About this podcast
Empires explores the top brick & mortar businesses through stories, and interviews of multi-unit franchise operators, founders, and executives.
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Episodes
The newest 20 of 42 episodes
- The Pickleball Franchise Boom - Where is it Now? · 53 minJay Diedrich, co-founder and CEO of Ace Pickleball Club, breaks down the business behind the pickleball boom. We discuss why clubs are struggling despite the sport’s popularity…
- From Quiznos Employee to 10+ Unit Restaurant Owner · 48 minKayla went from working at Quiznos at 16 to helping Mike’s Red Tacos sell hundreds of franchises—and then buying a majority stake in a multi-unit portfolio spanning Arby’s…
- How Slick City Puts up 7 Figure EBITDA · 48 minBron Launsby shares how he went from an initially skeptical franchise prospect to building a nine-location Sky Zone portfolio in under a decade. He explains why trampoline parks…
- From Borders to Wahlburgers - Lessons in Brick & Mortar · 1 h 8 minRick Vanzura draws on a career spanning Borders, Panera, Wahlburgers, GameStop, and GrowthFactor to explain why certain brick-and-mortar brands thrive while others lose their…
- The Franchise Being Built by Sean Thomas (Grandson of Wendy’s Founder, Dave Thomas) · 50 minSean Thomas is the grandson of legendary Wendy's founder Dave Thomas. Today, Sean not only owns multiple Wendy's locations, but he is also the co-founder of his own chicken and…
- Building Tint World: The Makings of an Auto Empire · 1 h 34 minCharles Bonfiglio, founder and CEO of Tint World, shares how he went from growing up in his father’s Brooklyn clothing factory to becoming one of Meineke’s top franchisees and…
- From Raising Cane's to The Coop: The Economics of Chicken Tenders · 1 h 9 minEliot McDonald went from Raising Cane's shift manager to founding his own chicken tender concept. We discuss everything about chicken tenders & QSR, and how his restaurant chain…
- Why Handel's is the #1 Ice Cream Business in America · 1 h 38 minAndrea Huerta has been operating franchises since she was a teenager, starting as a crew member in her parents McDonald’s location. After helping her family grow a portfolio of…
- How One of the Largest Family Owned Fast Food Empires Was Built (265+ units) · 1 h 21 minHarsh Ghai is one of the largest Burger King franchise owners in America. He's also one of, if not the, largest family owned franchisee with over 250 locations across Burger…
- The Bagel Wars: How H&H Is Scaling Without Private Equity · 1 h 19 minJay Rushin, owner of H&H Bagels, joins the podcast to break down the rise of the bagel category, why H&H has taken a different path from venture-backed competitors, and how the…
- The Evolution of Subway - Bill Mathis (3 unit owner) · 1 h 3 minBill Mathis worked for Subway starting in 1992, and eventually became a franchise owner in 2001. He's owned as many as 4 stores, and gives us an inside look at the brand over the…
- The Iconic New York Slice Shop That's Franchising (Prince St. Pizza) · 1 h 20 minPrince Street Pizza went from a single NYC slice shop to one of the most viral pizza brands in America. In this episode, Prince Street Pizza CEO & co-owner Lawrence Longo breaks…
- Building Jersey Mike's - 25 Unit Operator · 1 h 9 minKavrin McGuire operates 25 Jersey Mike’s locations alongside his father and brother. In this conversation, we break down:• How Jersey Mike’s maintains product quality at scale•…
- Inside the Largest KidStrong Empire (60+ Units) · 1 h 9 minJoe Pedatella is scaling one of the fastest-growing KidStrong empires in the country: * 16 locations open * 60+ in development * And a goal of 100 long term In this episode, he…
- Franchising the Farm: Area 2 Farms · 1 h 15 minArea 2 Farms, a venture backed start up, is trying to bring (vertical) farms into every town across America. They've learned from past mistakes of other vertical farm startups…
- The Booming Business of Bundt Cakes · 25 minNothing Bundt Cakes was recently acquired for $2 billion dollars. Founded in 1997, the brand has quietly built one of the greatest franchises of all time. I explore how they did…
- What It’s Really Like To Operate Chick-Fil-A (2-Unit Owner) · 2 h 9 minBrandon Hurst went from - in his own words - “a broke college student” working overnight shifts, to becoming one of the top-performing Chick-fil-A operators in the country, now…
- How a Soviet Refugee Built a $12M Restaurant Empire · 1 h 3 minOrhan Veli’s story sounds like a movie. At age 6, he watched the Soviet Union collapse overnight: chaos, violence, and uncertainty took over. His family fled with nothing…
- How Wingstop Became an Empire · 40 minGet in Touch Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise Are you a multi-unit owner considering selling your business?…
- From Dutch Bros Barista to $20M Exit | Darren Spicer (Clutch Coffee Founder) · 1 h 19 minGet in Touch Interested in buying a franchise? https://www.empirespod.com/buy-a-franchise Are you a multi-unit owner considering selling your business?…
