AFA's 10 Years: The Call That Started It All
On July 18, 2026, the American Franchise Academy celebrates our 10th anniversary. 10 years! It's incredible. And as part of the celebration, I wanted to write this blog post to share how it all began, what’s our vision for the future, and where are we going in the next 10 years.
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A Phone Call that Changed Everything
10 years ago, I was in a very interesting time in my career. I had just left my corporate dream job of 20 years and decided to take a sabbatical to figure out what to do next in my life. One day, I got a phone call from Mr. Phillip, a Franchisee I knew from one of the brands I had worked with.
Somehow, he found out I was no longer in that corporate job and wondered if I could become his franchise coach or consultant because he was struggling with his three-unit franchise business.
One thing I remember about Phillip was that he was always hungry to learn. He constantly asked all kinds of questions, was highly curious, and eager to apply everything I had shared with him. I agreed to his proposal, though I viewed it as a temporary project rather than a long-term job.
Very quickly, I realized that what Philip wanted me to consult him about were issues that had nothing to do with the brand. It was all about the business, including people management, cost control, and multi-unit leadership.
The Gap in the Franchise Industry
Then it hit me. Phillip wasn’t the only one; I had seen these issues before with other Franchise Owners. That’s when I realized that there was a significant need in the industry to help Franchisees and guide them through what I call the Business Management Systems.
Franchisees invest in a proven brand, at least most of the time. That means the brand has demonstrated market success and that people are willing to pay for the product or service it provides.
- But Franchisees too often lack the business acumen to turn that brand into a successful, profitable business.
Why did Philip think that I could help him?
From Franchise Operator to Franchise Expert
To answer this last question, I have to take a step back and share a bit of my career history.
As I mentioned before, when Phillip contacted me, I already had 27 years of industry experience. I actually started as a pizza delivery driver, and what I thought would be a temporary job became a lifelong love affair with franchising.
I fell in love not because I like pizza or food, but because I love the systems created around the franchise business model and the processes, procedures, and policies within the franchise brand I worked with. I especially liked that they were so clear for everyone to follow and how that translated into consistent execution across all the operations.
Over time, I rose through the ranks in the franchise industry. I went from being a pizza delivery driver to Assistant Manager, Unit Manager, District Manager, Training Specialist, Director of Operations, Vice President, and Brand President. I ran regions as big as 60 units across three states. I ran countries with multiple brands, and I even ran a whole brand of over 300 locations across the US.
Most of my experience was within company units, so the training I received was not just on the Brand Systems, but also on the Business Management Systems. And since I worked at units operated directly by the Franchisor, he provided us with the knowledge, tools, and resources we needed to be successful.
That’s why, when Phillip reached out to me with all those business management questions, I had clear answers for him. Not only because of the franchise education and training the Franchisors had provided me and my experience applying that information in real operations. Also because, throughout my career, I had the privilege of surrounding myself with amazing operators, both fellow company leaders and Top Performing Franchisees across various brands, and I was able to absorb and learn from all of them.
With my field operation experience, accumulated knowledge, and proven tools & resources, I can help more Franchisees like him!
I knew many Franchisees were probably struggling too, since I’ve met many people like him before. As a matter of fact, from 1992 until 1995, I was what you might call “a Nomad Executive,” traveling from country to country, helping Master Franchisees implement the systems and processes we had as a company. Those systems covered training, operations, supply chain, marketing, finance… literally every element of the business. During those three years, I lived in 14 countries.
I figured that, given my experience at a global scale and the positive results of that coaching and accompaniment, I could replicate that locally and across the US as well. And so I decided to go for it and started helping Franchisees, at least until I decided on my next step.
The American Franchise Academy is Born
I never intended to create a company or even a school. My plan was to help struggling Franchisees while I decided what to do next. Over time, more and more owners reached out to me for help. Those interactions formed the basis of what eventually became the American Franchise Academy.
Seeing the impact we were having, and being a systematic, process-oriented person I am, I knew we needed to do things better. And so, little by little, I started structuring what I was teaching.
While doing that process, Phillip inspired me again. At the end of one of the working sessions with him, he said, “Aicha, I cannot ask you all the questions. Can you please write a book?”
That put the idea in my head: I could write a book and put all this information and knowledge into a structured, clear, easy-to-read success tool, accessible to any business operator who wanted to take control of their business and increase their profits. Two years later, that idea became The Franchise Fix.
From Temporary Project to Lifelong Legacy
I am so glad that Phillip decided to make that phone call, that I answered the phone, and that I was able to teach him the processes, procedures, and policies that made a difference in his business.
On July 18, 2016, I received the first payment from Phillip for the coaching I provided to help him run and manage his business with confidence, clarity, profitability, and success.
10 years have gone by. As I finish writing these lines, I reflect on how this adventure evolved from a temporary project I was going to do while I figured out what was next in my career into a mission, a passion, and a life purpose that has impacted the lives of many Franchisees and their leaders.
In the past decade:
- We have certified 400+ District Managers, 200+ Unit Managers, and around 100 Franchisees.
- These franchise professionals come from franchise brands such as McDonald's, Dairy Queen, Subway, Dunkin', Anytime Fitness, Tropical Smoothie, Hand & Stone, and many more!
- Plus, we have developed Franchisor Partnerships with brands like Popeyes, Bruster’s Ice Cream, Bricks & Minifigs, and Hydrate IV Bar.
- Our Franchise Success Formulas podcast has more than 19,000 subscribers on YouTube alone.
- We have over 250 educational blog posts.
- My three books are best sellers on Amazon.
Here we are in 2026, celebrating our 10th anniversary and still sharing this information, knowledge, tools, and resources not only with Franchisees but also with District Managers and Unit Managers. It excites me to think that we are just getting started!
We have big plans for the next decade, including multilingual programs and franchisor partnerships in the works. Even though we cannot be sure about the future, we are sure of one thing: the next 10 years will be even better!
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