On this episode of the Founderology — Built to Breakthrough podcast, I talk with Brandon Knudsen, Co-Founder and CEO of Ziggi's Coffee and a member of the inaugural class of Visionary Restaurant Founders recognized at the Founderology Growth Summit. Brandon and his wife Camrin have bootstrapped Ziggi's from a single coffee shop to more than 100 locations across 22 states, with 200 more in development — no private equity, no outside investors. Brandon held nothing back about what that journey actually cost them.

The licensing deal that failed before franchising even started

Before Ziggi's ever sold a franchise, Brandon tried licensing first. No fees. No royalties. Just handed over the playbook.

It fell apart.

The systems he and Camrin had been running for 12 years could not survive without them in the room. What Brandon did next — spending his own money to stress-test the model on his own managers before selling it to anyone else — is a strategic lesson in how to franchise the right way.
Every emerging franchisor needs to take this lesson and immediately apply it to their business.

Fifteen-hour days and the texts that never got returned

Brandon began franchising so he would not have to do everything himself as he and Camrin grew Ziggi's.
He then spent the next three years doing more of it than ever — driving to Realtor meetings, sitting through planning departments, showing up at construction sites and taking every call from every franchisee.

Until the day he realized he was the bottleneck.

The business was in the stuck zone – to big to be small and to small to be big.

The $400K COO he refused to hire
Brandon needed executive-level talent. The company was not in a position to take on six figures plus 10 percent of the business.

So, he found another way.

The fractional leaders he brought in did not just fill gaps — one of them changed the entire culture overnight without hiring a single new person.
If you are a Founder who thinks you cannot afford high-level strategy, Brandon's path will change your mind. Hear the critical decisions he made to bring affordable executive talent.

The one question he asks every struggling franchisee
When a franchisee calls Brandon and says they are struggling, he asks the same question every time.

The answer is always the same.

His philosophy on why you should never spend a dollar on marketing until the house is in order — and why the best-performing Ziggi's locations all have one thing in common — goes against everything the industry tells you.

The data backs him up. You know you want to know this critical question.

The advice that will hit you harder than you expect
Brandon closes with something personal — about the stores that keep him up at night, the success he forgets to celebrate and the one thing every Founder needs to hear when they are in the middle of the grind (literal in Brandon's case).

It is simple. It is real. If you are deep in the Stuck Zone right now, it might be exactly what you need.
If you are a Founder asking yourself, "What do I do next?" this episode answers that question in so many real and meaningful ways.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts and hear real insights and real solutions from Founders who are building brands to breakthrough. This is the community you have been looking for to grow your business!

Every Founder hits a moment where the business is too big to be small but too small to be big. I call it the stuck zone. And what you do next determines everything.

On this episode of the Founderology — Built to Breakthrough podcast, I talk with Jeff Perera, co-Founder of Jeff's Bagel Run and a member of the inaugural class of Visionary Restaurant Founders recognized at the Founderology Growth Summit. Jeff and I discussed the critical decisions that took him from a garage operation to nearly 30 locations and more opening weekly — and he held nothing back.

The Meeting He Said No to for Four Months

Someone kept knocking on Jeff's door with an opportunity that could change everything. He refused the meeting. Every single week for four months. Then a personal loss shifted his perspective, and he and his wife Danielle finally said yes. What happened in that room — and the gut-check that followed — is something every Founder who has ever been approached by a potential partner needs to hear.

The Title He Didn't Take

Most Founders would have demanded the CEO title. Jeff made a different call, and his reasoning reveals a level of self-awareness that separates Founders who scale from Founders who stall. This part of our conversation alone is worth pressing play.

Giving Away the Biggest Piece

Jeff and Danielle gave up a significant portion of the business they built with their own hands, blood, sweat and tears. How they reconciled that decision — and how Jeff reframes what "your piece of the pie" actually means at scale — will challenge every Founder who believes that holding on tight is the safest move.

The Hire That Changed Everything

The first two people Jeff brought on after forming his franchise company were not restaurant operators. They were software engineers. That decision continues to be questioned, however today it stands as one of the biggest competitive advantages in the brand. Jeff explains why, and how his logic applies far beyond bagels.

Why They Award Franchises and Never Sell Them

One word – AWARD and it creates a competitive difference. Jeff walks through how he evaluates alignment over ambition, and why saying no to eager candidates protects the long-term health of everything he has built. If you are scaling through franchising or partnerships of any kind, this is essential listening.

The Advice That Will Stop You in Your Tracks

Jeff closes with a snowstorm story and a piece of advice so simple it almost sounds too easy. But it is the exact shift every stuck Founder needs to make — and it is the opposite of what most people expect.

If you are a Founder asking yourself, "What do I do next?" This episode answers that question in so many real and meaningful ways.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts and hear real insights from Founders who are building brands to break through!

Kathleen Wood is the Founder of Kathleen Wood Partners, host of the Founderology — Built to Breakthrough podcast and co-host of the Founderology Growth Summit.

Community is not support. It is a strategic imperative.

Founders make stronger decisions when they stay connected to people, resources, and real-world insight.

That belief carries real weight when it comes from a leader who represents more than 1.5 million restaurant employees and an industry that fuels over $137 billion in economic impact. As CEO and president of the Texas Restaurant Association, Emily Williams Knight, Ed. D operates at the center of one of the most powerful restaurant communities in the country. Her work sits at the intersection of Founders, operators, policymakers, and partners, making her uniquely positioned to speak to the power of connection at scale.

That perspective anchors Kathleen Wood's conversation with Emily on Founderology: Built to Breakthrough—and it drives every part of the discussion. As markets move faster and decisions carry greater consequence, founders who stay connected gain clarity, perspective, and confidence. Connectivity becomes more than support. Connectivity becomes strategy.

When collective insights become action that drive results

In this episode, Kathleen and Emily talk directly about why Founders benefit from being part of strong communities, whether through state restaurant associations, industry networks, or experiences like the Founderology Growth Summit gatherings. Emily shares how connectivity through the Texas Restaurant Association creates alignment across operators, policymakers, and partners, turning shared insight into action and results.

The conversation highlights how Founders navigate complexity more effectively when they stay engaged with trusted peers and reliable information. Emily speaks from experience leading an organization that supports one of the largest economic engines in the country, where collective voices create outcomes that individual businesses cannot generate alone.

The real business impact of staying connected.

Kathleen and Emily explore how community shows up in practical ways:

• Founders gain faster clarity through shared experience
• Decisions improve when leaders stay informed and connected
• Advocacy becomes stronger when voices align
• Leadership confidence increases through trusted networks
• Growth accelerates when Founders learn together

The discussion also reinforces why industry associations and Founder communities matter now. Emily explains how collaboration reshaped outcomes during pivotal moments and why those lessons continue to apply as founders plan for the future. The same principles that work at scale also strengthen individual brands and leadership teams.

Where connection becomes a competitive advantage.

That belief in connection is why Emily will be speaking at the Founderology Growth Summit. The Summit is an experience that connects Founders to exchange insight, challenge assumptions, and make better decisions through shared experience. It creates space for real conversations that help leaders move forward with clarity.

One truth for 2026: Connectivity wins.

Throughout the episode, one truth remains consistent: Founders succeed faster and lead better when they stay connected.

• Community sharpens decision-making.
• Shared insight reduces isolation.
• Relationships create momentum.
• Your network does drive your net worth.

For Founders looking to succeed in 2026 and beyond, this podcast offers a clear takeaway:

Connectivity is the strategic imperative.

The Founderology Growth Summit is your Solution – Seats are still available: register now: www.founderologysummit.com - use this code Founders20

Listen to the full episode of Founderology: Built to Breakthrough to hear the complete conversation with Emily Williams Knight, Ed. D.

Almost a year ago, I stood on a plot of land in Austin with Ellis Winstanley. He pointed to an empty space and said, "Here's my vision. I'm going to have an event center there."

I remember thinking: yes, of course, you are and I was so confident it would happen we recorded our first podcast together announcing that the 2026 Founderology Growth Summit would be hosted at the new El Arroyo event center.

That's exactly what Ellis does. He sees what others don't. He asks the questions others won't. And he builds what others say can't be done.

Ellis is the Founder of NAR Ventures, Axial Shift, El Arroyo and several other groundbreaking companies. Here's what makes him different from most serial entrepreneurs/Founders I know: He doesn't just solve problems for himself. He invites others in to solve them together, and the solution ends up helping an entire industry.

In our latest Founderology podcast episode, Ellis and I discuss his Founder's journey, from being an 18-year-old who refused to accept he couldn't bartend ("Why not? I can legally do it") to building one of the most innovative hospitality brands in the country.

When someone told him something couldn't be done a certain way, he didn't argue. He just kept working it until he found a solution. Then he did the hard work of making it real.
Ellis's Founder's mindset has driven everything he's built:

• El Arroyo's transformation from a local Austin icon into an international phenomenon.
• A bold vision for rethinking casual dining at a time when the entire industry is under pressure.
• An approach to community development and experiences that meets people where they are, at an approachable price point.
• Developing technology that drives performance at every level of a restaurant.

Ellis shared something in our conversation that every Founder needs to hear right now. It's about what happens when you stop trying to figure everything out yourself and start asking the right people the right questions. I won't give it all away here. You need to hear him say it.

I will share: The advice he gives is the same approach that took him from running numbers on a 10-key calculator behind a bar to building a portfolio of companies that are genuinely changing how people experience hospitality.

If you're a Founder navigating 2026, wondering how to grow, how to scale, how to solve the problems that feel impossible right now, this episode is for you. Ellis' mindset inspires us all to ask "why not". Listen to the full episode of Founderology: Built to Break Through wherever you get your podcasts.

And if you want to connect with Ellis and 100 more Founders building businesses to break through, join us at the Founderology Growth Summit, Feb. 2-4, 2026, at the brand-new El Arroyo Event Center in Austin. Ellis will be delivering a keynote, "From Tacos to Tech: A Founder's Journey," and trust me, you don't want to miss it.

As Ellis consistently highlighted, it only takes one insight to change everything. One question. One room full of the right people. That's what the Founderology Growth Summit is all about.

Register now at www.founderologysummit.com - Let's make 2026 your year to break through

As we close out 2025, I keep coming back to one undeniable truth: this year moved fast. Faster than many even realized. Technology accelerated. Consumer expectations evolved. Leadership required more courage, clarity and community than ever before. And through all of it, Founders continued to do what Founders do best — rise.

In our final Founderology podcast episode of the year, Fast Casual Publisher Cherryh Cansler and I sat down to reflect on the moments that mattered, the shifts that shaped us and the momentum carrying us into a breakthrough 2026. Rather than recap every detail, we want to share the themes that stood out — the ones that will inspire every Founder to tune in and move into next year with purpose.

2025: The year Founders took control

This was the year Founders stopped waiting for the industry to stabilize and started rewriting the rules.

Cherryh called 2025 "the year of augmentation" — a season when technology supported people and strengthened their work. We watched Founders use AI, smarter systems and predictive tools not to cut corners but to elevate teams, strengthen operations and reclaim hospitality.

I called it the year of AI or Die — not fear-based, simply factual. The Founders who embraced new tools gained speed, clarity and confidence. The ones who resisted were falling behind faster than ever before.

These were great positions we unpack— real insights from the real front line experiences.

The Founder shift: From doing it alone to growing through community

If one message defined our year, it was this: Founders win bigger when they stop building alone.

We saw it throughout our Founderology Collaboratives, the Founderology podcast and the Founderology Growth Summit community. Founders accelerating forward are partnering, collaborating and reaching new levels of momentum together.

Our conversation highlights how this shift changed the game for every Founder who embraced it and why it matters even more in 2026.

What emerged was powerful:

• A network that grows your net worth.
• A community that accelerates your company.
• A shared language only Founders understand to help each other grow.

Hospitality returned to the center — And it's not going away

Cherryh and I both agreed: the future of restaurants is the experience economy.

Guests aren't choosing based on product or price alone. They are choosing based on their experience — they want and expect great service, food, beverage and an overall experience they value.

We discussed examples of brand reinventions, leadership gaps and the renewed importance of hospitality as a true strategic advantage. This is THE section for any Founder ready to reignite the team or reexamine the guest journey.

Where We're Going in 2026

Cherryh said it best: 2026 is the year technology and humanity work together.

I added that to make it all work it has to be the year to invest in leaders and leadership development — the leaders you have, the leaders you are developing and the next generation of leaders you need to groew.

We also share a few surprises in this episode, including emerging trends and the mindsets we believe will define the next wave of restaurant growth.

Why the Founderology Growth Summit is the ultimate launchpad for 2026

This is one area we will not stop talking about because of the massive value and impact of the Founder to-Founder experience. Our conclusion there is no better way to start your year than with 125 visionary restaurant Founders who share your drive.

This is the room where breakthroughs happen.

This is the room where clarity clicks.

This is the room where Founders stop going it alone.

In the episode, Cherryh and I highlight:

• Why this Summit delivers one of the highest ROIs a Founder can make.
• How the Investo

Danielle Mahon, the Founder of seafood steam pot brand Topsail Steamer, joined host Kathleen Wood on a recent episode of the "Founderology" podcast to discuss the evolution of her company from a local storefront to a national franchise.

During the interview, Mahon detailed the philosophy behind her brand, which offers pre-prepared seafood steam pots designed for customers to cook and share at home. Mahon founded Topsail Steamer in 2017 on Topsail Island in Surf City, North Carolina. She launched the business to replicate the family tradition of the "Lowcountry boil," aiming to pioneer a new category in the food industry centered on shared experiences.

"Connection creates meaning and growth," Mahon told Wood during the broadcast.

The discussion covered Mahon's trajectory from a single location to a multi-channel brand. Following a notable appearance on ABC's "Shark Tank," the company expanded its reach through a partnership with the e-commerce platform Goldbelly, allowing the company to ship its signature pots nationwide. Mahon has since transitioned the business into a franchise model, offering opportunities to operators seeking a lifestyle-oriented business model.

Wood, a growth strategist and founder of the consultancy Kathleen Wood Partners, spoke with Mahon about the specific mindset required to scale a niche product. Mahon emphasized a leadership style focused on "disciplined optimism" and the ability to find opportunities within obstacles.

"Challenges arrive, and she responds with clarity," Wood noted regarding Mahon's approach. "Her leadership reflects a founder who pioneers a category with originality and vision."

During the episode, Mahon outlined several key lessons for entrepreneurs, including:

• Staying aligned with a core purpose to direct business strategy.
• Designing experiences that foster human connection.
• Filtering external advice through personal values.
• Thinking beyond the starting point to expand vision with confidence.

Mahon is scheduled to elaborate on these strategies as a featured keynote speaker at the Founderology Growth Summit, Feb. 2-4 in Boston. Her session will cover the specific operational plans guiding Topsail Steamer's expansion and her approach to rewriting the standard franchise playbook.

Register for the summit here.

The "Founderology" podcast features interviews with business leaders and entrepreneurs focused on growth strategies and organizational culture.

Zane Tarence enters this conversation like a force of nature — fast, sharp and fully dialed in. His pace alone tells you he has lived this work. His experience comes through every sentence with the confidence of someone who has built companies, sold companies and guided leaders through outcomes most people only imagine. His energy lifts the entire episode into a higher gear.

This is not slow insight — this is momentum.

Zane shares perspectives with the speed of someone who has spent decades in the trenches and still wakes up hungry for the next challenge. He moves quickly, and every Founder listening will feel that speed — because it mirrors the pace their own business demands.

This episode leans into the questions Founders carry quietly while leading loudly.

• The tension between growth and exhaustion.
• The desire to create real value rather than volume.
• The challenge of hiring and developing people who can scale with the business.
• The responsibility of raising performance without sacrificing the heart of the company.
• And the importance of becoming investment grade even when an exit is not the goal

These questions shape a Founder's future. This conversation puts power behind them.

Zane's perspective also reflects why Founders Advisors is such a powerful partner for the Founderology Growth Summit. Their commitment to Founders, their depth of experience and their ability to translate complex ideas into clear, actionable insight creates an environment where leaders accelerate faster. This episode is a preview of just one of many conversations that will continue in Austin —high-velocity, high-impact and designed to strengthen every Founder who walks into that room.

This is the rare episode you listen to more than once because the first time gives you clarity, the second time gives you strategy and the third time fires you up for action. It is that intense, that rich and that aligned with the realities Founders face every day.

If you are a Founder who wants to strengthen your business, elevate your leadership and align your strategy with the value you are building, this episode is a catalyst. It is focused. It is energizing. It is built for the leadership necessary today to build your business to breakthrough with value.

Built to Breakthrough continues to be the place where Founders get the clarity they deserve. This episode sets a new standard—and deserves the replays. Join me for this episode of Founderology and access the must-have insights that strengthen your path, expand your perspective and accelerate the future you are building.

To provide securities-related services, certain principals of Founders Advisors, LLC are licensed with Founders M&A Advisory, LLC, member of FINRA & SiPC. Founders M&A Advisory is a wholly owned subsidiary of Founders Advisors. Neither Founders Advisors nor Founders M&A Advisory provide investment advice.

Every Founder has a story — a spark that becomes the heartbeat of a brand. Some stories begin with a dream, others with a dish, and every now and then one begins with a taco that turns into a brand that is built to breakthrough.

In this episode of the Founderology Podcast, I talk with Roberto Espinosa — the visionary Founder of Tacodeli. What started as one small taco shop in Austin has grown into one of the most authentic and respected fast casual restaurant brands in the country.

From the very moment I walked into my first Tacodeli, I felt it — the energy, the flavor, and the authenticity.

I still crave Tacodeli's breakfast burrito, made with fresh scrambled eggs and Roberto's grandmother's mashed potato recipe. It is food rooted in authencity, love, and purpose — the same foundation every Founder needs when building something that lasts.

And then there is the story of the Doña Salsa — a recipe created by one of his earliest team members in an employee contest that became a cornerstone of Tacodeli's identity. It is not just a salsa. It is a story of honoring people, sharing success, and keeping community at the center of growth. Every Founder can learn from that level of authenticity and connection.

As Roberto and I talk, you will hear lessons about leading through purpose, growing through people, and staying true to your values as your business scales. His story is proof that greatness happens when vision and integrity grow together.

What Founders will gain from this episode

• It is a blueprint for authenticity. Roberto shares how staying rooted in his original vision became his greatest advantage as Tacodeli scaled.
• It redefines growth. We explore how sustainable success is not about speed but about building systems, culture, and partnerships that last.
• It celebrates Founder conviction. Roberto's unwavering belief in his purpose reveals how clarity fuels every breakthrough.
• It showcases the power of people. From his partnership with his team to honoring the creator of the Doña Salsa, this story demonstrates how empowering others drives growth.

It reminds every Founder why purpose matters. Whether you are building your first store or scaling your tenth, this episode reignites the belief that your purpose can be your greatest accelerator.

The next time you are in Austin, put a visit to Tacodeli at the top of your list. If are joining us for the Founderology Growth Summit, in Austin, February 2-4, 2026 then you are all set. Register today and take advantage of our early-bird special savings so you can order even more at Tacodeli.

Join me for this episode of Founderology, where we talk about tacos, truth, and the timeless power of staying authentic while building something extraordinary to breakthrough.