Let's Talk
Franchise Origins
One founder, one microphone, one honest hour on how it actually started. Hosted by Sean Goldsmith for The International Franchise Entrepreneur.
Coming to Spotify · Apple Podcasts · YouTube
"Most interviews want the empire. We want the evening you sat in the car outside and wondered if any of it would work."
Franchising is taught as a system. It is lived as a story. Origins exists to record those stories properly, while the founders are still here to tell them.
Season one
The first chairs are open.
We are recording the founding season now, starting with franchisors already covered by The International Franchise Entrepreneur. If your brand has an origin story worth keeping, this is the moment to be part of episode one to ten.
Put a founder forwardWhat we'll actually ask you
- 01What did the very first version of this look like — before it had a name?
- 02What was the moment you nearly walked away?
- 03Who believed you when the numbers didn't?
- 04What did franchising cost you that nobody sees?
- 05What would you tell the version of you who signed that first lease?
If you're considering the chair
Our promise to every founder who sits down with us
No pitch deck questions
We don't ask for your unit economics on air. We ask what it felt like the week before it worked.
One founder, one long conversation
Roughly 60 minutes, two hosts, no panel, no cross-talk. Recorded remotely or in studio.
You see it before the world does
Nothing publishes without your written sign-off. Anything you retract stays out of the edit.
Editorial, not advertorial
You cannot buy a seat in this chair. Every guest is chosen by the magazine's editorial desk.
Across the table from you
Sean Goldsmith
Host — The Franchise Entrepreneur: Origins
Sean has spent his career around franchise brands and the people betting everything on them. He asks the questions other founders lean in for: the model, the first franchisee, the decision that could have gone either way — and then he stays quiet long enough for the honest answer.
No panel, no cross-talk, no gotchas. One long conversation, recorded properly, and nothing publishes without your sign-off.
Every episode begins in the magazine
The article states the facts. The episode tells the truth behind them.
Origins is produced by The International Franchise Entrepreneur, read by franchisors, franchisees and investors worldwide. Guests are drawn from our editorial coverage — so your story reaches the people who understand what it took.
Visit the magazine
Brand profiles, franchise news and founder features from across the international franchise sector — the editorial home of this show.
Be there for episode one.
One email per episode: the founder, the brand, the decision worth stealing. No promotion, no filler.
Is the founder you're thinking of a guest?
Nominate yourself or someone whose origin story deserves recording. Every nomination is read by the editorial desk — we can't promise a seat, but we read every one.
Nominate a founder