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Welcome to Creme de la Creme: Franchise Industry News - a publication that brings you the latest news from the franchise world’s most influential characters.
Sit back and relax as SeoSamba brings you highlights from the incredible world of franchise influencers, shedding light on the latest developments and achievements within the franchise industry.
Announcing The 2025 SeoSamba Top 100 Global Franchise Influencers
We’re excited to unveil the 2025 SeoSamba Top 100 Global Franchise Influencers list, recognizing the thought leaders and trailblazers driving the industry forward. Among this year’s honorees are Tim Parmeter, founder of FranCoach and influential voice in franchise education; Danessa Itaya, a seasoned franchise executive known for empowering women in franchising; Kristen Pechacek, a transformational leader; Emma Lehner, for her international franchise impact; Nabil Ghantous, whose academic work on branding, continues to shape strategy in the sector; and Alicia Miller, whose groundbreaking book on private equity in franchising, titled Big Money in Franchising: Scaling Your Enterprise in the Era of Private Equity, has become a must-read for industry stakeholders, and Lance Graulich, a franchise matchmaker and industry connector known for his influential podcast and consulting work.
SHAKERS & MOVERS
Franchise World Updates: Who's Moving Up and Who's Taking New Roles
Congratulations to all the professionals making strides in their careers! Here's a quick look at the latest movements in the franchise industry:
Jackie Mendes – Hammer & Nails Texas
New Role: Head of Franchise Development
Company Overview: Hammer & Nails is revolutionizing the men’s grooming industry in Texas with a premium, membership-driven model that ensures consistent cash flow and provides franchisees with exceptional leadership, tools, and training. Dedicated to elevating men’s grooming, the brand fosters meaningful customer relationships, turning appointments into memberships.
Jeff Brown – Blue Maven Franchise Solutions
New Role: Director of Franchise Growth
Company Overview: Blue Maven Franchise Solutions’ mission is to reduce franchise industry attrition and empower franchise leaders. Its focus is on enabling franchise executives to thrive instead of just survive, and avoid pitfalls, costly mistakes and roadblocks.
Specializing in customized, results-driven fractional executive solutions, Blue Maven helps franchise executives manage workloads, make informed decisions, and focus on strategic growth.
Alison Groom – Frios Gourmet Pops
New Role: Director of Franchise Operations
Company Overview:
Frios Gourmet Pops is known for their iconic Sweet Rides, a tie-dye-inspired ice cream truck franchise that is a fun, low-cost, and simple-to-operate business with multiple revenue streams for franchisees.
Lyndsey (Normand) Brinkerhoff – Senior Helpers
New Role: Senior Franchise Operations Director
Company Overview: Senior Helpers® empowers seniors to live independently at home despite age-related challenges. Recognized as the only national in-home care provider certified as a Great Place to Work and a Fortune Magazine Best Place to Work, Senior Helpers prides itself on meaningful, impactful work. Senior Helpers leads their industry with specialized caregiver training programs, including Senior Gems® for Alzheimer's and Dementia care, and the first-of-its-kind, formal Parkinson's Care training.
FRANCHISE DEVELOPMENT
Franchise Fame Prioritizes Quality Over Quantity in Its U.S. Franchise Directory
Franchise Fame understands that franchising is a fast-paced, rapidly evolving industry. As brands aim to scale and aspiring entrepreneurs seek smart investments, the need for credible, transparent information has never been greater. That’s where Franchise Fame delivers—offering a thoughtfully curated U.S. franchise directory designed to create meaningful connections and real growth opportunities.
Instead of overwhelming users with a long list of options, the platform focuses on quality. Franchise Fame highlights top-performing franchises and provides actionable insights for both franchisors and potential franchisees.
Key Features Include:
- A level playing field for franchises of all sizes
- Strategic matchmaking that supports growth for both franchisors and franchisees
- Customizable search filters by:
➞ Industry
➞ Investment level
➞ Location
The directory includes a wide spectrum of opportunities—from low-cost and mid-tier franchises to premium investments—across a variety of industries.
Franchise Fame CEO Dani Peleva explains that the platform isn’t just about being comprehensive—it’s about delivering value. Drawing on its proven success in the UK market, the company qualifies leads before passing them to franchise development teams, ensuring higher quality and better fit.
With a dedicated team and expertise in multi-channel lead generation, Franchise Fame supports both emerging and established brands through tailored nurturing and strategic growth services.
Explore the Franchise Fame directory, list your brand, and start sharing your success story today!
FRANCHISE BRAND MARKETING
Tired of Starting Over With Every New Marketing Agency?
Franchise marketing shouldn't feel like a revolving door of agencies — but for many franchisors, it does. A new agency sparks excitement, but soon, complaints roll in, and before long, the hunt for a "better" partner begins. The result? Lost data, missed growth opportunities, and wasted resources.
You need a smarter way to approach franchise marketing.
Franchise Systems Need A Solution That Includes:
✅ Centralized Data Retention: Keep control of your marketing data — even when agencies change.
✅ Enforce Best Practices: Ensure every partner follows the same proven strategy.
✅ Streamline Metrics: Track performance with standardized reporting — no more confusion.
✅ Scale Without Chaos: Work with multiple agencies at once, all within one unified system.
It’s time to stop reinventing the wheel by agency-jumping in search of a solution that fits your needs.
Ready to escape the cycle of agency churn?
Click Here to discover how to scale your brand smarter, not harder.
Don’t miss out on this game-changing strategy. Your future self (and your franchisees) will thank you.
FRANCHISE ADVOCACY & LEGAL NEWS
CA Senate Bill 919 Offers More Protection for Prospective Franchisees
California passed a senate bill (SB) to increase and improve transparency and accountability for franchise brokers. Its aim is to protect prospective franchisees from dishonest brokers by allowing the government new authority to regulate them. California Governor, Gavin Newsom, signed SB 919 into law, amending the Franchise Investment Law on September 24, 2024.
What Will Change with SB 919
Franchise brokers face nowhere near the same regulations that franchisors face when trying to sell a franchise to a prospective buyer. Meaning, brokers can basically say anything they want in order to sell a franchise. Brokers typically receive compensation by taking all or most of the upfront franchise fees, which range anywhere from $10,000-$100,000, giving them more incentive to push franchise brands with bigger fees, rather than finding the best brand fit for prospective franchisees. Brokers are not held to any standards to disclose pre-existing relationships with franchise brands. They can, and often do, say whatever it takes to make the sale, without any consequences.
If and when the new senate bill goes into effect, it will require franchise brokers to register with the California Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation in order to legally do business in the state, submit a disclosure statement, and pay a registration fee of $450, plus keep financial records for a specific length of time. Failure to comply with the new regulations can result in a “Stop Order” by the Government, and they can be sued by both the franchisee and the franchisor for damages.
What Does This Mean for Franchise Buyers?
- Prospective franchisees in California are given more protection and transparency. Brokers must disclose their background, how they get paid, and how many units they've sold
- If something goes wrong or the prospective franchisee was intentionally misled, they have the right to sue the broker for damages.
What Does This Mean for Franchise Brokers?
- Franchise brokers in California must register, pay fees, and follow strict reporting rules.
- The state has the right to block brokers from selling franchises if they break the rules, brokers can be sued by the people they work with for damages.
- The brokers background, role, and how they are compensated must be fully disclosed to prospective franchisees
You can read the full senate bill here.
MEDIA & LEARNING
The Podcast For People Ready To Transition Towards Freedom and Financial Success
The Franchise Life podcast, hosted by Stacie Shannon, owner of Fusion Franchising, welcomes entrepreneurs, dreamers, diversifiers, and people ready to follow their dreams of business ownership and achieve financial success.
Stacie interviews franchise owners, founders, executives, and influencers in franchising for a truly diverse, interesting collection of content. Learn the secrets of some of the most successful people in the franchise world, and hear their stories of success. Click here to listen to The Franchise Life Podcast.
For More From Franchise Fusion:
Facebook: facebook.com/fusionfranchising
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/franchiseinvestmentexpert
Instagram:@fusionfranchising
Youtube: @thefranchiselife
Website: fusionfranchising.com
Email: stacie@fusionfranchising.com
Creme de la Creme is brought to you by SeoSamba, a marketing and sales automation software suite provider, with turnkey franchise development and franchise brand marketing solutions for emerging franchise brands. Each year, SeoSamba reviews thousands of nominees and awards the Top 100 Global Influencers in Franchising award to the most influential characters in the franchise world.
If you have news that you’d like to have published in an upcoming edition, you may submit it to influencers@seosamba.com for consideration.
Thanks for reading!
