Hey, I'm Ewell Smith.

And I'm genuinely grateful you're here.

I'm a franchise advisor based out of New Orleans and honestly, this little corner of the internet has become something I'm really proud of.

It started as a podcast. Then it grew into something bigger. A community of people who believe in betting on themselves, helping each other out, and building something worth owning.

That's what this place is about.

My backstory is a little unconventional.

I grew up in New Orleans watching Al Copeland build Popeyes franchise from the ground up right in our own backyard. He was a brilliant marketer, wildly creative, and never shied away from a challenge. Watching him work left a real impression on me. The idea that you could build something from nothing, something that lasted, something that mattered. That stuck with me.

Years later I served as Executive Director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board which sounds like a fancy title until you realize I took the job right as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita wiped out three of the nation's largest fishing docks.

We lost everything more than once. We rebuilt every time. Then the BP oil spill hit and we lost 98% of our market globally. We started over again from the ground up. Over the years we rebuilt the industry and drove more than $25 billion in retail seafood sales.

Those boards represented thousands of small business owners: fishermen, distributors, seafood processors and families who had been doing this for generations. Working alongside them, advocating for them, fighting for them shaped everything about how I think about business today.

And I'll never forget what I saw right after Katrina. When everything was broken beyond belief, the first businesses literally back on their feet were franchises. Their corporate offices showed up. They sent support, resources, and people. They took care of their own. That left a real impression on me too.

During my time leading the Carolina Loggers Association through COVID, our team went through many of the same battles all over again.

Leading two of America's most dangerous industries per capita through back to back crises has a way of teaching you things no business school ever could.

Through all of it I had one constant. My wife Jenny. She's been my champion every step of the way and without her none of this would have even been possible.

Those experiences changed me. They taught me that the people who make it aren't always the ones with the deepest pockets or the most resources. They're the ones who refuse to quit, who lean on their community, and who find the right path forward even when everything looks impossible.

That's what led me to franchise advisory work. Because franchising, when it's the right fit, gives driven people a real shot. A proven system. A support network. A path to ownership that doesn't require you to figure everything out from scratch.

My role is simple. I help driven people find the right franchise for their life. Not the flashiest one. Not the one with the best pitch. The right one.

The Close The Deal Podcast is part of all this too. Every week I sit down with entrepreneurs, sales and marketing pros, and people who've been through the fire and come out the other side. Just honest conversation. No fluff.

If any of this feels like your kind of people, welcome home.

You know the drill, be intentional and...

...make today a great day!

Ewell Smith

P.S. If you're curious about what franchise ownership could look like for you, I put together a page that walks through exactly how I approach the process. No hype, no pressure - just a honest look at whether it makes sense. Start here → Explore Franchising