The 8 | January 11, 2019

1. Frantastic: We’re kicking off this week’s episode of The 8 with some Frantastic news for fans of technology — the future of food delivery is almost here. General Motors and DoorDash are partnering to test autonomous meal and grocery deliveries in early 2019. The program will be focused in San Francisco first and will feature GM’s self-driving unit called Cruise.

2. Franlebrity: Our latest Franlebrity is none other than this week’s co-host, Sean Fitzgerald. No Limit Agency*’s Chief Development Strategist was recently interviewed by 1851 to debunk five of the most common franchising myths, including the idea that any validation is good validation and more leads equal more deals. To learn more about franchising myths, head to 1851.

3. Frash Money: Spotify has found a new way to make Frash Money. The music streaming service announced that it’s beta testing the ability for brands to sponsor Discover Weekly playlists. These playlists are customized for each user using artificial intelligence, which is why Spotify claims that these sponsorships will allow brands to “own the personalized listening experience.”

4. Frant of the Week: We don’t always get to do what we love, so we need to try to love what we do. That saying is a powerful one for No Limit Agency CEO Nick Powills, and it’s what he’s focusing on in his latest Frant for 1851 Franchise. This week, his column examines why it’s important for us to find happiness in our professional lives, even if we aren’t in roles that we love 100 percent of the time. To learn more about what Powills recommends doing in order to find that happiness, check out the full column.

5. Franch Forward: Some of the best stories that we get to tell on 1851 Franchise focus on the people behind franchising — especially franchisees who are able to chase their dreams of entrepreneurship and business ownership through the franchising business model. That’s why recently, we spoke with three different franchisees to gain insight into how they found the brand that was right for them. There’s no shortage of franchise opportunities out there, so these stories shed a little more light into how candidates can narrow down their options.

6. Fran Funny: Why don’t they play poker in the jungle? Too many cheetahs.

7. Franspiration: “Franchisors who acknowledge content is king and tell great stories about their brand are best positioned to convert leads.” - Ryan Rao, Principal of Apex Franchise Development Group.

8. Franemies vs. Frands: Is cannabis the food industry’s new best Frand? As weed continues to become legal in more states, brands are starting to invest in possible cannabis-themed collaborations. The cannabis beverage industry, for example, is seeing growth. Constellation Brands invested $4 million in Canopy Growth Corp., and Winabis, cannabis and wine, has already hit the global market.