise Association (IFA). If you are a fan of franchising and have an interest in joining the franchise community, the IFA is a great place to start! Learn more here: https://www.franchise.org/about-us

Jan 18, 2023 • 37min
From Junk Removal to Franchise Empire: Inside the Mind of the Founder of 1-800-Got-Junk
Welcome to the Franchise Founders Podcast. We are on a mission to help aspiring entrepreneurs just like you take action through franchise ownership allowing you to obtain more financial freedom, time with family, and ultimately, a business that can run on its own without you.Dan Claps has co-founded several franchise development firms and currently runs Franchise Playbook. Christian Dadulak is a successful Franchise Consultant and runs his independent Franchise Consulting business, The Franchise Guys. When Brian Scudamore, founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK? started his business in 1989, it wasn’t because he had a passion for junk removal. It was because he saw an opportunity to disrupt an industry. Since then he’s built a network of franchises using a tried-and-true playbook for success, based on over 30 years of business experience and a proven recipe.From there, he formed O2E Brands: a franchise conglomerate that takes ordinary home services and turns them into exceptional experiences: it’s “O” to “E”. Their brands 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, WOW 1 DAY PAINTING, and Shack Shine are known for building the most innovative, customer-centric experience in the market.Tune in to this episode to learn more about how Brian disrupted an entire industry, scaling from one truck to a business & franchise empire. Franchise Founders is a huge supporter of the International Franchise Association (IFA). If you are a fan of franchising and have an interest in joining the franchise community, the IFA is a great place to start! Learn more here: https://www.franchise.org/about-us

Jan 11, 2023 • 24min
Building a 30+ Location Multi-Unit Empire
Welcome to the Franchise Founders Podcast. We are on a mission to help aspiring entrepreneurs just like you take action through franchise ownership allowing you to obtain more financial freedom, time with family, and ultimately, a business that can run on its own without you.Dan Claps has co-founded several franchise development firms and currently runs Franchise Playbook. Christian Dadulak is a successful Franchise Consultant and runs his independent Franchise Consulting business, The Franchise Guys. In this episode, Dan speaks with Brian Beers, a multi-unit franchise owner with Midas. Midas is a massive complete auto-care franchise that services customers all over the nation. In this episode, Brian shares how he took over the family franchise and grew from six locations to over 30 locations! He gets into the strategy and process behind scaling this franchise empire, mostly through acquisition and seller-financing. Tune in to learn more from this powerhouse franchisee about how to build tremendous success in franchising.Franchise Founders is a huge supporter of the International Franchise Association (IFA). If you are a fan of franchising and have an interest in joining the franchise community, the IFA is a great place to start! Learn more here: https://www.franchise.org/about-us

Jan 4, 2023 • 22min
Transforming Ugly Kitchens Into Functional Masterpieces
Welcome to the Franchise Founders Podcast. We are on a mission to help aspiring entrepreneurs just like you take action through franchise ownership allowing you to obtain more financial freedom, time with family, and ultimately, a business that can run on its own without you.Dan Claps has co-founded several franchise development firms and currently runs Franchise Playbook. Christian Dadulak is a successful Franchise Consultant and runs his independent Franchise Consulting business, The Franchise Guys. In this episode, Dan meets with Michael Hartel of Cabinet IQ. Cabinet IQ is a franchisor that helps people build their dream homes by transforming ugly spaces into functional masterpieces. When Michael remodeled his first kitchen, it was a nightmare.The process was stressful and overwhelming for him, and he felt confused. He had no idea where to start! This is the challenge that Michael seeks to solve in the kitchen remodeling industry. Michael helps his franchisees bring white collar professionalism & systemization to an otherwise blue-collar industry. Tune in to this episode to learn more about this exciting franchise brand.

Dec 14, 2022 • 36min
Protect Your Ass: An Introduction to Franchise Law
Welcome to the Franchise Founders Podcast. We are on a mission to help aspiring entrepreneurs just like you take action through franchise ownership allowing you to obtain more financial freedom, time with family, and ultimately, a business that can run on its own without you.Dan Claps has co-founded several franchise development firms and currently runs Franchise Playbook. Christian Dadulak is a successful Franchise Consultant and runs his independent Franchise Consulting business, The Franchise Guys. In this episode, Dan & Christian talk to Craig Tractenberg, a franchise attorney with Fox Rothschild LLP. They talk about the need for lawyers in protecting both the franchisors and franchisees, the importance or reviewing your franchise agreement, and the differences between litigation and arbitration. Tune in as Craig shares his experience from decades in the industry and find out how to protect your own ass.

Nov 30, 2022 • 38min
The Art of the Exit: Selling to Private Equity as a Franchisor
Welcome to the Franchise Founders Podcast. We are on a mission to help aspiring entrepreneurs just like you take action through franchise ownership allowing you to obtain more financial freedom, time with family, and ultimately, a business that can run on its own without you.Dan Claps has co-founded several franchise development firms and currently runs Franchise Playbook. Christian Dadulak is a successful Franchise Consultant and runs his independent Franchise Consulting business, The Franchise Guys. In this episode, Dan & Christian hear from Brian Alas, Managing Director of Boxwood Partners, a full-service renowned Mergers & Acquisitions advisory firm with a legendary track record in franchising. Brian teaches us all about how to build your business, as a franchisor, starting with the end, the exit, in mind. We learn about how to maximize multiples and valuations, essential exit preparation, and how to evaluate deals. Not every deal is created equal so we talk about just how important it is to have someone on your side of the table guiding you through the process, all while helping you get more or what you DO want and less of what you DON'T want when it comes to selling your franchise...especially to private equity. Tune in to have the process of exiting, as a franchisor and even a franchisee, demystified.

Nov 16, 2022 • 30min
The Power of HYPER Local Franchise Marketing
Welcome to the Franchise Founders Podcast. We are on a mission to help aspiring entrepreneurs just like you take action through franchise ownership allowing you to obtain more financial freedom, time with family, and ultimately, a business that can run on its own without you.Dan Claps has co-founded several franchise development firms and currently runs Franchise Playbook. Christian Dadulak is a successful Franchise Consultant and runs his independent Franchise Consulting business, The Franchise Guys. In this episode, Dan & Christian dive into the world of marketing with Michael Morris, Head of Growth at Hyperlocology. Hyperlocology is a company that solves the challenge for franchisors of how to create, manage, and report on thousands of unique digital ad campaigns, with distinct budgets and messages, in one central place. From a franchise buyer perspective, franchisors that provide centralized marketing support like this could rise above and ahead of those brands that don't. Dialed-in franchisee marketing is one of the most sought-after support elements of franchise ownership, especially for those that aren't expert marketers or master salespeople. Michael gives us a taste of exactly how Hyperlocology is streamlining marketing for all types of franchisors of various sizes and flavors. Tune in to see just how much of a difference a partner like Hyperlocology can make for both franchisees & franchisors.

Nov 9, 2022 • 42min
The "Why" Behind Building a Massive Waxing Empire
Welcome to the Franchise Founders Podcast. We are on a mission to help aspiring entrepreneurs just like you take action through franchise ownership allowing you to obtain more financial freedom, time with family, and ultimately, a business that can run on its own without you.Dan Claps has co-founded several franchise development firms and currently runs Franchise Playbook. Christian Dadulak is a successful Franchise Consultant and runs his independent Franchise Consulting business, The Franchise Guys. In this episode, Dan & Christian chat with Brigham Dallas, the founder of Hello Sugar, a rapidly expanding waxing & sugaring concept. We chat about Dallas journey from college drop-out to highly successful entrepreneur in a relatively short period of time. Brigham had no background in the waxing industry, so we get into why he chose this fun industry to choose for building a business. Things like building a business with a recurring revenue model, offering a low-ticket service in a recession-resistant industry, attracting the eye and appeal of investors, and more. Brigham also gets into how he's building a concept that is much different from most of the other waxing and hair removal franchises that exist, especially by keeping the build-out costs exceedingly lower than these other concepts. This was a fascinating journey into the mind of an extremely successful entrepreneur, so tune in to learn from Brigham about the why behind waxing.

Nov 2, 2022 • 41min
Thinking Like a Winner with Jeff Dudan of HomeFront Brands
Welcome to the Franchise Founders Podcast. We are on a mission to help aspiring entrepreneurs just like you take action through franchise ownership allowing you to obtain more financial freedom, time with family, and ultimately, a business that can run on its own without you.Dan Claps has co-founded several franchise development firms and currently runs Franchise Playbook. Christian Dadulak is a successful Franchise Consultant and runs his independent Franchise Consulting business, The Franchise Guys. In this episode, Dan & Christian pick the brain of a true franchise and business expert, Jeff Dudan. Before ever stepping into the world of franchising, Jeff started a restoration business that eventually grew to become AdvantaClean, a wildy profitable franchise company & overall incredible success story. Like many entrepreneurs, Jeff eventually decided that the business, in order to hit the next level, needed more than he alone could provide; He knew the business needed the right partnership and resources, so he sold AdvantaClean and sailed off into the sunset. Again, like most true entrepreneurs, Jeff couldn't just sit on the sidelines, so he founded Homefront Brands, a franchise ownership group that offers many home services franchise concepts under one roof. The most fun part of this episode is that we get into much more than just talking about AdvantaClean or Homefront Brands; We get into the mindset that it takes to truly win in business. Tune in to learn from one of the greatest business minds in franchising and business development, Jeff Dudan.

Oct 26, 2022 • 21min
Paint Your Dream Life: How to Build a Painting Franchise
Welcome to the Franchise Founders Podcast. We are on a mission to help aspiring entrepreneurs just like you take action through franchise ownership allowing you to obtain more financial freedom, time with family, and ultimately, a business that can run on its own without you.Dan Claps has co-founded several franchise development firms and currently runs The Franchise Playbook. Christian Dadulak is a successful Franchise Consultant and runs his independent Franchise Consulting business, The Franchise Guys. In this episode, Dan chats with Tom Hodgson of ColorWorld House Painting. As company owned by Authority Brands, Color World House Painting is an excellent example of a great business that most people may not consider at first glance, but when we take a look at the system and support being provided, it's clear that this isn't an opportunity we should brush off. From a call center to done-for-you marketing with rinse & repeat, easy to replicate systems, Color World makes it easy for aspiring entrepreneurs to get into and succeed in business. Tune in to learn more about how to paint your way into your dream business.