Mary Jo Larson

3 weeks ago | franchisetimes.com | Mary Jo Larson

Private equity sometimes gets a bad rap. Some firms are accused of making short-term decisions without the long-term health of the company in mind so they can do a quick flip and make a larger profit. But in the case of the franchise sector, private equity’s investments have been mainly positive, with PE firms providing brands a launchpad for growth. Take PE firm Roark Capital, which was launched by Founder and Managing Partner Neal Aronson in 2001.

1 month ago | franchisetimes.com | Mary Jo Larson

My grandmother had a lot of great sayings: “He’s windy.” (He talks too much.) “You’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar.” (You’re more likely to get what you want when you’re nice.) And finally, one of my favorites: “He was three sheets to the wind.” (He was drunk.) When my son Ben was a middle schooler, he and a group of friends were playing outside and were chided by our neighbor. I don’t remember why, but I do remember Ben coming inside and telling me it wasn’t fair.

2 months ago | mnp.ca | Lisa Gordon |Mary Jo Larson |Steven Kwasny |Michelle Miller

Event Confidence Event Tax Services Indirect Tax International Corporate Tax Tariffs present new challenges for your business. The risk of a 25 percent increase in costs gets the attention, but there are other hidden impacts that you will need to consider. Do your contracts need to be reviewed? Will you need to make changes to your workforce? Are you prepared to scale up your operation if new opportunities arise?

2 months ago | mnp.ca | Steven Kwasny |Lisa Gordon |Mary Jo Larson |Michelle Miller

Insight Performance Insight Private Enterprise Consulting Forensics Find all of our insights related to trade challenges in one place. Scenario planningSteven Kwasny and Mary Larson discussed the importance of scenario planning in navigating uncertainty. They emphasized that businesses often find themselves in a defensive posture during crises, focusing on survival. "Often in times of crisis or uncertainty… you're in survival mode," Steven said.

2 months ago | franchisetimes.com | Mary Jo Larson

About 20 years ago, husband Doug and I wanted to sell our house, and enlisted a local realtor—let’s call him Bob—to do so. When Bob found out what I did for a living, he wanted to talk franchising with Doug. Bob always thought he should buy a Subway, hire a manager, and be an absentee owner. The money would roll in. When Doug told me about their conversation at the time, I laughed out loud.