Franchise Ascension Initiative

The Franchise Ascension Initiative (TAI) is a 6-month accelerator program aimed at preparing qualified individuals from underrepresented groups and economically disadvantaged communities with the education, mentorship, resources, and support to successfully launch a career in franchise ownership.

VISION & OPPORTUNITY

The goal of the initiative is to narrow the wealth gap by catalyzing diversity in ownership in franchising.

The Problem: In 2019, the median White household held 7.8x more wealth than a typical Black household.  Further, as of 2019, African Americans made up 14.2% of the population, but only 2.3% of businesses are Black-owned.

The Solution: Franchising is a viable path towards wealth creation for all. Franchise businesses create jobs at a rate of 2.3x as high as non-franchise businesses.  Franchising is a successful wealth-generation strategy for historically disadvantaged communities, with, for instance, Black-owned franchise firms earning 2.2x as much in sales compared to Black-owned independent businesses, on average.

Beyond the meaningful impact the initiative can make on narrowing the wealth gap, the initiative will increase the diverse franchisee talent pipeline and catalyze scores of qualified, talented entrepreneurs to establish and grow franchise businesses. The program will also expose scores of individuals to the possibilities of franchise ownership and careers in franchising through outreach to underrepresented groups and economically disadvantaged communities during the applicant recruitment process.