451: What It Takes to Launch a Chick-fil-A Franchise w/ Kareem Edwards

Side Hustle Pro

This week in the guest chair we have Kareem Edwards, one of the very first men to grace the Side Hustle Pro guest chair! Hailing from Far Rockaway, Queens, Kareem got his start in major corporate roles at Lehman Brothers, Kraft Heinz, and Google—all while dreaming of owning a business. Kareem decided to pursue franchising and balanced a 9-to-5 at Google while working nights at a Chick-fil-A to master the day-to-day operations.

In this episode she shares:

• The importance of community impact, creating an empowering work culture, and leading with empathy
• Key lessons on staffing, building trust, and innovating with different revenue channels
• The art of balancing grit and grace when trying to grow your business

Highlights include:

00:00 Intro

03:00 Early career in finance

09:00 Discovering Chik-Fil-a franchising

17:00 Choosing the right location

25:00 Opening during a pandemic

34:00 Staffing strategies

43:00 Leaving a steady paycheck

46:00 Expanding sales methods

52:00 Tips for entrepreneurs

Check out episode 451 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube

This episode is brought to you by:

Skillshare: Take Nicaila’s class and explore thousands more hands-on classes taught by creative experts from around the world. Get one month free at sidehustlepro.co/skillshare.

Links mentioned in this episode

• Kareem’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kareemjedwards/
• Kareem’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareemedwards
• Posse Foundation: https://www.possefoundation.org/
• Chick-fil-a Franchising: https://www.chick-fil-a.com/franchising
• Chat GPT: https://chat.openai.com/
• Uncle Nearest: https://unclenearest.com/

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