The Global Franchise Podcast

How to future-proof your legacy franchise, with Laura Rea Dickey of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit has been a staple of the North American restaurant scene since Travis Dickey opened the first location’s doors in Dallas, Texas in 1941. In the years since, the brand has updated its technology and convenience to appeal to the 21st-century consumer – and yet, somehow, has never lost sight of its people-first roots. 
Whether this means signing a ghost kitchen partnership to open 100 virtual restaurants in the U.S., or pushing ahead with an “evolve or die” mantra, Dickey’s exemplifies how to keep a legacy brand updated for a modern crowd. And it shows: with over 550 sites currently open around the world, Dickey’s is on track to hit 700 by the end of this year. 
To glean some insight into exactly how the operation has remained on the cutting-edge for 80 years, we caught up with Laura Rea Dickey, CEO. Previously chief information officer for the franchise brand, Laura knows a thing or two about putting your best tech foot forward. 
To keep your finger on the beating pulse of franchising, sign up for our newsletter at https://www.globalfranchisemagazine.com/, subscribe to our definitive magazine, and join the conversation with our experts today on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
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This episode of the Global Franchise Podcast is brought to you by fit20, a revolutionary 20-minute fitness concept disrupting the industry. For more information about how you can become a part of this exciting network, head over to fit20.com.

The five Ds of succession planning, with Rochelle Clarke of Succession Strength

If the past year has shown us anything, it’s that planning for the unknown can be invaluable. The businesses built for the long-term are those that understand why the day-to-day is just as crucial as looking five or 10 years down the road. But how exactly do you go about readying your business for the future? And, perhaps more timely, how can you prepare so that even something like a global pandemic doesn’t unsteady your trajectory? 
To answer these questions and many more, we’re joined on this episode by Rochelle Clarke, founder of Succession Strength and Continuity Strength. Rochelle has worked with numerous organizations to prepare them for the future, and her team’s bespoke action plans leave no stone unturned.
If you want to find out more about the five Ds that could derail your brand, or why commitment is just as important as capability, then this is the perfect instalment for you. 
To keep your finger on the beating pulse of franchising, sign up for our newsletter at https://www.globalfranchisemagazine.com/, subscribe to our definitive magazine, and join the conversation with our experts today on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
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This episode of the Global Franchise Podcast is brought to you by fit20, a revolutionary 20-minute fitness concept disrupting the industry. For more information about how you can become a part of this exciting network, head over to fit20.com.

Why franchising is all about change management, with Dr. Ben Litalien of Franchise Well

At the start of his career in franchising, Dr Ben Litalien discovered that many franchise brands have “a bunch of dripping faucets”. That is, problems which aren’t hard to fix, but they’ve been left idle for so long that they’ve been allowed to develop into a flood of headaches for the brand. 
The solution? Creating a franchise network that’s in the business of change management from the get-go. Whether a brand is huge with thousands of locations or just starting up with one mom-and-pop operation, nailing the fundamentals is key. Without those, you’re building an empire on unsteady ground. 
To learn more about change management, sustainable growth, and why hiring generalists is your best bet in the early stages of franchising, we sat down with Ben to talk about his trajectory through the franchise industry – and the invaluable lessons he’s picked up along the way. 
To keep your finger on the beating pulse of franchising, sign up for our newsletter at https://www.globalfranchisemagazine.com/, subscribe to our definitive magazine, and join the conversation with our experts today on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
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This episode of the Global Franchise Podcast is brought to you by fit20, a revolutionary 20-minute fitness concept disrupting the industry. For more information about how you can become a part of this exciting network, head over to fit20.com.

Turning ugly houses into a services franchise success, with David Hicks of HomeVestors

Property has always been a lucrative area for investment, which has led to countless property-centric franchise brands to emerge and thrive within this brick-and-mortar space. One such brand is HomeVestors of America, perhaps better known as ‘We Buy Ugly Houses’; the home buying and renovating brand that has swept across the States since its founding in 1996. 
Just last year, HomeVestors’ franchisees purchased almost 10,000 houses, generating sales of more than $1.6bn. It’s clear that this house-flipping model is proving more than viable to all involved, so we wanted to get a clearer picture of how the process works.
To understand the brand, we’re joined by David Hicks, CEO of HomeVestors. As well as unpacking what an ‘ugly house’ truly is, David explains the brand’s development agents, and how they help to turn even the newest franchisee into a true house-flipping expert. 
To keep your finger on the beating pulse of franchising, sign up for our newsletter at https://www.globalfranchisemagazine.com/, subscribe to our definitive magazine, and join the conversation with our experts today on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
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This episode of the Global Franchise Podcast is brought to you by School of Rock, the world’s leader in performance-based music education. For more information, visit https://franchising.schoolofrock.com/.

Navigating the local business technology trap, with Brad Voreis of Scorpion

Choice can either be invaluable, or overwhelming. There’s an incredible number of marketing technology options available to franchise owners today, but this can often lead to analysis paralysis. In fact, the number of marketing technology companies has increased exponentially over the past decade: from around 150 in 2011, to approximately 8,000 in 2021. Sifting through all of these vendors and tools to make sure they work together can be a huge bandwidth drain for franchisors. 
But what if there was a better way? According to Scorpion’s franchise owner research study, almost two-thirds of business leaders would prefer to consolidate their marketing efforts with just one partner. They may have fallen into what could be called ‘the local business technology trap’, and need a hand getting back out. 
To provide that helping hand, we’re joined by Brad Voreis, vice president of strategic marketing at Scorpion. Brad’s extensive experience has spanned practically every facet of the franchise industry you could think of, making him the perfect advisor for brands wanting to streamline their marketing suppliers. 
To keep your finger on the beating pulse of franchising, sign up for our newsletter at https://www.globalfranchisemagazine.com/, subscribe to our definitive magazine, and join the conversation with our experts today on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
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This episode of the Global Franchise Podcast is powered by Scorpion. For more information, visit scorpion.co/franchises

Three ways to boost your franchisee recruitment, with Red Boswell of IFPG

Our guest today has been president of the International Franchise Professionals Group – or IFPG (https://www.ifpg.org/) – since 2018, but he’s been a recognizable face in international franchising for the better part of three decades. 
Red Boswell has been everything from a CEO to a franchise consultant, so if you’re looking for somebody that truly understands the benefits of this business model, look no further. On this episode of the podcast, we get a rundown of Red’s career up until this point and extract some of the key learnings that have helped him to guide the more than 1,000 franchise professionals that make up IFPG’s membership.
Want to know why the initial franchise fee is one of the most important tools for business growth? Or how to identify the perfect franchisee profile for your future hires? Learn this, and much more, on this instalment of the Global Franchise Podcast.
To keep your finger on the beating pulse of franchising, sign up for our newsletter at https://www.globalfranchisemagazine.com/, subscribe to our definitive magazine, and join the conversation with our experts today on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
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This episode of the Global Franchise Podcast is brought to you by School of Rock, the world’s leader in performance-based music education. For more information, visit https://franchising.schoolofrock.com/.

How lifestyle franchises can stay ahead of the pack, with Tim Vogel of Scenthound

Dogs have become an integral part of many people’s lives, with the phrase “man’s best friend” being more significant today than ever. In the U.K., for example, over 3.2 million pets were bought during lockdown – a figure that shows just how fruitful franchise concepts in this segment can truly be. 
Enter, Scenthound. As a wellness-centered, membership-driven dog grooming franchise, the business has gone from strength to strength with plans to sign over 100 new franchise locations before the year’s end. But the fact is that Scenthound isn’t the only canine-centric operation around, so how will it stay ahead of the pack and entice new franchisees? 
To find out, we wanted to sit down with Tim Vogel, CEO and founder of Scenthound, and learn a little about how the brand has evolved since its groundwork was laid almost two decades ago. And, perhaps just as important, how Scenthound will continue to sign expansive multi-unit franchising deals.
To keep your finger on the beating pulse of franchising, sign up for our newsletter at https://www.globalfranchisemagazine.com/, subscribe to our definitive magazine, and join the conversation with our experts today on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
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This episode of the Global Franchise Podcast is brought to you by School of Rock, the world’s leader in performance-based music education. For more information, visit https://franchising.schoolofrock.com/.
 

Taking a holistic approach to education franchising, with Helen Doron of Helen Doron Educational Group

For over 35 years, Helen Doron has been leading an increasingly international education-centric franchise network. But even though the brand is now replete with success and financial returns, those attributes weren’t what motivated its conception. Instead, that answer lies in something much more human: passion. 
When Helen started the brand back in 1985, it was initially to create her own teaching materials for her three bilingual children. Since then, it has exploded into a truly global network of master franchisees, and a handful of complementary education verticals. 
On this episode of the podcast, we speak with Helen about the Group’s history, its deft handling of a global pandemic, and why the future of education can be found in science as opposed to dusty old textbooks. 
To keep your finger on the beating pulse of franchising, sign up for our newsletter at https://www.globalfranchisemagazine.com/, subscribe to our definitive magazine, and join the conversation with our experts today on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
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This episode of the Global Franchise Podcast is brought to you by School of Rock, the world’s leader in performance-based music education. For more information, visit https://franchising.schoolofrock.com/.