Many people dream of owning a business but are afraid of striking out on their own, intimidated by being alone in the business world. In the online Franchising Certification program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business, students are learning from experts and gaining the knowledge to be in business for themselves but not by themselves with the support of a franchise system.
A Path to Entrepreneurial Success
Haslam’s franchising program was conceived and funded by Shelly Sun Berkowitz (HCB, ‘92), founder and executive chairwoman of BrightStar Group Holdings, Inc., who views it as a way to combine two of her great loves — franchising and UT — and to provide aspiring entrepreneurs a promising path to success.
“Great franchisors provide all the tools and resources an aspiring entrepreneur needs to be successful in their own business venture — lots of marketing, branding, training and ongoing support — so that franchisees, or those aspiring entrepreneurs, can focus on growing their business, creating jobs and being successful, while having the support of a franchisor,” she says.
While previous experience in business and management is helpful in a franchising career, it’s not necessary. Certain backgrounds, though, may lend themselves to making franchisees more successful. “We have had great success at BrightStar with veterans,” Sun Berkowitz says. “In the military, you’re following rules, you’re following a process, and franchising is all about following a certain business model that has been successful.”
Sharing Franchising Expertise
Program instructor Cordell Riley “stumbled into” franchising shortly after graduating from college. After nearly 30 years in the field, he is passionate about sharing his knowledge about this path to entrepreneurship. “I’m amazed that more people don’t know about this beautiful model called franchising — that you can be a business owner but still have support,” he says. “The ability to share and educate people on this model is what prompted me to want to be an instructor in this program.”
Riley has found it rewarding to watch his students put their newfound knowledge into action. He recalls several members of a family who attended the online program together. “We were talking about evaluation, questions to ask the franchisor, questions to ask other franchisees in the same system, and they were able to immediately apply those learnings,” he says. “They’ve actually acquired a franchise, and they give a lot of credit to the education that they got in this particular course in helping them to secure the right franchise for them.”
Selecting the right franchise is crucial — working closely with the franchisor and feeling empowered by their business are key components of the franchising model. Riley says, “‘Being in business for yourself, but not by yourself’ is certainly one of the sayings you’ll hear quite often in the franchising world. What does it mean? You are an independent business owner, but you have the support of a franchise system that’s there to help you with brand recognition, operating philosophies, buying power and coaching to help you be successful in your business.”
Foundational Knowledge and International Recognition
Riley says the program’s live-via-Zoom format supports students and is core to how we want to interact with our students.. “I’m a big believer that when you have engagement and interaction, it makes for a much richer, fun and conducive learning environment,” he says. “So, real-time, live sessions with our students is one of the things I know makes this program valuable. It’s one of the things we’ve heard from our attendees that have come through prior programs that they really like about our offering.”
The program is an International Franchise Association (IFA) affiliate, making participants eligible to receive non-degree Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) credits from the widely recognized organization. The curriculum provides students with critical knowledge of the franchising business, including:
- Foundations: How franchising differs from other businesses
- Evaluation: Determining the right franchise business for you
- Acquisition: Learning to write a business plan and obtain funding
- Building: Recruiting, hiring and retaining franchise employees
- Leadership: Modeling the qualities of a successful franchise leader
- Operations: Managing and measuring operational components of franchising
- Growth: Implementing successful practices to ensure successful growth
“My hope is that we give confidence to aspiring entrepreneurs to follow in the entrepreneurial journey and the American dream in starting their own businesses in something that they’re passionate about and having the tools and resources necessary to feel confident in making that choice,” Sun Berkowitz says.
Haslam’s Online Franchise Certification program for fall 2024 begins October 7. Seating is limited — register today to be your own boss while being part of something bigger.
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CONTACT:
Stacy Estep, writer/publicist, sestep3@utk.edu
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