The Global Franchise Podcast

Bringing together property franchising and wellness professionals, with Brian Kelley of Phenix Salon Suites

The world of salon property management is surprisingly active within the franchising landscape, with brands such as Phenix Salon Suites opening up doors of opportunity to multiple entrepreneurs at once. On one level, you have the franchisee themselves, who can be in business for themselves but not by themselves. You then also have the beauty and wellness professionals who occupy the Phenix location; with each being presented with a slick, affordable venue to conduct their own business.  
It’s quite a unique proposition, but one that has found many years of success as well as international growth. Phenix first entered the U.K. market at the end of last year and has further plans for both the U.K. and Sweden following the signing of multiple deals across the continent.  
To learn more, we sat down with Brian Kelley, president and CEO of the brand. Brian has been with Phenix for over three years and has played a key role in its international efforts. Join us as we speak with him about his journey into the Phenix family, as well as the future of this acclaimed brand. 
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Will flexible workspace franchisors maintain momentum, with Paula Mercer of Venture X

The coworking space is one of franchising’s newest trends, and brands that have managed to perfect the essentials that workers want from these flexible sites are seeing returns that would make even the most established F&B frontrunners enviable. They may require hefty initial fees – which can climb to over $1m just to get started – but this sector shows no signs of stopping.  
Venture X is one competitor within the space that has managed to go from strength to strength since its 2012 founding. After joining the United Franchise Group in 2016 to begin franchising its concept, Venture X now has over 45 locations open around the world, with a total of 130 in development.  
But what is Venture X doing that its competitors aren’t, and how is it ushering in the ‘coworking 3.0’ evolution? To learn more, we caught up with Paula Mercer, vice president of operations for Venture X. Paula has been with UFG for over a decade, and has seen this coworking powerhouse grow from an idea into an international staple. 
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The international power of brand recognition, with James Williams of Mayweather Boxing + Fitness

Even those who don’t follow boxing all that closely are surely familiar with Floyd Mayweather, the now-retired champion whose name alone has become a profitable and attractive brand.  
It makes sense, then, that Mayweather Boxing + Fitness launched back in 2018 and is entirely based around ‘training like the champ’. With its high-intensity classes and virtual reality workout options, the brand is quickly rising as a leading contender in the fitness franchising space.  
But this is an industry that’s rife with competition, and some may argue that a huge name like Mayweather’s may not be enough to distinguish the concept. That’s why for this episode of The Global Franchise Podcast, we’re catching up with James Williams, CEO of the brand.  
Having worked with Mayweather for a number of years, Williams is deeply connected to the Mayweather brand and is acutely aware of what makes this franchise tick.  
Join us as we speak with him about the brand’s international growth plans, its tech enhancements, and whether the pull of the Mayweather name has been enough for its growing list of prospective franchisees. 
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Trends dictating the future of multi-unit franchising

Over the course of this multi-unit month, we’ve shone a spotlight on several of the key factors and challenges currently impacting multi-unit franchise professionals. We’ve spoken directly to multi-unit operators to learn about their daily opportunities, and have caught up with financial and legal experts to uncover the behind-the-scenes roadblocks that entrepreneurs can sometimes encounter. 
For this final episode of multi-unit month, we’re speaking to three industry heavyweights about the future of franchising.  
This means taking a look at trends to come in the months ahead, as well as learning from their experience of being embedded in the franchise world for a cumulative number of decades. 
Join us as we sit down with Dr. John P. Hayes, CFE, from the Titus Center for Franchising, Catherine Monson from Propelled Brands, and Jim Balis from Sizzling Platter to mine their insight and gaze into the future of the business model.
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Multi-Unit Month is brought to you by The DS Group, a multi-unit and multi-brand franchise group that prides itself on operational excellence, speed of service, and the growth of its people within the hospitality space. 

Funding and legal strategies for multi-unit growth

On this instalment of the Multi-Unit Month takeover of the Global Franchise Podcast, we’re learning more about the all-important strategies that are working alongside an entrepreneur’s drive for multi-unit growth; namely, the legal and financial nuances that support ambitious plans for expansion.  
We’re joined by three financial and legal experts to cover everything that an entrepreneur would need to know so that they can begin building a solid action plan before setting off. Join us as we sit down with Allan Dick from Sotos LLP, Michael O’ Driscoll from Homefront Brands, and Sherri Seiber and Shay Mora from FranFund to cover the fundamentals of building a strong franchising foundation. 
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Multi-Unit Month is brought to you by The DS Group, a multi-unit and multi-brand franchise group that prides itself on operational excellence, speed of service, and the growth of its people within the hospitality space. 

A day in the life of a multi-unit operator

On this second episode of the Multi-Unit Month takeover of the Global Franchise Podcast, we’re taking the conversation directly to the people that know about the highs and lows of operating a multi-unit portfolio: the franchisees.  
We’ve spoken with three operators from varied industries and backgrounds to deliver a comprehensive package into the day-to-day lives of this kind of business owner. This includes the challenges, personality traits, and leadership skills that all entrepreneurs striving to build their own network will need to know about.  
Join us as we sit down with multi-unit and multi-brand owners Raj Patel, Martin Mellor, and Grady Hinchman to learn about what it takes to succeed in franchising, and what specific challenges are faced by operators in the QSR, retail, estate agency, and family entertainment sectors.  
To keep your finger on the beating pulse of franchising, sign up for our newsletter at global-franchise.com, subscribe to our definitive magazine, and join the conversation with our experts today on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
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Multi-Unit Month is brought to you by The DS Group, a multi-unit and multi-brand franchise group that prides itself on operational excellence, speed of service, and the growth of its people within the hospitality space. 

Why choose multi-unit franchising in 2022?

Multi-Unit Month is back, and that means four brand-new podcast episodes dedicated to multi-unit franchising. Join us every Friday in May, when we’ll be speaking to many franchising experts and insiders – as well as multi-unit and multi-brand operators themselves – to learn why this form of franchise ownership is skyrocketing in popularity.  
According to FRANdata, over half of all franchise units in the U.S. are controlled by multi-unit operators. There are more than 43,000 of these kinds of operators in the market, and this figure has been rising steadily since multi-unit ownership came to the forefront in the 1980s.  
And while we’d commonly associate a broad, multi-unit portfolio with the QSR segment, the fact is that multi-unit and multi-brand ownership can be found across the board. It’s true that 81.96 per cent of QSR units fall under multi-unit ownership, but 71.5 per cent of beauty-focused brands also come under this umbrella. Just over half of all clothing and accessory locations are part of a multi-unit portfolio, too. 
To learn more about multi-unit franchising and the strategies involved, we spoke with Matthew Haller, president and CEO of the IFA, Bill Edwards, founder of Edwards Global Services, and Michael Cullom, director at Moss Adams. If you’re looking to broaden your own franchise portfolio or embark upon expansive growth for the first time, then tune in to learn from the experts.  
To keep your finger on the beating pulse of franchising, sign up for our newsletter at global-franchise.com, subscribe to our definitive magazine, and join the conversation with our experts today on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
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Multi-Unit Month is brought to you by The DS Group, a multi-unit and multi-brand franchise group that prides itself on operational excellence, speed of service, and the growth of its people within the hospitality space. 

Why timing is everything for the growth of CBD franchising, with Jay Benge of Your CBD Store

The CBD retail craze shows no signs of stopping, with this new health wave taking markets around the world by storm. Even in countries like the U.K., where the sale of recreational or medicinal cannabis is illegal, that hasn’t stopped CBD retailers from selling a wide variety of products infused with oils often found in hemp.  
One such organization making its mark in this emerging sector is Your CBD Store, the retail franchising arm of SUNMED. Founded in Florida in 2018, Your CBD Store now has more than 500 locations across 39 states in the U.S., as well as a burgeoning U.K. footprint.  
But what’s the difference between the likes of a cannabis dispensary franchisor, and the kind of operation run by Your CBD Store? And what kind of franchisee would make a good fit for this bold new venture? To answer these questions and many more, we sat down with Jay Benge, president of Your CBD Store. 
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Why cannabis franchising is looking greener than ever in 2022, with Mike Weinberger of Unity Rd. & Andrew Bowden of Item 9 Labs Corp.

We’ve touched on cannabis franchising on the podcast before, and have actually had one of this episode’s guests join us previously. Mike Weinberger, chief franchise officer for Unity Rd., came on the podcast back in June 2020 to talk about the opportunities present within this nascent industry. He touched on the challenges created by federal laws but was hopeful that the brand’s exponential growth would see it continue to attract experienced, savvy investors.  
Well, since that episode, Unity Rd. has been purchased by Item 9 Labs Corp., a vertically integrated dispensary franchisor. This time around, Mike joins us alongside Andrew Bowden, CEO of Item 9 Labs Corp, to catch up on where this emerging industry now finds itself. Has federal legalization inched closer, or do the same challenges and roadblocks still prohibit the kind of growth you’d expect with a more traditional franchise industry? Let’s find out. 
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How lifestyle franchising is making a difference, with Hansel Lynn of theCoderSchool

While franchising is certainly a popular way of creating personal wealth, some entrepreneurs see the business model as a way of giving back much more than just financial returns. This is certainly the case for Hansel Lynn, CEO and founder of theCoderSchool, who uses his lifestyle franchise as a way to pursue a rewarding career.  
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Silicon Valley, theCoderSchool combines a small teaching ratio with an individualized immersion-style to help kids learn to code. And considering that coding will be the foundation for many of tomorrow’s most in-demand roles, franchises like this one are becoming increasingly popular with tech-savvy parents. 
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