Unleashed Brands CEO Michael Browning on Entrepreneurship, Growth & Helping Kids and Parents Thrive

On this episode of the builders podcast, John Busby sits down with Michael Browning, CEO and Founder of Unleashed Brands, to explore how he built a multi-brand platform focused on helping kids become well-rounded and life-ready. Michael shares his entrepreneurial journey from launching trampoline parks with Urban Air to scaling a portfolio of brands serving over 20 million kids each year. The conversation dives into how he identifies opportunities at the intersection of innovation and scalability, expands through franchising and acquisitions, and builds a mission-driven company centered on character development and meaningful experiences for families. They also discuss how parenting priorities are shifting today, with a growing focus on confidence, resilience, and life skills over traditional metrics like grades.

Michael and John discuss:
00:00 - The origin of Urban Air and spotting scalable ideas
08:14 - Navigating risk and uncertainty as an entrepreneur
11:25 - Discovering franchising and scaling beyond one market
15:10 - Expanding into a multi-brand platform and acquiring Sylvan
17:20 - The vision behind Unleashed Brands and youth enrichment
20:30 - How parenting priorities are shifting toward character development
24:20 - Leadership lessons and evolving as a founder

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