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2022’s Top Franchise Influencers: 125–116

Once again, 1851 Franchise and SeoSamba have teamed up to find the most influential influencers in the franchise world.

By Ben Warren1851 Franchise Managing Editor
Updated 8:08AM • 02/09/22

Franchising is a big world, and it’s only getting bigger. Still, it’s a community, and a fairly close-knit community at that. Franchisors and franchisees across brands are constantly kept abreast of what their colleagues and competitors are up to, eager to implement best practices and leverage the industry’s best ideas. 

That’s why it’s essential for everyone in the industry to know who’s who. Whether you are buying a franchise, franchising your business, growing your franchise or looking for general information on franchising, tapping into the franchise world’s thriving community is vital to your success.

To that end, 1851 Franchise has teamed up with SeoSamba to bring you a list of the most influential people in franchising. 

Publishing throughout the month of February, this list is not a ranking, but a collection of 175 franchise industry professionals we think you should know. To help you connect, we’ve provided links to each professional’s LinkedIn page where available. So read on, and get busy building your network!

Greg and Vera Muzzillo

Nominator’s Rationale:

Greg and Vera Muzzillo are influential leaders who have helped over 600 franchisees accomplish their dreams through building their own businesses. Greg Muzzillo founded Proforma in 1978, and today the company is a $500 million global franchise leader in the promotional products and printing distribution industry. Over the past 5 years, more than 50 Proforma Franchise Owners have been named to Inc. Magazine’s list of 5000 Fastest Growing Companies. Greg and Vera are dedicated to the success of our Franchise Owners. Today, over 300 Franchise Owners have reached annual sales ranging from $1 million up to $34 million. In addition to supporting the dreams’ of our Franchise Owners, they also promote entrepreneurship through the community. They judge business competitions at Notre Dame and University of Florida, Vera serves on the board of our industry association, PPAI, and Greg is host of Million Dollar Monday, a podcast that offers advice to aspiring entrepreneurs and all people with big dreams. Greg & Vera have empowered many people and are truly changing lives.

Guillermo Perales

LinkedIn Bio:

Guillermo Perales began his journey into the world of franchise ownership with a single store and an ambitious dream in 1997. Crediting a combination of “luck, hard work, and a constant quest to expand”, his Sun Holdings’ portfolio today features over 1200 locations that employ over 27,000 people, serves 100 million meals a year, and generates revenue of over $1 billion dollars a year. His impressive acquisitions have positioned Perales as the third-largest franchise group in the United States by Mega 99, and is among the 101 most influential Latinos. 

Perales’ tremendous success in restaurant operations, real estate, and general management are all rooted in his commitment to education. He graduated with high honors from the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey as a CPA before moving to the United States and earning his MBA from Texas A&M University. The meteoric company growth that seemed to follow for Perales often has industry peers and colleagues calling him a “rock star” in the franchise realm. Yet, Perales remains deeply grounded and passionate about the importance of sharing his leadership and experience with new generations of entrepreneurs, especially those in the Latino business community. 

Heather Hudson

LinkedIn Bio:

Heather “The Hero” Hudson, COO and Co-founder of 9Round, is a black belt in Shotokan Karate, and avid fitness competitor. Growing up with a fervor for health and fitness, her newfound passion of helping others realize their fitness goals are never too high.

Heather is fully involved with the company’s day-to-day operations with a strong focus on marketing, compliance, and the development of scalable systems for 9Round owners. Heather is a mother of two herself and especially enjoys supporting women through their fitness and business journeys. 

Heather lives by the belief that "man becomes what he thinks about most," so keeping a proper mindset is key to leading a happy, successful life.

Iric Wexler

LinkedIn Bio:

My franchising career began in the restaurant industry. I played management and leadership roles in startups and mature international brands. While my expertise was operational I was most excited by growth through franchising; the balance of ever-evolving operational systems and the entrepreneurial drive of a business owner. Through a mutual business associate and personal friend, I was introduced to The Cleaning Authority in the fall of 2002. TCA’s business model WOWED me. I joined their team in early 2003, ultimately becoming the Chief Development Officer. After a couple of years away from TCA (2013-2014) focusing on other projects (part of Oasis Senior Advisors founding team), I rejoined TCA and we formed Authority Brands as the parent of TCA. We subsequently acquired Homewatch Caregivers, America’s Swimming Pools, and Mosquito Squad, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, One Hour HVAC and Mr. Sparky, each mature business combining for more than $1.6 Billion in consumer revenue. After 16 years, and upon a second PE flip, I exited. 

After some "time off" as a Franchisor, I joined Premium Service Brands and spent 2021 as the CDO, while PBS saw tremendous growth from 5 to 9 Home Service Brands servicing 1,000 territories. Moving into 2022 my role is as PSBs’s Ambassador within the Franchise Industry. 

Like many people reading this, my professional motivation comes from the same foundation as my personal inspiration, my family. I have 3 amazing (young adult) children and live in Annapolis, MD.

Jack Child

Nominator’s Rationale:

Jack Child established G-FORCE Parking Lot striping in 2018 quickly scaling to 31 locations with more slated to come on soon. As a Veteran himself, Jack developed the brand to be exclusive to Veterans as he had a clear understanding of their sense of hard work, leadership and organizational abilities that would help them become the optimal franchisee candidates. Borrowing from the successful growth of G-FORCE, Jack developed an opportunity to put more Veterans in business by introducing three new Veteran-Exclusive brands to mirror the success of G-FORCE for 2022. MACH ONE Epoxy Floors, FIELD OPS Sport Markings and PAINT CORPS House Painting together with G-FORCE Parking Lot Striping are poised to have exponential growth this year all under a new marketing arm called Veteran Service Brands. Together with low franchise fees, large territories and negotiated discounts on equipment, Jack can focus his passion of getting more Veterans into business.

Jaime Sanchez

LinkedIn Bio:

Helping people has always driven me to strive for more. After working for more than 4 years working in corporate immigration law and having successfully worked with over 120+ foreign investors, I came to the realization that many foreign investors were failing and doing the same mistakes over and over again, additionally many of my clients always felt lost and frustrated when starting their new life in the USA. This is when I felt I needed to do something about it. 

I started "Interlink | Franchise & Business Consulting", in order to help and directly assist foreign investors in picking the right franchise and business for their needs. 

Jake Rankin

Nominator’s Rationale:

Without realizing it, franchising and senior care has been a career-long path that I was destined to be on.  Early in my career, I interned with the SBA helping small business owners achieve their goals of ownership and success laid the groundwork for my passion of helping others.  I was always involved with organizations that helped others.  It wasn’t until a conversation with my uncle, who is in the health care industry, that I decided to start a career that sent me on a path of passion that allowed me to make a difference. So, in 2005, got I got my start in health care when I started working as a caregiver and case manager for a senior care agency in Boise, Id. and in 2010 Jake became a Certified Senior Advisor® and in 2020 I became a Certified Franchise Executive. Then one day I was forced to experience something no one wants to experience. My mother had been battling health issues for years and it became more serious. As she lay unconscious in the ICU, I was forced to make extremely difficult decisions, alone and with little help. I found myself struggling to get enough information from the medical staff to understand, plan, and figure out what to do next. One would think being in the industry at this point for almost a decade, receiving my Certified Senior Advisor certification and spending countless hours helping other families in the same situation, I would be ahead of the game and be prepared for this. But, as we all know, nothing is as easy as it seems. Besides having to make extremely difficult life and death decisions for my mother, the biggest frustration was the lack of support I got from the health care staff. Leading up to this, even for someone with a background like mine, trying to find resources and navigating the healthcare system was intensely frustrating and confusing. It angered me and made me truly understand what my clients were going through. It was this experience that pushed me to be even more dedicated to helping as many people as I could. In order for me to start this new journey, however, it meant a change. I was working for large corporations that seemed more interested in making money than helping those we were serving. I decided that the only way for me to make a difference was to start my own company. And in 2013 Talem Home Care was launched.  Franchising was a way for me to combine my two passions, helping entrepreneurs and working in senior care.  Additionally, franchising allows us to reach out to more and more people, helping those who struggle to navigate the complexities of caring for our elderly. At Talem Home Care & Placement Services, we empower, our clients, employees, and community to gain greater control of their future as we lead them to achieve their goal of experiencing the full joy of living. Through education, advocation, mutual respect, and shared decision making, Talem Home Care & Placement services will serve as a central point of coordination providing information and resources to those lives we touch, in an effort to assist others in gaining the self-efficacy needed to affect a positive change.

Jam Hashmi

LinkedIn Bio:

An entrepreneur with an extensive background in franchising and interests in multiple online business channels, Jamshaid (Jam) Hashmi has played an instrumental role in the franchise development and success of a renowned international franchise company. 

He owns and operates a Digital Marketing Agency that works with the Franchise Industry, ClickTecs, a Google Adwords Certified Partner specializing in Search Engine and Social Media Marketing as well as Website and Mobile Application development. He is also the co-founder and CEO of FranchiseSoft, a franchise management software company that provides modules for Franchise Sales CRM, Franchisee Management, Onboarding, Franchisee Training through a Learning Management System, Franchisee Support and Financial Royalty Reporting.

A sought-after public speaker, Jam has been the featured keynote at many franchise conferences and international summits. He regularly trains ‘C’ Level Executives and supports both new and seasoned business owners on SEO, Social Media, Mobile Marketing, Mobile Apps, Brand Reputation Management and Conversion & Measurement through web analytics. 

When he’s not scaling the heights of the Internet world, Jam ‘unwinds’ on extreme thrill-seeking adventures from the jungles of the Amazon to the highest summits. His passions include working with NGOs on humanitarian missions to areas around the world affected by disasters and poverty.

Jania Bailey

LinkedIn Bio:

Executive Leader with over 30 years of experience in the banking and franchise industries. 

Hired as President and COO of FranNet in 2006. Promoted to CEO in 2014. Accomplishments include converting the company to a franchise model and establishing national relationships with several key organizations such as SCORE, ASBDC, and BNI.

Over 8 years and in several different managerial capacities with Fantastic Sams International, a haircare franchise.

Served as the regional manager for Fantastic Sams. Oversaw operational support and development for franchisees in a five-state region. 

Eighteen years in the Banking Industry in the commercial lending and business development areas and 3 years as a National Speaker, Consultant and Trainer.

Key-note speaker at several National and International events for organizations on topics including Change Management, Leadership Excellence, Team Building, Customer Service, Communication Skills and Strategic Planning. 

Author of a book that was published in 1995, “Thriving – The Journey to Success in the Business World”.

Served 6 years on the IFA Executive Board, 6 years on IFA Supplier Forum Board, currently the IFA Membership Committee Chair, and has been active as a mentor for new Franchisors through the IFA FranShip program.

Specialties: *Finance, Franchising, Leadership, Public Speaking, Change Management, Team building, Performance Coaching, Customer Service Excellence and Management Training.

Jason McReynolds

LinkedIn Bio:

After years in the franchise business, I started Fran Metrics to help support franchisors and franchisees. 

There is a great benefit for both franchisors and franchisees to boost unit-level economics by leveraging the knowledge of KPI trends and benchmarking. I am devoted to making this process simple while keeping franchisees engaged.

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