Season 16

Wednesday, October 15, 2025 The Founder’s Dilemma: Shelly Sun on Scaling, Exiting, and Starting Again

"This week, Shelly Sun Berkowitz, founder ofBrightStarCare, joins host Stan Friedman for a deeply personal and inspiring conversation about the i...

Wednesday, October 1, 2025 From Disaster Restoration to Franchise Leadership: The Jeff Dudan Story

What happens when a hurricane changes your entire life philosophy? For Jeff Dudan, a late-night drive home from Hurricane Katrina relief became the tu...

Wednesday, September 24, 2025 Scaling Brands and Building Partnerships: Lessons from Jeff Sturgis

After five years as Chief Development Officer at Another Broken Egg, Jeff Sturgis is making another bold pivot—returning to independent consulting.In ...

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 From Refugee Teen to Franchise CEO: Shirin Bezhadi’s Journey

From exile at 17 to CEO of a billion-dollar franchise platform. Shirin Bezhadi’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and remarkable leadership. H...

Wednesday, September 10, 2025 Carlos Hesano: Restoring More Than Homes at DRYmedic Restoration Services

Carlos Hesano is the brand President of Authority Brands DRYmedic Restoration Services, a company that steps in… when life takes unexpected turns. Wh...

Wednesday, August 27, 2025 Fundraising Reimagined: Mike Bahun’s Journey from the Dugout to the Boardroom

This week we welcome Mike Bahun, founder and CEO of Fundraising University. His journey into fundraising and franchising began as a high school coach,...

Wednesday, August 13, 2025 Bob Gappa: Four Decades of Shaping Franchise Success

In this episode of Franchise Today, host Stan Friedmanwelcomes Bob Gappa, founder of Management 2000 and one of franchising’s most respected voices. B...

Tuesday, July 29, 2025 The Goldfish Effect: Turning Swim Lessons into a Franchise Legacy

This week, we hear from Chris and Andrew McCuiston, two of the dynamic leaders behind Goldfish Swim School, as they share their remarkable journey fro...

Wednesday, July 2, 2025 Fast Casual, Faster Growth: How Pokeworks Rode a Viral Wave to Scale

What do you get when you mix structural engineering, with immigrant grit, a viral video, and a love for Hawaiian poke? What you get is the recipe for ...

Wednesday, June 25, 2025 No Insurance? No Problem: The Rise of Any Lab Test Now

Clarissa Windham-Bradstock, CFE, CEO, CPO on transforming healthcare access and building a franchise model for the future With a unique background tha...

Wednesday, June 11, 2025 Evonne & Don Varady: Living Their Dream and Helping Others Do the Same!

This week I am joined by Don and Evonne Varady, a dynamic husband and wife team who are the founders and franchisors of Clean Eatz, one of the fastest...

Wednesday, May 21, 2025 Purpose, People, and Performance: John Teza on Shaping Brands and Leading Change

This week on Franchise Today, host Stan Friedmanwelcomes John Teza, a franchising veteran with more than 20 years of leadership experience across top-...

Reviews

Shery Christopher on 7/11/2025

Having known Stan Friedman for many years in the franchise industry, I was surprised—and impressed—to discover this side of his work. This was an insightful and well-presented interview. As gamificati...

Eric Mayers on 8/7/2024

If you're listening to this podcast then you are learning from the best minds in franchising. Stan does a terrific job of pulling the jewels out of each franchise luminary he features on Franchise To...

Dan Einzig on 4/9/2024

I've been listening to Franchise Today podcast for over a year as I start franchising journey. I feel like Stan and all his Franchise Today guests are giving me a MBA in franchising! The authentic sto...

Ashly Loza on 3/14/2024

I love hearing authentic stories of franchise founders and executives, and Franchise Today delivers just that, week after week! This podcast isn't just a recommendation; it's a genuine testament to th...

Graham Chapman on 2/9/2024

Stan has been a key mentor for me as I've navigated this crazy world of franchising for the last 15+ years. He's a fountain of knowledge and one of the most impressive relationship builders I've eve...

Sydney Wiseman on 2/2/2024

Franchise Today is such a wonderful resource for entertainment, learning, and professional development. Highly recommend a listen!

Bill Chaffee on 1/26/2024

Stan, Thanks again for your great interviews. I was recently asked to rate you and your podcast. Well, the problem is how do you rate a superstar. You have done more for franchising and franchisees ...

Doug McGregor on 1/23/2024

I always look forward to Stan's podcast. The quality of his guests is outstanding and Stan's interview style just can't be beat.

Paul Segreto on 1/15/2024

I believe I need more than five stars as I founded Franchise Today in 2009. Stan convinced me to keep it going five or so years ago, and joined me as co-host. Two years later my focus shifted and I t...

Julie Cartwright - President, Pvolve on 1/2/2024

I had the pleasure of being a guest on Franchise Today with Stan Friedman. Stan's meticulous preparation and attention to detail were remarkable. He thoroughly understood our franchise model before bo...

Kathryn "Kater" Danford on 12/19/2023

How I love Franchise Today Podcast? There are many reasons that this 14+ yr old podcast shines. There are interviews that cover various aspects to franchising to listen and learn from. I feel behind w...

jcart! on 12/12/2023

I loved getting to know Stan Friedman and being on his podcast. The most amazing thing happened, a top franchisee candidate reached out after listening to our podcast and engaged in conversations w...

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