Franchise Everything

Key takeaways

Key takeaways:

Key Takeaways:

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Key Takeaways:

Key Takeaways:

Key Takeaways:

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Welcome and introduction to Charlie Carter founder of Battery Zone from t...

Key Takeaways:

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Welcome from the Melbourne Franchising Expo and introduction to Paul Benjamin founder...

Key Takeaways:

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Welcome and guest introduction Himanshu Gandhi franchise owner Town and Country Pizza and Pasta Lara Victoria

00:37 Arriving in Australia...

Magdel Barnard did not plan to run a tutoring franchise. She was a chartered accountant with her own practice in South Africa, moved to New Zealand and went straight back into accounting.

Then a mum in the school playground told her something was wrong with her son's reading. The school reports said otherwise. The educational assessment did not. What followed was a tutoring course, a kitchen table classroom, a friend asking if her son could join in, and a phone call to Kip McGrath. That was ten years ago. She has never looked back.

Joe Papiccio is the co-founder of Plumbing Bros, a fast growing national trades franchise headquartered in Perth.

While his co-founder James Riddle leads the day to day franchise operations, Joe has carved out a specialised and highly valuable role within the business as the person responsible for winning the major tenders and contracts that provide Plumbing Bros franchise partners with guaranteed long term revenue streams.

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, recorded at the FCA Franchise Forum on the Gold Coast, Joe breaks down exactly how Plumbing Bros wins th...

Joe Rossi is the managing director of Town and Country Pizza and Pasta, a 36 year old Victorian founded franchise brand with 14 high volume locations across Victoria and Western Australia.

A finalist at the FCA Awards for franchise innovation, Joe leads a business that blends traditional hospitality values with a genuinely tech forward approach to operations, training and customer experience.

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, recorded at the FCA Franchise Forum on the Gold Coast, Joe breaks down how Town and Country Pizza and Pasta is using AI not to...

Nathan Hornby has spent 15 years in franchising and is now head of franchising at Plumbing Bros, one of Australia's fastest growing trades franchises. And they do something most people don't expect. They don't recruit plumbers. They recruit white collar franchise partners. People who can read a balance sheet, lead a team and actively grow a business in their community.

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, recorded at the Franchise Industry Awards Forum Day in Brisbane, Nathan breaks down the weekly reporting system implemented by CEO and co-founder James from day one, the three w...

Debbie Thompson is the chief supply chain officer at Sushi Sushi, one of Australia's largest and most recognised sushi franchise brands with over 170 stores nationwide.

Her role spans everything from fresh food supplier sourcing and farm audits to Japanese ingredient imports, food safety certification and in-store quality assurance across the entire franchise network.

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, Debbie pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to manage a fresh food supply chain at scale across a major Australian food franchise.

0:00 - Wel...

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, host Glen speaks with Darren Schultz, co-founder of Stellarossa, at Stellarossa Coffee Headquarters in Brisbane.

Darren shares his journey from leaving school in Bundaberg and unexpectedly starting a hairdressing apprenticeship, to working in hospitality overseas, running his own salon, and eventually discovering the coffee industry through Brisbane’s Park Road cafe scene. 

His early career shaped his customer service skills, resilience, and ability to connect with people, which later became essential in building franchise businesses.

The episode also explores how Da...

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, we go inside the coffee roasting room with Cam from Stellarossa and Steve from Bancroft Roasters to explore the science behind the perfect coffee shot

The conversation covers how roasting, green bean sourcing, barista training and espresso extraction all work together to create consistent coffee quality across the Stellarossa franchise network. Cam also breaks down the key variables behind a great espresso, including dose, grind size, water quality, machine temperature and brew ratio.

Steve shares how Bancroft Roasters manages roast profiles, seasonal coffee so...

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, host Glenn Walford sits down with Vikas and Neetika Sharma, proud owners of Pack & Send Caboolture in Brisbane. 

Just six months into their franchise journey, this husband and wife team share a story that is equal parts honest, inspiring and practical. From careers in freight forwarding and banking across India, New Zealand, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, to a six year research journey before finally signing on the dotted line, Vikas and Neetika prove that the best business decisions are the ones made with patience, preparation and purpose.

Paul O’Neill, Director and multi-territory franchise owner with Plumbing Bros, shares his journey from a corporate telco career into the trades sector, building a rapidly expanding plumbing franchise operation across multiple Australian territories.

From scaling teams quickly to strengthening operational systems, Paul highlights how leadership, culture, and strong processes have supported growth while maintaining service standards.

He also discusses the realities of managing multiple regions, recruitment challenges in the trades sector, and why transparency and team alignment are critical when leading a business without coming from a technical background.

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Joel Kleber, Chief Marketing Officer of Jim’s Group, shares his journey from law student and paralegal to one of the key voices behind one of Australia’s most recognised franchise brands. 

With more than a decade inside the organisation, Joel offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how the business has grown and evolved through content, transparency, and strong franchise support.

Jim’s Group is widely known for its home services network, covering hundreds of service categories across multiple divisions. The discussion explores how the brand continues to expand, the systems behind fr...

Steve Halls, COO of Poolwerx, shares practical insights on what has helped build one of Australia’s most recognisable pool service franchise brands. From strong market positioning and steady long-term growth to the importance of structured support systems, he breaks down the operational foundations that keep franchise partners sustainable and competitive.

There’s also a closer look at how marketing, peer-to-peer collaboration, and community-driven customer acquisition contribute to ongoing expansion.

The conversation highlights how balancing national brand strength with local engagement continues to shape growth across the network while supporting franchise owners...

Mitch Gross didn’t come from a plumbing background. He came from Silicon Valley, startups, and senior roles at eBay and still ended up building a multi-territory plumbing business in Sydney with Plumbing Bros.

e walks through the real transition from corporate life into business ownership, why he chose a franchise model, and what it actually took to survive starting a business during COVID. 

He also shares how winning a major government contract helped accelerate growth, what happens when you rely too heavily on one big client, and why diversification across custo...

John Dwyer is the founder of the Institute of Wow and one of Australia’s most well-known marketing strategists, helping businesses build customer databases and generate consistent sales through smart, practical marketing systems.

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, JD breaks down three sure ways to build a customer database including irresistible offers, Facebook contest strategies that generate red-hot leads, and how to build a community or “club” that turns audiences into long-term customers.

They also discuss why most businesses fail to collect customer data, why databases are more valuable...

Dor Li is a multi-site, multi-state Sushi Sushi franchise owner who has spent years building his career inside the brand starting as a team member, rising through management, and eventually becoming a franchise owner across multiple states.

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, Dor shares his full journey from arriving in Australia as an international student, studying commercial cookery, managing company-owned stores, becoming an area manager across WA and Queensland, and finally stepping into franchise ownership in regional Victoria and Western Australia.

We talk about how he transitioned from he...

From 1 July 2026, every Australian business will be required to pay superannuation on the same day as wages  a change known as Payday Super. While it sounds simple on paper, the real impact on cashflow, payroll systems, and compliance could be significant, especially for small businesses and franchisees.

In this episode, Glenn sits down with Jay Westbury, CEO of the Franchise Council of Australia, to unpack what Payday Super actually means, why it’s being introduced, and what business owners should be thinking about right now to avoid being caught out.

They also...

Shannon and Jed Stewart are the Regional Master Franchise Owners for Urban Clean on the Gold Coast, but like every franchise partner, their journey started with a single decision to step into business ownership.

Coming from very different backgrounds — Jed from mechanical and operations management, and Shannon from hospitality and venue management — they share how their previous careers shaped the way they now think about systems, people, service quality, and customer experience.

The conversation covers what it’s really like to run a business as a couple, how they moved from consider...

Erin Walford is a commercial lawyer who walked away from the corporate path and built something completely different.

After nearly 20 years in franchising, commercial law, IP and retail including senior roles inside large organisations, Erin hit a career pivot that forced her to ask a bigger question: Am I the CEO of my own life? That moment led to the creation of The Station HQ a commercial law firm, business consultancy, and community space designed around people, not just profit.

The Station HQ now operates out of a converted fire station in...

William Cocks didn’t just move countries — he rebuilt his entire career.

After running a plumbing business in South Africa, William moved to Australia, requalified from scratch, and rebuilt his future inside the Plumbing Bros franchise system.

Today, he owns the Central Coast and Newcastle territories and is scaling a serious maintenance-focused plumbing business across real estate, government, prisons, and commercial contracts.

This conversation breaks down what it really takes to grow a trade business beyond “one-man band” mode: building systems, winning contracts, hiring the right people, and playing...

Franchise brands around the world are going through a major period of change, and global perspectives are becoming more important than ever for Australian franchisors.

Glenn sits down with Marcel Lal, Global COO of InXpress, to explore what franchise brands in Australia can learn from what’s happening in overseas markets, including the US, Europe, and Asia.

Drawing on his experience working across multiple regions, Marcel shares how leading franchise networks are modernising their operations, upgrading their support structures, and using technology more intelligently including AI to improve performance and scalability.

Growing a franchise brand in New Zealand isn’t just about marketing harder, it’s about positioning, trust, and long-term systems.

In this episode of Franchise Everything, Glenn sits down with Jason Hill, General Manager of Green Acres and Hire A Hubby NZ, to break down how one of New Zealand’s largest home services franchise groups has grown to 370+ franchisees across lawn & garden, cleaning, and home services. 

Jason explains what makes the NZ market uniquely competitive, why brand longevity and scale matter more than ever, and how Green Acres uses partnersh...

William Beare is the founder of Beare Flooring, a mobile flooring franchise that has grown from its first franchisee to 18 active locations in just 20 months. 

Built around a low-overhead model with no traditional showrooms, Beare Flooring focuses on removing non-income-producing tasks while giving franchisees the systems, logistics, and support to sell more and operate efficiently.

In this episode, William shares why installers are increasingly becoming strong franchise owners, how significant investment in custom software has enabled rapid and scalable growth, and what’s ahead as Beare Flooring expands further across New South...

The hospitality industry is moving into a new era and in this episode of Franchise Everything Podcast, Hog’s Breath CEO Tom Elliott breaks down the five biggest tech trends every restaurant, café, and franchise owner needs to prepare for. From robotics in the kitchen to unified data ecosystems, energy sustainability, predictive maintenance, and AI-powered customer experiences, 

Tom reveals what he’s seen on his overseas research tours and how these innovations are already reshaping operations globally.

Tom also explains how franchise networks can adopt new technology without overwhelming operators, how data wil...

Buying a 30+ year franchise brand sounds exciting but the reality is far more complex. 

In this episode of Franchise Everything, Glenn speaks with Anya Haywood, Managing Director of Seal-A-Fridge, about what it truly takes to acquire, stabilise, and modernise a legacy franchise business. From managing franchisee expectations to resisting the urge to make fast changes, Anya reveals why patience, listening, and data-driven decisions matter more than quick wins.

Anya also dives into Seal-A-Fridge’s next growth phase — sustainability, corporate accounts, and building long-term franchisee profitability through smarter systems and education. 

Ginger White is the co-founder of Hogs Breath, a brand that began as a single casual dining restaurant in Airlie Beach, Queensland, and went on to become one of Australia’s most recognisable national steakhouse franchises. Inspired by sailing trips along the U.S. East Coast in the 1980s, the original idea was shaped by the relaxed coastal culture, casual food, and community atmosphere found in small American beach towns.

That inspiration was brought back to Australia and transformed into the first Hogs Breath restaurant, which opened from a converted house in 1989. Known from the beg...

Mark Carter is an international speaker, trainer, author, and learning and development professional with nearly 30 years of experience in human behaviour, leadership, and performance. From his early days as a tour leader with Contiki in Europe, Mark’s passion for storytelling, people, and learning naturally evolved into a career on stage.

What began as an opportunity to train others in presentation skills grew into a comprehensive framework for powerful communication, blending voice, body language, storytelling, audience engagement, and delivery. Over the years, Mark developed his unique cinematic presentation style, creating immersive keynote experiences that combine sou...

Shane Seymour is the founder and franchisor of TV Magic, a nationwide mobile home entertainment installation franchise, and Assembly Magic, a growing flat-pack assembly service brand. With 22 years in business and 45 trucks operating across Australia, Shane has built a system grounded in practical experience and long-term franchisee success.

Specialising in TV installations, antennas, home entertainment systems, and smart technology, TV Magic continues to grow alongside changing consumer needs. After recognising strong demand from his customer base, Shane expanded the business with Assembly Magic to support flat-pack furniture assembly, adding another scalable service to the network.

In this episode of the Franchise Everything Podcast, Glenn sits down with David Ciantar, Group General Manager of Fabe (Food and Beverage Enterprises), the parent company behind Piccolo Me and Sol Bowl. 

David shares how Fabe approaches brand acquisitions, what it takes to integrate a new franchise concept, and why long-term planning matters when building a multi-brand portfolio. He also explains how Fabe prepares franchisees, communicates acquisitions internally, and maintains strong brand differentiation across its network.

David also gives a behind-the-scenes look into Sol Bowl’s rebrand, co-branded store models, and Fabe’...

Wet-seal CEO Robert Cameron joins the podcast to share how the brand is successfully transitioning long-term applicators into franchise owners through a “work-to-own” pathway.

With many franchisees nearing retirement and challenges finding new candidates, Wet-seal began offering committed team members a chance to buy split territories — creating smoother transitions and faster ramp-ups.

Robert explains how this model reduces risk, shortens training, and gives applicators a real career path while maintaining strong support around finance, operations, and business readiness. With nine territories already converted and more planned, this approach is becoming a key grow...

Tina Yu is a multi-site Sushi Sushi franchise owner with three thriving stores in Oakleigh South, Blackburn North, and Eltham. Originally from China, Tina moved to Australia in the early 2000s to study marketing and finance, taking a part-time job at Sushi Sushi during university. 

After graduating, she realised the work she truly enjoyed and excelled at was within the Sushi Sushi system. With support from her parents, she purchased her first store in Oakleigh South, quickly building a strong customer base and connection to the community.

As her life evolved, Tin...

Snap-on Tools has spent more than a century perfecting one of the most unique franchise models in the world — a fully mobile, relationship-driven tool business with no retail stores and a fiercely loyal customer base.

In this episode, Adam Wright, Marketing Manager at Snap-on Tools Australia, breaks down the five key things that have shaped the brand into a global powerhouse. From premium products and unmatched brand loyalty, to their iconic mobile store model, world-class training in Dallas, and deep ongoing support, Adam reveals how Snap-on delivers convenience, reliability, and trust at every level.

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James Riddle, CEO of Plumbing Bros, returns to share how the franchise has evolved from a single idea into a national network. What began as a bold concept allowing non-plumbers to own plumbing businesses has now grown to 11 franchise partners covering 20 territories across five states.

He reveals how AI and virtual assistance are transforming both the head office and franchise operations. From developing knowledge-based bots inspired by thought leaders like Alex Hormozi and Sabri Suby to streamlining admin and marketing workflows.Their focus on automation and offshoring empowers franchise partners to concentrate on growth and c...