What does it take to lead a category-defining franchise in a cyclical industry? In this episode of Franchise Today, Stan Friedman sits down with Charles Furlough, President & CEO of Pillar To Post Home Inspectors. Charles shares how the brand continues to grow by focusing on franchisee performance, operational excellence, and a differentiated customer experience.

The conversation explores scaling in the home services sector, navigating real estate market cycles, and why strong unit economics and franchisee support are the cornerstones of long-term system success.

What happens when a franchisor prioritizes franchisee survival over growth—and comes out stronger on the other side?

In this episode of Franchise Today, Stan Friedman sits down with Neal Courtney, CEO of Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids and Snip-Its, to explore a franchising journey shaped by operational discipline, franchise ownership experience, and crisis leadership.

Neal shares how a casual recommendation from a neighbor led he and his wife Alexis into franchise ownership, and eventually into acquiring and leading the Cookie Cutters brand. Under Neal’s leadership, the system expanded from 25 locations to over 110, selling 370 franchise agreements with a 94% conversion rate between 2016 and 2019.

When COVID-19 hit, Neil halted development, and focused instead on weekly franchisee communication, negotiated rent relief, and helped owners secure PPP and EIDL funding. The result: stronger relationships and average unit volumes nearly 30% higher than pre-pandemic levels.

This conversation covers franchise growth strategy, unit level economics, crisis leadership, founder-led culture, and why franchisors must take responsibility for creating scalable models that actually work.

From a college painting business to a multi-brand franchise empire with more than 1,100 locations—this episode of Franchise Today dives deep into the entrepreneurial journey of Paul Flick, founder and CEO of Premium Service Brands and Extraordinary Brands.

Paul’s story began nearly 40 years ago with Student Painters in Canada, followed by a brief corporate stint at Coca-Cola. In 2005, he launched 360 Painting in Northern Virginia—and franchised it, a little less than 2 years later. What followed was rapid growth, a near-financial wipe out during the Great Recession, and a long-term vision that never wavered.

That vision? Serving single-family homeowners across multiple complementary services. Paul explains how “brand stacking”—where franchisees own several aligned brands in the same territory—dramatically improves unit level economics. One franchise partner grew from $1.5 million to nearly $6 million in revenue, by leveraging existing customer relationships, reducing acquisition costs, and increasing lifetime value of the customer.

This conversation explores how recession-resistant services like garage doors helped stabilize the portfolio during economic downturns, and how shared infrastructure—finance, marketing, training, and an in-house call center—allowed Premium Service Brands to scale efficiently while maintaining quality. Today, the organization adds 100–120 new franchise partners annually across under served markets in the U.S. and Canada.

Paul also addresses why the $600+ billion home services sector remains resilient: homeowners are staying put and investing in their homes rather than moving, driving predictable demand even in uncertain times.

Beyond business, Paul shares his deeply personal motivation behind Kids Lift, a community-impact initiative inspired by his daughter Anne. The program empowers franchisees to give back locally, reinforcing the belief that purpose and profitability can—and should—grow together.

This episode delivers a masterclass in resilience, strategic growth, and building franchise systems that scale without losing soul.