Franchise Leader Spotlight

Kim Gubera, President & CEO of PIRTEK, stepped into her role in 2019 and did something almost no leader does — she visited every single franchisee before changing anything. In this conversation, she shares how that decision built the cultural foundation that drove a record-breaking 2025, and how PIRTEK maintains a standard of excellence — including through moments that were anything but easy. This is a straight-talking episode about what franchise leadership actually looks like when the values aren't just on the wall.In this episode:How PIRTEK recruits for franchisee-first thinking at every level of the home officeWhy radical transparency — including disclosing an internal integrity issue at their franchise conference — is the only way to build real trustWhat it takes to sustain franchisee support and culture through rapid unit growthGuest: Kim Gubera, President & CEO, PIRTEK Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMOAre you a franchise brand leader working on a growth challenge? Katherine works with franchise brands as a Fractional CMO. Learn more at apollocmo.comThe Franchise Leader Spotlight Podcast is part of the MyPodcastHost Franchise Podcast Network — bringing franchise brand voices to the audiences that matter.Brought to you by MyPodcastHost — private internal podcast channels and the Franchise Podcast Network for franchise brands that take franchisee communication seriously. mypodcasthost.com

Steven and Jason Parker have been in the pet care industry since 1999 and franchising K9 Resorts since 2011. In this conversation, they walk Katherine through the disciplined, long-view philosophy that's gotten them to 50 open locations — and what it actually means to award franchises instead of selling them.In this episode:Why they turned down one of their earliest franchise candidates — and how it shaped their development processThe leadership model they use as co-CEO brothers, and how they built a C-suite that complements rather than replicatesThe pet care industry's next evolution: mental enrichment, smaller group sizes, and what "humanization" looks like in 2026Guest: Steven and Jason Parker, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, K9 Resorts Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMOAre you a franchise brand leader working on a growth challenge? Katherine works with franchise brands as a Fractional CMO. Learn more at apollocmo.comThe Franchise Leader Spotlight Podcast is part of the MyPodcastHost Franchise Podcast Network — bringing franchise brand voices to the audiences that matter.Brought to you by MyPodcastHost — private internal podcast channels and the Franchise Podcast Network for franchise brands that take franchisee communication seriously. mypodcasthost.com

Josh Lyon has been building ScentHound as their COO from seven units to 157 - and he's not slowing down. In this conversation, he gets into what it actually takes to scale a franchise brand with operational discipline intact: the team transitions nobody talks about, the franchisee adoption gap that compounds every time you add complexity, and why simplicity isn't a nice-to-have - it's the differentiator that separates the brands that win from the ones that don't.In this episode:Building and rebuilding your team through three inflection pointsWhy franchisees need to be treated like owners, not employees — and what changes when you doHow ScentHound maps the five-stage journey of franchisees, team members, and customers to create simplicity at every levelGuest: Josh Lyon, Chief Operating Officer, ScentHound Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMOAre you a franchise brand leader working on a growth challenge? Katherine works with franchise brands as a Fractional CMO. Learn more at apollocmo.comThe Franchise Leader Spotlight Podcast is part of the My Podcast Host Franchise Podcast Network — bringing franchise brand voices to the audiences that matter.Brought to you by Franchise Ramp —  full-picture growth marketing built specifically for franchise brands. Over 1,300 locations, 25 brands, and a proprietary platform called RampIQ. They get it because they've lived it. FranchiseRamp.com 

Doug Flaig, CEO of Stratus Clean, is in the middle of one of the harder things a franchise leader can navigate - a full brand transformation - and he's doing it with a three-tier franchisee network watching every move. In this conversation, Doug gets into why answering the "why" before the "what" is the only change management that actually works, how he uses EOS and tier-based communication groups to keep a diverse franchisee base aligned, and what a career that ran through 7-Eleven, Burger King, and Dunkin Donuts before landing at a smaller company taught him about what it means to really lead. One takeaway that lands hard: nature abhors a vacuum - and if you're not filling it with communication, your franchisees are filling it with speculation.In this episode:Tier-based franchisee communication and why one message doesn't fit every operatorUnit economics as the north star — and what happens to brands that lose sight of itServant leadership, the hedgehog principle, and what it actually means to lead through changeGuest: Doug Flaig, CEO, Stratus Building Solutions Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMOAre you a franchise brand leader working on a growth challenge? Katherine works with franchise brands as a Fractional CMO. Learn more at apollocmo.comThe Franchise Leader Spotlight Podcast is part of the My Podcast Host Franchise Podcast Network — bringing franchise brand voices to the audiences that matter.Brought to you by My Podcast Host — private internal podcast channels and the Franchise Podcast Network for franchise brands that take franchisee communication seriously. mypodcasthost.com

Alex and Myriam Guerrero didn't plan on becoming franchise owners — Alex stumbled into it at a USO transition event when a franchise broker showed up and offered a presentation. Four years later, they're running a Tint World location in El Paso, scaling to three stores, and building the kind of franchisee-franchisor trust that most brands spend years trying to manufacture. This conversation gets into what it really takes to build a business with your spouse, what the franchising industry is still getting wrong with veterans, and why legacy franchisees don't need another broadcast — they need a direct conversation.In this episode:What Alex learned about veterans and the franchising knowledge gap — and what he's doing about itHow he and Myriam built a grow-from-within culture they can protect as they scaleWhy their relationship with their franchisor works — and what it would take to replicate that across a networkGuest: Alex and Myriam Guerrero, Franchisees, Tint World Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMOAre you a franchise brand leader working on a growth challenge? Katherine works with franchise brands as a Fractional CMO. Learn more at apollocmo.comThe Franchise Leader Spotlight Podcast is part of the My Podcast Host Franchise Podcast Network — bringing franchise brand voices to the audiences that matter.Brought to you by My Podcast Host — private internal podcast channels and the Franchise Podcast Network for franchise brands that take franchisee communication seriously.

Alex Pericchi has spent 12 years as VP of Marketing at PuroClean watching what actually drives franchisee adoption — and what quietly kills it. His answer this year is radical simplification: fewer activities, clearer direction, and a message repeated from every corner of the organization until it lands. If you've ever wondered why franchisees aren't executing on your marketing programs, this conversation will reframe the question entirely.In this episode:Why PuroClean is doing less marketing this year — on purposeThe 80/20 framework Alex uses to cut noise and drive real adoptionHow asking franchisees about their exit plan on day one changes everythingGuest: Alex Pericchi, VP of Marketing, PuroClean Host: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Apollo CMOAre you a franchise brand leader working on a growth challenge? Katherine works with franchise brands as a Fractional CMO. Learn more at apollocmo.comThe Franchise Leader Spotlight Podcast is part of the MyPodcastHost Franchise Podcast Network — bringing franchise brand voices to the audiences that matter.Brought to you by MyPodcastHost — private internal podcast channels and the Franchise Podcast Network for franchise brands that take franchisee communication seriously. mypodcasthost.com

Jon Sica, President of Batteries Plus, joins Katherine LeBlanc at IFA 2026 for one of the most practical episodes of Franchise Leader Spotlight yet. Jon breaks down why the brand standards conversation lands completely differently when you lead with exit strategy — and how Batteries Plus has been building that into their franchise development process for five years through their Full Circuit program. They also get into the AI infrastructure Batteries Plus is building right now, what raising net worth requirements actually did to their candidate pipeline, and why trust is the only thing that makes any of the tactics work.If you run a franchise brand or support franchisee development, this one is worth the full listen.Franchise Leader Spotlight is brought to you by MyPodcastHost — the podcast platform built for franchise brands. Internal podcast channels for franchisee communication and adoption, and the Franchise Podcast Network for public brand voices. mypodcasthost.com.

Kathy George, President of Spherion Staffing and Recruiting, joins Katherine LeBlanc at IFA to talk about the leadership framework that helped an 80-year-old staffing franchise outpace its competitors and its parent company in a year the industry was forecasted to contract.Kathy walks through the 20 Mile March - the collective two-year goal structure she set the night before getting on stage at national convention - and the weekly, monthly, and quarterly communication stack that turned a shared goal into franchisee-to-franchisee accountability. She also gets candid about radical transparency as a real operating principle, the succession challenge building inside multi-generational franchise systems, and why she's had to say no to protect the brand she stewards.If you lead a franchise brand and the gap between what HQ knows and what franchisees feel is wider than you'd like - this one is for you.Brought to you by MyPodcastHost - private internal podcast channels and the Franchise Podcast Network for franchise brands that take franchisee communication seriously. mypodcasthost.com

Jennifer Durham has scaled franchise brands across restaurants, hospitality, and wellness - from Checkers & Rally's to Cooper's Hawk, Hand & Stone, and now Potbelly, where she's leading the brand's push from 467 shops to 2,000 locations. She's also a CPA, which means when she talks about unit economics, she means it.In this conversation at IFA 2026, Jennifer makes the case that franchising has been measuring and marketing to the wrong number. New unit count looks great on a banner. But it doesn't tell a prospect how long it takes to get open, how long it takes to get profitable, or how the existing network is actually performing. Those are the questions serious candidates are starting to ask - and the brands that can answer them honestly will win the development race.We also get into Potbelly's approach to preserving struggling locations rather than closing them, why the scarcity mindset that drives a franchise sale can damage the franchisee relationship post-close, and what Jennifer thinks franchising needs more of and less of right now.What we cover:Why new unit count may be the wrong development headlineThe metrics that actually tell the franchise story: time to open, ramp to profitability, same-store sales growthHow Potbelly gets creative to keep struggling shops aliveThe scarcity mindset problem in franchise developmentJennifer's take on Item 19 standardizationA leadership lesson about leading through other people's expertiseThe future of franchising — and what Jennifer is optimistic aboutGuest: Jennifer Durham, SVP Franchise & Development, PotbellyHost: Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO | Founder, Apollo CMO & MyPodcastHost Recorded: IFA Annual Convention 2026The Franchise Leader Spotlight Podcast is part of the ⁠My Podcast Host ⁠Franchise Podcast Network.

Kevin King didn't become President and CEO of Donatos Pizza by staying in his lane. In this conversation, Katherine LeBlanc sits down with Kevin at IFA to talk about what it actually takes to build a franchise brand that scales and what separates the leaders who get there from the ones who don't.They get into how Donatos is using automation and AI not to replace people, but to free them up for the moments that matter. Why understanding how the business makes money is the career skill nobody teaches. And the leadership lesson Kevin brought back from a visit to Chick-fil-A that reframed how he thinks about every title, every role, and every person on his team.If you're running a franchise brand or building toward a leadership seat, this one's worth your full attention.Brought to you by ⁠My Podcast Host

Leads are up at Go Mini's. Revenue didn't keep pace. Chris Walls, President & CEO, knows exactly why - and he's not blaming the marketing.In this episode of the Franchise Leader Spotlight, Chris sits down with host Katherine LeBlanc to talk about the conversion-first mindset Go Mini's is building across its franchise network in 2026. From closing rate as a core KPI to franchisee adoption of new tools, from a B2B pivot into restoration companies to the slow, deliberate work of building trust with franchisees - this is a candid look at what it actually takes to lead a franchise brand through rapid change.Chris also reflects on his journey from trial lawyer to franchise CEO, what he learned about leadership the hard way, and why AI is both the most exciting and most anxiety-inducing thing heading toward franchising right now.If you're a franchise brand leader thinking about how to get more out of what you already have - this one's for you.The Franchise Leader Spotlight Podcast is hosted by Katherine LeBlanc, Fractional CMO , and is part of the MyPodcastHost Franchise Podcast Network.

What does it look like to grow a franchise brand without compromising your values?In this episode of Franchise Leader Spotlight, Katherine LeBlanc sits down with Paul Pickett of Wild Birds Unlimited to explore how sustainable growth is built through care, discipline, and long-term thinking.Paul shares why protecting brand integrity sometimes means saying no to the wrong franchisee fit, how leadership shapes culture across a system, and why care isn’t soft - it’s strategic. In a franchising environment often focused on speed, this conversation centers on building the right way and creating a legacy that lasts.This episode is sponsored by ⁠My Podcast Host⁠, helping franchise systems bring their most important messages to life through internal podcasting.

In this episode of Franchise Leader Spotlight, Katherine LeBlanc sits down with Quinn Newhall, Chief Operating Officer of Clean Eatz, to discuss what it means to lead with a franchisee-first mindset.As a former operator turned executive, Quinn shares how his experience in the field shapes his leadership approach, why local store marketing is the backbone of sustainable growth, and what franchisees need most from brand leadership in today’s competitive restaurant environment.This conversation is equal parts practical and encouraging - a steady perspective for operators focused on long-term success.This episode is brought to you by ⁠My Podcast Host⁠, helping franchise systems bring their most important messages to life through internal podcasting.

What does it really take to become a successful multi-unit, multi-brand operator?In this episode of Franchise Leadership Spotlight, Mitch Cohen shares his journey from entering franchising to building the infrastructure required to scale across multiple brands and locations.We discuss:How he evaluates franchise opportunitiesThe systems and leadership structure required to grow beyond a single unitWhat franchisors often misunderstand about attracting serious multi-unit operatorsThe mindset shift required to move from operator to empire-builderThis is a must-listen for franchisors looking to attract high-quality MUMBOs — and for franchisees who aspire to scale beyond one location.Real experience. Practical insight. A candid look at what growth actually requires.Produced by My Podcast Host. Subscribe to stay connected to the leaders shaping the future of franchising.