The Entrepreneur DNA

I sat down with Jon Ostenson, a two-time Inc. 5000 founder and the top 1% franchise consultant behind FranBridge Consulting, to break down everything most people get wrong about franchising. We talked about why "non-food franchising" is such an underrated path to business ownership, how to actually evaluate a franchise opportunity instead of just chasing passion, what it really costs and how long it really takes to get one off the ground, and why following the system matters more than being the smartest person in the room.

Jon also walked me through what it takes to scale into multiple territories, how private equity is playing in this space right now, and the tax and exit benefits that come with owning a real asset instead of just a job. If you've ever thought about buying into a franchise, or even just wondered what's actually available outside of fast food, this conversation will change how you think about it.

Grab Jon's free book: Want the full breakdown on non-food franchising? Jon is giving away a free copy of his book, Non-Food Franchising: The Better Path to Business Ownership. Just drop your email at FranBridgeConsulting.com and it's yours.

Book a free consultation: Curious if franchising is right for you? Talk to Jon and his team at FranBridge Consulting. It costs you nothing. Head to FranBridgeConsulting.com to get started.

 

About Jon Ostensen:

Jon Ostenson is the Founder and CEO of FranBridge Consulting, a two-time Inc. 5000 company, and a top 1% national franchise consultant. He is the bestselling author of Non-Food Franchising: The Better Path to Business Ownership, and a frequent contributor on franchising for Forbes, Inc., Bloomberg, and The Franchise Journal.

 

Before founding FranBridge, Jon spent 15 years in the corporate world, including a long run as Vice President of Sales for Carter's Inc., where he was responsible for more than $350M in annual sales. He then stepped in as President of ShelfGenie, a national non-food franchise system with 200+ locations, where he supported franchise owners across North America. That experience led him to fall in love with the franchise model — he has since personally invested as a multi-brand franchisee and built FranBridge Consulting into a firm that has helped thousands of people step into business ownership, entirely free to the client.

Jon holds BBA and MBA degrees from the University of Georgia and lives in Atlanta with his wife and three children.

 

 

About Justin:

Justin Colby is the host of The Entrepreneur DNA and The M.O.R.E Show podcasts and a best-selling author. He is a serial entrepreneur and a seasoned real estate investor with over 20 years of experience.

Driven by a passion to help entrepreneurs thrive, Justin created the Entrepreneur DNA community to support business owners in building wealth, systems, and long-term freedom. Through his podcasts, books, education platforms, and hands-on mentorship, he continues to help entrepreneurs scale with clarity and confidence.

Connect with Justin:

Instagram: @thejustincolby

YouTube: Justin Colby

TikTok: @justincolbytsof

LinkedIn: Justin Colby

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Are you ready to stop treating your startup like a side project and start building a scalable business? In this episode, Dr. Michael Burcham shares the hard-earned wisdom of a veteran who has transitioned from a physical therapist to a multi-million dollar private equity investor.

 

We dive deep into the mindset shifts required to go from a day job to a full-time founder, the critical importance of customer discovery, and why most investors won't touch your project until you have skin in the game. Michael breaks down the common mistakes technical founders make and how to navigate the emotional rollercoaster of anxiety and frustration that comes with the territory. You will learn how to differentiate your brand in a noisy market, the power of personal touches in networking, and how to align your vision with what investors are actually looking for.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Why most early-stage businesses are still just “projects”
● The biggest mistake founders make before launching
● Why investors care about paying customers more than perfect decks
● How to build awareness without wasting money
● Why failure is part of the entrepreneur DNA
● How to avoid chasing every opportunity
● Why your network can become your biggest growth engine
● How anxiety, insecurity, and frustration show up in business
● What investors see that founders often miss
● Why selling your company can trigger an identity crisis

About Justin:
 

Justin Colby is the host of The Entrepreneur DNA and The Science of Flipping podcasts and a best-selling author. He is a serial entrepreneur and a seasoned real estate investor with over 20 years of experience.

 

Driven by a passion to help entrepreneurs thrive, Justin created the Entrepreneur DNA community to support business owners in building wealth, systems, and long-term freedom. Through his podcasts, books, education platforms, and hands-on mentorship, he continues to help entrepreneurs scale with clarity and confidence.

 

Connect with Justin:

Instagram: @thejustincolby

YouTube: Justin Colby

TikTok: @justincolbytsof

LinkedIn: Justin Colby

About Michael Burcham

Dr. Michael Burcham is an investor, author, business strategist, and private equity operator who has spent decades building, scaling, and advising high-growth companies.
After starting his career in healthcare, he went on to build and grow multiple companies before transitioning into venture capital and private equity, where he now helps founders navigate growth, fundraising, leadership, and long-term business strategy. He is also the author of multiple books focused on startups, scaling, failure, and investor relationships.

Connect with Dr. Michael Burcham:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michaelburcham

Instagram: instagram.com/dr.michaelburcham 

Website: www.michaelburcham.com

Chapters

0:00 Intro and meeting Dr. Michael Burcham

3:15 The journey from physical therapy to private equity

6:30 Why relationships and local ecosystems matter

9:45 The biggest misconception for early stage founders

13:10 Diversifying your offerings and solving customer pain

16:20 The framework for launching a successful venture

19:40 Building awareness and the sales pipeline

23:05 How to differentiate your brand in a noisy market

26:30 The power of handwritten notes and networking

30:00 Projects vs businesses and getting investor attention

33:50 Learning from failure and the importance of grit

37:20 Managing the seven deadly emotions of entrepreneurship

41:00 Identity shifts and the new book Blood Sweat and Equity

44:49 Final thoughts and where to find Michael

#entrepreneurship #startupgrowth #venturecapital #businessstrategy #entrepreneurmindset

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FREE RESOURCE FROM BRAD SUGARS
DM Brad on Instagram @BradleySugars the word "PLAYBOOK" and he'll send you his free business playbook on how to succeed in business.

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In this episode, I sit down with Brad Sugars — the Founder and Chairman of ActionCOACH, the world's #1 business coaching firm with over 1,000 offices in 85 countries — to break down exactly what separates the entrepreneurs who scale from the ones who stay stuck. Brad calls out what he sees as the biggest epidemic in business right now: wimpy goals.

We dig into the three stages of business growth (0 to $1M, $1M to $10M, $10M to $100M), why the skills that get you to your first million will actually hold you back from your next ten, and why most business owners have built themselves a job with overheads instead of a real business. Brad also gets honest about his own failures — from team members who liked his money more than he did, to reinvesting $4M right before COVID hit — and shares the mindset shifts that let him operate his companies in just one hour a week. We also get into work-life harmony, the epidemic of loneliness among male entrepreneurs, and why Brad believes the most expensive advice in the world is free advice from a poor person.

GUEST BIO

Brad Sugars is the Founder, Chairman, and President of ActionCOACH — the world's #1 business coaching firm with more than 1,000 offices in 85 countries. Internationally recognized as one of the most influential entrepreneurs alive, Brad is a bestselling author, sought-after keynote speaker, and has been called the Godfather of Business Coaching for over 30 years. He started his entrepreneurial journey at age 7 and founded ActionCOACH in Brisbane, Australia in 1993 — when business coaching as a profession barely existed. He has since become the CEO of 9+ companies and helped hundreds of thousands of business owners across the globe scale, systematize, and ultimately exit their businesses. Brad lives in Las Vegas with his wife Lauren and their five children.
 

GUEST SOCIAL LINKS

Instagram: @BradSugars
Facebook: Brad Sugars ActionCOACH

X (Twitter): @BradSugars

LinkedIn: Brad Sugars

YouTube: Brad Sugars ActionCOACH

Website: actioncoach.com

About Justin:

Justin Colby is the host of The Entrepreneur DNA and The M.O.R.E Show podcasts and a best-selling author. He is a serial entrepreneur and a seasoned real estate investor with over 20 years of experience.

Driven by a passion to help entrepreneurs thrive, Justin created the Entrepreneur DNA community to support business owners in building wealth, systems, and long-term freedom. Through his podcasts, books, education platforms, and hands-on mentorship, he continues to help entrepreneurs scale with clarity and confidence.

Connect with Justin:

Instagram: @thejustincolby

YouTube: Justin Colby

TikTok: @justincolbytsof

LinkedIn: Justin Colby

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What does it really take to walk away from a seventeen-year corporate career and build an $18 million marketing agency in just three years? In this episode, Eric Winegard shares the mindset, discipline, and relentless commitment that helped him go from a troubled childhood and military structure to becoming the CEO of Rare Blue Moon Marketing.

We dive into the realities of entrepreneurship, the difference between paid ads and organic content, and why most businesses fail before marketing even begins. Eric breaks down the importance of networking without an agenda, building a real personal brand online, and why commitment is the trait that separates successful founders from everyone else. You’ll also learn how sales psychology, leadership, and self-belief became the foundation for scaling one of the fastest-growing agencies in the space.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

How Eric went from a troubled childhood to military discipline

Why sales became the skill that changed his life

The difference between networking and selling

Why most marketers don’t understand sales

How Rare Blue Moon Marketing scaled so quickly

Why organic content and paid ads need to work together

What business owners get wrong when hiring agencies

Why commitment matters more than talent

About Justin:
 

Justin Colby is the host of The Entrepreneur DNA and The Science of Flipping podcasts and a best-selling author. He is a serial entrepreneur and a seasoned real estate investor with over 20 years of experience.

 

Driven by a passion to help entrepreneurs thrive, Justin created the Entrepreneur DNA community to support business owners in building wealth, systems, and long-term freedom. Through his podcasts, books, education platforms, and hands-on mentorship, he continues to help entrepreneurs scale with clarity and confidence.

 

Connect with Justin:

Instagram: @thejustincolby

YouTube: Justin Colby

TikTok: @justincolbytsof

LinkedIn: Justin Colby

About Eric Winegard

Eric Winegard is the CEO and cofounder of Rare Blue Moon Marketing, a fast-growing digital marketing agency helping businesses scale through paid advertising, SEO, content strategy, and lead generation. After spending seventeen years in corporate sales leadership, Eric transitioned into entrepreneurship and rapidly built an $18 million agency by combining high-level sales psychology with modern marketing systems.
His story spans a difficult upbringing, military discipline, and years of mastering sales, networking, and leadership before becoming a founder. Today, Eric works with businesses across multiple industries to help them grow through strategic marketing, brand positioning, and scalable customer acquisition.

Connect with Eric Winegard:

Instagram: @ericwinegardofficial

YouTube: @ericwinegard8088

Facebook: winegard1

LinkedIn: Eric Winegard

Website: rarebluemoon.io

 

Chapters

0:00 The road from W2 to eighteen million dollars

2:45 Is sales a born talent or a learned skill

5:30 Why high level masterminds are worth the investment

9:15 Overcoming a difficult childhood and foster care

13:40 How the military builds a wartime mentality

17:50 Why Eric left a safe CEO track to start over

22:10 The role of faith and grit in business growth

26:45 Burning the boats and making success a necessity

30:15 Paid ads vs organic content strategy

33:50 Humanizing your brand on social media

37:20 Geofencing and targeting for local businesses

41:05 Lessons from the Gold Coast Podcast and Brad Lea

44:30 Why marketing cannot fix a broken business model

46:46 Final advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

 

#entrepreneurship #digitalmarketing #salesstrategies #scalingbusiness #mindset

 

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Exclusive listener discount: Use code ATTEND25 for 25% off your registration! Register here: sarahgibbons.com/shop/p/when-effort-stops-working

Join Sarah for a 75-minute virtual live workshop on Wednesday, June 3rd at 12 PM PT. This is the second in a series of four workshops and is designed for leaders who sense that the problem isn’t motivation — it’s the system they’re operating from. You’ll learn to work with capacity, timing, and internal alignment instead of against yourself.

In 75 minutes, you’ll identify:

Where your work has become unnecessarily heavy

What actually matters right now (and what to ignore)

The decisions and actions you already know you need to make

In this episode, I sit down with executive coach and founder Sarah Gibbons for a deeply honest conversation about what it really takes to sustain entrepreneurial success without burning out. We explore why hustle culture is a trap, and how intentionality — not more effort — is what separates entrepreneurs who scale from those who stall. Sarah shares how she built a thriving, referral-based coaching practice over 17 years by prioritizing her inner world first: her values, her sleep, her relationships, and her capacity to lead. Together we dig into self-leadership, the courage to pivot, the power of “three-foot tosses,” the myth of time blocking, and why spaciousness is the secret ingredient to creativity. We also talk about navigating uncertainty — whether that’s the LA fires, economic shifts, or the messy middle of entrepreneurship — and what it means to show up as the leader you’re being called to be right now.

About Sarah Gibbons:

Sarah Gibbons is an accomplished executive coach and founder of Sarah Gibbons & Co., a global coaching practice dedicated to helping individuals and organizations unlock transformational leadership. With over 15 years of experience, she has worked with top executives and creatives from leading organizations including Goodby Silverstein & Partners, 22 Squared, Hey Wonderful, The LA Clippers, and TBWAChiatDay.

A former tech-industry leader with roles at Amazon, IMDb, and Fox Interactive Media, Sarah transitioned her career after earning a Master’s in Spiritual Psychology. She is the co-author of The Chalk Collective: Drawing the Life You Deserve and host of The Tidal Podcast.

Sarah lived in the Pacific Palisades, a community recently ravaged by devastating fires, where she cultivated her passion for fostering connection and resilience. As a mother of three, she is committed to helping others discover aliveness, self-trust, and legacy impact in both their personal and professional lives.

Connect with Sarah:

Website: sarahgibbons.com

Instagram: @sarahgibbonsco

Facebook: facebook.com/sarahgibbons.co

LinkedIn: Sarah Lyons Gibbons

Substack: @sarahgibbonsco

About Justin Colby:

Justin Colby is the host of The Entrepreneur DNA and The M.O.R.E Show podcasts and a best-selling author. He is a serial entrepreneur and a seasoned real estate investor with over 20 years of experience.

Driven by a passion to help entrepreneurs thrive, Justin created the Entrepreneur DNA community to support business owners in building wealth, systems, and long-term freedom. Through his podcasts, books, education platforms, and hands-on mentorship, he continues to help entrepreneurs scale with clarity and confidence.

Connect with Justin:

Instagram: @thejustincolby

YouTube: Justin Colby

TikTok: @justincolbytsof

LinkedIn: Justin Colby

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.