Spill the biz

Hosted by Sarah Stowe from Inside Franchise Business

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Episodes

Latest episode

Mar 2026

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EN-GB

About the show

Candid chats with the entrepreneurs and owners behind the world's most impressive franchise brands.

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32 recent

March 12, 2026Episode 228 min

From franchisee to boss: how Ready Steady Go Kids' CEO is forging ahead

Danie O'Connor began her working life in the Australian Tax Office - a role she loved. So it was a big surprise to find herself suddenly taking on two franchise businesses so her young children could have somewhere to enjoy the Ready Steady Go Kids multi-sports program close to home.In this podcast, Danie shares her journey from being one of the first franchisees in the Ready Steady Go Kids network, to becoming the franchisor.She reveals why the brand has so much appeal to both franchisees and customers, the multiple revenue streams, the scale of the international business, and her priorities for the year ahead.

February 12, 2026Episode 136 min

From the Greek family table to a $120M food empire

From Crust Gourmet Pizzas to Zeus Street Greek, Costa Anastasiadis has leveraged his heritage and hospitality upbringing to create and scale popular retail food brands.In this podcast, Costa shares how immersion in the family’s pub and bistro business inspired his first foray into building a brand, and how ‘breaking bread’ with family and friends has been at the heart of his journey in hospitality.

December 18, 2025Episode 527 min

30 years on, what Gutter-Vac's founder would do differently now

What can you learn from 50 years in business? Warren Ballantyne, who ran a plumbing business before he founded the Gutter-Vac cleaning franchise, shares some honest insights into lessons learned over the decades.

August 29, 2025Episode 532 min

How local legend El Jannah became a franchise phenomenon

What is the secret to El Jannah's success? CEO Brett Houldin discusses the casual dining brand's evolution.In this podcast Brett delves into what makes the Sydney-born brand El Jannah so popular with its customer base, and what has driven the family-owned business to make its mark in the highly-competitive QSR market.

August 15, 2025Episode 423 min

How Hog's Breath Cafe CEO Tom Elliott plans to revive a beloved brand

Tom Elliott plans to revive the iconic Hog’s Breath Cafe chain. Renowned for its slow-cooked prime rib steak, curly fries, hospitality and restaurant memorabilia the 36 year old casual dining brand is in need of a reset, and the new CEO believes he has the blueprint for success.

July 4, 2025Episode 331 min

CEO Matt Marshall forges a new path for Retail Food Group

Matt Marshall heads up multi-brand franchisor, Retail Food Group, which includes Brumby's, Donut King, Gloria Jeans and Crust Gourmet Pizza.In this podcast Matt shares his career journey, highlighting the challenges and rewards of leadership, and the importance of building trust with franchisees and customers. He discusses making strategic brand decisions and what the future holds for Retail Food Group.

May 23, 2025Episode 233 min

How Jim Penman built a multi-million dollar business

The Jim's Group has grown from humble beginnings to a network of more than 5000 franchisees - and it all started as a part-time lawn mowing business. In this podcast, founder Jim Penman shares his journey from Phd student to franchisor, admitting to plenty of errors along the way.“I've only ever succeeded at one thing in my life. Fortunately I've done quite well on that,” he says.

February 7, 2025Episode 132 min

From Noodle Box to Acai Bros: Concept Eight’s CEO talks growth and strategy

You may not recognise the Concept Eight name but under its umbrella sit a dozen popular restaurant brands, from Noodle Box, Huxtaburger and Acai Bros to virtual brand Supreme Leader.Founders Dave Milne and Josh James started the business in 1996 and today Concept Eight CEO Grant Lee leads a team that is 100 per cent focused on creating food that people love, he says.

December 4, 2024Episode 928 min

Baked in family values: leading and transforming the Bakers Delight business

What does it take to lead an iconic family business? Elise Gillespie grew up with her parents’ business Bakers Delight, and it Is now a leading light in Australian family business.In this podcast we talk about family business and life lessons learned, what informs her leadership style, transforming an international network of more than 700 stores to meet the ever-changing demands of today’s convenience-driven customers, and delivering a robust business model for franchisees.

October 29, 2024Episode 832 min

How CouriersPlease is navigating the future of delivery

CouriersPlease CEO Richard Thame delves into the evolving landscape of parcel delivery, and discusses how businesses are adapting to meet high customer expectations.Customers today are time-poor and expect great value, turning this transactional industry into a dynamic space ripe for innovation.