Franchise Today did not begin as a polished podcast… farfrom it. — it began as a live radio show in the middleof the Great Recession of 2009.

In this special episode, Paul Segreto and Stan Friedmanlook back on the early days of Franchise Today, one of, if not the very first podcasts dedicated to franchising.

From guests broadcasting live from their cars during federalbuilding lockdowns, to last-minute cancellations that mysteriously seemed to occur around Wednesdays at noon Eastern, (our weekly "go-live" time, for new episodes to drop.

To say the show was built amid constant chaos, would be an understatement. Yet through technical failures, live-showpressure, and industry upheaval, Franchise Today evolved into the a trusted platform that it is today: covering franchising, finance, legal issues, and entrepreneurship.

Paul also shares how more than 40 years in franchising and2,600+ published articles have shaped his mission today through "Accelerate Success America" — helpingentrepreneurs understand the fundamentals franchising often fails to teach, including P&L management, business ownership realities, and franchisee wellbeing.

This conversation also explores why franchising mustprioritize education, community engagement, and continuous customer experience — and why kindness, empathy, and mental health matter more than ever on today’sfranchise landscape.

Paul Segreto, this week on Franchise Today.

What happens when two veteran franchisors look at the industry and realize that one of the biggest challenges of all at the unit level - is driving local traffic!

You get Sweet Influencers, a first-of-its-kind platform built by Angela Olea and Liberty Bernal, designed specifically to connect franchise systems with vetted nano and micro influencers, who move the needle at the local level.

Angela spent decades in senior care, scaling her brand Assisted Living Locators to 166 franchises before selling to private equity in 2024. Liberty entered franchising straight out of high school, later founding Liberty Fitness, manufacturing proprietary equipment, and attracting private equity at age 24. Together, they bring forty years of hands-on franchising experience—and a shared understanding of the traffic challenge facing every brand.

In this episode, they break down why influencer marketing is the modern equivalent of early digital marketing: underpriced, underutilized, and massively effective when done correctly. They explain why local creators outperform large influencers, how AI can streamline brand–creator matching, and why real-time campaign oversight matters for protecting franchise brands.

Sweet Influencers offers accessible pricing for single-unit operators and multi-unit groups alike, along with a soon-to-launch platform featuring AI-driven tools, brand protection safeguards, campaign approvals, and a free ROI calculator.

If you want to understand the future of franchise marketing—and how authentic, localized influence can transform unit-level economics—this episode is for you.

After years in recruiting, franchise development, and lead generation, Dan Claps sold his company to build something else, on his own. That decision became the foundation for VODA Cleaning & Restoration — but the company nearly collapsed after launch.

In this episode, Dan shares the gritty truth behind VODA'S early struggles: high monthly losses, a failing model, and the moment he realized that defending his ideas was sinking the business. Everything changed when he started listening — really listening — to franchise candidates and early operators. Their feedback reshaped the model and sparked explosive system-wide growth.

Today, VODA has 107 franchises across 260 territories in 32 states, backed by a dual-revenue model (carpet leaning + restoration,) a 24/7 national call center, and more than 9,000 five-star reviews. Dan explains how transparency, principle-centered leadership, weekly communication rhythms, and culture-first decision-making became VODA'S real competitive advantages.

This episode is a masterclass in humility, resilience,and building a franchise system that wins by putting franchisees first.