In a world full of noise, the brands that stand out are the ones that speak to the heart.

This week’s Marketing With Purpose Kit from The Bliss Business Podcast features one of the most influential storytellers in franchising: Martha O’Gorman, Chief Marketing Officer at Loyalty Brands.

With more than three decades shaping national brands and guiding entrepreneurs, Martha has built a career on marketing that is both strategic and deeply human.

As a Certified Franchise Executive and active member of the International Franchise Association’s Marketing and Innovation Committee, Martha helps shape the future of storytelling across the entire franchise sector.

From tax prep and mobile pet grooming to roofing, accounting, and home services, she turns complex ideas into emotional, compelling narratives that elevate brands and empower business owners.

🎙️ Hosted by Michele Brasfield

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

💡 In this episode, we explore:

• Why empathy and purpose belong at the center of every marketing strategy

• How storytelling can transform both emerging brands and established franchises

• What 30+ years of brand building taught Martha about clarity, connection, and trust

• The surprising leadership wisdom we learn from animals and how Martha’s dog Penny inspires her daily

🎧 Join us for a warm, insightful conversation on building businesses that matter and stories that stay with people long after the moment has passed.

Emotional intelligence is often called a “soft skill,” yet research shows it can account for more than half of job performance in many roles and is one of the strongest predictors of effective leadership.

At the same time, many employees still experience leaders who are distant, reactive, or purely numbers driven. The gap between what people need and how leaders show up has never been more visible.

In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, we sit down with franchise leader Jania Bailey of FranNet to explore how emotional intelligence becomes a real business advantage in franchising and beyond.

Jania shares powerful insights on:

• How emotional intelligence changes the way leaders make decisions under pressure

• Balancing hard business realities with empathy for franchisees and aspiring owners

• Systems and practices that embed EQ into daily conversations and tough calls

• Why love, care, and respect are non negotiable when people are making life changing business decisions

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

Emotional intelligence is not about being soft. It is about leading with enough self awareness, empathy, and courage to get to the truth and still keep people whole.

Only 19% of executives believe they have the right culture in place, even though 94% agree it’s critical to business success (Deloitte, 2024).

Culture isn’t built through policy. It’s built through people, through shared purpose, trust, and community.

In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, we sit down with Paul Flick, Founder and CEO of Premium Service Brands, to explore what it really takes to build connection and belonging across a growing franchise network.

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

🧭 In this episode, we explore:

• How systems and culture drive belonging across multi-location brands

• The role of emotional intelligence in sustainable leadership

• Why purpose is the foundation of connection

• How trust and love translate into measurable business performance

🎧 Tune in to discover how connection can be your company’s greatest competitive advantage.

Empathy gets talked about a lot in leadership, but too often it stays at the level of slogans.

Many employees still experience leaders who are distant, reactive, or purely numbers driven, even as research shows that empathetic leadership drives higher engagement, innovation, and loyalty.

In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, we sit down with Teresa Johnson, CEO of Color Me Mine, to explore what empathy in leadership looks like in the real world of franchise studios, frontline staff, and community based businesses.

Teresa shares powerful insights on:

• How to practice empathy without lowering standards or avoiding hard conversations

• The systems and rituals that help empathy show up across an entire franchise network

• Why purpose matters when you are leading creatives, entrepreneurs, and local communities

• What it means to bring love into business in practical, everyday ways

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

Empathy is not a soft extra. It is a core leadership practice that changes how people feel, perform, and stay.

#TheBlissBusinessPodcast #Leadership #EmpathyInBusiness #Culture

We have access to fast transactions and endless options, but people are craving something deeper from the brands they choose.

Recent workplace surveys show that most employees and customers want to feel part of a real community, not just another number in a system.

In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, we sit down with Heather Neary, President and CEO of Taco John’s, to explore what it really means to build community and connection in business.

Heather shares powerful insights on:

• How to turn everyday customer interactions into moments of genuine connection

• The systems and rituals that help restaurant teams feel like a true community

• Balancing growth, performance, and people in a fast paced industry

• Practical ways leaders can show care, empathy, and love in day to day decisions

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

Business is not just about what you serve. It is about how people feel when they are with you.

Today the “future of work” often sounds like a buzzword, because most people are still living with outdated models.

Recent research from McKinsey shows that a little over half of workers prefer remote or flexible arrangements, and flexible work models are now one of the top reasons people change jobs.

In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, we sit down with Alex Filipuk, CEO and Founder of Ideal Siding, to explore what truly innovative work models look like in a hands-on, franchise driven industry.

Alex shares powerful insights on:

• How to rethink work models beyond tech and office based roles

• The systems that keep distributed teams aligned, accountable, and empowered

• Why purpose matters when you are redesigning how people work and grow

• Practical ways to make work more human without sacrificing performance

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

The future of work is not just about where people sit. It is about how we design work so that businesses thrive and people do too.

In an era of polished ads and AI-generated content, consumers crave one thing above all: authentic connection.

In this week’s Marketing With Purpose Kit from The Bliss Business Podcast, we’re joined by Darren Keeler, VP of Marketing & Creative at Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar. Since 2019, Darren has been the creative captain behind the Shack’s genuine, fun-loving brand — blending coastal culture, crave-worthy food, and heartfelt storytelling to fuel growth across the fast-expanding Shack fleet.

From hyper-local partnerships and community-powered events to philanthropic initiatives, Darren shows how purpose and empathy can drive both loyalty and good vibes — proving that marketing rooted in humanity wins every time.

🎙️ Hosted by Tullio Siragusa

🎧 Produced by Martha Huerta

💡 In this episode, we explore:

• Why empathy is marketing’s most powerful differentiator

• How to blend purpose and personality to create an authentic brand

• Lessons from turning community connection into business growth

• The art of storytelling that feels real — and gets results

🎧 Tune in for a conversation that’s equal parts inspiring, insightful, and full of coastal charm.

In a business world obsessed with quarterly results, too many leaders still treat purpose as optional instead of essential. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report shows that only about one in four employees strongly agree their organization cares about their wellbeing.

At the same time, long term studies on purpose driven and stakeholder oriented companies, such as Firms of Endearment, show that businesses that put people and purpose at the center can dramatically outperform the market over many years.

In this episode of The Bliss Business Podcast, we sit down with Shane Jackson, President of Jackson Healthcare, to explore what conscious capitalism looks like when it is actually lived out in a large, complex organization.

Shane shares powerful insights on:

• How to redefine success beyond profit while still driving strong performance

• The systems that keep culture, values, and wellbeing at the center of the business

• Why leadership is about stewardship, not status, and how that shapes decisions

• How love, care, and community impact translate into real business outcomes

🎙️ Hosted by Stephen Sakach and Mike Liwski

🎧 Produced by Tullio Siragusa

Profit is important, but it is not the whole story. The future belongs to leaders who are brave enough to build businesses that truly improve the lives they touch.