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The Business Growth Show Horizontal
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

Matt Haller

President & CEO
International Franchise Association

Becky Bongiovanni

Becky Bongiovanni

President
CarePatrol Franchisor

Brandon Sawalich

Brandon Sawalich

President & CEO
Starkey

Betsy Hamm

Betsy Hamm

CEO
Duck Donuts Franchisor

Larisa Walega

Larisa Walega

Chief Growth Officer
Ziebart

Michael Hyam

Michael Hyam

CEO
Franchise Assembly

Brandon Bornancin

Brandon Bornancin

Founder & CEO
Seamless

Ally Van Iten

Ally Van Iten

CEO
House of Colour USA

Steve White

Steve White

President
PuroClean

Ryan Zink

Ryan Zink

Founder / CEO
Franchise Sidekick

Edith Wiseman

Edith Wiseman

President
FRANdata

Jackie Bondanza

Jackie Bondanza

Founder
Hounds Town

Sherry McNeil

Sherry McNeil

President & CEO
Canadian Franchise Association

John Register

John Register

CSP, PLY
Inspired Communications International

Scott Gladstone

Scott Gladstone

Chief Development Officer and International President
Dine Brands

John Register

Guy Coffey

Entrepreneur & Franchisor
GuyCoffey.com

Scott Zide

Scott Zide

CEO
Empower Brands

Nick Friedman

Nick Friedman

Co-Founder & Visionary
College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving

Prince Ea

Prince Ea

Social Media Influencer
PrinceEa.com

Ryan Parsons

Ryan Parsons

CEO
Evive Brands

Dr. Nido Qubein

Dr. Nido Qubein

President
High Point University

John Hewitt

John Hewitt

Founder & CEO
Loyalty Brands | Jackson Hewitt

Peter Cuneo

Peter Cuneo

Former CEO
Marvel Studios and Entertainment, Inc.

Charles Watson

Charles Watson

CEO
Tropical Smoothie Café Franchisor

Alesia Visconti

Alesia Visconti

CEO & President
FranServe

Steve Spangler

Steve Spangler

Founder & CEO
Steve Spangler Science

Troy Hooper

Troy Hooper

CEO, Hot Pallete America
PepperLunchRestaurants.com

JJ Sorrenti

JJ Sorrenti

CEO
Best Life Brands

Joe Mohay

Joe Mohay

Franchise Division President
Ignite Visibility

Todd Recknagel

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.

Episode 304

How Customer Experience Drives Business Growth with Jorge Salvat

How can companies create a customer experience that drives business growth while managing rising costs, employee turnover, and increasing competition? For business owners and executives, the answer extends far beyond marketing campaigns, competitive pricing, or attracting new customers. Sustainable growth depends on the ability to deliver consistent value, develop strong teams, and build relationships that […]

Episode 303

Franchise Business Growth Through Proven Systems with Jeff Dudan

Franchise Business Growth can create extraordinary opportunities, but what happens when the very systems, decisions, and leadership approaches that helped build a successful business begin limiting its ability to scale? Growing a business from a single location into a thriving enterprise requires more than increasing sales, opening new territories, or expanding a customer base. As […]

Episode 302

Relationship Selling in an AI-Driven World with Mark Hunter

Relationship selling is becoming more valuable as technology makes sales communication easier to automate. AI can generate emails, research prospects, create content, and help sales teams operate faster than ever. But greater efficiency also creates more noise, and buyers have more tools to evaluate the people and companies trying to earn their business. That puts […]

Episode 301

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 […]

Episode 300

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 […]

Episode 299

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 […]

Episode 298

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 […]

Episode 297

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 […]

Episode 296

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 […]

Episode 295

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, […]

Episode 294

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 […]

Episode 293

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 […]

Episode 292

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 […]

Episode 291

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 […]

Episode 290

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, […]

Episode 289

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 […]

Episode 288

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 […]

Episode 287

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 […]

Episode 286

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 […]

Episode 285

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 […]

Episode 284

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. […]