Tell Us Your F'ing Story

Hosted by BDC Partners

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Episodes

Latest episode

May 2026

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EN-AU

About the show

Tell Us Your F’ing Story is a frank conversation with the CEOs, Founders and franchise industry specialists behind some of the best-loved franchises in Australia. Host Bruce McFarlane uncovers the people behind the brands, their backgrounds, what drives them to succeed, and the gritty truth behind leading a successful franchise business. No veneer, no BS – just franchising pros, telling us how it really is.

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60 recent

May 26, 2026Episode 6626 min

66. What Happens to Your Business If You Die?

In this episode of Tell Us Your F’ing Story, Bruce McFarlane interviews Alexia White about estate planning for business owners and franchisors. They discuss how wills alone are often not enough because business assets are commonly held through companies, trusts, and shareholder structures. Alexia explains the importance of shareholders agreements, buy-sell agreements, insurance policies, and powers of attorney in protecting both the business and the owner’s family if death or incapacity occurs. The conversation also highlights the need for lawyers, accountants, and insurance brokers to work together to avoid legal conflicts, financial gaps, and future complications for surviving family members and business partners. More BDC Services;Retail Property - https://bdcpartners.com.au/retail-pro...Franchise strategy - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Franchise Law - https://bdcpartners.com.au/lawyers/Performance and Talent Acquisition - https://bdcpartners.com.au/human-reso...Franchise Recruitment - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Franchise Satisfaction surveys - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchisee...Franchise lead generation - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Follow our Social Channels;LinkedIn - / bdc-partners Facebook - / bdcpartners

April 28, 202656 min

65. From Tech to HR: Damien Gooden Journey to Building HR Central

In this episode of Tell Us Your F’ing Story, Damian Gooden, CEO of HR Central, shares his journey from country Victoria to leading a growing HR business. He discusses how basketball shaped his leadership style, why leaving university became a turning point, and how an unexpected business sale led him to launch HR Central. Damian also explores building a subscription-based HR model, scaling through acquisitions, managing investors, navigating franchising workforce challenges, and why Australian businesses can’t afford to ignore AI and workplace transformation.More BDC Services;Retail Property - https://bdcpartners.com.au/retail-property-specialists/Franchise strategy - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-strategy/Franchise Law - https://bdcpartners.com.au/lawyers/Performance and Talent Acquisition - https://bdcpartners.com.au/human-resources-management/Franchise Recruitment - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-recruitment/Franchise Satisfaction surveys - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchisee-satisfaction-survey/Franchise lead generation - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-lead-generation/Follow our Social Channels;LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/bdc-partnersFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/bdcpartners

March 18, 2026Episode 6423 min

64. The Real Cost of Franchise Growth: David Lindsay

In Episode 64 of Tell Us Your F’ing Story, David Lindsay speaks with Bruce McFarland about how investment is reshaping franchise growth. Originally an advisory firm, BDC expanded into investing to help emerging franchise brands move beyond early-stage limitations by providing both capital and strategic expertise.The conversation highlights major U.S. trends, including private equity involvement, multi-brand “platform” models, and the rise of large franchisees operating across multiple brands. These trends are driving rapid growth and consolidation. In contrast, Australia is progressing more slowly due to smaller market scale and structural limitations.However, bringing in investors is not without trade-offs. While it unlocks funding, accelerates expansion, and introduces new capabilities, it also means dilution of ownership, reduced control, higher operational costs, and potential strain on franchisee relationships.More BDC Services;Retail Property - https://bdcpartners.com.au/retail-pro...Franchise strategy - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Franchise Law - https://bdcpartners.com.au/lawyers/Performance and Talent Acquisition - https://bdcpartners.com.au/human-reso...Franchise Recruitment - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Franchise Satisfaction surveys - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchisee...Franchise lead generation - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Follow our Social Channels;LinkedIn - / bdc-partners Facebook - / bdcpartners

February 17, 2026Episode 6358 min

The Hidden Billion-Dollar Industry You’ve Never Thought About: Sarah Allen’s Story

n Episode 63 of Tell Us Your F’ing Story, Bruce McFarlane and John Sully speak with Sarah Allen, co-founder of Appliance Tagging Services (ATS), about her journey from a sailing-focused childhood in Adelaide to building a national electrical safety franchise. Sarah shares her early career path, moving from university into marketing and spending 13 years at Colgate before joining the family business after having children. ATS began in 2002 when an electrical client asked for help with testing and tagging requirements, revealing a major gap in the market. The business quickly grew nationally and chose franchising in 2004 despite having little prior knowledge of the model, resulting in lessons learned through trial and error. Sarah explains the scale of the industry by showing how even one office desk can contain multiple items requiring testing, multiplied across every workplace in Australia. She also discusses the realities of franchising, emphasising that success comes down to relationships, strong systems, and having experienced franchise expertise within the business.More BDC Services;Retail Property - https://bdcpartners.com.au/retail-pro...Franchise strategy - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Franchise Law - https://bdcpartners.com.au/lawyers/Performance and Talent Acquisition - https://bdcpartners.com.au/human-reso...Franchise Recruitment - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Franchise Satisfaction surveys - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchisee...Franchise lead generation - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Follow our Social Channels;LinkedIn - / bdc-partners Facebook - / bdcpartners

January 26, 2026Episode 6256 min

The Hard Way to Success: Marty Wilson & Fresh Front

In Episode 62 of the Tell Us Your F’ing Story podcast by BDC Partners, Marty Wilson, Founder of Fresh Front, shares his journey from being a Scottish-born kid who grew up in Adelaide to a tech-minded teenager building websites to earn money. After more than 12 years working in IT and the defence industry, Marty wanted a simpler, more practical business. In 2016, he started Fresh Front, an exterior cleaning service.He learned everything by doing how to price jobs, build systems, and fix mistakes along the way. During COVID-19, demand for his services increased and helped the business grow faster. Marty later chose franchising so the business could grow in a consistent and reliable way. Today, Fresh Front continues to expand by focusing on strong systems and choosing the right people to join the business.More BDC Services;Retail Property - https://bdcpartners.com.au/retail-pro...Franchise strategy - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Franchise Law - https://bdcpartners.com.au/lawyers/Performance and Talent Acquisition - https://bdcpartners.com.au/human-reso...Franchise Recruitment - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Franchise Satisfaction surveys - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchisee...Franchise lead generation - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Follow our Social Channels;LinkedIn - / bdc-partners Facebook - / bdcpartners

December 9, 20254 min

A look back at Emerging Giants Day 2025

A night full of energy, big ideas, and bold entrepreneurs. Each team presented exciting ideas to the judges and audience, creating an atmosphere of collaboration, mutual support, and inspiration from founders across diverse industries.Congratulations to Fresh Front, this year’s winner, and Spin Zone, the runner-up. Both teams demonstrated remarkable potential and vision for driving the next level of growth.A heartfelt thank you to our sponsors, team, and judges who made this event possible, as well as everyone who came to support emerging entrepreneurs. This event reflected a strong commitment to helping businesses grow and strengthening the franchise and retail community.Huge thanks to our judging panel Kate Save, Jon Sully, Michael Sutherland, Amie Larter, Marcel Lal CFE, and our incredible sponsors: BDC Law, Fordham Group, Associated Projects, BDC Property, Benjamin & Benjamin Insurance Group, FranConnect, GapMaps, Little Giant Finance, Octomedia, Be Fit Food, Books365, and Judo Bank.Thank you to everyone who made the evening so special we’re excited for what’s next.More BDC Services;Retail Property - https://bdcpartners.com.au/retail-pro...Franchise strategy - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Franchise Law - https://bdcpartners.com.au/lawyers/Performance and Talent Acquisition - https://bdcpartners.com.au/human-reso...Franchise Recruitment - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Franchise Satisfaction surveys - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchisee...Franchise lead generation - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Follow our Social Channels;LinkedIn - / bdc-partners Facebook - / bdcpartners

November 10, 20251 hr 6 min

61. Brooke Rodger on Brand Trust, Franchise Marketing and the Yo Chi Journey

In Episode 61 Brooke Rodger joins Bruce MacFarlane and John Sully to unpack a career built across retail, media and international expansion — from early PR and TV roles through to high-growth retail brands. Brooke shares practical lessons on building trust with franchisees, measuring marketing ROI, localising global brands, and what it takes to turn a marketing function into a revenue driver.Sponsor / AdvertThis episode is part of the Emerging Giants initiative by BDC Partners — an investment & mentorship program for Australia’s next retail and franchise success stories. Apply to pitch for up to $250,000 and mentoring:Apply / find out more: https://bdcpartners.com.au/emerging-giants-workshop/More BDC Services;Retail Property - https://bdcpartners.com.au/retail-property-specialists/Franchise strategy - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-strategy/Franchise Law - https://bdcpartners.com.au/lawyers/Performance and Talent Acquisition - https://bdcpartners.com.au/human-resources-management/Franchise Recruitment - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-recruitment/Franchise Satisfaction surveys - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchisee-satisfaction-survey/Franchise lead generation - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-lead-generation/Follow our Social Channels;LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/bdc-partnersFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/bdcpartners

October 28, 2025Episode 6059 min

60. Gary Harley on Building Kieser Australia and the Realities of Franchising

Tell Us Your F’ing Story: Gary Harley on Building Kieser Australia and the Realities of FranchisingIn this episode, Bruce MacFarlane and John Sully sit down with Gary Harley, founder of Kieser Australia, to talk about how he brought a Swiss physiotherapy and strength-training concept to Australia and turned it into a nationwide network.Gary shares his journey from discovering Kieser in Europe to scaling it locally, the challenges of working with medical professionals, and why not every business should be franchised. From learning the limits of a model to adapting it for success, his story is a candid look at innovation, growth and risk in the fitness and healthcare industries.Sponsor / AdvertThis episode supported by Associated Projects, Australia’s trusted leader in retail fitouts and commercial construction.Emerging Giants PitchfestBDC Partners is hosting Emerging Giants, a pitch night to uncover Australia’s next retail and franchise success stories.📋 Learn more and apply: https://bdcpartners.com.au/emerging-giants-and-pitch-night/

October 14, 202550 min

59. Linda Sultmann on Reinvention, Franchising and the Power of Systems

Bruce McFarlane and Jon Sully talk with Linda Sultmann, General Manager of SIGNWAVE Australia (FASTSIGNS), a former L’Oréal and Estée Lauder executive turned business owner and franchise leader. Linda shares her journey from corporate life to café owner, business consultant, and now head of one of Australia’s leading visual communications franchises.She talks about the lessons learned from failure, why systems matter, and what every franchisor should know about supporting their network. From buying Ferraris and driving them like Toyotas, to finding purpose after starting over — this episode dives deep into what it really takes to grow in business.We’re also proud to be involved in Emerging Giants, the new pitch fest to fast-track Australia’s next retail and franchise success stories. Five shortlisted brands will pitch for up to $250,000 in equity plus mentoring. Read more in Inside Retail: https://insideretail.com.au/business/...Full program details and the application form: https://bdcpartners.com.au/emerging-g...

September 30, 2025Episode 581 hr 17 min

58: Building trust, buying small and compounding returns with Anya Haywood and Adrian Warner

In episode 58, Bruce talks with Anya Haywood and Adrian Warner about the power of listening, the value in winning corporate accounts, and how buying small businesses and reinvesting can compound into big returns. Highlights include why a listening tour matters for franchise culture, how corporate accounts create a competitive moat, and why stability beats flashy growth. Practical, no-nonsense discussion for founders, franchise owners and investors.Sponsor / AdvertThis episode is brought to you by Associated Projects, Australia’s trusted leader in retail fit-outs, commercial construction, fixtures, and project management, with 60 years of expertise. They deliver seamless end-to-end solutions for retail and commercial spaces nationwide.We’re also proud to be involved in Emerging Giants, the new pitchfest to fast-track Australia’s next retail and franchise success stories. Five shortlisted brands will pitch for up to $250,000 in equity plus mentoring. Read more in Inside Retail: https://insideretail.com.au/business/...Full program details and the application form: https://bdcpartners.com.au/emerging-g...More BDC Services;Retail Property - https://bdcpartners.com.au/retail-pro...Franchise strategy - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Franchise Law - https://bdcpartners.com.au/lawyers/Performance and Talent Acquisition - https://bdcpartners.com.au/human-reso...Franchise Recruitment - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Franchise Satisfaction surveys - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchisee...Franchise lead generation - https://bdcpartners.com.au/franchise-...Follow our Social Channels;LinkedIn - / bdc-partners Facebook - / bdcpartners