What happens when you grow up in a franchising family and spend your career helping others avoid the mistakes you saw firsthand?
John Francis, better known as Johnny Franchise and the swiss army knife of franchising, has lived every role in the franchise world: franchisee, franchisor, executive, advisor, and board member. Today, he mentors 15–20 brands at a time, helping leaders reduce risk, improve results, and scale with confidence.
In this episode, John shares lessons of resilience, humility, and people-first leadership from his family’s iconic barber franchise, plus the hard truths he learned through loss and chaos. With the unique perspective of having been both a franchisee and franchisor, he explains how leaders can better understand their counterpart’s challenges. He also reveals the most common roadblocks franchisors face, how founders get in their own way, and why mentorship, mastermind groups, and advisory boards are game-changers.
You’ll also hear how he continues the legacy of mentorship passed down from his father, along with the story behind Father’s Eve, the nonprofit he founded to unite dads nationwide.
Whether you’re new to franchising or leading at scale, this conversation is packed with wisdom and strategies from one of the industry’s most trusted voices.
Connect with John Francis
Website: https://www.johnnyfranchise.com/
Episode Highlights:
- Growing up in a franchise family and lessons from his father
- The importance of structure, accountability, and sequencing in scaling
- Common founder blind spots (and how ego gets in the way)
- Why advisory boards and mastermind groups change the game
- Transitioning from family business to helping 50+ other brands
- The creation of Father’s Eve and its impact
Connect with Tracy
Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-panase/
JBF LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbfsale
JBF Franchise System - https://jbfsalefranchise.com/
Email: podcast@jbfsale.com
Connect with Shannon
Personal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonwilburn/
JBF LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbfsale
Website - https://shineexecutivecoaching.com/
Email - shannon@shineexecutivecoaching.com
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