Franchise Voice

Franchise Voice host Jack Monson brings interviews with the top leaders in Franchising recorded at the IFA 2026 convention. The 2026 Ronald E. Harrison Award winners are Omar Simmons and Raynya Simmons. They join the podcast to discuss their vision for making the franchise space bigger and more inclusive with the IFA Ascension Initiative. Omar and Raynya share how the Ascension Initiative has grown from 17 graduates in 2024 to 45 graduates in 2025! And we’ll discuss how the program will grow over the next few years. Next, we’ll learn from some of the most influential suppliers in Franchising: Abby Schmidt and Ben Rush of Paychex and Jonathan Hill of Morrow Hill. These subject matter experts share the latest trends in the economics of franchising and small business ownership. Today’s podcast is sponsored by City Lifestyle. Special Guests: Abby Schmidt, Ben Rush, Matthew Montoya, Omar Simmons, and Raynya Simmons.

Franchise Voice host Jack Monson brings interviews with the top leaders in Franchising recorded at the IFA 2026 convention. Emma Dickison is the President & CEO of Home Helpers with a 30 year history in Franchising. She’s this year’s winner of the IFA Women’s Leadership Award and is the new Chair of the IFA Franchisor Forum. Emma shares her journey to leading Home Helpers, her turning point with the Women’s Franchise Committee, and her mentors along the way. She discusses her intentionality, how the direction of her career has evolved, and her personal leadership style. Next up, Contact Contact’s Matthew Montoya chats about the recent changes in digital marketing for both Franchisees and Franchise brands. How does a successful system currently balance brand control and local needs? And how are franchisors using AI to help the franchisees improve their local marketing results? Today’s podcast is sponsored by City Lifestyle. Special Guests: Emma Dickison and Matthew Montoya.

This episode was recorded live at The International Franchise Association's 2026 Convention in Las Vegas with host Jack Monson. Catherine Monson, CEO of Propelled Brands and former Chair of the IFA, discusses the increased energy and the evolution at IFA2026. She also shares the latest on the status of The American Franchise Act and the Coalition to Save Local Businesses. We’ll also chat with Franchise subject matter experts Karen Booze of AnswerConnect and Dan Bell of Scorpion about how their teams are helping Franchisors and Franchisees with the rapidly changing realities in customer experience and franchise marketing. Special Guests: Catherine Monson, Dan Bedell, and Karen Booze.

This episode was recorded live at The International Franchise Association's 2026 Convention in Las Vegas with host Jack Monson. IFA President & CEO Matt Haller discusses the Evolution of The IFA Convention including more networking and more value for new members. he also share upcoming priorities for the Franchise community. Next, we’ll chat with Franchise subject matter experts Ali Kraus, CMO of Benetrends, and Mark Spencer, CGO of Consumer Fusion, about how they’re helping brands with current industry issues. Special Guests: Ali Kraus, Mark Spencer, and Matt Haller.

We are wrapping up 2025 on this edition of Franchise Voice with conversations about the current state of Franchising with Tamra Kennedy, multi-unit franchise owner and IFA Board Member, and Michael Layman, IFA’s Chief Advocacy Officer. Host Jack Monson and guests dive advocacy issues including how changes in regulations have affected franchise owners, including the improvements in the Joint Employer situation, the effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill, and the tremendous momentum of the bi-partisan American Franchise Act. A special THANK YOU to The International Franchise Association’s Preferred Vendors for your support this year: AnswerConnect (https://www.answerconnect.com/franchise), Benetrends (https://www.benetrends.com), Constant Contact (https://www.constantcontact.com), Consumer Fusion (https://www.consumerfusion.com/franchise-reputation-management-4/), Morrow Hill (https://morrowhill.com), Paychex (https://www.paychex.com/franchise), and Scorpion (https://www.scorpion.co). For more information and contacts mentioned on this episode, please visit franchise.org (https://www.franchise.org) Special Guests: Michael Layman and Tamra Kennedy.

It’s the Veteran’s Day edition of Franchise Voice. Guests Wendy Kunz, Director of Veteran Programs at the International Franchise Association and Sean Falk, President and COO of Careertopia and the Chair of IFA’s VetFran, join host Jack Monson. We’ll dive into: • Why Veterans and Franchising are such a good fit • What makes the Veteran community so unique • How VetFran is helping individuals and franchise brands To get involved, visit vetfran.org (https://www.vetfran.org) Next up, Brynn Gibbs, CEO of Consumer Fusion (https://www.consumerfusion.com), discusses the impact that AI has on your brand’s reputation management. Reviews play a huge role in AI search results, especially for Franchise systems where the brand’s reputation and each location’s reviews can affect the entire system. Brynn shares tips on keeping your franchisees, teams, and customers knowledgeable in a rapidly changing marketing landscape. Special Guests: Brynn Gibbs, Sean Falk, and Wendy Kunz.

International Franchise Association President & CEO Matt Haller shares a preview of the IFA Advocacy Summit 2025. Matt discusses how the changes in DC since last year’s Summit are affecting our agenda on Capitol Hill including a proposed permanent solution to Joint Employer. We also run down the speakers at the Summit including CNN’s Scott Jennings, entrepreneurship advocate Codie Sanchez, and Senator Roger Marshall. One of the challenges in the franchise community is complacency; let’s not let up on the momentum we’ve gained and join your peers in Washington, DC September 15 – 17! Register now! (https://web.cvent.com/event/c8608e2c-1da1-4a9a-b675-fc061ac3954c/websitePage:a42a829c-7eda-4acd-967a-1521bb754e1c) Today's episdoe is sponsored by ActiveCampaign (https://www.activecampaign.com/franchise).

The Franchise Leadership and Development Conference is coming up October 7 - 9 in Atlanta and is presented by Franchise Update Media and The International Franchise Association This year’s FLDC Chair is Shawn Caric, VP of Franchise Development at Smoothie King. He joins today’s podcast with a preview of one the best annual events in the Franchise Community. Shawn also shares: • How candidates and franchise opportunities have changed over the past few years • Fran Dev trends he’s watching for the rest of ’25 and early ’26 • Advice for franchisors who may need to recharge • Tips for networking with your Franchising peers If you haven’t yet registered for FLDC 2025, reserve your spot today and hear compelling speakers like futurist Morris Morrison and many franchise leaders. Register now at https://www.franchisedevelopmentconference.com/ See you in October! Special Guest: Shawn Caric.

Today’s Franchise Voice podcast is presented by Wisetail and features more conversations from the floor of The IFA World Franchise Show in Miami. Host Jack Monson chats with several top franchise leaders to share competitive advantages, why franchising works for their brands, and forecasts for franchising for 2025 and 2026. Today’s guests: Jim Holthouser, CEO, GoTo Foods Sally Facinelli, CEO, Salty Dawg Pet Salon Jerry Ackers, Multi-Brand/Multi-Unit Owner and Founder of ZDynamix Craig Sherwood, SVP Development, The Joint Chiropractic

Today’s Franchise Voice podcast is presented by Wisetail and features more conversations from the floor of The IFA World Franchise Show in Miami. Host Jack Monson chats with several prominent franchise leaders to discuss their brands, why franchising is working for so many, and projections for the remainder of the year. You’ll hear from: Amy Elder, Papa Johns Nadeem Bajwa, Multi-Unit Franchise Owner Chris Patel, Multi-Unit Franchise Owner Jack Wilson, HomeWell Care Services Melinda Emerson, SmallBizLady

“Franchising unlocks the American Dream.” -John Peyton, CEO of Dine Brands Today’s Franchise Voice podcast is presented by Wisetail and features more conversations from the floor of The IFA World Franchise Show in Miami. Host Jack Monson speaks with many of today’s top franchise leaders about their brands, why franchising is making such an impact, and what’s up next for the rest of this year. You’ll hear from: John Peyton, Dine Brands Ethan Albrecht-Carrié, Lime Fresh Mexican Grill Josh Minturn, Authority Brands George Knauff, My Perfect Franchise David Berg, Reef Health Chase Dalton, Silicon Signs

A special series starts today on Franchise Voice with host Jack Monson captured at The IFA World Franchise Show in Miami, the newest event in franchising. IFA President & CEO Matt Haller shares an update on the state of franchising and the hottest topics for the rest of 2025. Then we’ll chat with relatively new franchisee Clarence Howell on small business ownership and some timely info on an upcoming deadline for Franchise Asension Initiative. Today's episode is brought to you by IFA Preffered Vendor, AnswerConnect. Special Guests: Clarence Howell and Matt Haller.

Franchise Voice is THE podcast from the International Franchise Association, hosted by Jack Monson. The IFA is partnering with exciting new franchise expo this year offering franchise opportunities globally. Today we’ll learn about The International Franchise Show London in April from show producer Simon Chicken. And we’ll chat with Danielle Bay, event manager for The World Franchise Show in Miami this May, Today’s podcast is brought you by Vendasta (http://vendasta.com/franchise) and ActiveCampaign (https://www.activecampaign.com). And learn more about these events at https://www.ifafranchiseshow.com/ and https://www.thefranchiseshow.co.uk/ Special Guests: Danielle Bay and Simon Chicken.

More thought leaders are on today’s show recorded at The IFA Annual Convention. We’ll get industry updates and strategies for navigating this year’s growth from Dave Mortensen, President and Co-Founder of Self Esteem brands and Jon Visser, VP of Sales at Fortidia. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Vendasta and ActiveCampaign Special Guests: Dave Mortensen and Jon Visser.

We’re continuing our series of conversations with leaders at this year’s IFA Annual Convention. Today you’ll hear about the IFA’s Ascension Initiative with Omar Simmons, Rayna Simmons, David Smith, and Clarence Howell. The Franchise Ascension Initiative provides knowledge, network, and navigation for business owners. The program matches talented individuals with brands and presents Franchising as a powerful – and welcoming – escalator of wealth. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Vendasta and ActiveCampaign Special Guests: Clarence Howell, David Smith, Omar Simmons, and Rayna Simmons.

We’re continuing our series of episodes highlighting leaders and award winners at this year’s IFA Annual Convention with Host Jack Monson. Today you’ll hear from Javier Solis, CEO of Toro Taxes Franchise and winner of this year’s Ronald E Harrison Award. Javier has had an impressive journey from starting his own tax business to building a franchise system with over 250 units to being a voice for millions of business owners in the US through the IFA and the Latino Leadership Council. Next, we’ll chat with Dawn Kane, Co-Founder and CEO of Hot Dish Advertising. Dawn is this year’s winner of the Bonnie Levine Award and shares her thoughts on where franchising has been and where we’re going in 2025! Thanks to ActiveCampaign and Hughes. Special Guests: Dawn Kane and Javier Solis.

We’re kicking off a series of episodes highlighting leaders and award winners at this year’s IFA Annual Convention with host Jack Monson. Today you’ll hear from Dan Monaghan, CEO of Clear Summit Group, and winner of the William Rosenberg Leadership Award. Dan shares his view on franchising’s future and the impact of AI and other innovations on the space. Next, we’ll chat with Richard Weissman, Co-Founder, CEO, and Chair of The Learning Experience. Richard is also this year’s IFA Entrepreneur of the Year and discusses the business climate he sees for fellow entrepreneurs in 2025. Thanks to ActiveCampaign and Hughes. Special Guests: Dan Monaghan and Richard Weissman.

Today on Franchise Voice: preview of The 2025 IFA Convention. First, host Jack Monson speaks with Nadia Carta of Google who will lead a session at the convention on AI for Franchises. Next, author and keynote speaker Nick Westergaard will preview his session about Scrappy Marketing for Franchises. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Hughes, and Xpressdocs. Special Guests: Nadia Carta and Nick Westergaard.

Matt Haller, President and CEO of The International Franchise Association, shares an update of a busy end of 2024 including positive changes in the NLRB and his review of the upcoming Federal Trade Commission and Small Business Administration leadership nominees who will have an impact on Franchising. Matt also gives a preview of the 2025 IFA Convention with speakers James Clear, Danny Hughes, and incoming IFA Chair Mary Thompson. Today’s podcast is brought to you by Hughes. Register now for IFA 2025: https://www.franchise.org Read the brochure for this exciting event: https://issuu.com/franchise411/docs/conventionbrochure2025

IFA’s SVP of Government Relations and Public Affairs Michael Layman joins the podcast from the DNC Convention in Chicago. Michael shares ideas on what to expect at the upcoming IFA Advocacy Summit in DC September 9 – 11 including relationship-building for the future with our representatives. We’re positioning Franchising for a big 2025 including tax reforms for small businesses after the current provisions expire in the coming year. Also on this episode, we welcome Alex Porter. Alex is the CEO of Location3, a digital partner of many multi-location brands and a member of the IFA Supplier Forum Advisory Board. He joins us live today from Google HQ with the latest on what’s next for Franchise marketers! Thanks to Hughes for your support. Special Guests: Alex Porter and Michael Layman.