Emerging Franchise Brands

Frank Fiume interviews Francesco Amendola, founder of Sweetaly Gelato, a handcrafted gelato shop born from Italian roots and built for American communities. Francesco shares how he brought the art of artisan gelato from Italy to Utah, how being a former franchisee shaped his vision, and why he’s growing his brand one thoughtful location at a time. Discover how Sweetaly blends authenticity, quality, and emotional connection into eve...

Frank Fiume interviews Bron Launsby, founder and CEO of Slick City, an indoor action park franchise redefining family fun with dry slides and modular sports attractions. A former franchisee turned franchisor, Bron shares how he leveraged real-world experience, patented technology, and a data-driven model to scale rapidly across the U.S. Learn how Slick City appeals to all ages, why now is the time to join, and what makes this brand...

In this episode of Emerging Franchise Brands, Frank Fiume speaks with Jenna Vrzal, founder of Spoil Me Kids Spa. What started as a creative idea for her daughter’s birthday party has become a growing franchise that blends beauty, imagination, and heartfelt experiences. Jenna shares how she built a business centered on memories, overcame doubts (even from her dad), and now empowers other women—especially moms—to create joy in their ...

Frank Fiume interviews Tapster founder Roman Maliszewski and VP of Franchise Development Justin Livingston to explore how a self-pour tasting room concept grew from an idea in Chicago to a multi-state franchise. They share the story behind Tapster’s tech-driven, customer-led model, the power of community spaces, and how empathy, branding, and trust have driven organic growth across five states. If you're looking for an experiential...

In this powerful episode of Emerging Franchise Brands, Frank Fiume interviews Danessa Itaya, President of Bio-One, a crime and trauma scene cleaning franchise. Danessa explains how Bio-One helps families in crisis, why empathy is central to their mission, and how the brand has grown to over 125 units nationwide. Learn how franchisees are trained, what makes a successful owner, and why now is the right time to invest in a recession-...

Frank Fiume interviews Carolyn and Charles Thurston, the founders of Wisdom Senior Care, to explore how a vision sparked in high school became a purpose-driven franchise helping seniors age with dignity. From burnout to breakthrough, they share how faith, family, and systems built a thriving brand that’s empowering caregivers and changing lives. Learn how they recovered from early setbacks, why multi-unit owners think differently, ...

In this episode of Emerging Franchise Brands, Frank Fiume interviews Rick King and Jason Markowicz, co-founders of Fitness Premier. They share how early missteps and aggressive expansion taught them to build a stronger foundation for long-term franchise success. From opening gyms in small towns to creating recovery-focused spaces and empowering franchisees from within, their story offers valuable lessons for anyone looking to grow ...

Frank Fiume sits down with Mike Sebazco, President of Famous Toastery, to talk about how this North Carolina-based brunch franchise rebooted its entire system to build a smarter, stronger brand. Mike shares the company’s fresh food philosophy, how they paused franchising to refine their playbook, and why now is the ideal time for committed operators to get involved. Learn what makes this brunch concept unique, scalable, and communi...

On this episode of Emerging Franchise Brands, Frank Fiume sits down with Shahpour Nejad, the founder of Pizza Guys. With roots going back to 1986, Pizza Guys has grown to nearly 100 locations by focusing on quality, community, and franchisee support. Shahpour shares how he started as a student working in pizza, grew organically through trust and partnerships, and avoided price wars by carving out a unique niche in gourmet specialty...

In this episode of Emerging Franchise Brands, Frank Fiume sits down with Matt Gorman, founder and president of Matty G’s Steakburgers & Lobster Rolls. Matt shares how his passion for food, sports, and family fueled the creation of this unique burger brand that feels more like a local hangout than a chain. Learn how he evolved from Italian restaurants to smash burgers, why community connection matters, and what makes now a perfe...

In this episode of Emerging Franchise Brands, Frank Fiume chats with David Leonardo, CEO of Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream. David shares how a simple idea turned into a scalable franchise model using innovative technology and custom-crafted experiences. Learn how his background with Burger King and Arby’s helped shape Chill-N’s approach to franchising, why the brand stayed focused on singles and doubles, and what makes now the perfect ...

Frank Fiume talks with Steven and Olivia Guistolise, co-founders of Stadium on Wheels, a baseball-themed food truck franchise serving foot-long stadium classics with a nostalgic twist. From humble beginnings in Chicago to big wins in Arizona and now franchising nationwide, they share how they created a scalable mobile food experience rooted in family, Americana, and love for the game. Hear how they’re keeping it simple, fun, and fr...

Frank Fiume sits down with Kirk Bowyer, co-founder and CEO of Mini Athletics, to explore how a simple idea inspired by his son's soccer class grew into an international children's franchise. From humble beginnings in Cambridge, UK to expansion across the US, Kirk shares how Mini Athletics carved out a unique niche in early childhood sports. Hear his candid thoughts on US franchise regulations, dealing with brokers, and why now is t...

On this episode of Emerging Franchise Brands, Frank Fiume is joined by Jason Sant, CEO of Team Up Athletics, and COO Damon Sant. The brothers share how they built a thriving franchise that blends high-touch, local service with national-level resources in the team uniform and sports equipment industry. They discuss why franchising was the right model for their business, how they’re filling a major gap in a fragmented market, and wha...

Michael Wagner, President of Roof Scientist, shares how his team is transforming the roofing industry with proprietary nano-ceramic technology. Backed by Homefront Brands, this new franchise model is designed for scalability, recession resilience, and real-world impact for owners who want to build something meaningful in the home services space.

GUEST: Michael Wagner

WEBSITE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-wagner-2a10637/

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Amy Johnson, founder of Wiki-Licious, shares how she turned a Hawaiian donut favorite into a thriving home-based franchise model across 17 states. From humble beginnings selling malasadas in Alaska to empowering families to build businesses from their kitchens, Amy’s story is a masterclass in resilience, innovation, and heartfelt entrepreneurship.

GUEST: Amy Johnson

WEBSITE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-johnson-8b1062252/

https://w...