The Training Effect

The Training Effect explores how learning systems drive growth and efficiency in franchise and multi-unit businesses. Hosted by Douglas Mark of LearningZen, each episode features real stories and expert insights on how structured training boosts performance, reduces inefficiencies, and scales success. Whether you're a franchisor, business leader, or operator, you'll discover how learning can be your greatest ROI driver.

The Training Effect is a business podcast hosted by LearningZen, with 18 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

LearningZen hosts The Training Effect, a business show with 18 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #8

  The Veteran Edge: Building Franchise Systems That Execute with Jay Sperry

  Oct 1, 202639 minS2

  What does a Marine learn about building and training teams that you can't get anywhere else? In this episode of The Training Effect , host Doug Mark sits down with Jay Sperry, CEO and COO of Veteran Service Brands, to discuss how military training philosophies can transform franchise operations. After 20 years in the United States Marine Corps, Jay brought his experience in high-stakes training—where quality isn't just an HR conversation, but a survival question—into the franchise world. Now overseeing five franchise concepts (GForce, Paint Core, FieldOps, Mach One, and Propswash), Jay explains how establishing clear standards, continuous training, and strong mentorship can turn franchisees into elite business operators. In this episode, you'll learn: Why military principles like "execute, rehearse, plan, back brief" are critical for franchise scaling. How to bridge the gap between initial onboarding and long-term franchisee execution. Why veterans make exceptional franchise owners and how they identify weak points in business systems. The importance of implementing Franchise Advisory Councils (FACs) and mentorship programs for new owners. How to effectively balance structure and flexibility to manage independent franchisees through influence rather than direct authority. Whether you're a franchisor, an operations leader, or a founder looking to scale, this episode is packed with actionable insights on building a training culture that holds up when it counts. Connect with Jay on LinkedIn to learn more about Veteran Service Brands.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #7

  From Classroom Teacher to Franchise President with Faith Gavelek

  Sep 17, 202634 minS2

  How does an elementary school teacher transition into a top-performing franchisee, executive, and ultimately President of an international franchise system? In this episode of The Training Effect , host Doug Mark speaks with Faith Gavelek, President of Drama Kids International. Faith shares her rare 360-degree journey across the franchise ecosystem—from Hillsborough County classroom teacher to franchisee, franchise sales manager, VP of support, and President. Faith breaks down how she rebuilt the brand and supported franchise owners through the 2020 pandemic, completely revamped their onboarding training from an overwhelming 5-day firehose into asynchronous bite-sized modules, and introduced high-margin revenue streams like "Take Two" musical theater. She also explains the power of remaining an active franchise owner while leading the entire corporate network. In this episode, you’ll learn: The Power of Franchisee-Led Testing: Why Faith tests all new vendor tools, curriculum, and operational changes in her local franchise before network-wide rollout. Overhauling Franchise Onboarding: How shifting from dense in-person lectures to bite-sized pre-recorded videos and living "Directors' Guides" improved onboarding success. Navigating Crisis with Flexibility & Innovation: Strategies for pivoting revenue during market disruptions and expanding unit economics without burning out franchisees. Data-Driven Franchise Support: How tracking Average Class Size (ACS) and Average Revenue per Student (ARS) identifies struggling locations before a crisis. Combining Education with an Executive MBA: How balancing grounded operational experience with an MBA framework helps eliminate imposter syndrome and improve strategic decisions. Whether you are a franchisor, a multi-unit owner, or an operations leader looking to scale franchisee training and support systems, this episode is packed with practical strategies you can implement immediately. Learn more about Drama Kids at dramakids.com or explore franchising opportunities at dramakidsfranchise.com . Connect with Faith Gavelek on LinkedIn.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #6

  Weaponizing Franchise Operations & Culture with Dena Landers

  Sep 3, 202654 minS2

  Franchise operations are often viewed as a defensive necessity to maintain standards, but what if you could "weaponize" them for explosive growth? In this episode of The Training Effect, host Doug Mark talks with Dena Landers, VP of Operations at Lyftology Franchise and Senior Consultant with Unleashed, about building systems and cultures that truly drive business success. Dena shares her playbook for scaling brands, including how she helped Kiddo Kinetics grow from 3 to 69 franchisees and added over $10 million in increased profitability. She breaks down why operations should be an offensive tactic, how to support franchisees during hyper-growth, and the critical difference between steering a "speedboat" and a "cruise ship" when blowing up old systems. In this episode, you'll learn: What "weaponized operations" means and how to align your systems to push the chains down the field. How to build a life-changing culture that allows employees to connect their work with their true vocation. The "Beyonce Rule": why you must evaluate your franchise systems by asking if Beyonce would be satisfied with the support. How to handle massive scaling by shifting support from Slack channels to ticket systems—while maintaining a 7-minute response time. The reality of franchise ownership and the "franchisee happiness scale" (trading a 9-to-5 for a 6-to-9). How the "Exit Without Selling" philosophy uses strong integrators (second-in-commands) to help founders step back while their business grows. Whether you're a franchisor, an operations leader, or a founder navigating rapid growth, this conversation is packed with actionable insights you can put to use immediately. Connect with Dena on LinkedIn to learn more about Lyftology Franchise and Unleashed.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #4

  Scaling a 50-Year Legacy Brand: Franchise Onboarding & QSR Operations with Alex Rosner

  Aug 6, 202640 minS2

  How do you turn a 50-year family-owned bagel empire into a rapidly expanding national franchise without losing quality or culture? In this episode of The Training Effect , host Doug Mark speaks with Alex Rosner , COO and Training Supervisor at Bagel Boss . Starting from the ground level—cleaning dining rooms and working counter shifts—Alex rose through the ranks to lead franchisee onboarding, store design, contractor build-outs, and hands-on operational training across Bagel Boss's 21+ locations in New York, Florida, California, and North Carolina. Alex pulls back the curtain on how Bagel Boss balances 50 years of bagel-baking craft with modern franchising systems. He shares how standardizing store design, introducing dedicated cashiers, and creating an "expo station" drastically cut order errors and boosted customer retention. Plus, he dives into the harsh operational realities of expanding into tough markets like California and why franchisors must over-communicate to ensure long-term franchisee success. In this episode, you'll learn: From Counter to C-Suite: How growing up in a multi-generational family business shapes hands-on franchise leadership. The End-to-End Onboarding Framework: How Alex guides franchisees from signing the FDD to site selection, architect design, and grand opening. Operational Excellence & Checks-and-Balances: Why implementing POS systems, ticket initials, and an "expo station" eliminated order mistakes during peak hours. Solving Market Disparities: Navigating labor, construction costs, and high minimum wages when scaling from New York to California. Protecting Brand Consistency: How shipping authentic Long Island dough keeps the core product consistent across state lines. Culture & Customer Service: Why being "the Chick-fil-A of bagels" and treating franchisees like family drives organic growth. Whether you're a franchisor, COO, franchise operations leader, or multi-unit franchisee looking to refine your training and onboarding playbook, this conversation is packed with frameworks you can put to use immediately. Connect & Learn More: Explore Bagel Boss franchise opportunities: bagelfranchise.com / bagelboss.com Connect with Alex Rosner on Instagram (@ACRosner) or LinkedIn. Subscribe to The Training Effect for more operational and franchise training insights!

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #3

  Operationalizing Training & Scaling Culture with Taylor Lemont

  Jul 23, 202637 minS2

  Culture does not scale by accident — it scales through intentional systems, leadership behavior, and a shared language across your entire organization. In this episode of The Training Effect, host Doug Mark sits down with Taylor Lemont, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner at Image Studios — recognized as one of America's fastest-growing companies and an Inc. Magazine Best Workplace, with 200+ salon suite locations in development across 29 states. Taylor, named the #1 Top Franchise Influencer, shares how Image Studios treats training as foundational infrastructure rather than a one-time event. Taylor breaks down how to build "rolling education models" that engage franchisees and independent beauty professionals ("Image Pros") from the exact day they sign, how to sequence onboarding to eliminate overwhelm, why occupancy is a lagging indicator of franchisee engagement, and why the first 18 months of franchise ownership require active leadership to unlock long-term predictable success. In this episode, you'll learn: Training as Infrastructure: Why training must be integrated across all 5 stages of franchise growth (Real Estate, Pre-Opening, Lease-Up, Ongoing Ops, and Multi-Unit Scaling). The Rolling Education Model: How Taylor applied lessons from 14 years at Steiner Leisure to eliminate waiting for "training semesters" and capitalize on peak emotional momentum. Sequencing & Tiered Onboarding: How to deliver exact playbooks when franchisees need them—moving from 360 Training to weekly Business Coaching. Passive vs. Predictable Franchising: Why the salon suite model requires active involvement during the first 18 months to build semi-absentee predictability. Leading vs. Lagging Metrics: Why occupancy is a lagging indicator and how tracking engagement and execution cadence prevents operational breakdown. Scaling Culture: How Image Studios earned Inc.'s Best Workplace award by establishing shared language and systems that sustain culture when no one is watching. Call to Action & Links: Learn more about Image Studios franchise opportunities at imagestudiosfranchise.com Connect with Taylor Lemont on LinkedIn

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on The Training Effect. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.