If founders, chefs and other creatives are the beating heart of the restaurant industry, then franchisees are the veins delivering their ideas to all corners of the globe. Franchising is critical to the success of the industry, allowing brands to quickly scale their big ideas using other people\u2019s capital. And whether it\u2019s a mom-and-pop restaurant owner with one or two franchised restaurants or a seasoned veteran whose influence in the industry is well-known, franchisees \u2014 with all their individual attributes, styles and personalities \u2014\u00a0make a huge impact on the success of a business.<\/p>\n
In this week’s installment of Franchisee Spotlight, we spoke with husband-and-wife duo Jamie Little and Cody Selman about their restaurant franchising journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Little, known for her NASCAR pit reporting and for becoming the first woman to cover the Indy 500, has partnered with Selman to own and operate various brands. Over the years, they have owned Jimmy John’s and Nothing Bundt Cakes locations and are now starting over with newer concepts, Crave and Protein Bar & Kitchen.<\/p>\n
Store count: \u00a0Getting ready to open their first Crave and Protein Bar & Kitchen stores in Indianapolis, Ind.<\/p>\n
NASCAR and franchising background<\/p>\n
JL: I’m currently a NASCAR play-by-play reporter; I\u2019ve been doing that for 24 years. The whole franchising idea came about when we just had our son in 2012 and we were trying to figure out a way that we could take care of our child while I’m on the road traveling. We landed on Jimmy John’s as our first one franchise, and it was great.<\/p>\n