Faith, family and FOS is what I think of when I think of Gerry Henley, founder of Launch to Growth. Our conversation with Gerry on The Franchise Woman podcast revealed a tender heart wrapped in a getter done mindset. But not in a run fast, stir up some dust, and do a bunch of things way. But instead in an organized, global to specific, FOS (Franchise Operating Systems) way.
Listen in to learn more about Gerry Henley, and his motto “Scale to Get Better before You Scale to Get Bigger”.
Meet Gerry Henley
Gerry Henley is passionate about establishing and helping franchisor leadership teams achieve operational excellence through effective coaching and mentoring. Gerry is the founder of Launch to Growth, FOS – Franchise Operating System and he is a ZorForum Moderator.
Launch to Growth and FOS help Franchisors build scalable franchise systems focusing on unit level performance. Gerry has more than 30 years’ experience as a strategic, results-driven business development and leadership executive with more than 15 years with franchise systems.
“Scale to Get Better before You Scale to Get Bigger.”
Nora Farhat does not reinvent the wheel instead she embraces, leverages and scales. Nora Farhat has built a multi-brand, multi-million dollar enterprise. Franchise brands included in her portfolio include British Swim School, Mathnasium, Pool Scouts, Grand Illuminations, Code Learning and Real Property Management.
Nora knows exactly what her skill sets are … and are not. She has learned to channel her strengths when building her businesses. Listen to this great interview right here on The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.
Meet Nora Farhat
Eight years ago, after a successful career as a corporate executive, Nora decided to pursue her lifelong dream of owning her own business. Today, she’s built that business into a multi-brand, multi-million dollar enterprise. Her brands include British Swim School, Mathnasium, Pool Scouts, Grand Illuminations, Code Learning and Real Property Management.  Nora is also the host of Upside Down Entrepreneurship, a show that she is sharing her knowledge, stories and helpful shortcuts. Nora understands the challenges of starting your own business and she’s passionate about helping aspiring entrepreneurs achieve their goals.
Tamara Loring, Chief of Brand Ideology for The Entrepreneur’s Source, joined us on this week’s episode of The Franchise Woman podcast. If I were to describe Tamara in one word, that word would be Genuine. It’s not often in this fast-paced and competitive world of business that you find someone without a single reason or desire to cover up or puff up. She is unabashedly real; fully and only Tamara.
Tamara’s passion for helping individuals navigate a career transition is on clear display in this interview. Listen in on The Franchise Woman podcast.
Meet Tamara Loring
Serving as Chief of Brand Ideology for The Entrepreneur’s Source, Tamara has worked with entrepreneurs and business owners for over 20 years. Tamara has worked in a variety of roles, including trainer, a franchise business coach, manager and overseen a host of responsibilities. She is uniquely qualified to speak on, Your Career Revolution – Reimagine and Reclaim the Life of Your Dreams because she’s been an integral part in helping TES launch and ramp up their businesses and to equip them with the tools and resources they need to coach those who have a strong to very strong desire to be self-sufficient. She’s been referred to as the “coach’s coach” for the relationships she’s been able to establish with TES’s career coaches and knowledge of re-claiming one’s career ownership spirit.
The Entrepreneur’s Source is about providing education, creating awareness and helping people discover what’s possible. With almost 40 years of experience, The Entrepreneur’s Source has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals explore self-sufficiency and reach a point of clarity about their professional future.
Who doesn’t love gourmet ice cream? We had a chance to chat with Lauren Townsend, the Co-Founder of Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream. She and her husband, Chad, started the company in their home kitchen in 2014 and have since expanded to multiple brick-and-mortar scoop shops, seasonal kiosks and food trucks in Western Pennsylvania. Her story is one of love, partnership and all things sweet. You are going to want to listen in to this episode of The Franchise Woman Podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.
Meet Lauren Townsend
Lauren Townsend is the co-founder of Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream, an emerging franchisor, retailer, and wholesaler of super premium ice cream, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She and her husband, Chad, started the company in their home kitchen in 2014 and have since expanded to multiple brick-and-mortar scoop shops, seasonal kiosks, and food trucks in Western Pennsylvania, many owned and operated by franchise partners. From sourcing high-quality PA dairy, to finding local purveyors of sustainably sourced ingredients, to collaborating with like-minded regional organizations – Millie’s strives to craft every scoop and every moment to make your day.
Prior to starting Millie’s, Lauren worked in the mergers & acquisitions industry. When she’s not dreaming about Millie’s, Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband, two children, and their beloved Old English Sheepdog. She holds a B.S. in International Affairs from Georgetown University.
Brian Cook founder and president of StretchMed joins us today on The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide. StretchMed, is a 1-On-1 stretching franchise model, founded in November 2019 and currently has over 20 locations in 5 states. It aims to eliminate chronic pain, increase mobility, rejuvenate, and help you move well.
If you want to hear how a true entrepreneur thinks and takes action then this podcast is a must listen.
Meet Brian Cook
Brian Cook is a serial entrepreneur with over 28 years of experience opening almost 200 locations across multiple boutique fitness brands. He has a B.S. degree in exercise physiology from Northeastern University and an M.B.A. from Babson College. His most recent company is StretchMed, a 1-On-1 stretching franchise model, which he founded in November 2019 and currently has over 20 locations in 5 states. It aims to eliminate chronic pain, increase mobility, rejuvenate, and help you move well.
Brian is a former hockey player who splits time between Boston and Puerto Rico and loves boating.
We reached out to interview Chrissy after hearing about PuroClean’s Employee Appreciation Initiative because we wanted to know and share everything! Chrissy told us that initiative was the brain child of the marketing department and has had both expected outcomes and delightful secondary consequences. This is a must listen to episode if culture and employee engagement, productivity and retention is important to you.
Meet Chrissy VanderWyde
Chrissy VanderWyde, VP of Franchise Relations, was PuroClean’s first employee. In her 30+ years with PuroClean she has seen many changes as the company evolved and grew. One thing has remained constant: her passion for the PuroClean brand and its people – team members and franchisees alike.
In 2022, PuroClean was honored by Franchise Business Review in its Culture 100 List for Best Franchise Culture, in addition to making the Top Franchise for Franchisee Satisfaction List for the fifth consecutive year. PuroClean has also been honored by Military Times in its Best for Vets list; ranked in the top 50 of the “Top Franchises for Diversity” ranking by Entrepreneur; and received other notable awards from Franchise Times, Inc. Magazine, the South Florida Business Journal and more.
As you can tell PuroClean is all about culture, and franchisee and employee satisfaction. So when we heard that PuroClean launched a Company-Wide Employee Appreciation Initiative we reached out to Chrissy to tell us more.
Simone Kelly, Founder and Brand President of Grasons Co., is a true entrepreneur at heart. Having owned a real estate franchise, lending, transaction coordinator, and escrow company for 15 years, Simone ventured into the world of estate sales to find her calling. She founded Orange County-based Grasons Co., a leading estate sales and office liquidation service, and began franchising to allow others to share in the success. Under her leadership, Grasons quickly moved across the nation as the recognized brand.
Grasons Co. is now part of the Executive Home Care Holdings brand family, with private equity backing by The Riverside Company. Now serving as Brand President, Simone is active in the partnership and shared mission with EHC Holdings to provide exceptional support and services to seniors, families, and communities across the United States. Simone’s passion for entrepreneurship and dedication to the well-being of others is truly inspiring, and her leadership has been instrumental in the success of Grasons Co. and its continued growth as part of the EHC Holdings brand family.
Andy Fuller, CEO of Mosquito Hunters, has an interesting story. One that combines a thoughtful list of criteria for starting Mosquito Hunters and build a distinct culture based on human connections.
In fact, Andy says there is no substitute for human connection in business! He shared with us on this episode of The Franchise Woman podcast, Mosquito Hunters’ recent Hunter Palooza event focused on one thing: providing the glue for franchisees to spend time together and connect.
Listen in to the full episode to hear more about Andy Fuller and the Hunter Palooza event.
Meet Andy Fuller
Andy is the CEO and Founder of Mosquito Hunters, a mosquito control home services franchise concept. Mosquito Hunters has grown from one location to over 130 locations across 28 states in the United States over the last six-plus years.
Andy started the original Mosquito Hunters location as a side hustle in Chicago in 2014 as a way to escape a frustrating career in corporate America. The Mosquito Hunters business concept was franchised in 2016.
In 2018, Mosquito Hunters and Lawn Doctor, an established home lawn care concept with fifty-five-plus years of franchising experience, joined forces to establish Happinest, a shared-services collective, as a mechanism to bolster growth opportunities for their franchisees.  EcoMaids, a home cleaning franchise concept, joined Happinest in 2019. More home services brands are to be announced by Happinest in the near future.
Since 2020, Mosquito Hunters has been ranked every year as a top franchise brand within Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500.
Today’s conversation on The Franchise Woman podcast was a dynamic one indeed.
Joining us today is:
Kim Gubera, CEO of PIRTEK USA, one of the very few female CEOs in the global hydraulics industry.
Vanessa Yakobson, helped Blo Blow Dry Bar grow to roughly 130 franchise locations across 27 states as its CEO.
Robin Gagnon, co-founder of We Sell Restaurants franchise, and the chair of IFA’s Women’s Franchise Committee.
Listen in as the 5 of us (Rebecca Monet & Tracy Kawa included) have an in-depth conversation about leadership types, how it changes based on the situation and how it evolves through various stages of growth of a franchise system.
Meet Robin Gagnon
Robin Gagnon is the Co-Founder of We Sell Restaurants and wesellrestaurants.com, the nation’s largest restaurant brokerage firm and the only national franchise specializing in restaurant sales. One of the most prolific restaurant brokers in the industry and a franchise resale specialist, she holds the Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) designation from the International Business Brokers Association or IBBA and is an MBA. She has also achieved the Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) designation from the International Franchise Association.
She has been recognized by Nation’s Restaurant News as one of the most influential suppliers and vendors in the country for 2022. Her articles appear in QSR Magazine, Forbes and other industry publications. She is a regular media resource for all matters related to the restaurant industry. She was ranked one of the top 50 most influential people in franchising in 2022 while Entrepreneur Magazine Named her to the list of “Most Influential Women in Franchising.”
She is the Chair of the Women’s Franchise Committee of the International Franchise Association and an Executive Member of the Women’s Franchise Network – Atlanta Chapter.
A writer and speaker that has addressed many groups nationwide. Her expert articles appear in QSR Magazine, Forbes, Modern Restaurant News and more. She is the author of Appetite for Acquisition, an award-winning book on buying restaurants.
Robin oversees the development and training of Restaurant Brokers nationwide and has created the industry’s only Certified Restaurant Broker coursework and testing program.
It’s no secret that the last two years have been turbulent for businesses everywhere, and with inflation, supply chain issues and more uncertainty than ever, 2022 has been tricky. As businesses everywhere continue to face multiple roadblocks and an expected recession next year, let me connect you with Kim Gubera, CEO of PIRTEK USA, a national B2B onsite and retail hydraulic hose replacement franchise business and essential service proven to be resistant to pandemic closures, competition with Amazon and decreasing disposable income due to inflation to get her take on expected 2023 business performance and new industry trends/insights.
Kim Gubera is one of the very few female CEOs in the global hydraulics industry, but she has successfully led PIRTEK USA to the third fastest-growing franchise based on unit percentage. Gubera’s leadership is linked to her personal perseverance. She grew up in a low-income, single-parent household. It took her 9 years to finish her education while taking care of her child. Starting in finance, she didn’t expect to find herself in a franchising role – yet now she harnesses her strength and work ethic as the CEO of a hydraulic hose franchise.
After battling and beating childhood cancer, Vanessa developed a newfound sense of drive and determination to chase her dreams. This eventually led to a career switch at 40 to her current role as CEO. Starting in 2002, she spent 11 years volunteering for the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario where she learned how to build infrastructure and partnerships. She always dreamt of running her own business and initially focused on a special project within Blo Blow Dry Bar, but quickly recognized the brand’s potential and the need to build the business and drive growth. In 2015, Vanessa joined the team as CEO and helped Blo Blow Dry Bar grow to roughly 130 franchise locations across 27 states.
Cary Daniel, Co-Founder and CEO of Nextaff franchise, talks entrepreneurship. And he should know as a 20 year entrepreneurial veteran who took a startup company to over $100,000,000 in revenue in under 10 years and led his business to the Inc. 500/0 list 6 times. Cary has also held ownership in over 20 private ventures and has been involved in over two dozen merger and acquisition transactions.
Why was $100,000,000 Cary’s goal? And what happened once Cary achieved his revenue goal? And how did his thinking begin to change? Listen in to this episode of The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.
Meet Cary Daniel
With more than 20 years as an entrepreneurial veteran, Cary Daniel has been involved in every aspect of running a successful organization. Having taken a startup company to over $100,000,000 in revenue in under 10 years and having led his business to the Inc. 500/0 list 6 times, puts Mr. Daniel in an elite class of entrepreneurship. Mr. Daniel has also held ownership in over 20 private ventures and has been involved in over two dozen merger and acquisition transactions.
Since 2004, Mr. Daniel has held the position of Co-Founder and CEO of Nextaff – a temporary employment franchise opportunity. He has been responsible for setting and executing the company vision since the Company’s start and is responsible for the successful implementation of the growth strategy. Nextaff currently has 35 locations operating, with an additional 20 locations in development. The Nextaff Vision is to have 200 territories awarded to 100 (or less) select franchise owners.
Prior to founding Nextaff, Mr. Daniel was the CEO and Co-Founder of Human Resource, a temporary staffing company with 10 locations in the Midwest; prior to forming Human Resource he spent 4 years working for national staffing firms, having success in both sales and management.
Mr. Daniel earned his bachelor’s degree from Missouri State University. He has mentored students and been a guest lecturer at the UMKC Bloch School of Business, Missouri State University and Kansas University. Mr. Daniel is the Chairman of the Be Legendary Landon Daniel Foundation and has also been involved with YouthFriends, SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) and the Sigma Nu LEAD Program. He is a member of the American Staffing Association, Staffing Industry Analysts and International Franchise Association.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
– Built an organization from $0 to $100,000,000 in under 10 years.
– Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Regional Finalist
– Fastest Growing Human Resources Company in America, Inc. Magazine (2011)
