In this episode of FranchiseU!, Dr. Kathy Gosser and Co-Host with Dr. Isabel Botero speaks with Aaron Engler, President of Border Foods, a large family-owned Taco Bell franchisee, and Mollie Sommer, Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist. Engler and Sommer share their backgrounds, professional journeys, and the roles they have undertaken in the family business which operates over 250 Taco Bell restaurants with 7,000 employees. Sommer details her transition from various positions in Chicago to a year-long stint at a Taco Bell restaurant, eventually moving into community engagement. Engler discusses his expansive journey from failing out of college twice to taking on multiple roles within Border Foods to eventually leading it for nearly 20 years. They explore the entrepreneurial spirit, governance, and family dynamics that define Border Foods. The discussion highlights key values like family, teamwork, and accountability, and emphasizes the importance of communication in family businesses. They also discuss initiatives such as a unique two-story drive-thru Taco Bell named 'Defy' and their generous community outreach efforts.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Dr. Kathy Gosser speaks with Kenny Rose the Founder and CEO of FranShares. After Rose shares his experience on the TV game show, The Price Is Right, Gosser and Rose discuss how franchises represent amazing investment opportunities and uniquely benefit investors, operators, and local communities.

FranShares is an innovative investment platform democratizing access to franchise ownership. With over a decade of experience in finance and franchising, Rose has worked with over 600 franchise brands across 100+ industries. As a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) with the International Franchise Association (IFA), Rose is recognized for his expertise in franchise evaluation and deploying capital to maximize returns and operational efficiency.

Rose began his career at Merrill Lynch after earning a degree in Financial Services from San Diego State University. While there, he acquired his FINRA Series 7 and Series 66 licenses and specialized in wealth management for high-net-worth individuals. His passion for entrepreneurship led him to join the world’s largest franchise brokerage, where he guided aspiring franchise owners through the evaluation and acquisition process. He later founded Semfia, a brokerage focused on income-generating, manager-run franchises.

Under Rose’s leadership, FranShares bridges the gap between investors and the franchise economy, fostering wealth creation through fractional franchise investments. His insights on franchising have been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, ABC, The Hustle, American Express, and the Amazon-featured book, “More Than Just French Fries.” His work has reached over 300 million people worldwide.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy speaks with Onyi Odunukwe. The discuss Odunukwe’s unique journey from studying nursing to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the tanning salon industry as CEO of Glo Tanning.

Despite initial family disapproval and an industry marred by bad press, Odunukwe’s perseverance led him to build over 100 salons that offer a range of services beyond tanning, including red light therapy. Odunukwe’s emphasizes the importance of technology in running Glow Salons efficiently, the need for franchisees to become or provide committed operators, and his own innovative business model leveraging real estate. Odunukwe also discusses the challenges of staffing and the 'Own Your Future' program, which helps employees become store owners. The episode sheds light on the significance of relationships in franchising and maintaining high standards and low costs for services.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy discusses the critical role of family-owned businesses in the global economy with Dr. Isabel Botero, an expert in family business and a professor at the University of Louisville. Dr. Botero shares her insights on the unique challenges and opportunities faced by family-owned franchises, emphasizing the importance of early preparation, effective communication, and strategic planning for generational transitions. The conversation covers topics including onboarding the next generation, fostering collaboration among siblings, and the impact of family dynamics on business operations. Dr. Botero also highlights the significance of involving children in the business from a young age and she provides practical advice for current business owners on how to mentor and gradually involve their successors. The episode aims to equip franchise owners with essential strategies to ensure their family business thrives across generations. If you have any questions about Family Business and Franchising, send me an email to franchisemgmt@louisville.edu.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Shawn Brady, the HR Director of Harman Management Corporation, the first franchisee of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Brady shares his 51-year career journey, from starting as a shy 15-year-old to becoming a key figure in the corporation’s human resources and training services. He discusses the deep-rooted culture of the brand, the importance of treating employees well, and how Harman Management has maintained its values over the decades. Brady offers insights into the history of KFC, its unique franchising structure (relevant to Harman Management). He highlights the evolution of the company, its current state, and future aspirations - including its unique partnership practices and recognition programs. Brady also provides advice on understanding franchise partnerships and the importance of knowing contractual obligations. The episode emphasizes the significance of people and culture in achieving long-term success in the franchise business.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Ryan Sawchuk, Founder of ReUp Companies. Sawchuk shares his background, from earning degrees in finance and economics to shifting his career focus from investment banking to sales, and eventually venturing into entrepreneurship. He discusses the inspiration behind starting ReUp in 2022 and franchising it by 2023. Ryan delves into his career experiences at companies like Zora, CrowdStrike, and Tessian as well as his switch to real estate, driven by a desire to address issues in the housing market. He introduces the innovative technology, BASE, that supports Reup's business model, which aims to create win-win situations for buyers and sellers through custom home renovations. The episode also covers the challenges and benefits of franchising, emphasizing the importance of trust, sales training, and local expertise.

Ryan Sawchuk’s purpose in life is creating winning situations. ReUp is a PropTech platform that creates winning situations for both buyers and sellers of residential real estate. Before ReUp, Sawchuk led North American Sales at Tessian, a Sequoia backed cyber security company sold to ProofPoint. He was Head of Global Sales Development at CrowdStrike (CRWD) where over 10% of the company reported into his line. He helped facilitate CrowdStrike's growth to the fastest company to reach a billion dollars in revenue at the time. He had his first public exit at Zuora (ZUO) having led Global Campaigns for the company helping harmonize the messaging between Sales and Marketing. Sawchuk received his Master's of Science of Finance from Johns Hopkins and his Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Rollins where he graduated Cum Laude. Sawchuk has a patent pending listed under application number 17989876.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Aicha Bascaro, Founder of American Franchise Academy. Bascaro’s amazing career began when a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver drove by at the exact right time. After many years working in franchising nationally and internationally, she now educates others on how to manage businesses and themselves.

Bascaro is a 35+ year veteran in the franchise industry who grew through the ranks of global brands like Domino’s Pizza, Popeyes and Olive Garden. She led a global franchise brand, managed country-wide franchise organizations and even developed her own protype brand. She has worked in domestic and international operations and lived in 14 countries throughout her career supporting International Master Franchisors for legacy brands around the world.

Bascaro is the author of the Amazon best-selling books “The Franchise Fix” and “The Multi-Unit Franchise Mastery”. The books are a compilation of the business management best practices of top performing franchisees in the US and around the world as well as her personal experience running small, medium, and large organizations.

Bascaro founded the America Franchise Academy, LLC™ in 2016 after realizing the great need that many new and emerging franchise owners had. Her passion now is to protect the American Dream of business ownership through franchising and to provide easy access to the knowledge, tools and resources that are missing in the industry.

Bascaro lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband and three children.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Gary Liskovich, Co-Founder & CEO at Harmonyze. Harmonyze is an AI-driven company that aims to enhance franchise operations through the use of cutting-edge technology.

With a strong foundation in engineering, Liskovich holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His early career led him through roles at Deloitte and several high-growth startups, where he developed expertise in AI and its application to solve complex problems.

Prior to founding Harmonize, Liskovich was a product manager at Evolution IQ, where he worked on AI solutions for the insurance industry, helping to simplify and expedite decision-making in a notoriously complex field. With a passion for innovative technology, he co-founded Harmonize alongside his best friend to make franchise operations more efficient by utilizing AI to process unstructured data and provide actionable insights.

Liskovich is dedicated to empowering franchise owners by reducing their administrative burdens, allowing them to focus more on strategic decision-making and building relationships within their networks. His approach emphasizes a human-centric technology that adapts to users' needs, making the franchise system more dynamic and responsive.