Social Geek

This is the Marketing and Innovation Update for March 2025 featuring these Innovators: Anna Kittleson, VP of Marketing at the IFA, gives us the inside look at the recent rebranding and reimaging of the IFA. We also discuss the changes to The IFA Marketing and Innovation Committee and how we are using storytelling to protect, promote, and enhance franchising. Alex Smereczniak, Founder of Franzy, discusses an innovative new way to share franchise opportunities with potential business owners. He gives his take on the current landscape and the risk of not looking for new opportunities. Martin Joksimovic, President of MFV Expositions, stops by with an update on the latest franchise shows including the newest event, Franchise Expo Charlotte. Martin discusses why the Carolinas are such a prime place for new franchise opportunities. Thanks to Citrin Copperman, Vendasta, Hughes, and Thunderly. Special Guests: Alex Smereczniak, Anna Kittleson, and Martin Joksimovic.

Welcome to Just Jania, the podcast hosted by Jania Bailey and powered by FranNet. Today Jania hosts a panel of Consultants discussing "WHY FranNet?" Joining the conversation are John Armstrong, Bruce Phillips, Blake Martin, and Sean Haggarty.

Ali Kraus, Kristen Pechacek, and Danielle Wright talk about the lessons learned from franchising for their kids! What could your kids learn from the franchise community? * Manners * Communication * Exposure to craziness * Not being the reason there’s a rule * And, helping a friend when you can Streaming now on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and more. Thanks to Hughes, Northeast Color, Franzy, and Thunderly. Shout outs to Scott Greenberg & Derrick Ableman. Special Guests: Ali Kraus, Danielle Wright, and Kristen Pechacek.

MassageLuXe CEO Kristen Pechacek is one of the recent Top 5 Franchise Thought Leadership Award winners. In this One On One conversation Kristen shares her thoughts on: *The current focus on PE, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Platforms in franchising *The big items and events that will impact franchise partners this year *Advice for franchise development, franchise marketing, and consumer marketing pros working together under the same brand! Streaming now on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and more. Thanks to Hughes, Northeast Color, and Franzy. Special Guest: Kristen Pechacek.

Meg Roberts is the CEO of Head to Toe Brands and one of the recent top 5 Social Geek Franchise Thought Leadership Award winners. Meg goes One On One with host Jack Monson live on the floor of the IFA 2025 Convention to share her thoughts on: *The growth of Multi-Unit and Multi-Brand Owners in the wellness industry *The explosion and future of the wellness and beauty brands *Her favorite places for mentorship including The 30 Under 30 Program, The Emerging Franchisor Conference, and The Ops Girl Gang Streaming now on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and more. Thanks to Hughes, Northeast Color, and Franzy. Special Guest: Meg Roberts.

Jania Bailey welcomes Shannon Wilburn, Co-Founder of Just Between Friends and Franchise Coach with SMB to chat about growing a startup business, surrounding yourself with the best people, and mentorship.

Joe Sieve, Chief Restaurant and Global Development Officer at Papa Johns, joins Social Geek host Jack Monson as part of our series of new one-on-one conversations with the top Thought Leaders in Franchising. Joe was one of the recent winners in the Social Geek Thought Leadership Awards and shares his ideas today on many hot topics in Franchising including:  The explosion of international development and growth with growing interest in great American pizza in 50+ countries including China and India. How franchise growth is currently affected by private capital, a reduction in economic uncertainty, and real estate issues. Multi-Unit & Multi-Brand growth versus developing individual operators. Streaming now on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and more. Thanks to Hughes, Northeast Color, and Franzy. Special Guest: Joe Sieve.

Next up in our series of One On One conversations with Franchise Thought Leaders is Scott Zide! Scott is the CEO of Empower Brands and joins host Jack Monson to discuss: * Long term strategies for multi-brand platforms and multi-unit owners * Licensing territories versus bringing on the right franchisees * Changing customer demographics and how business owners must evolve * What will have the biggest impact on Franchising in 2025-2026. Thanks to Hughes, Northeast Color, and Franzy. Special Guest: Scott Zide.

This is the first in our series of new one-on-one conversations with the top Thought Leaders in Franchising. Mary Kennedy Thompson, CEO of BNI and the new Chair of The International Franchise Association, is here! Mary shares her thoughts on: * The importance of meeting face to face * Good storytelling and good Franchising * Why she’s so bullish on Franchising’s growth in 2025 & 2026 * And, to what she is most looking forward at The IFA Convention Thanks to Hughes, Northeast Color, and Franzy. Special Guest: Mary Kennedy Thompson.

IFA 2025 is almost here! Today, a preview of sessions that franchise marketers must attend. We'll speak with Nadia Carta of Google who will leading a session at IFA on AI for Franchises. Next up, it’s author and keynote speaker Nick Westergaard previewing his session about Scrappy Marketing for Franchises. And Global Franchise’s Rachael Wenham shares what it takes to win the Global Franchise Award at IFA. Today’s show is brought to by Hughes and Northeast Color. Special Guests: Nadia Carta, Nick Westergaard, and Rachael Wenham.