Franchise This

Cradle to grave in the best sense of the word. In this conversation, Sean McKay digs in with Gary Occhiogrosso on development, sales, infrastructure, and money. Private equity once “didn’t understand the beast,” but today it’s about royalty revenue, happy franchisees, and an EBITDA line that keeps growing. Gary explains why founders tied to grandma’s recipe still face the same reality, why it’s always better to sell royalty income than operational income, and why some restaurateurs should stop opening restaurants. The story runs from sleeping on a bag of flour as a Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee to franchise a...

Franchising is not an easy path, and few people know that better than Sean McKay’s guest, Greg George. With more than 25 years in the franchise world and involvement in 42 different brands, Greg has learned his biggest lessons by discovering what not to do. He shares how he went from selling franchises to owning equity in multiple companies, ultimately co-leading the rapid growth of the Peach Cobbler Factory to over 120 locations in 23 states.

Greg opens up about his personal story, including decades of addiction and nearly losing his son, and how recovery gave him renewed drive and pu...

Franchising often gets painted as a simple path to expansion, but as Sean McKay uncovers in this conversation with AnnMarie Baranik and William Anthony, the journey can be anything but easy. From losing $40,000 to a smooth-talking salesman, to drowning in legal fees with over-lawyering, to navigating the headaches of social media permissions and failed technology platforms, the duo behind Angels Monitoring share an unfiltered look at the realities of becoming a franchisor.

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They open up about challenges with compliance, franchisee expectations, and the myth of easy money in franchising. At the same time, they highlight ho...

The path to growth is rarely a straight line. In this conversation, host Sean McKay reconnects with Tim Dougherty, founder of Project Lean Nation, to trace the journey from a single location with an “electric vibe” to a franchise system with dozens of units and many more on deck. Tim shares how faith, culture, and belief in others shaped his leadership style, even through missteps, federal prison, and starting over with nothing but health to lean on.

Listeners will hear how mentors, grace, and vulnerability fueled Tim’s story, why connection matters more than a meal delivery, and wh...

When Sean McKay sat down with Jay Shah, the story of Marigold Academy unfolded as one of necessity, resilience, and vision. What began in 2019 as a search for childcare that felt like a true home away from home quickly turned into a franchise brand redefining early education.

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Jay shared how his personal journey as a parent revealed the shortcomings of commercialized childcare and how that sparked the creation of Marigold Academy. Despite setbacks during COVID, the model thrived, leading to a bold move into franchising in 2023. With growth in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and expansion pl...

Franchise growth rarely happens overnight, but Sean McKay sits down with Dan Claps to share a journey that proves persistence pays off. Born with an entrepreneurial streak, Dan went from running college businesses to discovering franchising in his early twenties. He learned the hard truth about scalability, built a lead generation company serving the franchise industry, and eventually made the leap into home services and restoration.

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With the acquisition of a single-location Northern Virginia business, Dan and his team rebranded and launched Voda Cleaning & Restoration in 2023. The early months were brutal — losing $70,000 a month with zero...

Franchise marketing can be a tough puzzle, especially when you’re early in the process of landing your first franchisee. Joseph Lewin, producer and guest host, sits down with Sean McKay to unpack some of the biggest misconceptions and confusing lingo around franchisee marketing. They discuss why most franchise marketing tactics are universal but require thoughtful customization based on factors like investment cost, business maturity, and lead qualification.

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Listeners will learn how the timeline to landing your first franchisee can vary widely depending on budget, business stage, and sector, why predictable billing models matter when work...

Ghosted by franchise leads? Paying $200 to $300 a pop and still not seeing results? You're not alone. In this episode, guest host and producer Joseph Lewin joins Sean McKay to expose why franchise lead generation is falling flat—and how to fix it fast.

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Sean outlines the three biggest culprits: poor lead quality, ineffective budget strategy, and low close rates. Together, they explore the compounding costs of these issues, from bad form data and fake names to low spend that slows down momentum. They also get specific about using OTP verification, third-party financial data, and feedback loop...

Landing your first franchisee deal can feel like a high-stakes gamble: it’s expensive, unpredictable, and exhausting when you’re just getting started. Host Sean McKay teams up with producer Joseph Lewin to unpack why most brands burn through as much as their first franchise fee before they secure a single franchisee. Drawing on real-world figures—from $30 to $300 cost per lead and 300 leads needed to close a deal—they explore how underestimating time, effort, and budget sets many up to fail. You’ll learn why warming prospects through the full funnel, diversifying channels like Meta and Google, and pausing to take in...

Most people think the hardest part of franchising is scaling. But for early-stage founders, landing that very first franchisee is the real test. Hosted by Sean McKay, Franchise This is a weekly show built for emerging brands and new franchisors who are building from the ground up.

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Each episode features honest conversations with franchise owners on what it really took to grow — from what worked to what flopped. You’ll hear stories about costly mistakes in lead gen and sales, how they closed their first few deals, the systems that made scaling possible, and the gritty...