In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Aicha Bascaro, Founder of American Franchise Academy. Bascaro’s amazing career began when a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver drove by at the exact right time. After many years working in franchising nationally and internationally, she now educates others on how to manage businesses and themselves.

Bascaro is a 35+ year veteran in the franchise industry who grew through the ranks of global brands like Domino’s Pizza, Popeyes and Olive Garden. She led a global franchise brand, managed country-wide franchise organizations and even developed her own protype brand. She has worked in domestic and international operations and lived in 14 countries throughout her career supporting International Master Franchisors for legacy brands around the world.

Bascaro is the author of the Amazon best-selling books “The Franchise Fix” and “The Multi-Unit Franchise Mastery”. The books are a compilation of the business management best practices of top performing franchisees in the US and around the world as well as her personal experience running small, medium, and large organizations.

Bascaro founded the America Franchise Academy, LLC™ in 2016 after realizing the great need that many new and emerging franchise owners had. Her passion now is to protect the American Dream of business ownership through franchising and to provide easy access to the knowledge, tools and resources that are missing in the industry.

Bascaro lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband and three children.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Gary Liskovich, Co-Founder & CEO at Harmonyze. Harmonyze is an AI-driven company that aims to enhance franchise operations through the use of cutting-edge technology.

With a strong foundation in engineering, Liskovich holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His early career led him through roles at Deloitte and several high-growth startups, where he developed expertise in AI and its application to solve complex problems.

Prior to founding Harmonize, Liskovich was a product manager at Evolution IQ, where he worked on AI solutions for the insurance industry, helping to simplify and expedite decision-making in a notoriously complex field. With a passion for innovative technology, he co-founded Harmonize alongside his best friend to make franchise operations more efficient by utilizing AI to process unstructured data and provide actionable insights.

Liskovich is dedicated to empowering franchise owners by reducing their administrative burdens, allowing them to focus more on strategic decision-making and building relationships within their networks. His approach emphasizes a human-centric technology that adapts to users' needs, making the franchise system more dynamic and responsive.

In this episode of FranchiseU!, Kathy sits down with Samantha Gorman, Franchisee with Fitness Premier Clubs. Samantha’s personal and professional history offers inspiration and insight for those interested in making money with a franchise while not abandoning personal strengths and aspirations.

Samantha Gorman has always believed that it is our birthright to live a healthy, happy and fulfilling life. It has been her purpose to educate and empower clients to transform their health, life and spirit for the better. With a deep love for all things health and wellness related, Gorman was searching for a career that would allow her the opportunity to transform lives using her extensive knowledge of holistic health. Gorman’s journey with Fitness Premier began early at the age of 21 years old when she began her career as a part-time Personal Trainer. This role was the key that unlocked the door to a long-term opportunity to lead others down a healthier path. Through years of hard work and experience, she was able to gain the professional experience in the fitness industry needed to become a Franchisee. Over the course of her 10-year career in the industry, she has been honored to serve many clients on their journey towards better health. She is proud to be a franchisee of a company with a brand that represents more than just a tagline. At Fitness Premier, membership means more and we’re going to help you live a life that you never thought was possible.