Ricky Kalmon

— Franchise growth starts with people and how they think. The Leverage Your Mindset for Franchise Growth Podcast features candid conversations with respected and influential leaders across the franchise industry who understand that sustainable growth requires more than strong systems. It requires investing in people. Each high-impact episode delivers practical insights on leadership, culture, resilience, accountability, and the mindset that

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 Matt O’Rourke serves as Executive Vice President of Franchise Development at BELFOR Franchise Group, where he helps lead growth across the organization’s family of franchise brands. He also serves as Brand President of Z PLUMBERZ, giving him a unique perspective on franchise growth from both the portfolio and individual brand level. A Master Plumber and entrepreneur at heart, Matt

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Jon Laudie is President and Chief Financial Officer at Zerorez, where he runs finance and operations across a franchise network of more than 85 markets, primarily in the US, with recent expansion into Canada and the UK. Since joining the business in 2022 as CFO, he has played a key role in shaping the company’s growth strategy, scaling it into

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  Larisa Walega, CFE, serves as Chief Growth Officer at Ziebart International Corporation, the global leader in automotive appearance and protection services and one of the few franchise brands worldwide to surpass 65 years in franchising. As Chief Growth Officer, she leads franchise development, marketing, customer experience, and strategic growth initiatives that strengthen brand awareness, accelerate franchise expansion, and drive

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Brian Schnell – Partner and Head of Franchise Practice at Faegre Drinker Brian Schnell leads the Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath franchise practice and has devoted more than 30 years to finding practical and creative solutions for clients. He counsels both emerging and mature franchisors in a variety of industries on all aspects of their franchise programs. He is well

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Phil Rosenthal Creator & Host Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix Phil Rosenthal is the creator and host of “Somebody Feed Phil,” an unscripted documentary series on Netflix, which combines his love of food and travel with his unique brand of humor. Rosenthal was born in Queens, New York and moved with his parents and brother to New City, New York

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Evan Hackel – Leadership Expert  Evan Hackel is the founder and principal of Ingage Consulting, a consulting firm focused on improving the performance of franchises by improving the relationship between franchisees and the franchisor. By creating a culture of partnership and common purpose, Ingage Consulting is able to help franchises dramatically improve their performance. He has helped hundreds of franchise organizations make

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The Most Expensive Word in Business Is “Wait” Several years ago, I was sitting with a franchise owner who was describing the challenges facing his business. Labor costs were rising, customer expectations were evolving, and new competitors seemed to appear every month. Like many leaders, he was feeling the pressure of trying to make the right decisions in an environment

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Consumer Behavior Is a Mindset Most organizations believe customer experience is about service, systems, or strategy. Those things matter, but they are not the true driving force behind growth and brand loyalty. The real driver is mindset. Every interaction a customer has with a company becomes psychologically engraved into their mindset. Every phone call, every email, every delay, every greeting,

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If You Resist Change, You Become Irrelevant Comfort is the fastest way to fall behind. Not because you are doing anything wrong, but because you are doing the same thing while everything else is changing around you. In sales and leadership, this is where teams lose ground. They hold onto what worked. They protect familiar processes. They wait to see

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