The Exit Plan with Alex Smereczniak
By Alex Smereczniak | Franzy
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Category: Entrepreneurship
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Episodes: 67
Description
The Exit Plan is the weekly franchise podcast about leaving the 9-to-5 to own a business, hosted by Alex Smereczniak, co-founder and CEO of Franzy.
Every week you get an unfiltered conversation with someone who actually left the 9 to 5 and built something real: how they did it, what it cost them, what they'd do differently, and what the numbers actually looked like. Franchise owners, startup founders, multi-unit operators. Real stories. Real playbooks. No highlight reel.
On this show, "exit" means your exit from the 9-to-5, not selling a company. If you're franchise curious or done trading time for a paycheck, start here.
New episodes weekly. Follow the show so you don't miss one.
The Exit Plan is produced by Franzy, the franchise marketplace where you research, match with and buy a franchise. Get started free at https://franzy.com
Formerly "How I Franchised This".
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
|
He Made $32K a Year as a Plumber. Then Someone Taught Him to Sell | Brian Burton, Blue Collar Closer
|
Nov 04, 2026 |
|
He Cashed Out His 401(k) to Open Three Jersey Mike's in Eight Months | Collin Dissette
|
Oct 30, 2026 |
|
He Sold His Painting Franchise in 3 Years. Then He Regretted It | Zac Smith
|
Oct 21, 2026 |
|
He Took Over the Family Business at 21. It Grew to Nearly 200 Parks | Jeff Platt, Sky Zone
|
Oct 14, 2026 |
|
His Mom Put Her House on the Line So He Could Open a Snowboard Shop at 17 | Chris Naugle
|
Oct 07, 2026 |
|
From Assistant Manager to Opening Stores in 3 Years | Darryl Gates, Big Dave's Cheesesteaks
|
Oct 01, 2026 |
|
He Spent 30 Years Training Adults. Then His Son Was Born | Joe Pedatella, KidStrong
|
Sep 22, 2026 |
|
He Was Franchisee Number One. Now He Runs the Company | Kyle Chiasson, Best Option Restoration
|
Sep 16, 2026 |
|
His Dad's Number Was Always 20. He Didn't Live to See It | Taylor Johns, Little Caesars
|
Sep 08, 2026 |
|
He Raced NASCAR With Kyle Busch. Now He Teaches Teens to Slow Down | Brad Coleman, Safeway Driving
|
Jul 28, 2026 |
|
Why He Walked Away From a $100 Million Offer | Devan Kline, Burn Boot Camp
|
Jul 13, 2026 |
|
He Got Crushed by a Dump Truck, Then Built 200 Locations | Mike Andes, Augusta Lawn Care
|
Jul 06, 2026 |
|
Sent to Close His Uncle's Flower Shop, He Grew It to $10M | Michael Jacobson, The French Florist
|
Jun 23, 2026 |
|
He Left Nuclear Engineering and BCG to Open 8 Dog Grooming Shops | Jacob Lee, Scenthound
|
Jun 15, 2026 |
|
His Coach Said It Might Pay the Bills. He Built It Into $10M | Terry Walkerly, Filta
|
Jun 01, 2026 |
|
He Left AmEx With a 2-Week Hotel Booking. Then Helped Scale 1-800-GOT-JUNK to $100M | Alex Read
|
May 25, 2026 |
|
75 Million Boomers Want to Age at Home. Almost Nobody Is Ready | Dave Pazgan, Liftology
|
May 18, 2026 |
|
He Went Bankrupt, Moved With $12K & Built a 116-Location Franchise | Don Varady, Clean Eatz
|
May 11, 2026 |
|
5 Franchises You Can Start for Under $150K (That Make Millions)
|
May 08, 2026 |
|
She Managed $500M Budgets. Then She Left to Run Pool Trucks | Nora Farhat, Pool Scouts
|
May 04, 2026 |
|
He Scrubbed Toilets as a Teen. Then Built a $30M Franchise Portfolio | Matt Forbush, Auntie Anne's
|
Apr 28, 2026 |
|
Introducing The Exit Plan (Formerly How I Franchised This)
|
Apr 20, 2026 |
|
There Were Only 3 Dave's Hot Chicken Locations. He Signed for 30 | Brian Cassidy
|
Apr 16, 2026 |
|
12 Years in Software Sales. Then He Built a Business Out of Rust | Morgan Steir, Undercover Undercoaters
|
Apr 09, 2026 |
|
He Ran Derivatives Trading at Bear Stearns. Then 9/11 Changed Everything | Andrew Pudalov, Rush Bowls
|
Apr 02, 2026 |
|
He Trained as an Opera Singer. Now He Owns Two Top-150 Crumbl Stores | Taj Suri
|
Mar 26, 2026 |
|
The One Question to Ask Before Buying a Franchise | Scott Oaks, Comfort Keepers
|
Mar 19, 2026 |
|
He Sold His $49M Franchise Empire but Kept Every Piece of Land | Joe Tagliente, Burger King
|
Mar 12, 2026 |
|
She Sells Popsicles Through Minnesota Winters. Here's How | Tamar Brown, Frios Gourmet Pops
|
Mar 05, 2026 |
|
He Moved With Trash Bags of Clothes. Then Built a Franchise Empire | Jeff Dudan, Homefront Brands
|
Feb 26, 2026 |
|
How a Ski-Boot Heater Saved the Boxing Industry | Andy Stenzler, Rumble Boxing
|
Feb 19, 2026 |
|
How to Spot a Winning Franchise | Zack Fishman, Fishman PR
|
Feb 12, 2026 |
|
She Was Fired as a Single Mom. Then She Created Orangetheory | Ellen Latham
|
Feb 05, 2026 |
|
A Former CPA Grew His Franchise Business From $2M to $80M in 7 Years | Jon Toy, FASTSIGNS
|
Jan 29, 2026 |
|
He Convinced His Dad to Invest. Then Bought a Golf Simulator Franchise | Eric Martin, Another 9
|
Jan 22, 2026 |
|
He Applied for a Job in Person. It Led to His Own Franchise Brand | Peter Kourounis, Patch It Up
|
Jan 15, 2026 |
|
He Turned Down a $1M Job to Build Rolling Suds | Aaron Harper
|
Jan 08, 2026 |
|
How to Spot Red Flags in an FDD Before You Sign | Adam Wasch, The Franchise Firm
|
Dec 18, 2025 |
|
85% of Their Franchisees Own More Than One Store. Here's Why | Mitchell Lee, Buddies Home Furnishings
|
Dec 11, 2025 |
|
She Quit a Toxic Sales Job at 26. Now She Has 25 Locations | Katie Gillberg, Hydrate IV Bar
|
Dec 04, 2025 |
|
He Ran Supply Chain Teams at Target. Now He Stripes Parking Lots | Matt Jefferies, 1-800-Striper
|
Nov 20, 2025 |
|
He Started at the Snoball Counter. Then Helped Grow the Brand to 200 Locations | Caleb Clayton, Franzy
|
Nov 13, 2025 |
|
He Took the Family Business From 6 to 35 Locations | Brian Beers, Midas
|
Nov 06, 2025 |
|
He Played for the Packers. Then Built a 100+ Company Empire | Terrence Murphy, Crumbl & F45
|
Oct 30, 2025 |
|
How Top Operators Finance Multi-Unit Growth | Kal Gullapalli & Crumbl Franchisees
|
Oct 24, 2025 |
|
He Grew Up Sleeping in a Cone Box at His Family's Dairy Queen | Sherman Walters
|
Oct 16, 2025 |
|
A Marine Infantry Officer Now Runs Kids' Dance Classes | Josh Emison, Tippi Toes
|
Oct 09, 2025 |
|
They Left Oil and Gas to Buy an Eyelash Studio | Patricia Rincón & Felipe Lastra, LuminLash
|
Oct 02, 2025 |
|
She Sold Her House to Fund Store #2. Now She Has Six | Ashley Clark, Kilwins
|
Sep 25, 2025 |
|
A Missionary Kid From the Philippines Now Owns 12 Hair Salons | Barry Meisel, Supercuts
|
Sep 19, 2025 |
|
He Sold Golf Balls From Ponds as a Kid. Now He Runs a Pizza Franchise | Cody Weaver, Donatos Pizza
|
Sep 11, 2025 |
|
A Summer Job Cleaning Grills Became a Dragons' Den Franchise | Michael Sutton, Grill Hero
|
Sep 04, 2025 |
|
He Traded 12-Hour Police Shifts for His Own Turf Business | Stephen Tong, Waterloo Turf
|
Aug 28, 2025 |
|
Why He Left to Co-Found a Franchise Marketplace | Chris Wright, Franzy
|
Aug 21, 2025 |
|
Marine, Healthcare Exec, Now Multi-Brand Franchise Owner | Calvin Smith, Superior Fence & Rail
|
Aug 14, 2025 |
|
He Raised $30M for a Laundry Startup. Then Bought a Franchise Himself | Alex Smereczniak, Another 9
|
Aug 07, 2025 |
|
He Flew F-15s. Now He Owns Kids' Haircut Salons | Vik Shah, Sharkey's Cuts for Kids
|
Jul 31, 2025 |
|
One Owner Sold, Another Bought: Inside a Franchise Resale | Brian Gross & Sid Kinghar, Art of Drawers
|
Jul 24, 2025 |
|
He Started Slinging Pizza at Little Caesars. Now He Runs 140 Units | Kal Gullapalli
|
Jul 17, 2025 |
|
He Went From Undercover Narcotics to Running RE/MAX | Adam Contos, Area 15 Ventures
|
Jul 10, 2025 |
|
He Grew Up Making Subs at Jersey Mike's. Now He Runs 19+ Locations | GR Waldrop
|
Jul 03, 2025 |
|
They Were Living on Couches While Opening Crumbl Stores | Taylor Byington & Shideler Bennett
|
Jun 26, 2025 |
|
They Opened a Milkshake Shop 3 Weeks After Their Baby Was Born | Jon Bahr, MilkShake Factory
|
Jun 19, 2025 |
|
He Was Working 20-Hour Shifts at Tesla. Then He Bet on Kids' Fitness | Parker Feldmann, KidStrong
|
Jun 12, 2025 |
|
His Fund's Deal Fell Through, So He Opened a Franchise Himself | Bryant Cohen, Pink's Window Services
|
Jun 05, 2025 |
|
He Left a Fast-Track Job at EY at 25 to Sell Mosquito Control | Ian Martens, MosquitoNix
|
May 29, 2025 |
|
An Instagram Ad Made Them Leave Teaching and Sales for a Franchise | Samantha & Jeff Gossett, KidStrong
|
May 15, 2025 |