Podcast
Social Geek
Hosted by Jack Monson · EN
Hello Geeks. Join Jack Monson and top marketing thought leaders and franchise executives for weekly Rock Star roundtables on hot topics and trends.
22episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Live at IFE 2026 Part 1
1w ago00:26:47Tap to summarizeRecorded Live in New York – host Jack Monson is at The International Franchise Expo 2026 interviewing some of the top executives in Franchising! They will share the latest about their brands, their goals for ’26 & ’27, and the opportunities for franchise owners. In part 1, we’ll chat with: Cheri Mullen, GNC Craig Sherwood, The Joint Chiropractic Stephanie Benze, AC Inc Greg Salzano, Philly Pretzel Factory Thanks to our sponsors: Pilot, AnswerConnect, and Thunderly.
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World Franchise Day 2026 with Sherry McNeil
2w ago00:05:37Tap to summarizeSocial Geek presents a mini-episode today getting ready for World Franchise Day! Join Sherry McNeil, CEO of the Canadian Franchise Association and the creative mind behind World Franchise Day, along with host Jack Monson. They'll chat about the background for WFD and what franchise pros across the globe can do to celebrate and spread the word about Franchising! Thanks to The Canadian Franchise Association, World Franchise Council, and Thunderly.Special Guest: Sherry McNeil.
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AI Generated Versus Premium Content with John Jantsch and Jack Monson
3w ago00:22:20Tap to summarizeAI-generated slop versus Premium content created by talented humans. You know what side I’m on ... where do you land?? But, maybe there’s a third leg of this stool. We’re talking to John Jantsch, founder of Duct Tape Marketing. Thanks to today’s sponsors Thunderly, AnswerConnect, and Pilot.Special Guest: John Jantsch.
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Episode 1225: One On One with James Stapleton
May 1900:24:00Tap to summarizeSocial Geek, the most popular franchise podcast, presents another One-on-One conversation with a 2026 Franchise Thought Leadership Award winner. James Stapleton, Vice President of Franchise Development at Caring Transitions, joins host Jack Monson to discuss: The difference between coaching & helping versus managing & bossing in franchise leadership The changes James has seen in the franchise development in just the few years How working together makes everyone become more successful (and make more money!) Thanks to today’s sponsors Thunderly, AnswerConnect, and Pilot.Special Guest: James Stapleton.
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So Here's The Thing: Updates and FGMC Preview
May 1800:14:50Tap to summarizeOn our kind-of-weekly chat on the franchise restaurant space, Lauren Fernandez of Full Course and Jack Monson of Thunderly are discussing updates like franchisee buyouts, IPOs, and AI blowback. AND we have a preview of Lauren and Jack's workshop at The Franchise Growth and Marketing Conference. Join us at FGMC in Atlanta June 2 - 4. To register for FGMC, please visit: https://www.franchisegrowthmarketingconference.com/ See the video version of So, Here’s The Thing on Lauren’s LinkedIn feed!Special Guest: Lauren Fernandez.
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Franchise Rock Stars: Rebranding
May 1200:28:43Tap to summarizeRebranding – what brands have done it well? Or maybe not so well? And when should you rebrand? The Franchise Rock Stars are here: Scott Greenberg, Ali Kraus, Danielle Wright, Kristen Pechacek, and Derrick Ableman. We’ll dive into these elements of rebranding including: Not just changing the logo, but repositioning a brand’s identity The “curse of the new CMO” who wants to rebrand for the sake of rebranding The best timing for rebranding within a franchise system How rebranding a franchise affects not only consumer sales but also fran dev efforts And we look at interesting rebrands of some of some favorite brands in Franchising like Domino’s, Benetrends, Celebree School, Thunderly, Dunkin’, Edible, Burger King, McDonald’s, Northeast Color, Anytime Fitness … plus other types of franchises like the NFL and Marvel Comics! Thanks to today’s sponsors Thunderly, AnswerConnect, and Pilot.Special Guests: Ali Kraus, Danielle Wright, Derrick Ableman, Kristen Pechacek, and Scott Greenberg.
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One On One with Dustin Thompson
May 500:32:16Tap to summarizeWe’re continuing our series of one-on-one conversations with this year’s Social Geek Franchise Thought Leadership Award winners with Dustin Thompson, Director of Franchise Development & Marketing at Jack In The Box Dustin is a marketing expert who thinks like a sales guy. Or maybe he’s a successful salesperson who sees the landscape through the eyes of a marketing pro. Either way, he’s our kind of Franchisor! Dustin is here to share: That he’s a real live franchise pro and not an AI bot! How franchise candidates are more informed about your brand (and other brands) before you even know who they are The future of the hybrid sales + marketing position Pushing a franchise versus executive filtering The importance of website schema Why those 10 blue links on Google aren’t as important for your candidates as answers on AI platforms The value of “Day In The Life” Videos with your franchisees He’s not in the burger business, he’s in the business of being in the burger business! Thanks to today’s sponsors Thunderly, AnswerConnect, and Pilot.Special Guest: Dustin Thompson.
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So Here's The Thing: AI and Fran Dev Search
May 400:13:55Tap to summarizeOn our kind-of-weekly chat on the franchise restaurant space, Lauren Fernandez of Full Course and Jack Monson of Thunderly are investigating where potential restaurant owners are investigating. We’ll discuss the Franchise Disclosure Document and how it’s evolved into AI-fuel. And, we’ll share our hot tip for making your brand THE answer when candidates are researching brands on AI apps. Special Guest: Lauren Fernandez.
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One On One with Larisa Walega
Apr 2800:29:59Tap to summarizeWe’re continuing our series of one-on-one talks with this year’s Social Geek Franchise Thought Leadership Award winners. Larisa Walega, CGO of Ziebart International and a member of the IFA Board of Directors, is here to share what she sees happening right now in Franchising. We dive deep into: The rise of the Chief GROWTH Officer Her journey into – and discovery of – Franchising AI & tech for franchise growth Building on customer experiences over services And the continued growth and evolution of the IFA Women’s Franchise Committee, which Larisa grew over the past two years as Chair. Thanks to today’s sponsors Thunderly, AnswerConnect, and our newest partner, Pilot.Special Guest: Larisa Walega.
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So Here's The Thing: Finding $1.5 Trillion
Apr 2700:14:59Tap to summarizeOn our kind-of-weekly chat on the franchise restaurant space, Lauren Fernandez of Full Course and Jack Monson of Thunderly are looking for the cash this week! Where will the restaurant industry find an the next $1.5 Trillion this year? Franchisee consolidation Organized, focused resales Professional multi-unit operators Not the small, individual location operators Special Guest: Lauren Fernandez.
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