“I love to go out there speaking and educating–on top of the franchising. It’s a great time to be exploring franchising. Our placements year-to-date are up over 50%, which was up 50% over the previous year. Whether you are thinking of switching careers or getting a side hustle going or looking at expanding your investment portfolio, I just think the time is ripe. A lot of people coming out of Covid have said, ‘Now’s the time to have a little more control of my life. I’ve always thought about business ownership, but it is risky.’ The fact is, working for somebody may be even riskier. There has definitely been a large shake-up out there. I often give talks to investors about franchising as an asset. There are tax benefits and all kinds of benefits that come from business ownership. I love being able to help others and later hear them tell their success stories.”
Jon Ostenson is a certified franchise consultant, owner/investor, author and international speaker specializing in the area of non-food franchising. He draws on his experience as both the President of an Inc. 500 franchise system and as a multi-brand franchisee in serving clients across these capacities. He serves as CEO of FranBridge Consulting where he helps clients understand all aspects of non-food franchising in the process of introducing them to opportunities from the over 300 high growth brands that he represents. Additionally, Jon oversees FranBridge Capital where he and his partners own 17 territories across 5 property service franchises.
Several years into a successful chiropractic practice, Mitchell Mays puzzled over the patients who kept returning with recurring conditions, no matter what he tried. Then, he had an “ah-ha!” moment that took his practice in a whole new direction.
Dr. Mays is the #1 best-selling author of MIND GATE: Demolish Fear, Overcome Anxiety and Create the Life You Want. He’s been a licensed chiropractor since 1978 and is a certified master hypnotist and hypnotherapist employing functional medicine, biofeedback, nutrition, guided imagery and hypnosis for chronic anxiety, stress and pain. He and his wife Terry, also a hypnotherapist and mind/body practitioner, maintain a busy practice in northern California.
Morgan Gist MacDonald began her career in academia, as a Sociologist, but soon found the entrepreneurial pull to take her skills as a researcher, writer, teacher, and leader into building a publishing company, from the ground up.
She is an author, speaker, and the founder of Paper Raven Books, an innovative publishing company designed to help first-time and experienced authors alike through the writing, publishing, and marketing process so they can get their books published and build a loyal readership and a long-term career as an author.
Morgan believes that even an unknown debut author with no connections, platform, or following truly can sell tens of thousands of copies of a book, gather thousands of reviews, and attract fans of their work that will come back for more, year-over-year.
"You have to be open to unexpected opportunities to grow your audience. When the Olympics came to Atlanta in July of 1996, a photographer friend of mine was offered a space to curate her own show. She asked me and a few other artists to exhibit as well. I created 13 new works in the span of a month after my day job in a frame shop. I sold all my paintings and that launched my art career in Atlanta."
Jennifer J L Jones is an American artist known for her elegant multi-layered glazed abstract paintings inspired by nature. Her work is exhibited and sought after worldwide by private and public collectors. Jones was born in 1971 in Alexandria, Virginia, and received her BFA from the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She works full time as an exhibiting artist going on 21 years. After living in cities growing her career, Jones now resides in Port Royal, SC. When Jennifer recorded this interview, she was working on her second coffee table book, memoir and preparing for several upcoming shows.
Captain Maria Yturria, since the original recording of this episode, has been named Deputy Chief of the Professional Development Unit of the Richmond County Police Department. She is an FBI National Academy graduate. She has been in law enforcement since 2003, before that serving in the U.S. Army. Her assignments have included uniform patrol deputy, investigator, victim services, and Public Information Officer for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD). She has served on the Deputy Advisory Council and been the team leader of the Crisis Management Team. Maria has worked with federal, state, and local agencies on illegal immigration, drug prevention and human trafficking. Her certifications include Hostage/Crisis Negotiator, Statewide Peer Support Team Leader, Self Defense Instructor and board member for the AUSA SC Palmetto Chapter. She’s received numerous awards throughout her career.
“I think that, number one, we are in a customer service role. Over 95% of our interaction with people requires the highest possible communications skills. That's what you're there for. You're there to communicate and find out what they're scared of, what they need, what their wants are, what their likes are, how you can help them. But without being able to communicate, how do you connect with people? This is foundational to our occupation.”
“I have always been very vocal about sharing my black experience with my friends and family members, and as I’ve mentioned, I have been a natural leader in bringing people together. So, I decided to go public with my own video about what it's like raising black boys in this country, and what some of the experiences are that we go through, as well as the talks I have to have with my boys to keep them safe. That video ended up with 20,000 views within two days on Facebook–all organic. It was just off the cuff: I set up my phone and started speaking. Lieutenant Governor Cox, who was then running for governor of Utah, got wind of the video. His campaign reached out and said he and his running mate for Lieutenant Governor, Henderson, had seen my video and wanted to come chat. They came over, along with now First Lady Cox, and I was very frank with them. I said, ‘I know you are a politician and I’m sure that you have an angle–I’m not here to play that game. However, if you are going to help get the message out in a good way, that I can get behind. I began sharing some of the stories and experiences of my family and we ended up with this deep connection and became very good friends. Once they won the election, they commissioned me to serve on Project Gateway: Equity and Opportunity Commission for Utah.”
Aundrea DeMille is the author of “Is It Racism? How to Heal the Human Divide.” She's an International Keynote Speaker, Trainer, and Podcast Host of The Wake Up Stories. She is a business owner with years of study in diversity and inclusion and has a degree in community health and human services. She has been appointed to serve on Project Gateway: Equity and Opportunity Commission for Utah. Aundrea is a maker of men (she has 5 boys), lover of peanut butter and hater of chocolate. She feels most like herself when she is barefoot and connected to nature.
“The Milton Hershey School is unlike any other school in the world, and I have been exposed to many other schools in the course of my career. To be here at this critical point when we are redesigning our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and adding new offerings, revamping…looking to create a ‘gold standard’ for CTE and a model for other educators to look to for guidance–this is a very inspiring and exciting time!”
Rachael Mann is the Director of Career and Technical Education at Milton Hershey School, a cost-free, private residential school for boys and girls from low-income families. Rachael is well-known in the education community as a speaker, author, and thought leader—with expertise in STEM, classroom innovation, and CTE professional learning. She is a founding member of the Council on the Future of Education. Rachael will lead the CTE program at MHS, which combines tailor-made instruction and hands-on learning with the ability to gain certifications and real-life experience through internships, co-ops, and pre-apprenticeships.
Tom Harrison has spent his career in the world of finance, traversing the four corners of the United States and beyond. Currently he is the owner of a thriving consulting firm, where he continues to channel his rich experiences into assisting others.
He is also an author with a passion for weaving captivating narratives. Born and raised amidst the vibrant rhythms of Memphis, his deep-rooted connection to the South shapes his unique storytelling style. His new book, From Punishment to Peace, Road Trips to Forgiveness, is a thought-provoking, philosophical memoir full of raw, spiritual insights and the healing of deep emotional and physical traumas.
"Because of my struggles in my youth and the fact that I wanted to please my father, all of my successes were measured by nothing other than how much money I made. I became obsessed with that and with what that money could acquire. I had everything in life that money could give me, and I wanted more. There wasn’t a reason why I wanted more–other than to prove my father wrong about my ability to be successful. I had to cut that cord somewhere, somehow.”
Sean Harper is the co-founder and CEO of Kin, an insurance company built from scratch on modern tech to make it easier and more affordable to insure a home. Kin is a tech-based insurance agency and has grown to a fully licensed home insurance carrier. With a focus on world-class customer service, insurance literacy, and smart coverage, Sean and his team are changing the way insurance is done.
Jason “Jay” Zimmerman is a native of Appalachia and a US Army Combat Veteran, serving as a Combat Medic with the 1st /505th Parachute Brigade. He has served for the last seventeen years plus as a Peer in the VA Healthcare System and is working currently as a Supervisory Peer Specialist with the Peer Support Outreach Center (PSOC)/Veterans Crisis Line (VCL). Jay is a nationally respected speaker regarding improving the understanding of Veterans' experiences and care needs.
Gregg F. Martin, PhD, Major General, US Army (Retired), served on active duty for 36 years, until May 2015. He is a combat veteran, Bipolar Survivor, Airborne-Ranger-Engineer qualified soldier, and Army Strategist. Through all of his military career, his bipolar disorder went undiagnosed. It is just in the past few years that he has been able to share his story to help stop the stigma around mental illness, promote recovery, and save lives.
Yaron Engler delivers one-on-one and group coaching programs to men who are entrepreneurs or work in leadership roles. His direct, playful and honest approach inspires and motivates his clients and audience to create simple positive changes that lead to growth and well-being. He is also a professional drummer who has performed for people all around the world, and he is a Summa Cum Laude graduate from Berklee College of Music.
Ian O’Connor is a retired US Air Force Colonel and a recognized expert in the field of national security management. This background serves him well as the foundation for his novels. He is the author of “The Seventh Seal” and “The Barbarossa Covenant,” both thrillers. His new novel, “The Pegasus Directive,” focuses on who really killed President John F. Kennedy and all the fiendish machinations behind the assassination. The 3 novels make up the beginning of his Justin Scott Thrillers series.
Daniel E. Kennedy is a healthcare executive, counselor, author, and filmmaker. His passion for disease prevention was ignited professionally while working with thousands of cancer patients at Oasis of Hope Hospital, and personally, by witnessing cancer and heart disease-related deaths in his family. His philosophy is simple: it’s not good enough to live a long sick life when there’s the opportunity to live a healthy long life. He has now ccompled a 8-episode Healthy Long Life documentary series.
Chuck Cooper is the Founder of WhiteWater Consulting. He sets the Mission, Vision and Values for the company. His passion is to help enable employers and HR practitioners to drive their organization to: realize an improved company culture; enhance employee engagement; grow revenues; control expenses; maximize profits and all the while taking care of the greatest asset: their people.
Brian Collins got the fever to be his own boss and has not looked back. He started four businesses, all in very different business sectors, with zero experience in any of those fields. Today, Brian spends his time growing his gold mine business in Nevada, CA, he is at the gym three times a week, and he is always on the hunt for the next challenge in an arena he has not tackled before.
Joe Hart began his career as an attorney. After taking a Dale Carnegie Course, he rethought his career path, leaving the practice of law and going to work for a real estate company, and then founding an e-learning company called InfoAlly. After selling that business, Joe became the president of Asset Health before becoming the President and CEO of Dale Carnegie in 2015. Founded in 1912, Dale Carnegie is a workplace training organization with operations in 75 countries and delivers solutions in 29 languages.
Lisa Phillips helps African American Professionals build profitable rental property portfolios by investing in minority neighborhoods. After her own home foreclosure, she was left with a $35k condo and enough money to renovate the place doing the work herself. Learning the ways of real estate investing in rural, inner-city, and mid-sized city properties, she is now focused on doing what she loves: showing how anyone with a little ingenuity can affordably start real estate investing for high profits and cash flow.
James Harris a.k.a. Dewey Da Don is an entrepreneur and multi-dimensional hip hop artist with a unique sound and style. Dewey's music is street and raw with catchy hooks and metaphors that incorporate west coast production with a mid-west flow. He is often compared to the great Nipsey Hussle not only for his talented delivery of gangsta rap but because his influence has been the streets and he has always been one to give back. Dewey Da Don raps to break the deadly cycle of the streets.
Aurora Winter believes that if you determine how to bring the most value to others, you can be successful. She is a bestselling author, TV-producer, media coach, ghostwriter, and successful serial entrepreneur. She uses her film-making expertise and neuroscience training to help people communicate more effectively and get results. And if you have ever wanted to write a book or become an in-demand speaker, Aurora has the expertise and insights to help you achieve your goals.
Kam Majd is an Edgar® Award-nominated author of edge-of-your-seat suspense novels. Kam was an airline pilot for 44 years, including 35 with American Airlines. Born in Iran and educated around the world in his early years, he graduated high school and attended university in Texas. His new book, “High Wire,” which has achieved Amazon Bestseller status as #2 in the “Terrorism” category, follows airline pilot Captain Kate Gallagher who finds herself under scrutiny in the aftermath of a plane crash.
Orlando J. Gomez is the founder of the video production company Stellar Lense Productions, a video strategy expert specializing in visual storytelling for business, and the online video marketplace COOPT. Orlando has worked with companies like Uber, Dove, and Samsung, as well as small businesses across America to create video campaigns as engaging as your favorite Netflix shows. He is known for a storytelling approach that has successfully established local and national brands.
Dr. Véronique Desaulniers, better known as Dr. V, is the founder of BreastCancer Conqueror® and the 7 Essentials System®. Her signature process has empowered thousands of women in over 60 countries around the world. Her mission is to “change lives, one breast at a time.” Dr. V has personally conquered breast cancer twice, which gives her an empathetic perspective to understand other women facing a healing journey. Her signature book, Heal Breast Cancer Naturally, is a #1 Amazon Best Seller in 10 categories.
Serial entrepreneur Lauren Cohen is an International Lawyer, Realtor and Cross-Border Expert. She is also an author, sought-after speaker, and podcaster. After her then-husband’s deportation on the return trip from their honeymoon, Lauren was devastated. She felt compelled to find solutions for herself and others, so she turned to the ever-changing world of immigration and international law and has served as a concierge quarterback in the field ever since. Today, Lauren and her turnkey team believe in overcoming obstacles.
Mark Sloan has published a number of books including the number one international bestseller Red Light Therapy: Miracle Medicine and two monumental works on cancer called The Cancer Industry, and Cancer: The Metabolic Disease. Mark has been researching health for over 15 years and has many unique evidence-based insights to share with the world. He believes the goal of ending all diseases is not only possible, but it's only a matter of time before his message becomes universally known throughout the world.