Franchise This

Site Hub
  • 0.0 (0)
  • MARKETING

Franchise This is the podcast where franchise growth meets digital marketing strategy. Hosted by Sean McKay, founder and CEO of Site Hub, this show dives into what it really takes to scale a franchise in today’s fast-moving, tech-driven world. ㅤ Each episode features insights from franchise owners, marketers, and operations leaders who are building brands that expand without losing their identity. Whether you’re just starting out or managing hundreds of locations, you’ll get practical tips, real stories, and marketing strategies designed to help you grow smarter—not just bigger. ㅤ Franchise This is your front-row seat to the tools, tactics, and systems that drive franchise success—from local SEO and brand consistency to multi-location campaigns and operational scale.

  1. 30 JAN

    Buying a Business vs. Buying a Job (with Danny P. Creed) | Ep. 20

    Many people enter franchising with the wrong expectation: they think they are buying a job rather than building a business. They wait for the phone to ring or for the franchisor to solve every problem. Sean McKay speaks with Danny P. Creed about the reality of what it takes to succeed as a franchisee. Danny draws on his experience involving 15 startups and over 15,000 coaching hours to explain why work ethic and sales skills often matter more than raw talent. ㅤ The conversation highlights the dangers of ignoring your past corporate experience when starting a new venture. Danny shares a cautionary tale about a franchisee who invested $120,000 only to realize he hated dealing with people. He also breaks down the difference between "survival thinking" (hoping to break even) and "possibility thinking" (planning for growth). This episode is a direct look at the accountability required to go from owning a franchise to running a successful operation. ㅤ Guest Bio Danny P. Creed is a Certified Master Business and Executive Coach with FocalPoint Business Coaching. Known as a "Real World Business Coach," he holds a self-ascribed "PhD in GSD" (Get Stuff Done) and has won the Brian Tracy Award for Sales Excellence seven times. Danny is an international speaker, a serial entrepreneur involved in 15 startups, and the author of the best-selling book A Life Best Lived. ㅤ What We Cover The specific questions you must ask a franchisor before investing your moneyWhy buying a franchise is buying a business to build, not a job to performThe necessity of sales skills in every aspect of life, from asking for a raise to negotiating a carA specific case study of a franchisee who failed because he refused to interact with customersHow to "honor your past" by applying previous corporate skills to a new franchise environmentThe Zappos strategy of paying new employees to quit if they are not a culture fitThe difference between survival thinking and possibility thinking during tough economic timesStatistics on written goals and their correlation to financial success ㅤ Resources Mentioned Danny Creed Official Website (mastercoachdan.com)FocalPoint Business CoachingBook: A Life Best Liveda...

    47 min

  2. 16 JAN

    SBA Loans are Pretty Much the Main Vehicle (with Shay Kleinschmidt) | Ep. 19

    Funding is the fuel that powers the franchise engine. Yet, for many new business owners, securing capital feels like a black box. In this episode, host Sean McKay sits down with Shay Kleinschmidt, the Vice President of Lending at FranFund. Shay shares her journey from a legal background to becoming a leading voice in franchise finance. They discuss the realities of SBA lending, why your local bank might be the wrong place to go, and the critical importance of vetting a brand before you sign. Whether you are a first-time franchisee or a franchisor looking to understand the lender's perspective, Shay offers practical, no-nonsense advice. ㅤ What You’ll LearnThe "Craigslist" Origin Story: How Shay pivoted from the legal field to franchise lending through an unexpected job posting.The 4 Buckets of SBA Approval: It is not just about a credit score. Learn about equity injection (10-30%), post-close liquidity, collateral, and the hidden "fifth bucket" - character.Why Local Banks Often Fail Franchisees: Shay explains why walking into your local branch can lead to wasted time and why specialized lenders are crucial for startup franchises.The Dangers of Rapid Growth: A warning for emerging brands. Selling units too fast without strong unit economics can damage your reputation with lenders.Due Diligence is Non-Negotiable: Why you must read the FDD and, more importantly, call existing franchisees to ask the tough questions about cash flow and support. ㅤ Episode HighlightsFrom Craigslist to VPShay’s entry into the industry wasn't traditional. In 2012, after layoffs in the legal recruiting sector, she found a Craigslist listing for FranFund. She landed the job, bought "SBA Lending for Dummies," and learned the ropes from the ground up. Today, she manages the entire lending department and executive initiatives. The Mechanics of the SBA LoanThere is a misconception that SBA loans are risk-free for banks. Shay clarifies that the SBA only offers a guarantee (essentially an insurance policy). The bank still assumes risk and must comply with strict rules. If a borrower defaults, the bank incurs a loss. This is why they require collateral and "skin in the game" from the borrower. The "Character" VariableWhile financials are black and white, lending is still a human business. Shay emphasizes that banks do not have to lend to you. How you present yourself, your organization, and your responsiveness matter. A borrower with messy paperwork or a difficult attitude can derail a deal, even with strong financials. Lender Diversity MattersShay recounts a story in which a prominent lender abruptly exited the franchise space, leaving many deals in limbo. This highlights the importance of not putting all your eggs in one basket. Both franchisees and franchisors need a diversified network of financial partners to avoid disruption. ㅤ About the Guesta href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shay-kleinschmidt-b5657053/"...

    32 min

  3. 12/12/2025

    Flat Fees, State Registrations, and Startup Franchise Costs with Guest Evan M. Goldman (with Evan M. Goldman) | Ep. 18

    Host Sean McKay brings on long-awaited guest Evan M. Goldman for a candid look at how franchise law really works behind the scenes. Evan talks about walking away from “great money” in a tedious finance job, stumbling onto a franchise law posting on a job website, and spending the last 13 years focused every day on franchise law. ㅤ As a founding partner at The Franchise Firm LLP, Evan explains why he left large firms with massive cost structures to build a smaller practice that better reflects how franchisors and entrepreneurs actually operate. He walks through his work as outside counsel on dispute resolution, his preference for mediation, and why most of his cases settle before anyone steps into court or arbitration. ㅤ Sean and Evan also get specific on startup franchise costs, flat-fee project work instead of hourly billing, and how state registrations in states like New York and Washington can affect timelines for emerging brands. ㅤ 👤 Guest Bio Evan M. Goldman is a founding partner at The Franchise Firm LLP, where he focuses on franchise law and commercial litigation. He has spent more than a decade working with franchisors and franchisees, drafting and registering FDDs, handling state registrations, and serving as outside counsel on disputes nationwide. Evan represents franchisors in mediation, litigation, and arbitration, with a strong emphasis on resolving disputes before they escalate into lengthy, costly court or arbitration proceedings. He also continues to review FDDs for prospective franchisees, keeping him close to both sides of the franchise relationship. ㅤ 📌 What We Cover How Evan went from sport management and a plan to be a sports agent to discovering franchise law through a job posting on Monster or CareerBuilderLeaving a “boring as hell” finance company job with significant money to do more interesting work, even if it meant a temporary pay cutBuilding experience across multiple firms, then launching The Franchise Firm to operate in the entrepreneurial bucket alongside franchisor clients.Why large firm cost structures and huge offices do not match a Zoom world, or the realities of supporting small and emerging franchisorsThe role of outside dispute counsel for firms that draft FDDs and registration,s while Evan focuses on mediation and dispute resolution nationwideMediation versus litigation and arbitration, including why more than 90 percent of Evan’s mediations settle and how pre-suit mediation can keep Item 3 of the FDD cleanA practical breakdown of startup franchisor costs, including legal fees in the 18 to 25 thousand range, consultants, operations manuals, audits, and the need for real marketing dollarsHow project-based flat fees help franchisors budget their year, remove the fear of hourly billing, and let Evan treat work like a full season where good and bad luck average outWhy New York and Washington often take the longest for state registrati,on and how New York’s inbound and outbound structure adds volume for understaffed regulatorsCautious franchise marketing requires disclaimers, and short-term sales promises can turn into long-term misrepresentation claims and angry franchisees.eesEvan’s rule of thumb on when franchisors should actually sue a franchisee, including trademark issues, holdover operators, and non-compete...

    39 min

  4. 05/12/2025

    Speed To Lead, Liquid Capital, And Proper Qualification For Franchise Leads | Ep. 17

    Lighting money on fire with franchise leads that never get a call is a huge miss. On Franchise This, the show where we talk all about franchising, Sean McKay and producer Joseph Lewin are super excited about the qualification piece and what winning actually looks like when you bring in paid media to generate franchise leads. ㅤ They walk through hundreds of leads that never get called, negative brand reputation, and why speed to lead within a few minutes, under five minutes, with a personal phone call or text message has to be the number one thing. They dig into verified phone numbers and email addresses, one-time passwords, liquid capital requirements, SBA loans, and long-term nurture when someone is not ready. ㅤ They talk about hiring a sales rep with experience in the franchise world, a phone setter, a trained franchise sales expert, mutual vetting with the franchisor and another franchisee, nervous first-time buyers, the cowboy person with a hundred franchises, and a sales cycle that might be a month, three months, a year, or even 16 months. ㅤ 📌 What We CoverLighting money on fire with thousands of dollars in advertising, hundreds of leads, and not calling a single oneWhy people who fill out a form are waiting, the game of Chase, and why speed to lead under five minutes with a personal phone call or text message is the number one thingVerifying the phone number and email address with a one time password so you know with certainty that the person filled out the formConfirming liquid capital, SBA loans, required liquid capital amounts, and using the form to filter out people who are not ready right awayQuestions in the form about how soon they want to open, confirming if they are a US citizen, and interest in talking to a franchise consultantNegative brand reputation when you never call back, and why a YouTube video of you lighting money on fire might actually do betterHiring a sales rep with experience in the franchise world instead of the franchisor doing the calls and making the business look really smallThe phone setter, the trained franchise sales expert, mutual vetting with the franchisor and another franchisee, in person meetings, signatures, loans, and a smooth, well defined process from start to finish ㅤ 🔗 Resources MentionedSean McKayJoseph LewinSBA loansFranchise consultant

    10 min

  5. 28/11/2025

    Franchising Is Complicated: Common Questions from Franchise Owners | Ep. 16

    Common questions from franchisees and franchise owners keep coming up around franchising as complicated, getting this stuff off the ground, and how to find franchisees. Host Sean McKay welcomes producer Joseph Lewin for something a little different on Franchise This, a show about franchising, and turns the focus to the questions they hear all the time. ㅤ Joseph shares how franchise owners are trying to figure out all kinds of different stuff while they work to get things off the ground and look for franchisees. Together, Sean and Joseph highlight learnings picked up along the way from the show and start to explore what franchise owners should do before they engage an agency. The conversation centers on the real tension franchise owners feel as they balance the complexity of franchising with the pressure to grow. ㅤ 📌 What We CoverCommon questions that come up from franchisees and franchise ownersWhy franchising is complicated and how that shows up for franchise ownersWhat goes into getting this stuff off the ground for a franchiseThe pressure on franchise owners who need to find franchiseesHow questions from franchise owners shape learnings picked up along the way from the showThe early conversation around what franchise owners should do before they engage an agency

    10 min

  6. 21/11/2025

    Validate That Your Business Is Even Franchisable Before Hiring An Agency | Ep. 15

    Engaging with an agency can be a scary proposition because you are immediately incurring monthly cost, so you want to be ready. On Franchise This, Sean McKay and producer Joseph Lewin do a little something different today and go over common questions from franchisees and franchise owners and some of the learnings that they picked up along the way from the show. They talk about how to validate that your business is even franchisable with more than one corporate location, a test somewhere else, standard operating procedures, and a well documented plan and procedure for everything in the business. They talk about the legal side with your FDD, franchise landing page and collateral for advertising, and why you should exhaust your network first with customers, friends, family, vendors, and people you know in the business before you go out and pay for leads. They say how even one franchise location can be a validated concept and a testimonial with good revenue numbers and AUV, like a cheesesteak place with about 4 million dollars in average annual revenue that makes people excited, and they bring in sales, concepts people are less interested in, the cyclical nature of what is in fashion or interesting to potential candidates, and serious franchise owners generating leads with a fresh FDD in hand and a strategic conversation and consultation to talk about what it would look like when you are ready. ㅤ 📌 What We CoverEngaging with an agency, monthly cost, and why hiring an agency too soon is not a good thing for anybody.Validating that your business is even franchisable with more than one corporate location, a test somewhere else, and standard operating procedures and a well documented plan and procedure for everything in the business.The legal side with your FDD, franchise landing page, collateral for advertising, and going to market more quickly.Why you should exhaust your network first with customers, friends, family, vendors, and people you know in the business before you go out and pay for leads, and how one or two franchise locations can make advertising and generating leads easier.Using one franchise location as a validated concept and testimonial with average annual revenue, AUV, and a 4 million dollar cheesesteak place example that makes people excited.Warm and cold sales, problems in your business model, concepts people are less interested in, the cyclical nature of what is in fashion or interesting to potential candidates month by month and year by year, and finding that out beforehand.When to reach out to an agency like ours, serious about generating leads, brands at a very early stage directly out of the lawyer’s office with fresh FDD in hand, and using a strategic conversation and consultation to talk about what it would look like when you are ready. ㅤ 🔗 Resources MentionedFranchise ThisSean McKayJoseph LewinFranchise consultant KellyFDDFranchise landing page and collateral

    9 min

  7. 31/10/2025

    Big Fish in a Small Pond, Why Hands-Off Franchising Doesn’t Really Exist (with Richard Gould) | Ep. 14

    Scrappy from day one, Sean McKay sits down with Richard Gould, the franchisor behind Richard’s Painting, to talk about real choices and real consequences. Richard did not graduate high school, learned painting under Don, bought the business in his twenties, then sold it, moved from the Princeton area to Salisbury, North Carolina, and started over without knowing anyone. He grew a small-town operation past a million dollars a year, opened a second location to prove the model worked without him, and then franchised. You will hear how $5,000 down ads on BizBuySell brought in early franchisees, why better qualified candidates matter, why a slow and steady path beats quick territory counts, and how a group coaching program with Dan Martel and Buy Back Your Time helped Richard get out of his own way. Expect straight talk on costs, marketing, Angi’s fixed monthly program, and why a painting company that actually paints can still scale. ㅤ 👤 Guest BioRichard Gould is the franchisor of Richard’s Painting. He started as a young painter working alongside Don, purchased the business in his twenties, and later moved from the Princeton area to Salisbury, North Carolina, where he rebuilt from scratch. After growing past a million dollars a year locally, he opened a second location to prove the system, then began franchising. Richard describes himself as scrappy and committed to helping people with no business experience learn how to run a business using painting as the platform. ㅤ 📌 What We CoverStarting over in Salisbury, North Carolina, and taking three to four years to become successfulOpening a second location to see if the business works without the founderSelling early franchises from $5,000 down BizBuySell ads and what happened nextThe reality of franchising costs, why “a million dollars to franchise” gets said, and doing it for far lessPainting company versus sales organization, and why learning the craft still mattersWhy hands-off franchises do not really exist and how effort maps to returnUsing Facebook, Google, and Angi’s fixed monthly program to drive leads, especially in larger marketsWorking with brokers and consultants, qualifying candidates, and protecting people who put their life savings on the line ㅤ 🔗 Resources MentionedRichard’s Painting website: http://www.richardspainting.netRichard Gould on LinkedInSean McKayDan Martel and Buy Back Your TimeMonster Tree ServiceFranchise Marketing Systems (Chris Connor)BizBuySellGo BurritoAngiTikTok and Instagram: Richard underscore the Painter

    39 min

  8. 24/10/2025

    How Franchisors Can Fix Their Marketing Mistakes and Win Locally | Ep. 13

    Sean McKay steps behind the mic for a solo reflection on what he’s learned from the first stretch of Franchise This. He answers real questions about what franchisors need, where marketing dollars go wrong, and how data, automation, and brand storytelling connect to long-term success. ㅤ Sean explains what “hanging the digital open sign” really looks like, how brands lose momentum by giving up too soon, and why consistent messaging matters as much as ad spend. He breaks down what worked with brands like Cookies & Cream, Bubba Co’s, and Marigold Academy, and where campaigns like LinkedIn advertising fell short. ㅤ From local grand-opening playbooks to data-enriched lead qualification, Sean lays out how to build smarter franchise marketing systems that support franchisees and keep growth sustainable. ㅤ 📌 What We CoverWhat franchise marketing looks like behind the scenes at Site HubThe biggest mistakes franchisors make when scaling and spendingWhy brand marketing and messaging still matter in the AI eraLessons from Cookies & Cream, Bubba Co’s, and Marigold AcademyWhere LinkedIn ads failed and why persistence and tracking matterHow to support new franchisees with “digital open signs” and local awareness campaignsUsing data enrichment and automation to score and qualify leadsWhat’s working in lead generation now and why quality beats quantityBalancing corporate and local marketing so franchisees win ㅤ 🔗 Resources MentionedSite HubFranchise This episode with Greg at the Peach Cobbler FactoryFranchise This episode with Tim Doherty

    15 min
See All (21)

Trailer

About

Franchise This is the podcast where franchise growth meets digital marketing strategy. Hosted by Sean McKay, founder and CEO of Site Hub, this show dives into what it really takes to scale a franchise in today’s fast-moving, tech-driven world. ㅤ Each episode features insights from franchise owners, marketers, and operations leaders who are building brands that expand without losing their identity. Whether you’re just starting out or managing hundreds of locations, you’ll get practical tips, real stories, and marketing strategies designed to help you grow smarter—not just bigger. ㅤ Franchise This is your front-row seat to the tools, tactics, and systems that drive franchise success—from local SEO and brand consistency to multi-location campaigns and operational scale.

Information

  • Creator
    Site Hub
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Site Hub
  • Show Website
    Franchise This