Episode 140

In our first Mentor Series pairing, Chuck Runyon, co-founder of Anytime Fitness, the world's largest fitness franchise chain, and its parent company Purpose Brands (formerly Self Esteem Brands), which includes Orangetheory Fitness, Waxing the City, and several other franchise businesses talks about transitioning out the CEO role to board chair. He offers advice to Melanie Richards, founder and CEO of goGLOW. Richards started her spray tan business in 2011 and with seven corporate stores open, she started franchising in 2024. Now with 78 units sold across the country, Richards is navigating the change from scrappy founder to leader of a national brand.

"You know your business," Runyon tells Richards. "Now you've got to hire people to take on that day to day, and your job is to build a team. Leaders build teams, teams build the business, and then deliver that culture and shape that strategy. You've got to be the storyteller to make sure that the heroes of the story are your clients and your franchisees."

Plus: Office Hours with the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University. Economics professor Louis Johnston offers advice to founders on knowing what you're best at, what to hire out, and the importance of telling the story of your business.