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Spill the biz

Sarah Stowe from Inside Franchise Business

Candid chats with the entrepreneurs and owners behind the world's most impressive franchise brands.

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20 episodes
Avg 28 min
English

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S5 · E3
June 19 · 26 min
High tech, high touch: KX Pilates CEO on the new rules of business
With over 12 years of leadership shaping Australian fitness brands, KX Pilates CEO Selina Bridge understands the foundation of premium service remains unchanged: great fitness experiences are built on human interaction. In this podcast, Selina discusses the challenges of balancing tech advances with a personal touch, scaling the business, learning from mistakes, and driving a passionate, purpose led business.
S5 · E2
March 12 · 28 min
From franchisee to boss: how Ready Steady Go Kids' CEO is forging ahead
Danie O'Connor began her working life in the Australian Tax Office - a role she loved. So it was a big surprise to find herself suddenly taking on two franchise businesses so her young children could have somewhere to enjoy the Ready Steady Go Kids multi-sports program close to home. In this podcast, Danie shares her journey from being one of the first franchisees in the Ready Steady Go Kids network, to becoming the franchisor. She reveals why the brand has so much appeal to both franchisees and customers, the multiple revenue streams, the scale of the international business, and her priorities for the year ahead.
S5 · E1
February 12 · 36 min
From the Greek family table to a $120M food empire
From Crust Gourmet Pizzas to Zeus Street Greek, Costa Anastasiadis has leveraged his heritage and hospitality upbringing to create and scale popular retail food brands. In this podcast, Costa shares how immersion in the family’s pub and bistro business inspired his first foray into building a brand, and how ‘breaking bread’ with family and friends has been at the heart of his journey in hospitality.
S4 · E5
Dec 18, 2025 · 27 min
30 years on, what Gutter-Vac's founder would do differently now
What can you learn from 50 years in business? Warren Ballantyne, who ran a plumbing business before he founded the Gutter-Vac cleaning franchise, shares some honest insights into lessons learned over the decades.
S4 · E5
Aug 29, 2025 · 32 min
How local legend El Jannah became a franchise phenomenon
What is the secret to El Jannah's success? CEO Brett Houldin discusses the casual dining brand's evolution. In this podcast Brett delves into what makes the Sydney-born brand El Jannah so popular with its customer base, and what has driven the family-owned business to make its mark in the highly-competitive QSR market.
S4 · E4
Aug 15, 2025 · 23 min
How Hog's Breath Cafe CEO Tom Elliott plans to revive a beloved brand
Tom Elliott plans to revive the iconic Hog’s Breath Cafe chain. Renowned for its slow-cooked prime rib steak, curly fries, hospitality and restaurant memorabilia the 36 year old casual dining brand is in need of a reset, and the new CEO believes he has the blueprint for success.
S4 · E3
Jul 4, 2025 · 31 min
CEO Matt Marshall forges a new path for Retail Food Group
Matt Marshall heads up multi-brand franchisor, Retail Food Group, which includes Brumby's, Donut King, Gloria Jeans and Crust Gourmet Pizza. In this podcast Matt shares his career journey, highlighting the challenges and rewards of leadership, and the importance of building trust with franchisees and customers. He discusses making strategic brand decisions and what the future holds for Retail Food Group.
S4 · E2
May 23, 2025 · 33 min
How Jim Penman built a multi-million dollar business
The Jim's Group has grown from humble beginnings to a network of more than 5000 franchisees - and it all started as a part-time lawn mowing business. In this podcast, founder Jim Penman shares his journey from Phd student to franchisor, admitting to plenty of errors along the way. “I've only ever succeeded at one thing in my life. Fortunately I've done quite well on that,” he says.
S4 · E1
Feb 7, 2025 · 32 min
From Noodle Box to Acai Bros: Concept Eight’s CEO talks growth and strategy
You may not recognise the Concept Eight name but under its umbrella sit a dozen popular restaurant brands, from Noodle Box, Huxtaburger and Acai Bros to virtual brand Supreme Leader. Founders Dave Milne and Josh James started the business in 1996 and today Concept Eight CEO Grant Lee leads a team that is 100 per cent focused on creating food that people love, he says.
S3 · E9
Dec 4, 2024 · 28 min
Baked in family values: leading and transforming the Bakers Delight business
What does it take to lead an iconic family business? Elise Gillespie grew up with her parents’ business Bakers Delight, and it Is now a leading light in Australian family business. In this podcast we talk about family business and life lessons learned, what informs her leadership style, transforming an international network of more than 700 stores to meet the ever-changing demands of today’s convenience-driven customers, and delivering a robust business model for franchisees.
S3 · E8
Oct 29, 2024 · 32 min
How CouriersPlease is navigating the future of delivery
CouriersPlease CEO Richard Thame delves into the evolving landscape of parcel delivery, and discusses how businesses are adapting to meet high customer expectations. Customers today are time-poor and expect great value, turning this transactional industry into a dynamic space ripe for innovation.
S3 · E7
Aug 16, 2024 · 30 min
How Scott Meneilly is reinvigorating The Coffee Club
The Coffee Club CEO Scott Meneilly is forging ahead with a reinvigoration of the iconic cafe chain as it celebrates 35 years in business. Scott has pinpointed the combination of the reliability of a national chain and the appeal of an independent cafe that is key to the future of the brand. Add to this the brand's longevity and a global presence of 400 stores and there's a magic mix setting The Coffee Club up for further growth and success.
Jul 19, 2024 · 32 min
Triumphs and challenges: What it takes to thrive as an entrepreneur and leader
John O'Brien founded Poolwerx in 1992 and built the business into an international brand. In this podcast he shares his 40+ years’ journey in business, highlighting the entrepreneurial influence of his family, the impact of early exposure to small business, and the lessons learned from resilience and leadership.
S3 · E6
Jun 20, 2024 · 28 min
What’s the secret sauce behind the success of Mister Minit?
The simple art of fixing things has sustained Mister Minit since 1957. This quiet achiever has a clear business ethos that has served its customers, staff and franchisees over the years. CEO Maria Walton sheds light on the service business which recruits franchisees entirely from its retail workforce.
S3 · E5
Jun 7, 2024 · 24 min
Champions of wellbeing: how City Cave is growing its brand
Flotation proved a catalyst for former tradie and City Cave co-founder Jeremy Hassell who found the water treatment significantly improved his wellbeing. Today the City Cave business is a confident player in the $164.4 billion Aussie wellness market. It has taken the east coast of Australia by storm, has more than 70 centres, and has dipped its toes into the US market.
S3 · E4
May 24, 2024 · 33 min
Shaking up an iconic brand: how Jim's went viral
How did a former law student take a staid but iconic brand like Jim’s and make it a social media phenomenon? In this podcast Joel Kleber reveals the content strategy that not only brought the Jim’s Group TikTok success but won him the top spot in this year’s Top 30 Franchise Executives listing.
S3 · E3
Mar 15, 2024 · 22 min
So you want to buy a McDonald’s?
The Golden Arches is a gleaming example of how to scale a business globally. In Australia, there are already more than 1000 restaurants across the country and the fast food giant has a taste for more. In this podcast McDonald’s Australia’s chief restaurant officer Cameron Newlands discusses how the brand is responding to the demands for convenience, the challenges of adopting sustainable measures, and staying competitive. Cameron highlights some of the challenges of growth, including the misconception that Macca’s isn’t recruiting new franchisees. It is fired up to bring onboard new franchisees from a variety of backgrounds, and Cameron unpacks some of the rigours and benefits of the recruitment process.
S3 · E2
Feb 29, 2024 · 24 min
Aussie's secret to scaling business and winning a top home loans award
Matt Whyte is general manager of distribution growth at Lendi, the digital loans business which merged with the iconic mortgage broker, Aussie. Matt has more than 15 years experience with Aussie and is also a seasoned franchise executive, so he is well placed to talk about business expansion.
S3 · E1
Feb 9, 2024 · 19 min
How Pattison's Patisserie founder is scaling up for the future
When Peter Pattison fell in love with French patisserie it changed his life. After training as a patissiere, Peter put his skills to work and with his wife Michelle opened their first patisserie in Sydney. Today Peter heads up a chain of 17 Pattison Patisseries. and has plans to develop and grow the brand. In this podcast we chat about scaling a business, nurturing loyalty and longevity in a team, leading from the front and what’s next for the brand.
S2 · E7
Dec 13, 2023 · 33 min
Scaling up: how Lift Brands' founder became a serial entrepreneur
Peter Taunton is the founder of Lift Brands, the US-based parent company of Snap Fitness and one of the largest wellness brands in the world. In this podcast we talk about his childhood experiences with business from selling popcorn outside his father’s grocery store to lessons learned about leadership. We talk about scaling a business from one fitness studio to a global chain, about business failure, and what motivates him after 35 years of building businesses.

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