BiggerPockets Money Podcast · Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Scott Trench poses that many individuals desire to be business owners but hesitate due to not knowing where to begin. Alex Smirzlock agrees, noting that franchising offers a structured approach for those with transferable skills from corporate careers who want to own a business without the extreme risk of a startup.
“And so why is there this 50 plus percent gap of those that never take action? And I think it's because they don't know where to start.”
“Franchising is for that individual that's developed skills around people management, maybe sales and marketing, maybe they're really good at operations. They have some skill set, but they haven't, you know, again, come up with some next Uber or next Facebook.”
“And franchising, I think is a really de-risked path to going and becoming an owner because you have a playbook, you have a group of peers that you can rely on and share notes with, you have a system that you know, for the most part proven.”