The pet services industry continues to experience strong growth, driven by consumers who increasingly view pets as members of the family. In this episode of Franchise Today, Stan Friedman speaks with Ricardo Azevedo, CEO of Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming, about building a franchise brand in one of the most resilient and relationship-driven sectors in franchising.

Ricardo shares how Woof Gang has evolved from a boutique pet retail concept into a national franchise platform, combining grooming services, premium pet products, and community-focused experiences. He discusses the importance of unit-level economics, franchisee support, and maintaining brand consistency across a growing network.

The conversation also explores broader industry trends, including consumer spending behavior in pet care, the importance of service differentiation, and how franchise systems can create lasting customer loyalty.

For franchisors, franchisees, and anyone interested in the future of pet services, this episode offers valuable insights into building a scalable and sustainable franchise brand.

After nearly four decades in the automotive aftermarket industry, Thomas A. Wolfe understands what it takes to keep a legacy brand relevant. Now, President and CEO of Ziebart International, Wolfe’s journey began in 1986 working in the Ziebart mailroom and working in the warehouse while attending college — a humble start that ultimately evolved into leading one of the most recognized automotive service franchise brands in the world.

In this episode, Wolfe shares how Ziebart reinvented itself through a pivotal “Change or Die” strategy, returning to its rust-protection roots while expanding into high-value premium services like ceramic coatings, paint protection film, detailing, and window tinting. Today, the company operates approximately 400 locations across more than 35 countries, with a particularly strong presence in markets like Turkey.

Wolfe explains how global franchise growth depends on deeply personal relationships, noting his commitment to visiting International master franchisees regularly to understand local challenges firsthand. He also discusses balancing the needs of multiple customer groups — franchisees, licensees, and automotive dealership partners — while maintaining a clear focus on long-term brand relevance.

From leadership philosophy to global strategy, this conversation offers valuable insights into sustaining a legacy franchise system in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

What happens when a franchise system stalls — and how do you get it moving again? In this episode of Franchise Today, Stan Friedman speaks with Mike Mushinski, President of Garage Experts. Mike joined the brand in 2024 to rebuild operations and restore momentum to a growing garage flooring and storage franchise.

Mike shares why most franchise problems originate in recruitment rather than operations, how setting clear expectations solves many system challenges, and why franchising is fundamentally a relationship-driven business.

The conversation also explores the growth potential in garage organization, the advantages of a vertically integrated supply chain, and how home services brands are adapting to changing economic conditions.

How do you build not one — but multiple — successful fitness franchise brands? In this episode of Franchise Today, Stan Friedman speaks with Stephen P. Smith, Founder and CEO of Planet Beach and HOTWORX.

Stephen shares how his journey began in independent gym ownership and evolved into launching Planet Beach in 1996, and scaling to 500 locations by year six. He explains how a pivotal conversation in Jamaica in 2014 led to the creation of HOTWORX — an infrared fitness concept combining heat, exercise, and technology in what he calls “3D training.”

The conversation explores franchisee profitability, disciplined marketing, a single-unit operator focus, and why 90% of HOTWORX franchisees were customers first.

This episode is all about sustainable growth, sensible franchising, coaching, and building brands through execution — not vanity metrics.

What does it take to lead a category-defining franchise in a cyclical industry? In this episode of Franchise Today, Stan Friedman sits down with Charles Furlough, President & CEO of Pillar To Post Home Inspectors. Charles shares how the brand continues to grow by focusing on franchisee performance, operational excellence, and a differentiated customer experience.

The conversation explores scaling in the home services sector, navigating real estate market cycles, and why strong unit economics and franchisee support are the cornerstones of long-term system success.

What happens when a franchisor prioritizes franchisee survival over growth—and comes out stronger on the other side?

In this episode of Franchise Today, Stan Friedman sits down with Neal Courtney, CEO of Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids and Snip-Its, to explore a franchising journey shaped by operational discipline, franchise ownership experience, and crisis leadership.

Neal shares how a casual recommendation from a neighbor led he and his wife Alexis into franchise ownership, and eventually into acquiring and leading the Cookie Cutters brand. Under Neal’s leadership, the system expanded from 25 locations to over 110, selling 370 franchise agreements with a 94% conversion rate between 2016 and 2019.

When COVID-19 hit, Neil halted development, and focused instead on weekly franchisee communication, negotiated rent relief, and helped owners secure PPP and EIDL funding. The result: stronger relationships and average unit volumes nearly 30% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

This conversation covers franchise growth strategy, unit level economics, crisis leadership, founder-led culture, and why franchisors must take responsibility for creating scalable models that actually work.

From a college painting business to a multi-brand franchise empire with more than 1,100 locations—this episode of Franchise Today dives deep into the entrepreneurial journey of Paul Flick, founder and CEO of Premium Service Brands and Extraordinary Brands.

Paul’s story began nearly 40 years ago with Student Painters in Canada, followed by a brief corporate stint at Coca-Cola. In 2005, he launched 360 Painting in Northern Virginia—and franchised it, a little less than 2 years later. What followed was rapid growth, a near-financial wipe out during the Great Recession, and a long-term vision that never wavered.

That vision? Serving single-family homeowners across multiple complementary services. Paul explains how “brand stacking”—where franchisees own several aligned brands in the same territory—dramatically improves unit level economics. One franchise partner grew from $1.5 million to nearly $6 million in revenue, by leveraging existing customer relationships, reducing acquisition costs, and increasing lifetime value of the customer.

This conversation explores how recession-resistant services like garage doors helped stabilize the portfolio during economic downturns, and how shared infrastructure—finance, marketing, training, and an in-house call center—allowed Premium Service Brands to scale efficiently while maintaining quality. Today, the organization adds 100–120 new franchise partners annually across under served markets in the U.S. and Canada.

Paul also addresses why the $600+ billion home services sector remains resilient: homeowners are staying put and investing in their homes rather than moving, driving predictable demand even in uncertain times.

Beyond business, Paul shares his deeply personal motivation behind Kids Lift, a community-impact initiative inspired by his daughter Anne. The program empowers franchisees to give back locally, reinforcing the belief that purpose and profitability can—and should—grow together.

This episode delivers a masterclass in resilience, strategic growth, and building franchise systems that scale without losing soul.

What happens when you ignore everything that industry tells you to do—and it works?

On this episode of Franchise Today, Stan Friedman sits down with Alex Filipuk, Founder and CEO of Ideal Siding, to unpack one of the most unconventional and successful franchise models in home services today.

Alex’s journey into franchising began unexpectedly—with a college assignment at age 23 and early work experience as a Subway Sandwich Artist. After building several businesses, including a lead generation company, he set out to create Ideal Siding around 2017–2018, as an owned and operated business. Following a conversation with Canadian franchise icon, Brian Scudamore, Alex pivoted to franchising, as his growth model of choice, against the advice of many.

Here’s the twist: Alex refuses to recruit contractors as franchisees. Instead, Ideal Siding targets coachable professionals from finance, tech, and academia—people who hire experienced crews rather than trying to do the work themselves.

The result? A franchise system that defied industry skepticism and now averages $950,000 in first-year revenue and $232,000 in owner discretionary profit across more than 90 operating units.

Launched during the COVID lock-downs, Ideal Siding grew through culture, discipline, and a relentless focus on franchisee profitability—not unit count.

This is a conversation about people, systems, and why the future of franchising belongs to those willing to break barriers to entry, thoughtfully.