The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Unveils New Program for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Dec. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Haslam College of Business and Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville welcomes in 2023 the inaugural class for a brand new offering: The Franchise Certificate Program. The University continues to strive towards the strategic initiative of building a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem across Tennessee and the region, with franchising being a foundational part of that ecosystem. According to the International Franchise Association (IFA), franchising had a tremendous year in 2021, and 2022 looks to be another strong year for economic recovery.
“The first priority of the Franchise Certificate Program is to provide entrepreneurial options for potential future business owners,” said Lynn Youngs, Executive Director of the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. “We are not only aiming to educate, but also to make a difference in the community by creating jobs, supporting the next generation of small business owners with a sound basis for entering the entrepreneurial marketplace, and providing innovative strategies for successful business practices.”
The Franchise Certificate Program provides entrepreneurs who want to balance the freedom of working for themselves with the support, training, and name recognition of an existing brand by learning many facets of franchising. Students considering a career with a franchisor or simply those that desire deeper franchise knowledge can benefit from the comprehensive curriculum which will include:
- Knowledge of the franchising industry to determine if franchising is a viable business/career option
- Best practices for operating a franchise business
- Insight from franchise industry professionals
- Networking with other students interested in franchising
“More and more people are turning to franchising as a means to entrepreneurship where they are in business for themselves, not by themselves. That could mean working for a franchisor to support franchisees or becoming a franchisee themselves,” said program donor, UTK Alum, and Founder and CEO of BrightStar Care, Shelly Sun. “When I founded BrightStar Care in 2002, and then began franchising in 2005, it gave me a deeper understanding of franchising and a path to the success that I wish for every entrepreneur. Through this new program, we will teach students the fundamentals of franchising and provide them with knowledge that will support whatever career path they ultimately choose.”
BrightStar Care, a home health care franchise dedicated to providing both medical and non-medical assistance for families and individuals in need, has grown to over 365 locations represented by 200 small businesses and reached $639M in revenue in 2021. BrightStar Care is consistently named in Forbes’ Top Ten Franchises under $150,000 initial investment.
To help build the Franchise Certificate Program, Cordell Riley, a franchising expert with nearly 30 years of experience, aims to build the program out in the coming years.
“Over the next decade we will help to create entrepreneurs that will make a difference in our communities and leverage the ever-so-important entrepreneurial spirit we have as Americans,” said program faculty member Cordell Riley.
An Advisory Board consisting of franchisors, franchisees, franchise vendors, and other entrepreneurial representatives including Shelly Sun, Lynn Youngs, Tom Wood, Tamra Kennedy, Sherri Fishman, and Cordell Riley will advise on the development of program content to ensure the franchise industry and the program work collaboratively to deliver the most knowledgeable future entrepreneurs in the country.
For more information about the Franchise Certificate Program, please visit https://haslam.utk.edu/executive-course/leadership-strategy/franchise-certificate-program/.
About The Haslam School of Business
At the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee, we’re committed to improving the world. Big Orange, Big Ideas is a slogan we hear often at Tennessee. At Haslam, we take those words a step further, delivering big results by producing better, more prepared students and impactful, interdisciplinary research. Our students and faculty create the change that changes our world for the better. For more information on the Haslam School of Business please visit haslam.utk.edu to find out more about UT Knoxville, visit utk.edu.
About the Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation
The Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ACEI) is a university-based resource for entrepreneurship across the region and the state of Tennessee. Its mission is to foster an entrepreneurial culture at UT and across the state by developing student skills, providing experiential learning opportunities, conducting meaningful entrepreneurial research and connecting students with mentors and resources that enable them to successfully start and grow new businesses.
Media Contact: Sherri Fishman, [email protected]
SOURCE University of Tennessee