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Great Clips, Smoothie King, T-Mobile, Poke Burri, Lifting Noodle Ramen, Pigtails and Crewcuts on Franchise Business Radio Grant Simon  LSGF Management Grant Simon is a serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of business management experience in retail, food, and service industries. As a multi-unit franchisee, his current brand portfolio includes Great Clips, Smoothie King and T-Mobile with over 160 locations throughout the southeast employing over 1200 people. Grant graduated from the University of Florida with a B.S. in Finance. Topics to Discuss:  Multi Unit Franchising Web Site / Social Media Links:  http://www.lsgfmanagement.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/grant-simon-46a05048 Greg Thomas LSGF Management Greg Thomas is president of LSGF Management and a franchisee of several brands including Great Clips and Smoothie King. Working as a water delivery boy in 2004 and having a net worth of about zero, Greg embellished some financial applications to secure a loan to buy a distressed/under-performing hair salon. A combination of great operations and out of the box marketing led this becoming the fastest growing salon in the country. Following that same business model, Greg bought several more distressed businesses. A few years later he teamed with neighbor Grant Simon to form LSGF management, which owns/operates over 160 stores. In addition to being a franchisee, Greg served as co-op president for 8 years. In that role, he developed several large cross-promotions and charity-marketing concepts with a goal of increasing foot traffic without discounting. One of those programs was the Great Clips 300 NASCAR race which resulted in the highest attended Nationwide Race in Atlanta’s history. As long as business continues to be profitable and fun, Greg and Grant plan to continue adding more stores. Topics to Discuss: Background and how we got started "Why Businesses Fail" My niche was buying troubled/distressed businesses and turning them around. I think some real stories with real facts might intrigue your listeners. Web Site / Social Media Links:  www.LSGFmanagement.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-t-174325 John Alburl Poke Burri, Lifting Noodle Ramen Lifting Noodles is located in the We Suki Suki food court in East Atlanta Village. The creation is the product of restaurateurs Ken Yu and Seven Chan and a proud member of the KSP Restaurant Group. Our founders saw a gap in the ramen market here in Atlanta and wanted to put their own unique spins on the concept. Lifting Noodles will offer classic traditional dishes you think of when you think of ramen but also their own twists and secret menu. Just like any of their concepts there will be all kinds of adventurous new takes on ramen including fried ramen dishes, ramen inspired by different cuisines, and of course seasonal items with fresh amazing ingredients. Topics to Discuss:  Business Growth Franchising Web Site / Social Media Links:  https://www.liftingnoodlesramen.com https://www.instagram.com/liftingnoodlesramen Michelle Holliman VP of Franchise Development  Pigtails & Crewcuts Franchise Michelle Holliman’s work within the franchising industry dates back to 1997. Throughout that time she built experience by working for the parent companies of well-known brands such as Heavenly Ham, HoneyBaked Ham, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Planet Smoothie and P.J.’s Coffee. Michelle now serves as the Vice President of Franchise Development . In this role,

Usher's New Look, No Longer Bound and Auditory-Verbal Center on NonProfits Radio Careshia Moore Organization / Company Name:  Usher's New Look Careshia Moore is an advocate and educator who has a heart for inspiring others to reach their potential. She mentors leaders, facilitates workshops, designs educational products and connects people with others and opportunities to promote personal success through education. In her roles as an Attorney, Educator and most currently, President & CEO for Usher’s New Look she has always worked on behalf of providing access, opportunity and exposure of underserved youth. Careshia is active in her community through membership on boards such as Communities in Schools of Henry County and United Way Advisory Board, a certified Aggression Replacement Trainer and a mentor to young girls. She is also the founder of League of Women Entrepreneurs, a networking group that seeks to empower, educate and elevate women in business. In recognition of her dedication to the community and her passion for encouraging and inspiring others, in 2013, she was named as one of Southern Journal Magazine’s Top 14 under 40. Careshia earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education and Juris Doctor degree from University of Florida. She shares her thoughts and experiences regarding education, parenting and success on her blog Compete to Succeed and is the President and Founder of Compete to Succeed Educational Resources, an entity that creates resources that promote positive parenting and student success. Careshia is married to her husband of 16 years, and they are the proud parents of one son and one daughter. The Moore family recently co-authored a children’s book, Mikaela the Koala. Brief Description of Your Service: Usher's New Look (UNL) is a 501(c)(3) organization on a mission to transforms lives of underserved youth through our 10-year comprehensive program that develops passion-driven, global leaders. In 1999, Usher Raymond IV established an organization to give marginalized and underserved youth a “New Look” on life. UNL prepares young people for success and leadership through a programmatic model based on four essential pillars: talent, education, career, and service. UNL’s developmentally appropriate curriculum helps young people identify their TALENTS, learn to focus their passions through EDUCATION, gain opportunities to explore a future CAREER, and give back to their communities through SERVICE. UNL’s curriculum is predicated on the Search Institute’s building blocks, which represent the relationships, opportunities and personal qualities young people need to succeed and thrive. To date, UNL has trained over 42,000 youth from marginalized communities providing skills and tools necessary to succeed in school, career and life. Utilizing a peer-to-peer training model, UNL has increased high school graduation rates, post-secondary pursuits, and developed well-rounded, forward-thinking leaders. In 2016, Usher’s New Look successfully served over 4,000 youth. And, we are extremely proud that 100% of our academy high school seniors continue to graduate on time! Usher’s New Look will train approximately 5,000 students in 2016. Topics to Discuss:  Story of Usher's New Look Mission Impact Upcoming events Web Site and Social Media Links:  www.ushersnewlook.org @ushersnewlook (All platforms) Bethany Monroe Organization / Company Name:  No Longer Bound  Bethany Monroe, age 33, has worked for No Longer Bound for 2 years as Store Manager of their second thrift store location in Woodstock, Georgia. Brief Description of Your Product or Service: No Longer Bound serves men who struggle with addiction.

Michael J. Coles: Cookies, Coffee and Kennesaw on Capital Club Radio Please join Michael Flock of FLOCK Specialty Finance as he interviews Michael J. Coles, Atlanta business executive, serial entrepreneur, education advocate, well-known public speaker, the namesake of the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University and author of Time to Get Tough: How Cookies, Coffee and a Crash Led to Success in Business and Life. His book explains how he started a $100 million company with only $8,000, overcame a near-fatal motorcycle accident, set three transcontinental cycling world records and ran for Congress twice. Prior to writing his book, Michael was the Chairman of the Board for BrandBank and for Brand Group Holdings, Inc. Additionally, he was the former CEO of Caribou Coffee from 2003-2012 and co-founder of the Great American Cookie Company in 1977. Moreover, he was in the clothing industry for over 19 years and launched two clothing businesses. Michael has been a highly engaged philanthropist with organizations such as Hillels of Georgia, the Georgia Film Commission, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, the Kennesaw State University Foundation Board and the Walker School Board. He and his wife, Donna, have also supported the American Lung Association, Georgia Special Olympics, Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center, and the March of Dimes. He and his wife reside in Atlanta and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Here is a glimpse of what Michael shared in the interview. “…it doesn’t matter how many thousands of miles you ride, it doesn’t matter how many weeks, or months, or even years you might put into something, it’s the last five miles that count.” “So, I’ve always believed that the difference between success and failure is how you’re prepared…How you deal with the unexpected.” “Information, innovation…implementation, and then the last one, the most important one is improvement.” Capital Club Radio Hosted by: Michael Flock Sponsored by: Flock Specialty Finance Providing a forum for leaders in the middle market segment which has typically been undeserved by traditional banking. Listeners gain valuable business insights and perspectives to deal with market uncertainty. Topics include: key success factors, both personal and professional, dealing with adversity, outlook for the industry and your business. For more info about Michael Flock and Flock Specialty Finance visit: http://www.FlockFinance.com To listen to more episodes visit: http://www.CapitalClubRadio.com To nominate or submit a guest request visit: https://www.OnAirGuest.com To view more photos visit: http://www.ProBusinessPictures.com ‹ › × × Previous Next jQuery(function() { // Set blueimp gallery options jQuery.extend(blueimp.Gallery.prototype.options, { useBootstrapModal: false, hidePageScrollbars: false }); }); Flickr Album Gallery Powered By: WP Frank

Metro Atlanta Chamber SVP and Chief Economist Tom Cunningham on Georgia Business Radio Tom Cunningham,​ SVP and Chief Economist Metro Atlanta Chamber Thomas J. Cunningham is Senior Vice President and the Chief Economist for the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC). Tom joined the MAC in July 2015 following a 30-year career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He is a specialist in open economy macroeconomic policy and regional analysis. At the MAC, he manages an internal team that supports the research and advocacy roles of the economic development and public policy departments. After starting his career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta as an economist in the Macropolicy group, Tom served at various times as associate director of research, interim director of research, vice president for the Regional group where he was also responsible for the Latin American group, and acting head of the Finance group. He served on the Bank's Personnel, Information Technology, and Risk Management Committees and as a member of the Federal Reserve System's Information Security Group and Technology Services Council. He also was the acting director of, and helped establish, the Bank's Center for Real Estate Analytics. When Dr. Cunningham retired from the Fed, his title was Vice President, Senior Economist and Regional Executive. A native of Reedley, California, he received a bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, in economics from California State University, Fresno. He earned a master's degree, a master of philosophy, and a PhD in economics from Columbia University. He previously worked as an economics instructor at Barnard College at Columbia University and as an adjunct instructor at Iona College, Agnes Scott College and Emory University. He attended the executive development program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and is a member of Leadership Atlanta’s class of 2018. Dr. Cunningham has published numerous professional articles and is a member of the American Economic Association, the Western Economic Association, and the Southern Economic Association. Topics to Discuss: National Employment Situation report contains some solid numbers, but mixed headlines. The solid numbers are in job gains, where the nation added 213,000 jobs, well above the market expectation of around 190,000. Revisions to the two previous months added another 37,000 jobs. The mixed part of the report is that the headline is the unemployment rate (U3) ticked up from 3.8% to 4.0%. The expectation was for no change. This was mostly due to an increase in the labor force participation, which moved up 0.2 percentage points after being essentially unchanged since February. At this point the economy needs the additional workers, so this is a fundamentally good thing. The broader measure of labor underutilization (U6) also rose 0.2 percentage points to 7.8%. Average hourly earnings rose 2.7% from a year ago, slightly below expectations, but about in line with recent history. Jobs gains were led by professional and business services, followed by manufacturing, which had a solid 30,000 job addition, mostly in durable goods. Strength was also seen in health care, construction, and mining. Retail was the only sector with a notable loss of jobs (-22,000), but that did not offset last month’s gain of 25,000. Other sectors were essentially unchanged. All in all, a pretty good report, despite an easily misinterpreted rise in unemployment. ​Media Links: ​Web Site:   www.MetroAtlantaChamber.com Guest Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-cunningham-6027134 Georgia Business Radio Interviewing industry and thought leaders with compelling stories. Relevant content on current business trends li...

Amazon Storefronts, Shop Exclusively from U.S. Small Businesses Interview with Gene Marks on Georgia Business Radio Today we have Gene Marks, Washington Post columnist author and financial expert joining us to talk about how supporting the U.S. small businesses online is an important concept for not just Americans and local business, but for the entire community and now it's even easier when shopping online to buy from us small businesses with a new store called Amazon Storefronts. Making life so easy these days, thank you to Amazon. This is a store to shop exclusively from U.S. small businesses, which is very passionate and close to our hearts at the Pro Business Channel, helping support those small and medium-sized businesses. We certainly have a business expert joining us on today's show, Gene Marks writes daily for the Washington Post as I mentioned focusing on issues affecting the business community also writes weekly columns for Forbes, Inc. Magazine, Fox Business, The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com and if we can afford him on the Pro Business Channel. Gene this could be a regular series. [00:01:12] Yeah, I'll have my agent call your agent. Well as soon as we get an agent we'll take that call. Yeah. All right. So, these columns are read by hundreds of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses owners around the country. [00:01:25] So this is definitely in everyone's wheelhouse for this episode. Gene has written six books on business management specifically geared towards again, those small and medium-sized companies.  Here to analyze and provide details about this new digital storefront is author and as I mentioned business expert Gene Marks. Gene before we get into this, you’ve written six books. [00:01:47] So what's your most popular and best known or of those six books? By the way these books are sold on Amazon.com.  My bestselling book is, “In God We Trust, Everyone Else Pays Cash” it’s a bunch of cash flow advice and tips, geared toward small business owners. Okay, and we may give a teaser at the end of this segment are about your next book maybe in the work. [00:02:12] So let's jump into this topic, tell our listeners why it's important for shoppers to buy from us businesses, even when they're shopping online. I mean, well Rich, you know that she talked about this on your show as well. I mean there are hundreds of thousands of small businesses in in Georgia, you know, these are businesses that that provide many jobs to the state and nationally, you know, small businesses provide more than half of the jobs. [00:02:40] We know that small businesses are a huge part of the US economy and there are a lot of people out there that want to support small businesses and you know their government programs that do that some companies are doing that as well and. You mentioned in your introduction. I mean Amazon stepped up this week as well and they're launching something called storefronts and you know, what the whole backstory to store funds riches that you know Amazon if you buy something from Amazon, it's more likely that it's coming from a small Merchant. [00:03:12] Half of the products that sold on the site comes from a small business or a merchant and there's more than a million small businesses in the us alone that are selling their products on Amazon. So, Amazon sort of said, you know what let's bring some of these guys together. They're starting off at 20,000 small businesses selling more than a million products under storefronts. [00:03:36] You and I or anybody else that wants make sure that when we’re buying something the same as usual, but we want to make sure it's going to a U.S. based small business. We can do that from their store front site and that's just an amazing concept. [00:03:57] So this is not bricks-and-mortar, right? Absolutely, correct.

Interview with Director of Facebook’s Small Business Team, Katherine Shappley FACEBOOK ANNOUNCES INNOVATION PROGRAM TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IN CITIES ACROSS THE U.S. A NEW U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ECONOMIC IMPACT SURVEY SHOWS ECONOMIC IMPACT FACEBOOK HAS ON SMALL BUSINESS + COMMUNITIES  During our interview with Katherine Shappley, Director of Facebook North America’s Small Business Team, Katherine will explain how this new program can help create jobs, provide services and help businesses grow in their community. Today, 70 million businesses use Facebook to connect with customers. Find out how this new program can help many small business owners receive the training necessary to help them grow. Shappley will also share a new U.S. Chamber of Commerce Economic Impact Survey that provides important new research about the economic impact of Facebook. Shappley director of Facebook's North America Small Business team. She is a six-year veteran of Facebook.  Katherine oversees sales, account management, and service for millions of small businesses who use Facebook to connect and grow. Learn How Facebook Will Provide SMB Support and Digital Skills Training for People Over the past year, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg embarked on a YEAR OF TRAVEL, visiting communities across the country — some of which are doing well and others that are struggling. In an effort to help small business owners, Facebook is announcing a new multi-city program for small business owners focused on providing support for small businesses and digital skills training for people. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT FACEBOOK SMALL BUSINESS: Why Facebook is launching a new multi-city program for small business owners  The inside story of new research into the impact Facebook has on communities Innovative new ways Facebook is meeting the needs of small businesses How Facebook is helping small businesses grow Facebook builds tools to help small businesses grow and hire, but we want to do more. That's why we created Facebook Community Boost. 3 in 10 US small and medium sized businesses on Facebook built their business on Facebook. 42% of US small and medium sized business on Facebook say they have been able to hire more employees due to growth in demand since joining Facebook. 56% of US small and medium sized businesses on Facebook say they have increased sales because of the platform. To learn more or submit your story visit:  https://www.facebook.com/business/m/community-boost Georgia Business Radio Interviewing industry and thought leaders with compelling stories. Relevant content on current business trends live from the Pro Business Channel studios in Atlanta. In addition to the live broadcast, GBR content is in distribution across multiple syndicated platforms with more than 500,000 downloads. Show Hosts: Rich Casanova, CoFounder Pro Business Channel https://www.linkedin.com/in/richcasanova https://twitter.com/RichCasanovaCom Michael Moore, RainMaker & Chief Storyteller https://www.linkedin.com/in/sellbyphone https://twitter.com/BuckhedgeCEO Video Production: Steven Tyler Rubin https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-tyler-rubin-005a94115/ Check out more episodes visit: www.GeorgiaBusinessRadio.com To nominate or submit a guest request visit: http://www.meetme.so/GeorgiaBusinessRadio To view guest photos from this show, visit: www.

Rob Garf, VP of Industry Strategy and Insights for Salesforce on Georgia Business Radio Joining us today is Rob Garf, VP of Industry Strategy and Insights for Salesforce Commerce Cloud here to discuss predictions for retail shopping. I've sat on all sides of the retail table -- as practitioner (Lids, Marshalls, Hit or Miss), industry analyst (AMR Research), strategy consultant (IBM), and software leader (Demandware). I'm currently a VP at Salesforce where I lead Industry Strategy and Insights for the Retail team. I get to work with execs at leading brands and upstarts from around the world on unified engagement strategies.       Love writing, speaking, and participating on retail boards. Lead a team that provides market intelligence, consumer insights, and business value analysis to influence product strategy and develop thought leadership. Develop and maintain strategic framework to evolve and articulate product vision, strategy, and roadmap. Conduct primary and secondary research to gain insights on industry opportunities, competition, market size, and portfolio expansion. Develop and maintain sales tools and methodologies to substantiate business value. Chair Client Advisory Board (CAB) that consists of leading retailers from around the world. Q & A: Q: More orders are expected this year from phones and tablets than from computers? A: For the first time during the holiday season, shoppers will place more orders from their phones than computers or tablets. Q: AI based products, how they are expected to drive holiday revenue this year? A: AI will be huge, with AI-based product recommendations driving 35 percent of all holiday revenue. Q: When are most people expected to do their shopping this year? A: Black Friday will be the top digital shopping day of the season again, capturing 10 percent of the season’s revenue, while Cyber Monday will net eight percent of sales. Q: Which social media platforms will most influence shopping behavior? A: Instagram Q: How do personalized experiences affect the way people shop? A: Consumer preferences overall, such as their preference to buy from purpose-driven brands and retailers that value customer service. Q: How does Salesforce know? A: It powers leading retail brands like adidas, Puma, Coca-Cola, DVF, Lacoste and many others, and it has been able to make these prediction based on insights from 500M shoppers across the globe.   Where can we go for more information? Learn more at:  https://www.salesforce.com/solutions/industries/retail/overview Connect with Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-garf-224395 Georgia Business Radio Interviewing industry and thought leaders with compelling stories. Relevant content on current business trends live from the Pro Business Channel studios in Atlanta. In addition to the live broadcast, content is distributed across multiple syndicated platforms with more than 500,000 downloads. Show Host: Rich Casanova, Chief Visionary Officer Pro Business Channel Rich Casanova began his broadcasting career in California’s central valley at KSKS-FM. While in California he also ran a successful entertainment company whose staff and crew entertained over 100,000 people. After moving to Atlanta and selling his entertainment company, Casanova ventured into publishing as the Publisher and Franchise Owner of Coffee News, headquartered in Bangor, ME. Later became the Founder and CCO, Chief Connection Officer, of an online platform where local business professionals register to receive a free list of the top 10...

Payton Iheme, Public Policy Manager at Facebook Announces NEW SCORE Program for Veterans on Georgia Podcast Just in time for Veteran's Day, Facebook is introducing a new resource for military members and veterans to help them continue to build their community, find job opportunities and enhance their digital skills through Facebook. Veterans and active military members use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family. In fact, more than 900,000 people in the US participate in more than 2,000 groups for military, veterans and their spouses on Facebook. The Military and Veterans Hub will provide online safety tips, resources for finding jobs and digital skills training through a new partnership with SCORE, the nation's largest network of volunteer expert business mentors. It will also spotlight veteran-owned businesses. Payton Iheme, Public Policy Manager at Facebook and a veteran, shares timely information about this new program, and other initiatives to help veterans achieve success, timely information about this new program, and other initiatives to help veterans achieve success. HOW FACEBOOK & SCORE ARE  TEAMING UP TO HELP VETS: A MENTOR MATCH that connects military members and veterans with a cohort of SCORE's experienced business mentors who are also US veterans. A VETERAN-FOCUSED EDUCATIONAL TOOLKIT for launching a business, including steps for developing business concepts, and how to develop a business plan. VETERAN-FOCUSED WORKSHOPS where SCORE's veteran mentors are available to help attendees and provide continued guidance through all stages of startup and growth. CAREERS FOR VETS AT FACEBOOK Facebook is also launching a 12-month career development pilot program for Veterans with a background in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Computer Science to help the company solve global challenges. They also offer a Military Skills Translator to help people find Facebook careers relevant to their military experience SPOKESPERSON: Payton Iheme Facebook US Public Policy Manager focuses on policy topics related to the Internet, digital economy/small business, counter terrorism, cyber-security, data privacy, and partnerships. As part of that role, she also manages veteran and military policy. Previously, she served as the Senior Policy Advisor for Communication Technology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.  Payton has experience in the national security sector, public/private partnerships, and with international relations while serving as an active duty officer in the Army's special operations and humanitarian assistance elements of the Department of Defense.  She holds honor degrees from the University of Texas and a master's degree in Government Policy from the George Washington University. She currently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army National Guard. For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/boost/milvethub More about Georgia Podcast "Who's Who and What's New Georgia!" Interviewing industry and thought leaders with compelling stories. In addition to the live broadcast, content is distributed across multiple syndicated platforms with more than 500,000 downloads. Show Host: Rich Casanova, Chief Visionary Officer Pro Business Channel Rich Casanova began his broadcasting career in California’s central valley at KSKS-FM. While in California he also ran a successful entertainment company whose staff and crew entertained over 100,000 people. After moving to Atlanta and selling his entertainment company, Casanova ventured into publishing as the Publisher and Franchise Owner of Coffee News, headquartered in Bangor, ME. Later became the Founder and CCO, Chief Connection Officer,