We’re continuing our series of one-on-one talks with this year’s Social Geek Franchise Thought Leadership Award winners.

Larisa Walega, CGO of Ziebart International and a member of the IFA Board of Directors, is here to share what she sees happening right now in Franchising.

We dive deep into:

• The rise of the Chief GROWTH Officer

• Her journey into – and discovery of – Franchising

• AI & tech for franchise growth

• Building on customer experiences over services

• And the continued growth and evolution of the IFA Women’s Franchise Committee, which Larisa grew over the past two years as Chair.

Thanks to today’s sponsors Thunderly, AnswerConnect, and our newest partner, Pilot.

Special Guest: Larisa Walega.

On our kind-of-weekly chat on the franchise restaurant space, Lauren Fernandez of Full Course and Jack Monson of Thunderly are looking for the cash this week!

Where will the restaurant industry find an the next $1.5 Trillion this year?

• Franchisee consolidation
• Organized, focused resales
• Professional multi-unit operators
• Not the small, individual location operators

Special Guest: Lauren Fernandez.

We’re continuing our series of one-on-one talks with this year’s Social Geek Franchise Thought Leadership Award winners.

Edith Wiseman, President of FranData, is here to share what she sees happening right now in Franchising. Every chat I have with Edith makes me feel smarter!

Today we discuss:

• Definitions of the faster growing franchise brands
• The value of more sophisticated franchisees
• The “happening” sectors and how to spot the next new thing
• Her own goals for sharing meaningful content and staying consistent

Thanks to today’s sponsors Thunderly, AnswerConnect, and our newest partner, Pilot.

Special Guest: Edith Wiseman.

Today on Social Geek, we’re kicking off a series of conversations with this year’s Franchise Thought Leadership Award winners.

I can’t think of a better way to start the series than to sit down with Richard Snow.

Richard is leading Franchising on many fronts as the Founder & CEO of Amplify Franchise Financing, Franchisee with Brooklyn Robot Foundry, a member of the IFA Board of Directors, and the Past Chair of the IFA Diversity Institute.

Richard and I have a wide-ranging conversation about where franchising is now, and where it’s going. We both like the analogy that Franchising is farming and we’re always planting new seeds in many places.

We cover trends in funding and shifting situations with lenders as well as the importance of being intentional and being passionate about building your brand.

Catch Richard’s next speaking opportunity at The International Franchise Expo with MFV May 29th & 30th in New York!

Thanks to today’s sponsors Thunderly, AnswerConnect, and our newest partner, Pilot.

Special Guest: Richard Snow.

Welcome to Social Geek, the most popular franchise podcast!

In our latest Marketing & Innovation update for the franchise community, we'll first chat with Steve Buors, CEO of ReShift Media. Steve's team is rolling out a new marketing platform made specifically for Franchising called Franify.

Next up, Lauren Fernandez of Full Course is back with another installment of the So, Here's the Thing segment focusing on the Restaurant Franchise space. This week, we've got tips for spring cleaning your marketing plan. Get ready to scrub!

Thanks to Citrin Cooperman, AnswerConnect, and Thunderly ⚡

Learn more about Franify at https://reveal.franify.com/

Special Guests: Lauren Fernandez and Steve Buors.

Cleanup on aisle 7 of the restaurant and franchising business!

There is a lot of messy stuff in the business right now that needs a good spring cleaning.

Join Lauren Fernandez and Jack Monson for Part 1 of this conversation including:

• A focus on franchisees and unit level profitability

• The ratio of company owned units to franchised units

• Revising labor schedules and models

Part 2 coming soon!

Special Guest: Lauren Fernandez.

Welcome to the first in a series of podcasts recorded at IFA 2026 that will be available for you on Social Geek, IFA’s Franchise Voice, The WFC’s Her Success, Franchise Freaks, and The Franchise News Podcast.

The Franchise Rock Stars are all together live and in person to share what they’ve seen so far at the event and how it affects their Franchising plans for 2026. Thanks Ali Kraus, Derrick Ableman, Kristen Pechacek, Danielle Wright, Scott Greenberg.

Clint Smith, the Founder & CEO of CareerPlug, joins to discuss trends in hiring and retaining top talent in Franchising as well as highlights from his new book, The Franchise People Playbook.

Mitch Cohen is one the busiest guys in Franchising as a multi-unit multi-brand owner with Jersey Mike’s & Sola Salons; Advisor with Leap Brands & FranReal; Board Member with The IFA; and now the Chair of Multi-Unit Franchising Conference 2026. Mitch gives us a preview of MUFC, and we talk just a bit of hockey!

Shout outs to Jim Craig, Matt Haller, Len Fischer, Global Franchise, WFC, IFA, FUM

Thanks to today’s podcast sponsors AnswerConnect, Citrin Cooperman, and Thunderly.

Special Guests: Ali Kraus, Clint Smith, Danielle Wright, Derrick Ableman, Kristen Pechacek, and Mitch Cohen.

Who's going to have a bigger year: Restaurant IPOs or Fractional C-Suite?

The "it girl" of 2026 may be the Fractional C-Suite.

Join Lauren Fernandez and Jack Monson for a conversation on IPOs and a bit of a debate on if Fractional workers can really be considered your C-Suite.

Special Guest: Lauren Fernandez.