Hunks Talking Junk is a podcast hosted by widely recognized & award-winning entrepreneur Nick Friedman that focuses on leadership, branding, and company culture through real conversations with highly successful entrepreneurs, leaders, and franchise owners. Each episode is a value-packed roughly 30-minute discussion designed to serve leaders and entrepreneurs looking to elevate their results in business and life. New episodes every other Thursday at 10am.
Franchise Expert: The Biggest Mistake New Owners Make
Matt Haller has been President and CEO of the International Franchise Association since June 2021. He joined the IFA in October 2010 and previously worked at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The IFA has represented franchising since 1960, on behalf of franchise brands, suppliers and the small business owners who run franchise locations.
Matt explains why franchising reaches far beyond fast food and restaurants, why a small minority of outsiders see franchise ownership as a way to get rich quick, why some franchisees don't make it, and what the American Franchise Act (H.R. 5267), pending legislation in Congress, would change about joint employer rules. It's a conversation for franchise owners, prospective franchisees, franchise brands and small business owners deciding whether franchising is right for them.
8 Oct 2026
Outback Co-Founder: How to Build a $4 Billion Company
Outback Steakhouse co-founder Chris Sullivan joins Nick Friedman to reveal how a plan for a nice little local company that might make $1 million a year turned into a $4 billion company, starting with the first Outback in Tampa in 1988.
Chris breaks down how Outback grew through area joint venture partners and a managing partner program it called proprietors, how he kept partner turnover to about 5%, and how 50/50 joint ventures helped Outback add brands like Carrabba's. It's a conversation on entrepreneurship, leadership, culture, branding and franchising for founders, franchise owners, restaurant operators and business owners.
Chris Sullivan is one of the four co-founders of Outback Steakhouse, along with Bob Basham, Tim Gannon and Trudy Cooper. Before Outback, he spent nine years at Steak and Ale, then ran Bennigan's with Bob Basham and grew it from 24 to 120 restaurants in three years.
0:00 Intro
2:12 Early Life and Career Beginnings
7:29 Mentors Norman Brinker, Stephen Covey
10:01 Founding Outback Steakhouse
12:33 Joint Venture Partner Model
23:23 Building Culture, Avoiding Wobble
26:49 Carrabba's, Fleming's, and Roy's
33:03 The Bloomin' Onion Story
36:59 Taking Outback Public
40:44 Advice for Young Entrepreneurs
24 Sept 2026
The Youngest College HUNKS Franchise Owner (No Investors, No Cosigner)
College HUNKS co-founder Nick Friedman sits down with Jack Tonnessen to break down how Jack went from a 17-year-old warehouse employee to the youngest College HUNKS franchise owner, financed his own business, built a high-performing team, developed a winning culture, and began investing in real estate.
00:00 Intro
02:10 Starting in the warehouse
06:23 Minor leagues to majors
08:47 From buddy to boss
11:06 Golf lessons for business
18:33 Your feel vs. your real
20:43 Extreme ownership mindset
32:44 Building a local brand
36:39 Culture is never static
46:13 Buying in with SBA
Who has been a guest on HUNKS TALKING JUNK
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Erica Fine
Micah Pueschel
Adrian Thomas
Austin Thomas
Kevin Harrington
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
5 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
7 ratings
Contact HUNKS TALKING JUNK
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about HUNKS TALKING JUNK
Who hosts HUNKS TALKING JUNK?
Nick Friedman host the show. Published by Nick Friedman.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes bi-weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does HUNKS TALKING JUNK take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Host of HUNKS TALKING JUNK?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
