How to Make Any Business Successful with Jim Wilcox, Sandler Training

Jim Wilcox is the President and Owner of Wilcox & Associates, a Sandler Training, Coaching & Consulting company. As a serial entrepreneur and a clinically trained healthcare professional, Jim brings a unique perspective and passion for business.

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Military Spouses - Feel Good Stories with Surinder Goode

Surinder Goode is an entrepreneur with work experience in the U.K., the Middle East and the
United States.

Born in England, at a young age, the family decided to move to Scotland. After graduating college, she moved to the Middle East, working as a flight attendant on commercial and private flights.

It was in 1998 while visiting a friend in Coronado, CA that she met her future husband who was on active duty.

‘I had no idea what the life of a military spouse looked like; I wasn’t briefed on what I should expect or how to overcome the new challenges that are a part of this lifestyle. The saying is true…If only I knew then what I know now.”

 Acting on an impulse to provide a service to the U.S. military and seeing a mutually beneficial opportunity, she drafted and presented a business plan to NEXCOM (Navy Exchange Command) to open and operate coffee stands on naval bases throughout San Diego. Starting with one cart in 2002 on Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado, her business expanded to thirteen carts and a staff of twenty-eight employees. This venture gave her a better understanding of the military from both genders.

In April 2023, Surinder launched her podcast The Goode Show. This is a platform dedicated to highlighting Veteran and Spouse entrepreneurs, talking with retired Vets about their military experience, and talking with kids about growing up as a military child.

Surinder is the mother of two teenagers, Jake and her daughter Jordan. She’s also a dog mom to two German Shepherds.

Her husband served 30 years before retiring as a CMC.

She has been married for 25 years.

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How to Transition Into a Franchise with Bob Barber

Bob has 36 combined years of business ownership over 33 years. 12 years of a pizza delivery company and 24 years of a business consulting/coaching/training with Sandler.  He and his wife have an adult son and daughter as well as a comical English Lab, Walter. He and Marnie love entertaining, dining, and traveling. 

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How to Market a Service Franchise with Mark Montini

Mark Montini is a Marketing Maverick. Say that three times fast! Mark is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Premium Service Brands (PSB). PSB is currently operating nine different and distinct service-based concepts that focus on home services. Mark has led organizations such as Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Floor Coverings International, and Naranga. Mr. Montini is also a sort after speaker in the world of business and franchises. Listen to this episode to hear more about Mark’s forward-thinking and disruptive business leadership best practices.

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Woman In Franchising Featuring Nora Farhat, Multi-Unit/Brand Owner

Nora Frahat is a highly accomplished professional with a proven track record in creating excellent working relationships with internal and external customers, significant profit improvements, business process development, and achievements in management. She gave up corporate America and now controls her destiny and her family’s bright future with three different franchise brands, British Swim Schools, Pool Scouts, and Mathnasium.

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Barry Falcon, Advice from a Franchise Executive

Barry Falcon’s professional career spans more than 40 years across a range of industries and functions, including communications technology, operational and manufacturing consulting, marketing, project management, and business development. Mr. Falcon has over 18 years of direct experience in franchising, both as a franchisee and as an executive within multiple national franchisor systems.

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Tom ScardaComment
Heather Hakes - The Mindset Coach

Heather Hakes couldn’t fathom dreading another Monday and cheering on Friday for the rest of her life. In 2017, Heather took a HUGE leap of faith and followed an intuitive nudge. She said goodbye to the corporate world knowing there had to be a better reality.

She learned about the power of mindset and how to shift paradigms from many teachers along her journey. She knows that a shift in perception will literally change your reality.

Heather is now on a mission to be a lighthouse for humanity to re-mind you to take your innate power back through awareness and self-empowerment.

Heather’s vision is to help you to unlearn all of the false beliefs holding you in fear, lack, and limitation.

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Diane Pleuss - The Franchise Fitter

Since 2004, Diane Pleuss has matched hundreds of entrepreneurs with their perfect fit franchise opportunity, while successfully guiding them to avoid rookie mistakes – at no cost to her candidates. As a result, they are creating wealth, making an impact in their community, and enjoying the systems already in place to accelerate their path to success.

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How to Evaluate Opportunities with Level 5 Capital Principal, Danny Kenny

Danny Kenny joined L5 in 2018 and is a principal on the Investment Team. In this role, Danny is involved in deal sourcing and diligence, portfolio company operations, overseeing portfolio company integration with AS, investor relations, and day-to-day management of the Investment Team.

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David Weaver - Franchise Your Freedom

David Weaver has a diverse and comprehensive entrepreneurial background to draw on as a FranChoice consultant.

Having honed his business skills in a variety of ways, he now looks forward to sharing his knowledge and experience with others interested in business ownership.

David embodies the Midwestern values of honesty and integrity in all aspects of life. He was born and raised in Indiana and got his first taste of business ownership by watching both parents build and operate successful businesses.

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Alicia Miller, CFE - Understanding Private Equity and Franchising

Alicia Miller is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Catalyst Insight Group a boutique investment bank and strategic advisory firm focused on franchising. She supports franchise brands facing growth or transformation challenges. She also works with platforms, private equity firms, and family offices investing in franchises.

She currently serves on the Board of the International Franchise Association’s certification program (CFE), and writes a monthly column in Franchise Times about franchising best practices.


Alicia holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Science from the University of Maryland. She graduated from Smith College, and also earned a Graduate Certificate in Franchise Management from Georgetown University.

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Hashtag Smart Marketing with Founder Paul Mackiewicz

Paul Mackiewicz, founder of #Smart and an Army Veteran. After finding his way into the digital marketing industry working at two different INC 5000 fastest growing companies, Paul struck out on his own. Now he helps small businesses get a true understanding of their client’s behavior and uses that information to create highly effective digital marketing strategies.

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David Shriner-Cahn, Overcoming Challenges as a Coach or Consultant

After 28 years as a highly-skilled employee, David was told that his job was over. In spite of the immediate trauma and fear, he knew that as his next step, he’d rather work for himself and have more control over his destiny. That was in 2006. Today, David is a thriving community builder, podcaster, and speaker. He helps high-achieving professionals, who have had a late-career job loss, build their consulting or coaching business, so they can do what they love and get paid what they’re worth.

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Keziah Robinson - Business Strategist and Coach

Keziah Robinson, CFA is a business strategist, CEO coach, and investor. Described by her clients as a “shapeshifter” who “can coach business owners through any challenge at any stage of their business,” Keziah helps small business CEOs navigate the operational and existential challenges of scaling up, pivoting, and/or selling a business they’ve put their blood sweat and tears into. As the founder of the independent advisory firm Cassia Partners, she provides tailored solutions that incorporate elements of design thinking and behavioral science.

Keziah holds a BS in Physics from Stanford University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She serves on the advisory board of Private Packs, an innovator in the fast-growing femtech industry.

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Private Equity and Franchising with Alicia Miller, Co-Founder at Catalyst Insight Group

Alicia Miller is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Catalyst Insight Group a boutique investment bank and strategic advisory firm focused on franchising. She supports franchise brands facing growth or transformation challenges. She also works with platforms, private equity firms, and family offices investing in franchises.

She currently serves on the Board of the International Franchise Association’s certification program (CFE), and writes a monthly column in Franchise Times about franchising best practices.


Alicia holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Science from the University of Maryland. She graduated from Smith College, and also earned a Graduate Certificate in Franchise Management from Georgetown University.

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Tom ScardaComment
John Neral - Sometimes Franchising is Not Right, a Job is Better

John Neral helps mid-career professionals prepare, position, and promote who they are and what they do so they can SHOW UP to find a job they love or love the job they have. John's professional walk included a 25-year career in education and a longstanding corporate consultant for Fortune 500 giant, Casio America, Inc. John is the author of SHOW UP – Six Strategies to Lead a More Energetic and Impactful Career and Your Mid-Career GPS – Four Steps to Figuring Out What's Next and the host of "The Mid-Career GPS Podcast."

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