Top Franchise Industry Influencers of 2022

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!

• Company: Mici Handcrafted Italian
• Website:
• LinkedIn:

Matt Stanton is Partner and Chief Growth Officer for Mici Handcrafted Italian. Mici is a Denver-Born fast casual concept serving pizza, pasta, and salads made using family recipes and natural ingredients. Mici is now growing nationwide through a combination of franchise and corporate owned restaurants and will launch the Phoenix, Dallas, and Detroit markets in 2022.

Matt has 10+ years of retail and consumer industry experience, having served as Chief Development Officer for leading beauty and wellness franchisor WellBiz Brands, Inc. - the manager of Drybar, Elements Massage, Amazing Lash, LunchboxWax, and Fitness Together. Matt also led growth for the restaurant chains Smashburger and Taco Bueno Restaurants. Prior to these roles, he was a Consultant with Bain & Company in Dallas.

As a Colorado native who is truly proud of my state, I am excited to round out her career, becoming a Franchisee myself with the FranNet team support and grow my clients by helping them fulfill their own business ownership dreams.

I am also a super fan of the franchise industry and love to consult and help Franchisors grow their brand with the best practices and incredible vendors I have worked with spanning my 30-Year Career.

On a personal note, I am a Stepmother to two great young ladies, Marley -18, and Maya – 13 and live in Centennial, Colorado with my husband, Mike (and furbabies Jack a Puggle and Yadi the Golden). I enjoy volunteering regularly for numerous charities and am extremely passionate about giving back to my community.

• Company: The Entrepreneur’s Source
• Website:
• LinkedIn:

75% of the adult population in the US has a desire to be self-sufficient – of that 75%, only 5% are actively reaching out to franchise brands to learn more. What about that other 95%?

We are a coaching referral organization that has been helping to empower people’s personal and professional dreams for 35 years.

We work with franchise brands who are ready to move out of the “dino-zor” era of selling and convincing to buy and instead move into a space of Education, Awareness, and Discovery. Because of our coaching methodology, 95% of our clients go into a business they would have admittedly never looked at or would have prematurely dismissed.

• Company: MELD Fitness + Wellness
• Website:
• LinkedIn:

I am a dynamic entrepreneur, business owner and speaker who has built a diversified, profitable health and fitness enterprise. From humble beginnings, I have nurtured a multi-service, multi-location, award-winning company with a value proposition focused on high quality client service. I leverage my leadership, communications and motivational skills to ensure that my customers are satisfied and my employees are high-performing and engaged. I am also a trusted consultant to small business owners--relying on the competencies I have developed throughout my career to help them level up.

My world view is that people who have limited opportunities are an emerging market and I work passionately in many forums to set them up for success and activate their potential. I am focused on creating opportunities through a variety of forums including:

National speaking engagements include (Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Hopewell Inc., Blue Cross Blue Shield, J. Jill, UPS, Fitness Business Association, Mindbody BOLD Conference

I lead with honesty and integrity in all that I do.

Michael Browning is the CEO and Founder of Unleashed Brands, a platform company that houses the world’s best franchise brands to help kids Learn, Play and Grow.

Browning launched Unleashed in 2021 after noticing a void in the market for parents looking for a trusted resource for kid’s activities. The growing portfolio currently includes Urban Air Adventure Park, Snapology and The Little Gym.

In 2011, Browning launched Urban Air Adventure Park, the world’s preeminent family indoor adventure park, that has since served more than 20 million kids annually and generated $500 million+ of annual systemwide revenue. Browning believes that every guest to come through the doors of Urban Air has a story and the company’s mission is to enhance the story through engaging atmospheres that leverage the combination of lighting, sound, attractions and a guest-centric staff.

A young entrepreneur, Browning was named a rising star by the Dallas Business Journal in their Annual “40 Under 40” list in 2021. Urban Air has also ranked as No. 1 for the past three years in the annual Franchise 500 list put out by Entrepreneur Magazine. The company was also ranked on the Franchise Times Top 200+ list, an exclusive annual ranking of the 500 largest franchises.

Starting in childhood, those who watched Browning’s passion for business recognized an innate ability and vision that would help him overcome obstacles and push him to succeed. It was this passion and determination combined with his ability to turn what is “typical” upside down is what has driven his success in creating companies. Browning’s first company he founded was Phoebos Partners, a healthcare consulting firm which developed the nation’s most innovative marketing analytics software which determined the factors leading to success in healthcare marketing.

Having spent years as an entrepreneur, Browning leads the team with true insight into the challenges that new businesses face and he doggedly pushes the team to look for new ways to overcome obstacles and break down barriers to achieving success.

Michael has an almost 30-year career successfully building multiple, Inc. 500, global franchise brands. Consulting, serving on Boards, investing and building companies, he has vast experience identifying, and franchising strong food and beverage concepts.

In 2013, he discovered Teriyaki Madness. A small, seven-unit regional chain with delicious and healthy food, a simple business model, a raving fan base and most importantly, the best margins he'd ever seen in his years in the restaurant industry.

He sold all of his current business interests in 2015 to acquire and focus on Teriyaki Madness and what is quickly becoming a recognized success story in the fast casual restaurant industry. Quality, fresh, customizable ingredients made-to-order with large portions of delicious, healthy bowls of fresh vegetables, all-natural grilled chicken and beef, with homemade sauces and served over Calrose rice or noodles.

He has assembled a team of seasoned, fast-casual professionals to build the processes and systems to aggressively and intelligently help franchisees expand TMAD on a global scale. Currently more than 95 teriyaki shops with another 40 to open in 2021 throughout North America. TMAD has great momentum into the next decade as satisfied franchisees expand rapidly into additional shops.

The TMAD franchise community is aggressively expanding, adding additional units while inviting and supporting new franchisees to expand the brand awareness across the globe.

We build sustainable brands by providing franchisors with tools and expertise to create breakthroughs in franchise development.

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