Josh Greear didn’t expect to fall in love with the franchise industry when he accepted his first CFO role at Primrose Schools, an early childhood education franchise organization, in 2018. Hooked on the franchise model, Greear stayed with the company for almost eight years.
Greear came to Primrose Schools from restaurant chain Cracker Barrel, where he started as FP&A director in 2009 before being named vice president of strategy and development in 2013. Greear previously held finance positions at organizations that included a healthcare management company and a Home Depot-owned wholesale distribution company.
In September 2025, Greear remained in franchising by joining Authority Brands, which owns 15 home service franchise companies. As CFO, he oversees a finance and technology team of about 100 people serving more than 1,000 franchise owners.
Josh Greear
CFO, Authority Brands
First CFO position: 2018
Notable previous employers:
- Primrose Schools
- Cracker Barrel
- HD Supply
- The Home Depot
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
SANDRA BECKWITH: You joined Authority Brands one month after the current CEO did and following a significant growth period. Why were you the right choice at that pivotal moment?
JOSH GREEAR: Authority Brands has historically grown by adding brands, and that will continue. But the real value is going to come from driving improved unit-level economics for our franchise owners.
In addition to my franchise industry experience, leadership was excited about my background leading operational initiatives, delivering margin expansion, supporting improvements for franchisees, spearheading development and growth and transforming businesses with data.
Your path to CFO ran through a vice president of strategy and business development role at Cracker Barrel – great experience for a CFO-to-be. Was that a deliberate career move? And what did it teach you that pure finance roles hadn’t?
It was absolutely intentional. Sandy Cochran, who hired me when she was CFO before being named CEO, and Larry Hyatt, the subsequent CFO, worked closely with me on my professional development. They eventually created the strategy and development role so I could get experience beyond the traditional finance disciplines.
I worked closely with the board to figure out how to grow the core business, which at the time was producing a lot of cash but had limited future growth options. We needed to determine exactly what the company needed to look like in the future.
It gave me a different type of exposure to the board, one that involved thinking through more longer-term, forward-looking questions. Even more important than that, though, was the opportunity to be a leader driving change. It’s something a traditional finance role doesn’t always expose you to.
You spent about two-thirds of your career outside the franchising world before moving into that industry. How does franchise finance leadership differ?
I am in love with the franchise model because I enjoy working with franchisees who are small business owners with everything on the line.
The biggest finance leadership difference is the opportunity to build relationships with these small business owners. I might be working with a group of owners from The Cleaning Authority or an individual One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning franchisee to help them drive their business and profitability.
It’s not just the number of businesses I can influence, though. It’s also the range, from emerging operators and single- or two-territory owners to more established businesses and larger operators backed by private equity.
Looking back on your career, what do you think was the most pivotal moment … or what “aha” has had a significant impact?
When I worked at HD Supply during the global recession, my business unit was truly fighting to stay in business every day. As we were grinding through that and making tough decisions, I realized that the weight of our choices included whether or not some of our team members had jobs.
Really understanding that people are at the end of these decisions changed my perspective from that point forward.
What are you most proud of in your career?
First, it’s the people I’ve been able to develop.
From a project standpoint, it’s my role in creating a new restaurant concept from scratch for Cracker Barrel. From deciding what space and format we should target to creating the brand and business model, I led concept creation for fast-casual chain Holler & Dash Biscuit House. Watching it open, then win awards, was a really exciting time for me.
What advice would you give to others in finance hoping to become CFOs?
Find good mentors who can help you think about your development. I’ve benefited from several.
Make sure you learn your business, too. When I was in Home Depot’s internal audit leadership training program, working in stores helped make the numbers real while I built trust and increased my influence.
