Franchise Unfiltered

Franchise marketing has changed—and the old playbook of simply handing franchisees a standardized marketing plan and expecting it to work everywhere is no longer enough.

In this episode of Franchise Unfiltered, Wes Barefoot sits down with Steve Buors, founder and CEO of Reshift Media, to unpack what Steve calls the “franchise marketing paradox”: franchising is built around consistency ...

Dave Ramsey has some strong opinions about franchising—and some of his concerns are absolutely valid. But is he telling the whole story?

In this episode of Franchise Unfiltered, we break down Dave Ramsey’s advice to a business owner considering franchising her company. We look at where Dave gets it right, where his argument misses some important context, and what both prospective franchisees...

Matt Friedman started Wing Zone in a fraternity house kitchen with just $500—and eventually grew it to 140 locations across six countries.

In this episode, Matt shares the lessons from his 27-year journey: the mistakes, the realities of scaling, why franchise growth shouldn't be rushed, and what both franchisees and emerging franchisors need to understand before jumping in.

If you'r...

Most people have strong opinions about franchising—but how many of those opinions are actually true?

In this episode of Franchise Unfiltered, Wes Barefoot reacts to a podcast criticizing franchising and breaks down where they make valid points... and where they completely miss the mark.

We cover:

-The truth about franchise failure rates

-Independent business vs. franchise ownership

-Whether franchise fees are actually wort...

Most people think franchise ownership is something you do later in life after climbing the corporate ladder. Brian Garvey proves otherwise.

In this episode, Brian shares how he went from walking on at the University of Tennessee, to Enterprise Rent-A-Car, to becoming a franchise owner at just 25 years old through Express Employment Professionals' Emerging Entrepreneur Program. We discuss mentorship, leadership, taking calculated r...

Most people think real estate investing starts with houses.

Brent Bowers built his business by focusing on something most investors completely ignore: land.

In this episode of Franchise Unfiltered, Brent shares how he went from serving in the military to building a land investing business that generated enough income for him to leave the Army, create financial freedom, and help others do ...

Most people think buying an existing business is the safer path.

After all, why start from zero when you can buy something that already has revenue, employees, customers, and cash flow?

But here’s the part many people miss: when you buy a profitable business, you’re often buying high. You’re paying a premium for something someone else already built. And if your goal is to eventually sell, you have to ask a much ...

She was 23, miserable in her "dream job," and had never run a business in her life. Today, Anna Dey is a multi-brand, multi-unit franchisee who has owned six different franchise systems — and retired her parents in their 50s along the way.

In this episode of Franchise Unfiltered, Anna breaks down exactly how she got started using her dad's ROBS (Rollover for Business Startups) funds, how she went from sweaty owner-operator g...

Most people think committing to multiple franchise locations means opening all of them at once… and needing ALL the money upfront. 

That’s not how it works.

In this video, we break down the truth about multi-unit franchising — including what actually happens when you commit to multiple locations, how development timelines really work, and why many experienced operators choose this strategy.

If you’r...

The wellness industry isn’t just growing—it’s exploding into a trillion-dollar global market. In this episode of Franchise Unfiltered, Wes sits down with Jeff Ono (Co-Founder & President of Pause Studio) and Lisa Tengbom (Strategic Specialist) to break down what’s driving this surge—and how Pause Studio is positioning itself within it.

They unpack how modern lifestyles, increased stress, and a shi...

In this episode of Franchise Unfiltered, we sit down with Rosalie Black, founder and CEO of VibeHouse Hot Pilates, and Marisa Kochnover, Director of Franchise Development.

Rosalie didn’t originally set out to start a fitness business. She was simply searching for a workout that didn’t exist — something that combined the intensity of hot yoga, the strength of Pilates, great music, and a strong sense of community.

Franchising isn’t magic. It isn’t passive income. And it isn’t a shortcut.

It’s a vehicle.

Just like real estate. Just like the stock market. 

If you drive it correctly, it can take you exactly where you want to go. 

If you don’t? It won’t.

In this episode of Franchise Unfiltered, Wes Barefoot sits down with Jake Hamburger, co-founder of Franchise Frameworks, to break down what a gr...

What if a single franchise could save homeowners months of chaos, prevent $40,000 kitchen replacements, and completely transform the disaster restoration industry?

In today’s episode of Franchise Unfiltered, Wes sits down with Mike Pearce, Chief Development Officer of Renew Medic®, the first-mover franchise that’s disrupting restoration by solving the most expensive problem in any home disaster: cabinets.

For decades,...

If you've ever tried to find the right music teacher for your kids, you already know how overwhelming it can be. Musicologie fixes everything parents hate about traditional private lessons — with certified teachers, a warm community environment, and a proven system that helps kids (and adults!) fall in love with music. Today on Franchise Unfiltered, Joseph and Kay Barker reveal how they reinvented music lessons and turned it ...

Modern PURAIR® has quietly dominated the Canadian indoor air quality (IAQ) space for years — and now they’re finally expanding into the United States. In this episode, founder & CEO Lane Martin shares how he scaled from a single duct truck to a nationwide IAQ brand known for world-class customer experience and a powerful sales center that converts 86% of residential calls.

We break down why the U.S. market is the p...

Discover how WOW WindowBoxes grew from a simple idea in a garage to a multi-million-dollar franchise that’s transforming the home services industry.

In this episode of Franchise Unfiltered, Wes sits down with Bret Schneider the founder and CEO of Wow Window Boxes, to talk about how a passion project turned into a $5 million brand — without subscriptions, without outside investors, and with 87% customer retention.

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When most people think of franchising, they picture burgers, coffee, or car washes. But Joshua Tree Experts proves there’s massive opportunity hiding in your own backyard — literally. In this episode, Wes Barefoot sits down with Josh Malik, Founder and CEO of Joshua Tree Experts, to talk about how he built a high-growth, multi-service franchise brand around tree care, lawn care, and pest control. Josh started as a climb...

Ever think the “sexiest” franchise would be… drains? In this Franchise Unfiltered episode, Wes sits down with Jim Foley, Brand President of Zoom Drain, to unpack a focused service model that’s creating massive opportunities in franchising.

You’ll learn why Zoom Drain is thriving with B2B and B2C demand, how “truck math” makes scaling predictable, and why plumbers actually refer business to...

Franchisors are drowning in stale Zooms, dead Facebook groups, and unread newsletters. Enter Studio F—our internal podcast model that turns franchise communication into binge-worthy, high-engagement episodes your system will actually consume. From peer-to-peer “masterclass” wins, to hiring/retention playbooks, to FAQ Unplugged that answers once and scales forever—we show how private podcasts boost culture, s...