Unpredicted Entrepreneur

Ready to learn what truly sets successful franchises apart? In episode 111 of Unpredicted Entrepreneur, hosts Roxanne Rapske and Sara Waskow sit down with brothers Justin Donat and Raymond Donat, the founders of True North Restoration, to discuss the real keys to thriving in business ownership and franchising.

Discover why building a business on strong values and company culture is more important than flashy resumes or indu...

In this episode of Unpredicted Entrepreneur, Mike Bahun, founder of ‪Fundraising University
shares his journey and how he's changing school fundraising. Discover innovative fundraising strategies and practical fundraising tips to help schools with raising money more effectively. This video emphasizes creating a more meaningful approach to school fundraiser efforts.

You’ll hear about:

• How Mike Bahun went from foster ca...

Welcome to Episode 109 of Unpredicted Entrepreneur. Today's episode is a masterclass in entrepreneurial reinvention! Join hosts Sara Waskow and Roxanne Rapske as they welcome Mike Pearce, founder and Chief Development Officer of Renew Medic, to explore how decades of franchise experience, and a "retirement" that didn't stick, sparked an industry-changing venture. 

Mike grew up in franchising, inspired by watching his dad bu...

Discover how Dan Frey turned a career setback into the national franchise The Glass Guru! Learn about entrepreneurship, franchising, and innovation in home improvement in this inspiring episode.

In Episode 108 of the Unpredicted Entrepreneur podcast, hosts Sara Waskow and Roxanne Rapske sit down with Dan Frey, founder and president of The Glass Guru. Hear Dan's incredible journey from losing his job during his honeymoon to ...

Ready to break free from the corporate world and redefine success? In Episode 107 of Unpredicted Entrepreneur, hosts Sara Waskow and Roxanne Rapske sit down with Mudar Sapatwalla, CEO and owner of TeamLogic IT of HEB (Hurst Euless Bedford), to explore his remarkable journey from nearly 30 years in Corporate America to passionate business ownership.

Facing looming layoffs and a desire for true independence, Mudar Sapatwalla ...

Have you ever looked around and thought, “I can’t do this anymore?” That was the reality for our guest, Tonya Middleton, who faced underemployment, raising four kids, and feeling isolated in a new state. In this episode, Tonya shares her inspiring journey from feeling stuck to reigniting her purpose by buying her dream franchise, More Space Place of DFW.

Join hosts Sara Waskow and Roxanne Rapske as they dive into Tonya’...

In Episode 105 of Unpredicted Entrepreneur, we sit down with Brigham Dallas, the owner and CEO of Hello Sugar, for a conversation packed with hustle, innovation, and an incredible story of growth. Discover how Brigham went from selling golf balls at age 7 to running the largest worm distribution business in America, and eventually building one of the fastest-growing beauty brands in the nation.

Hear how Hello Sugar star...

Welcome to Episode 104 of Unpredicted Entrepreneur! In this episode, hosts Sara Waskow and Roxanne Rapske sit down with Christian Buck (COO), Thomas Reinhard (CFO), and Cal Freatman (CEO), the founders behind Cascadia Pizza, a food truck turned franchise success story! Discover how Christian’s wedding pizza recipes, Tom’s business insight, and Cal’s entrepreneurial drive turned a tiny, 300-square-foot shop into a thriving,...

Welcome to Episode 103 of Unpredicted Entrepreneur! In this must-listen podcast, we’re diving into franchising, small business ownership, and entrepreneurship with our incredible guest, Rod Floyd of CMIT Solutions of Arlington.

Rod opens up about his journey from corporate layoffs at Verizon to running his own IT franchise, and the tough lessons he learned along the way—like the dangers of doing everything yourself, the...

Discover the truth about franchising and business ownership! In this episode of Unpredicted Entrepreneur, Sara Waskow and Roxanne Rapske talk with Joe and Mandy Chapman, owners of Stand Strong Fencing of Fort Worth, about their journey from the mortgage industry to running a thriving fencing franchise. 

Learn the real benefits of franchising, how support from Horsepower Brands helped them scale quickly, the challenges o...

"People get caught up in paying a royalty, thinking of it as an expense. It's really an investment. You're able to leapfrog years of trial and error. I'll give you an example. The typical non-franchised home service business has an average revenue of $100,000to $200,000 the first year, whereas in a system like ours, the first year is a half million average. So yes, you're paying a royalty, but think about how many trials a...

“My father used to say, ‘Never go into business with a partner, much less a family member.’ And to some degree, he's right. But look, business is hard. It's hard to get something off the ground by yourself. You need to have other people with skin in the game. I think in our situation, a lot of divine intervention occurred. We filled in each other's gaps as far as skill sets go, and the things that we enjoy. I have more of ...

"If you’re pursuing a business, it's going to take some steps of faith. If you have the opportunity to do something from the start, like I did, I had to get a lot of black eyes, bloody noses, and stubbed toes, all to put myself in a position where I can educate someone on a clear path. So I do think franchising is a really proven strategy. It’s important to find the system that's right for you and the right culture fit of ...

"As a business owner, you have to be willing to invest in yourself. We have budget and line items for social media, marketing, office supplies, for our lawyers, and different things, but we don't necessarily have a budget for our clothes and how we show up. You might have logo-branded material, okay, great, but how are you going to differentiate yourself, and how is that going to make you stand out from your competitors?"<...

"As an emerging brand and a relatively new business (I started the company in 2021), it's been incredibly valuable to partner with franchisees who bring such diverse experience and expertise from their respective backgrounds. One of the things I love most is the collaboration. We work closely together, and I’ve learned so much from them. It’s also been fascinating to connect with people from all over the country, each with...

“A lot of people go into franchising thinking there's the corporate structure of who you're franchising with, which is true and it's great, and franchising is a great model, but you still have this one problem you forget you have to deal with. It's called people. 

People are not easy. There's not a book that tells you exactly how to respond to every person, every day, every scenario. The biggest challenge I see is o...

“We're so different. If you built us from the ground up right now, you couldn't make us any more different than we are. Yet, we make great business partners because we have a common goal. One of the things that I always try to coach people on, when I'm talking to them about leaving corporate America and considering owning a business, is their WHY. It seems kind of trite, but it is about the WHY. 

What are you trying...

“Our investment is $59,500.00. That’s for a 10-year franchise agreement. It gives you the rights to market anywhere in the U.S. Our franchisees are allowed to have 200 protected businesses at any one time in our CRM system, so that way they're protected. No other franchisee can target those prospects. Two hundred prospects will take you a few months to work through. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it is a lot. 

The way...

“I like to give everyone a checklist of the basics of marketing. I think you should have a one-liner. You should know how to talk about your business in a way that makes people shut up and listen. Everyone wears a sign that says, ‘Make me feel special.’ Rather than cramming your brand down someone's throat, talk about the problems that your company solves on behalf of your clients and make sure that they can understand the...