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Ranked #10 on MillionPodcasts’ Top 100 Small Business Podcasts, charting on Apple Podcasts Entrepreneurship, with a 5-star rating across 200+ episodes.
Listen to The Business Growth Show with Ford Saeks on your favorite streaming platform where we explore the latest strategies and tactics for growing your business and achieving success. Tune in each Wednesday at 11AM CST (or listen anytime) for valuable takeaways to help you accelerate your business’s growth. Let’s get growing!
You’re in good company. Here are just a few of the past featured guests.
Matt Haller
President & CEO
International Franchise Association
Becky Bongiovanni
President
CarePatrol Franchisor
Brandon Sawalich
President & CEO
Starkey
Betsy Hamm
CEO
Duck Donuts Franchisor
Larisa Walega
Chief Growth Officer
Ziebart
Michael Hyam
CEO
Franchise Assembly
Brandon Bornancin
Founder & CEO
Seamless
Ally Van Iten
CEO
House of Colour USA
Steve White
President
PuroClean
Ryan Zink
Founder / CEO
Franchise Sidekick
Edith Wiseman
President
FRANdata
Jackie Bondanza
Founder
Hounds Town
Sherry McNeil
President & CEO
Canadian Franchise Association
John Register
CSP, PLY
Inspired Communications International
Scott Gladstone
Chief Development Officer and International President
Dine Brands
Guy Coffey
Entrepreneur & Franchisor
GuyCoffey.com
Scott Zide
CEO
Empower Brands
Nick Friedman
Co-Founder & Visionary
College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving
Prince Ea
Social Media Influencer
PrinceEa.com
Ryan Parsons
CEO
Evive Brands
Dr. Nido Qubein
President
High Point University
John Hewitt
Founder & CEO
Loyalty Brands | Jackson Hewitt
Peter Cuneo
Former CEO
Marvel Studios and Entertainment, Inc.
Charles Watson
CEO
Tropical Smoothie Café Franchisor
Alesia Visconti
CEO & President
FranServe
Steve Spangler
Founder & CEO
Steve Spangler Science
Troy Hooper
CEO, Hot Pallete America
PepperLunchRestaurants.com
JJ Sorrenti
CEO
Best Life Brands
Joe Mohay
Franchise Division President
Ignite Visibility
Todd Recknagel
Managing Partner
Three20 Capital Group
The above list is just a few of the hundreds of featured guests. Below are the most recent episodes.
Smarter Franchise Expansion with Kristie Kalinowski
Franchise expansion can be exciting. New markets, new owners, and new locations create visible signs of momentum. But adding units is not necessarily the same thing as building a stronger franchise system. The difference often comes down to discipline. Successful franchise brands have to know when an opportunity fits, when it does not, and whether […]
Leadership from the Front with David Druker
Leadership from the front becomes increasingly important as an organization grows. More employees, more customers, more locations, and more layers of management can give leaders greater reach, but they can also create greater distance from what is actually happening inside the business. That distance can be dangerous. Reports, dashboards, meetings, and performance metrics provide valuable […]
Building a Business Through Responsible Growth with Don Varady
Responsible growth requires more than opening new locations, increasing revenue, or expanding into new markets. Growth has to strengthen the business, not simply make it bigger. That distinction becomes increasingly important as a company moves beyond its original founders and locations. What worked when the business was small may become too expensive, too complicated, or […]
Why Franchise Success Starts with Relationships with Brad Fishman
Franchise success depends on much more than selling franchises, opening locations, or generating leads. A franchise system can grow quickly on paper while problems develop underneath if franchisees are struggling, communication is weak, or the people involved stop trusting one another. For more than three decades, Brad Fishman, CEO of Fishman PR, has had a […]
Business Systems That Turn a Great Idea into a Global Brand with Pete Hull
Business systems are what separate a great idea from a business that can grow beyond its founder. A concept may work brilliantly in one location with the right people, the right customers, and the founder closely involved. The bigger test comes when that same experience has to work in another location, another market, or another […]
Hiring a Keynote Speaker Who Delivers Real Value with Katrina Mitchell
Hiring a keynote speaker can be one of the most important decisions an organization makes when planning a convention, conference, leadership meeting, or company event. The right speaker can reinforce business priorities, create meaningful connections with the audience, and give attendees ideas they can actually put to work. The wrong speaker can consume valuable agenda […]
Building a Smarter Growth Pipeline with John Dobelbower
A growth pipeline should do more than keep names moving through a funnel. It should help a business identify the right opportunities, understand where prospects are getting stuck, and create a clear path from initial interest to a productive long-term relationship. That distinction matters at a time when businesses have access to more marketing channels, […]
Business Scaling Through Systems and Discipline with Dustin DiStefano
Business scaling is often portrayed as a race toward bigger numbers: more customers, more locations, more employees, and more revenue. But sustainable growth requires something far less glamorous and far more important: discipline. A company can generate demand and still struggle to scale. It can attract customers without having the systems to serve them, expand […]
Building Strategic Alliances for Business Growth with Seth Greene
Every business owner wants more customers, stronger referrals, and greater visibility. The instinctive response is often to invest in more advertising, launch another marketing campaign, or increase sales activity. While those strategies certainly have their place, many organizations overlook one of the most effective growth strategies available: building strategic alliances. Strategic alliances create opportunities that […]
Building a Sustainable Growth Strategy with Tony Padulo
Every business wants to grow. The real challenge isn’t generating growth. It’s creating a growth strategy that continues producing results year after year without sacrificing quality, culture, or the people who helped build the business in the first place. Many organizations chase growth by focusing on a single initiative. They launch a new product, enter […]
Customer Experience Growth Laws with Jim Tincher
Customer experience has long been recognized as an important part of running a successful business. Companies invest heavily in customer service training, satisfaction surveys, loyalty programs, and performance metrics, all with the expectation that happier customers will naturally lead to greater business growth. But what if satisfaction isn’t enough? For many organizations, customer satisfaction has […]
Operational Leadership Through Experience with Jeff Hetsel
Operational leadership isn’t built in the boardroom. It’s built through years of solving problems, understanding people, refining processes, and making decisions that strengthen every part of an organization. The most effective leaders rarely begin at the top. They build their perspective one role at a time, gaining firsthand knowledge of how operations, customer experience, technology, […]
Customer Experience and Brand Evolution with Brian Tietz
Customer experience has become one of the most powerful drivers of business growth. While many organizations focus heavily on operations, technology, and efficiency, the brands that continue to thrive understand a fundamental truth: people make decisions based on how they feel. That reality has become increasingly important as consumer expectations continue to evolve. Across nearly […]
Authority Building Through Business Books with Julie Broad
Authority building has become one of the most valuable competitive advantages available to business owners, consultants, speakers, franchise leaders, and subject matter experts. In an era where artificial intelligence can generate endless content and consumers are overwhelmed with information, credibility remains a powerful differentiator. One of the most effective ways to establish that credibility is […]
Personal Brand Growth and Authentic Storytelling with Jess Parker
Personal brand growth has become one of the most important factors in business visibility, influence, and long-term success. Whether someone is a founder, franchise executive, consultant, speaker, or entrepreneur, the ability to build trust and establish credibility online can dramatically impact opportunities, relationships, and business growth. Not long ago, a company website served as the […]
Franchise Development and Building Stronger Operators with Kelly Tope
Franchise development is often viewed through the lens of growth—new locations, new markets, and new franchise agreements. While expansion is certainly part of the equation, the most successful franchise systems understand that sustainable growth depends on something far more important: building stronger operators. The strength of any franchise system ultimately comes down to the people […]
Authentic Leadership and Keeping the Promise with Jason Hewlett
Authentic leadership is often discussed in terms of strategy, communication, or influence, but at its core, leadership is ultimately built on trust. Teams, customers, audiences, and organizations consistently evaluate whether leaders follow through on commitments, demonstrate integrity, and remain consistent in how they show up personally and professionally. In today’s environment, trust has become one […]
Strategic Expansion and Franchise Growth with Bryan Ketelhut
Strategic expansion in franchising requires more than adding locations. It demands operational consistency, market awareness, strong franchisee relationships, and the flexibility to adapt a proven brand to changing consumer behaviors. As customer expectations continue evolving, franchise systems are increasingly reevaluating where growth opportunities exist and how brands can expand while maintaining a consistent customer experience. […]
Achiever Syndrome and Breaking Through Mental Barriers with Tim Shurr
Achiever syndrome affects more entrepreneurs and high performers than most people realize. Outwardly, many business leaders appear confident, driven, and successful, yet internally they often carry persistent stress, self-doubt, anxiety, and the constant pressure to prove themselves. The challenge is that these struggles are frequently hidden beneath productivity, ambition, and professional accomplishments. For many high […]
Franchise Evolution and Staying Relevant with Dan Doulen
Franchise evolution is one of the most important factors in determining whether a brand can remain competitive over the long term. Consumer expectations shift, markets change, operational costs fluctuate, and new technologies continue reshaping how businesses connect with customers. Brands that fail to adapt risk becoming outdated, while those willing to evolve strategically are often […]
Operational Simplicity and Franchise Success with Chad Offerdahl
Operational simplicity is often one of the most underestimated drivers of franchise success. As brands grow across multiple markets, complexity has a way of quietly entering the business through expanded menus, added processes, new technology, and inconsistent execution. Over time, that complexity can slow operations, weaken guest experiences, and create friction throughout the organization. For […]