June 26, 2026 – Franchise Matchmaking Alex Smereczniak and Building a Fractional CFO Natalia Zacharin

June 26, 2026 – Franchise Matchmaking Alex Smereczniak and Building a Fractional CFO Natalia Zacharin

Alex Smereczniak – Founder of Franzy [https://franzy.com/], Helping aspiring entrepreneurs find & fund the right franchise and Creating 1M business owners through smarter franchise matchmaking There’s not a lot of easy buttons or shortcuts, it’s not mailbox money. Alex Smereczniak is a serial entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Franzy, a platform designed to help people find and fund the right franchise—essentially, the “Zillow” for franchising. Before launching Franzy, he co-founded and scaled 2ULaundry and LaundroLab into multi-market, venture-backed businesses, gaining deep insights into the rewards and challenges of franchising. With experience as a co-founder, franchisor, and now a tech operator, Alex brings a unique perspective to modernizing the $800 billion franchise economy. Through Franzy, he aims to make entrepreneurship more accessible, with the ambitious goal of helping one million people become business owners. Along his journey, he has raised over $30 million, built scalable systems, and developed teams across multiple markets—driven by a firm belief that franchising is one of the most overlooked paths to business ownership. Alex frequently shares insights on franchising, small business trends, startup alternatives, and how to simplify entrepreneurship for the next generation of business owners. Natalia Zacharin – Founder of Zacharin Consulting [https://zacharinconsulting.com/] You always have options and you can make improvements. Natalia Zacharin is the founder and CEO of Zacharin Consulting, an Inc. 5000 recognized accounting and fractional CFO firm that helps growing businesses improve profitability, strengthen cash flow, and make smarter financial decisions. Working primarily with service-based companies generating between $1 million and $30 million in annual revenue, Natalia specializes in helping entrepreneurs turn financial confusion into clarity and sustainable growth. Natalia’s business success is rooted in a remarkable personal journey. After a difficult divorce in her early forties, she found herself reentering the workforce after years as a stay-at-home mother. Unable to secure professional opportunities, she accepted a retail job earning $7.10 per hour while struggling to support her family. Determined to create a better future, she steadily rebuilt her career, gained valuable experience, and eventually launched her own business at age fifty. What began as a solo operation grew into a multimillion-dollar company in just a few years. Today, Zacharin Consulting generates millions in annual revenue and has earned recognition on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies. Through bookkeeping, accounting, and fractional CFO services, Natalia and her team help business owners understand where their money is going, identify hidden profit leaks, improve cash flow, and build companies that are scalable, sustainable, and ultimately more valuable. Natalia is passionate about helping entrepreneurs understand that profit and cash flow are not the same thing and that growth alone cannot solve operational or financial weaknesses. Her practical, data-driven approach helps founders use their financial statements as a strategic decision-making tool rather than simply a record of the past. By focusing on forecasting, profitability, pricing strategy, and operational efficiency, she helps business owners create stronger companies and greater financial freedom. Today, Natalia shares both her financial expertise and her personal story of resilience to inspire entrepreneurs facing challenges of their own. Her journey from financial hardship to Inc. 5000 founder demonstrates the power of persistence, smart decision-making, and a willingness to keep moving forward when circumstances seem impossible.

June 24, 2026 – Human Advantage Helen Wada and Lead Anyway Greg Hoover

Greg Hoover – Founder of Third Star Consulting [https://www.thirdstar.net/] and Author of Lead Anyway: Ordinary You. Extraordinary Impact [https://www.amazon.com/Lead-Anyway-Ordinary-Extraordinary-Impact/dp/B0FHRLTZKJ] If you see a place you can make a difference, take action. Greg Hoover is a leadership advisor, speaker, author, and founder of Third Star Consulting, where he helps organizations, teams, and individuals improve performance through stronger leadership, greater accountability, and better execution. Drawing on more than four decades of business experience, including over twenty-five years in executive leadership roles, Greg works with companies and leaders who want to strengthen culture, align strategy, and achieve sustainable results. Throughout his career, Greg has served in C-suite positions including CEO, President, COO, and Chief Marketing Officer across a variety of industries, including transportation, logistics, technology, mobility, financial services, real estate, higher education, and nonprofit organizations. He has led organizations ranging from emerging businesses to enterprises approaching $1 billion in revenue, overseeing strategy, operations, sales, marketing, organizational development, and growth initiatives. His experience also includes serving on numerous boards and governance committees, giving him a broad perspective on leadership and organizational effectiveness. Today, through Third Star Consulting, Greg advises executives, business owners, leadership teams, and emerging leaders on strategy execution, operational alignment, leadership development, and performance improvement. His work is built on a simple belief: most organizations do not suffer from a lack of talent, but from bottlenecks, poor accountability, and a tendency to wait for someone else to lead. He helps clients remove those barriers and create cultures where leadership is practiced at every level. Greg is the author of Lead Anyway: Ordinary You. Extraordinary Impact, a practical guide that challenges the traditional view of leadership as something reserved for people with titles or authority. Drawing from decades of real-world experience, the book demonstrates how ordinary individuals can create meaningful impact by taking responsibility, stepping forward, and leading where they are. A passionate advocate for developing future leaders, Greg regularly works with students, athletic teams, and emerging professionals, helping them build the habits and mindset necessary for long-term success. Through his speaking, coaching, and consulting, he continues to inspire people to recognize that leadership is not a position to be earned, but a choice to be made every day.     Helen Wada – Founder of The Human Advantage [https://www.thehumanadvantage.co.uk/] and Author of HUMAN-WISE: How to lead from within and sell with confidence [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1788608496?tag=bk00010a-20&geniuslink=true] Have your focus in mind, but always put the other person at the heart of the conversation. Helen Wada is an executive coach, leadership expert, author, and founder of The Human Advantage, a leadership development and coaching firm dedicated to helping professionals lead with authenticity, build influence, and achieve sustainable success. Drawing on more than thirty years of commercial experience and over a decade as an executive coach, Helen helps leaders and business professionals develop the confidence, self-awareness, and relationship-building skills needed to thrive in today’s complex business environment. Helen began her career as a chartered accountant before moving into senior commercial leadership roles, including serving as a Global Client Leader at KPMG, where she was responsible for sales, strategic growth, and managing key client relationships. Although sales was never part of her original career plan, she discovered that the coaching skills she developed along the way became a powerful advantage in building trust, influencing decision-makers, and creating meaningful relationships in the boardroom. Today, Helen combines her experience in business development, leadership, and executive coaching through her work with The Human Advantage. Her approach focuses on helping professionals lead from within by understanding who they are, what they value, and how they can create impact through genuine human connection. She works with executives, entrepreneurs, and leadership teams to strengthen communication, influence, confidence, and commercial effectiveness. Helen is the author of HUMAN-WISE: How to Lead from Within and Sell with Confidence, which brings together lessons from her corporate career, coaching practice, and leadership development work. The book explores how human-centered leadership and authentic relationship-building can drive both personal and professional success. She is also the host of the Human Wise podcast, where she shares conversations and insights on leadership, influence, personal growth, and building a more human-centered workplace. Through her writing, coaching, speaking, and consulting, Helen is committed to helping leaders create stronger connections, inspire greater trust, and achieve meaningful results by leading with authenticity, confidence, and purpose.

June 23, 2026 – Book Promotions Kae Wagner and Built Wright Mason Duchatschek

Kae Wagner – President of North Star Marketing [http://www.northstar-m.com/] and Bold Authors Network and Author of The Bold Author’s Playbook: 3 Simple Steps to Turn Unknown Books Into Perennial Sellers [https://www.boldauthorsplaybook.com/get] The point of writing a book is not to sell books. Kae Wagner is an entrepreneur, marketing strategist, publisher, speaker, and bestselling author who has spent her career helping business owners, entrepreneurs, and authors gain visibility, attract customers, and grow successful brands. She is the founder and president of North Star Marketing, a firm that has helped clients build stronger businesses through strategic marketing, lead generation, branding, relationship building, and customer engagement. Under her leadership, North Star Marketing grew into a multi-million-dollar company by combining innovative marketing strategies with a deep understanding of human connection. Raised in a large entrepreneurial family on a dairy farm, Kae learned the values of hard work, perseverance, creativity, and resilience from an early age. Those lessons became the foundation of her business philosophy and her mission to help entrepreneurs turn great ideas into thriving enterprises. Throughout her career, she has embraced emerging technologies and evolving marketing trends, helping clients stay ahead of the curve while creating memorable brands and lasting customer relationships. Kae is also the founder of The Bold Authors Network and author of The Bold Author’s Playbook: 3 Simple Steps to Turn Unknown Books Into Perennial Sellers. A bestselling and award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction, she is passionate about helping writers overcome the fear of self-promotion and build sustainable platforms that allow their books to reach the audiences they deserve. Through coaching, training, and community-building initiatives, she helps authors transform from hesitant marketers into confident advocates for their work. Known for her belief that successful marketing is built on meaningful human connections, Kae teaches a practical approach that combines visibility, credibility, and relationship building. Whether working with entrepreneurs, executives, or authors, her goal is to help people discover opportunities, create lasting impact, and build businesses and brands that support the lives they were meant to live. North Star Marketing is a full-service creative branding and marketing agency located in Lancaster, PA. The agency handles nationally known brands, specializing in food, industrial, and lifestyle products. The company has been in business since 1989 and the agency has grown into a team of 15 brand specialists. The agency uses integrated programs that reinforce the brand position long term while increasing sales short term via PR, Interactive, Branding, Advertising and Social Media. Mason Duchatschek – CEO of Workforce Alchemy [https://workforcealchemy.com/] and Author of Built Wright: What It Takes to Build Something That Lasts [https://www.amazon.com/Built-Wright-Takes-Build-Something/dp/0991382358/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1KAC0WHLB8M3D&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5gCY3ShLYi-LvaLpxKTZMC3xQ-80oxBQkuAcj3A8gnkARPCsYGB49IJuc42i_7LLgYmLd5_11s4oJoQq7um5GKaZoyvpKb2bMR2ymM5irvzULEWnyi74aSMd6ZBDr7gxsXd_Tp_0EoVx0tAgf5kvX-eLEas1QEa_oImHk1bYWYQSNph282tiqK-s9HGl1uBk.gVONj3nHkEWqvtnrkqmbAqm7j5hYWwxs5La1ArMsUD0&dib_tag=se&keywords=duchatschek&qid=1781539531&sprefix=duchatschek%2Caps%2C201&sr=8-1] I want discipline in my absence, not compliance in my presence. Mason Duchatschek is a bestselling author, speaker, entrepreneur, and CEO of Workforce Alchemy, a consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations improve hiring, employee engagement, retention, leadership effectiveness, and workforce performance. For more than three decades, Mason has worked with business owners, executives, and leadership teams ranging from family-owned companies to major organizations such as Miller Brewing, Purina Mills, and Land O’Lakes, helping them build stronger cultures and more productive teams. Mason is known for challenging conventional thinking about workforce challenges. Rather than viewing employees as the source of business problems, he helps leaders uncover the systems, leadership practices, and organizational blind spots that often limit performance and profitability. His work focuses on identifying hidden profit leaks within organizations and creating practical strategies that improve engagement, accountability, retention, and long-term growth. A lifelong student of human performance and achievement, Mason brings an unusual perspective to leadership and business. He is the author of eleven books, a sought-after keynote speaker, and host of The Mason Duchatschek Show, where he interviews entrepreneurs, executives, and high achievers about the lessons behind their success. His personal accomplishments include completing marathons, ultramarathons, Ironman triathlons, earning two Guinness World Records, and pursuing challenges that reinforce his belief that growth happens when people move beyond their comfort zones. Through Workforce Alchemy, Mason helps organizations transform workplace performance by combining practical business experience with a deep understanding of human behavior. His mission is simple: help leaders build organizations where people thrive, teams perform at a higher level, and businesses achieve sustainable success.

June 22, 2026 – Super Lux Travel Club Adam von Gootkin and Pet Focused Dating Terry James

Adam von Gootkin – Founder & Chairman of Highclere Castle Spirits [https://highclerecastlegin.com/] People are not drinking the average or middle of the road things. When they do have a cocktail, they want the best. Adam von Gootkin is an entrepreneur, author, and founder of several internationally recognized luxury brands, including Highclere Castle Spirits. Drawing on a family legacy in the spirits industry that dates back to the 1800s, Adam has built a career around creating premium products rooted in authenticity, history, and craftsmanship. His entrepreneurial heritage includes generations of distillers and risk-takers, including a great-grandfather who operated a Prohibition-era speakeasy and shipping business along the Connecticut River. Adam first gained national recognition as co-founder of Onyx Spirits Co., an award-winning craft distillery that introduced America’s first ultra-premium moonshine and helped revive whiskey production in New England. His entrepreneurial journey and approach to brand building were chronicled in his book, Living Proof: Onyx Moonshine’s Journey to Revive the American Spirit, which explores the challenges and rewards of launching and scaling a consumer brand in a highly competitive industry. In 2017, Adam partnered with the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon, owners of Highclere Castle, the historic estate known worldwide as the setting for Downton Abbey. Together they launched the Highclere Castle Cigar Company, followed by Highclere Castle Spirits in 2019. The company’s flagship product, Highclere Castle Gin, has earned more than 180 international awards and helped establish the brand as one of the fastest-growing luxury spirits companies in its category, achieving a valuation approaching $40 million within a few years of launch. Beyond his business ventures, Adam serves on numerous corporate and philanthropic boards and advisory councils. He is a founding trustee of the Royal Ethiopian Trust, an advisor to His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie, a member of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust advisory network, and a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Recognized as a Connecticut 40 Under 40 honoree, Adam is also a sought-after keynote speaker who has been featured by Bloomberg, Forbes, Fortune, NBC, ABC, and other major media outlets. Through all of his ventures, Adam remains focused on building global luxury brands that celebrate heritage, provenance, sustainability, and authentic storytelling while creating long-term value for consumers, partners, and investors. Terry James [https://www.linkedin.com/in/terryejames/] – Founder of offleash’d [https://www.linkedin.com/company/74897391/] and Nibble and Wag [https://nibbleandwag.com/] They have this unique, special thing that they can do, right, where you take them to a dog park, you have the ability to connect with people maybe you would never normally have a conversation with. Terry James is an entrepreneur, business leader, and founder of both Offleash’d and Nibble and Wag, two innovative companies focused on improving the lives of pets and the people who love them. As CEO and Co-Founder of Offleash’d, Terry is building an AI-powered social ecosystem designed to help pet parents create meaningful relationships, find community, and combat the growing challenges of loneliness and social isolation. Through technology, events, and real-world engagement, Offleash’d is creating new ways for pet owners to connect with one another while strengthening the bond they share with their pets. Before entering the pet industry, Terry built a successful 25-year career in wealth management, sales leadership, and real estate development. He earned recognition as a National Sales Director Award winner at Morgan Stanley, placing him among the firm’s top performers, and later served as a Wealth Manager at UBS. Over the course of his career, he has been involved in more than $500 million in real estate transactions and development projects, gaining extensive experience in leadership, business growth, strategic planning, and relationship building. Terry also serves as Founder and CEO of Nibble and Wag, a pet food company dedicated to providing trusted, affordable nutrition while fostering stronger connections within the pet community. His vision for both companies is rooted in the belief that pets play a unique role in bringing people together and improving quality of life. Recognized for his entrepreneurial leadership and innovation, Terry was featured on the cover of Top 100 Innovators and Entrepreneurs Magazine. Today, he combines decades of experience in finance, real estate, technology, and brand development to create businesses that leverage technology for a greater purpose. His mission is to build communities where both pets and people thrive, proving that stronger human connections often begin with the companionship of a beloved pet.

June 19, 2026 – Building a Coaching Culture Kim Lee and Diabetes Killer Steve Hochman

Kim Lee [https://mytalentadvantage.com/] – Founder of LoticSystems [https://loticsystems.com/] and Author of Building a Coaching Culture: The Ripple Effect Raising Performance and Growth [https://www.amazon.com/Building-Coaching-Culture-Raising-Performance/dp/1637429428/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3V1MWF4B1BCNU&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.zsEMUNrxes_1G0KGyN9AnNrc7Ko4qLKlIJqYctra-BwbhU2-k2XnWFzbB6GCoHfnxuc9pFIh3yuuUqGsnGhyF-T22VgUOUedBlkVEC6SP6PP0FhqO9ye8Z6j3aeiJ4xH2r391y72r4pxarIy-dc05wP9GpbyIMIQrMtNQ-sQ1C90w4tKRVNEK6x4IJlhQLkq.gLsRX-XOuVCFk5mbSgYcW7y0g5mxkW1VfJk487E8Y0E&dib_tag=se&keywords=Building%2Ba%2BCoaching%2BCulture%3A%2BThe%2BRipple%2BEffect&qid=1781170055&sprefix=building%2Ba%2Bcoaching%2Bculture%2Bthe%2Bripple%2Beffect%2B%2Caps%2C412&sr=8-1] Everybody wants to do their best when they know their role and how it impacts the team. Kim Lee, SPHR, is a leadership strategist, executive coach, human resources expert, and founder of LoticSystems. She is the author of Building a Coaching Culture: The Ripple Effect Raising Performance and Growth, a practical guide for leaders seeking to create high-performing organizations by developing people, fostering trust, and unlocking human potential. With a career spanning executive leadership, organizational development, talent strategy, and workplace transformation, Kim has built a reputation for helping organizations create human-centered cultures where employees and leaders can thrive. Her work focuses on coaching-based leadership, employee engagement, performance development, emotional intelligence, and preparing organizations for the evolving future of work. Kim’s leadership philosophy was shaped early in life when a coach helped her recognize strengths she did not yet see in herself. That experience inspired a lifelong commitment to helping others discover and develop their potential. Today, she brings that same philosophy to her work with executives, managers, and teams, helping leaders create environments where people feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow. As an AI strategist and faculty member with Hacking HR, Kim also helps organizations navigate the intersection of technology and humanity, ensuring that innovation strengthens rather than diminishes workplace culture. Known for combining strategic business insight with empathy and emotional intelligence, she helps leaders address complex organizational challenges while building cultures that are resilient, inclusive, and future-ready. Through her writing, coaching, consulting, and speaking, Kim advocates for a leadership approach rooted in trust, curiosity, and development. Her mission is to help leaders create positive ripple effects throughout their organizations by building coaching cultures that elevate performance, strengthen relationships, and drive sustainable growth Steve Hochman [https://stevehochman.com/] – Author of THE 3: How To Shred Fat, Get Healthy, and Be Fit Without Counting Calories, Calculating Macros, or Starving—and Keep Eating the Delicious Foods You Love [https://www.amazon.com/Counting-Calories-Calculating-Starving-Delicious/dp/1969338091/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34JRSME1TN730&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.tl1EShhxVzG0FMsPXh09F2vsn8XkGSBJUZVpfAhR6wIAinVxOCnNRpdD2nrMRcR50OPjGTg07Pt0_GHpyKfxG0JZdUHSTCx-KZDQrspM30GwqiKOQkhSrRMkxSZruA1I2Jvd-J_wOMMseiyiBhGYL8WgwpYf_26BvXbHzov-3cm9olXEaL70eZ50m3h_sGBnw1R_tDIXCZaj9sgC5eeZkRxoZyL4iqMtr9LFw0AJb4w.lV3jbu7dmPzJOhZC_h0KxVQyRbRd-G6aU1aubJZHXvM&dib_tag=se&keywords=Steve+Hochman&qid=1781170465&sprefix=%2Caps%2C393&sr=8-1]   You could literally eat anything that you can imagine if you understand the glycemic index. Steve Hochman is an international bestselling author, entrepreneur, speaker, and creator of THE 3, a simple health and fitness system designed to help people lose weight, improve their health, and build sustainable habits without counting calories, tracking macros, or giving up the foods they love. He is the author of THE 3: How To Shred Fat, Get Healthy, and Be Fit Without Counting Calories, Calculating Macros, or Starving—and Keep Eating the Delicious Foods You Love. Steve’s path to success was anything but conventional. Raised in a difficult environment and facing significant personal challenges, he experienced periods of homelessness, battled Tourette’s syndrome, struggled with anxiety, and at one point weighed 287 pounds while dealing with serious health concerns, including high blood pressure. Refusing to accept that his circumstances would define his future, Steve developed a practical, science-based approach to health and personal transformation that helped him lose more than 80 pounds and completely change the trajectory of his life. What began as a personal solution evolved into a larger mission. Through his coaching, speaking, writing, and health programs, Steve has helped thousands of people improve their health, regain confidence, and create lasting lifestyle changes. His work focuses on simplifying fitness and nutrition, removing unnecessary complexity, and helping people achieve results through consistency rather than extreme diets or unsustainable routines. Beyond health and fitness, Steve is passionate about personal growth, resilience, and overcoming adversity. He frequently shares lessons on mindset, discipline, leadership, and perseverance, demonstrating how personal transformation can become the foundation for success in business and life. His story is a powerful example of how determination, self-belief, and simple daily actions can help anyone overcome obstacles and build a meaningful future.