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The Franchise Leaders Forum Podcast
Welcome to "The Franchise Leaders Forum," the ultimate podcast for entrepreneurs navigating the intricate world of franchising, brought to you by industry veterans Tracy Panase and Shannon Wilburn. This podcast is your go-to resource for franchise leadership insights, practical strategies to build and scale your franchise, and firsthand experiences from those who live and breathe franchising every day.
Leading the conversation is Tracy Panase, the dynamic force behind the Just Between Friends Franchise System. Tracy, who previously excelled as a top franchisee, took over the leadership reins in December 2022. Under her guidance, the brand is reaching new heights, emphasizing a strong culture, supporting franchisees, and ensuring families across the country can say “YES” to everything their kiddos need and want. Her fresh perspective and unwavering commitment to excellence make her a formidable voice in the franchising community.
By her side is Shannon Wilburn, the visionary co-founder of Just Between Friends. Starting from a simple idea in her living room in 1997, Shannon grew the company into a thriving network of over 150 locations. Her decision to pass the leadership to Tracy has infused the company with new energy and direction, and together, they bring a wealth of knowledge and passion to the podcast.
In "The Franchise Leaders Forum," Tracy and Shannon dive deep into the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly aspects of franchising. Each episode features candid discussions, expert interviews, and real-life stories from successful franchise leaders who have faced and overcome challenges. Listeners will gain valuable insights into effective leadership, growth strategies, and the nuances of franchise operations.
Whether you're a franchisor, franchisee, or aspiring to enter the franchising world, this podcast addresses the pain points and challenges you face. From understanding franchise dynamics to learning how to support and grow your franchisees, Tracy and Shannon provide actionable advice and inspiration.
Tune in to learn from the experiences of others, gain new perspectives, and equip yourself with the tools to navigate your franchising journey with confidence.
Join us on "The Franchise Leaders Forum" and become part of a community dedicated to leadership, growth, and success in franchising.
This podcast will provide answers to questions and topics like:
- Tips for Franchisees, Franchisors and vendor partners
- How to scale a franchise business
- Why is leadership important in franchising?
- How do I grow my franchise business?
- What are the trends in franchising?
- What is the challenge of franchising?
- How do I get involved in a franchise business?
- Franchise success stories
- Franchise marketing strategies
The Franchise Leaders Forum Podcast
Taking Over a Franchise Legacy Is Harder Than You Think w/ Anne Huntington Sharma
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Stepping into a company your parents built sounds like a natural transition. It’s not.
In this episode, Tracy and Shannon sit down with Anne Huntington Sharma, CEO and President of Huntington Learning Center, to talk about what it actually looks like to lead a nearly 50-year-old franchise brand into its next chapter. From growing up in the business to building experience outside of it, Anne shares what it took to step into leadership, earn credibility, and navigate the reality of leading a system where trust isn’t automatic.
This conversation goes beyond leadership titles. Anne breaks down what it means to act as a steward of a legacy brand while still pushing it forward, from leading through COVID and driving a system-wide shift online to managing large-scale innovation across hundreds of franchise locations. She also shares how Huntington is investing in the future, including building custom curriculum powered by both AI and human expertise, and what it takes to roll out change in a way franchisees will actually adopt.
They also get into the parts most people don’t talk about, balancing family dynamics inside a business, making long-term decisions while franchisees are focused on today, and why consistency, communication, and local community presence still matter more than ever.
If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to lead, evolve, and protect a legacy brand at the same time, this episode will give you a much clearer picture.
So if you’re building, leading, or stepping into something bigger than you, this is the episode to listen to.
Resources:
Business conference: https://chiefexecutive.net/
Connect with Anne:
Website: https://huntingtonhelps.com/
Franchise Info: https://huntingtonfranchise.com/
Phone: 1-800-CAN-LEARN
LinkedIn: @anne-huntington-sharma
Episode Highlights:
- Growing up inside a franchise system and what that actually looks like
- The decision to work outside the family business first
- The moment that led Anne to join Huntington full-time
- Navigating leadership as the founder’s daughter
- Leading through COVID and system-wide change
- How to introduce innovation in a legacy franchise system
- The role of trust, consistency, and communication in leadership
- Why local marketing still drives franchise success
- Building credibility with franchisees over time
- What franchisees need from leadership today
Connect with Tracy
Personal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-panase/
JBF LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbfsale
JBF Franchise System - https://jbfsalefranchise.com/
Email: podcast@jbfsale.com
Connect with Shannon
Personal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonwilburn/
JBF LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/jbfsale
Website - https://shineexecutivecoaching.com/
Email - shannon@shineexecutivecoaching.com