Visionaries like you shape the franchise landscape. Accelerating Enterprise Growth, crafted by the University of Louisville in partnership with Yum! Brands, is designed to give you the skills, tools, and network that you need to reach the top of the Franchise industry.

Who Should Apply

This course is for the seasoned leaders who have transcended the basics of franchise management, including roles such as Regional Managers, District Managers, Multi-Unit Managers, Operations Managers, Directors, Vice Presidents, and Presidents - those who operate multiple units, steer regional territories, or helm entire franchise operations.

Program Highlights

This year-long journey is designed to propel your leadership capabilities into the realm of strategic growth and operational excellence, preparing you to oversee large-scale operations. - your journey towards monumental growth starts here.

This year-long course includes:

• 6 one-month online courses, including interactive self-paced content and virtual class sessions twice monthly.
• A 3-day in-person residential in Louisville, KY.
• An applied learning project that will benefit your business, with faculty coaching and support.

Curriculum

The curriculum, rich with advanced insights and strategies, covers critical areas such as bank and real estate negotiations, financial portfolio management, and comprehensive elements of franchise growth. Tailored for individuals aiming for the upper echelons of franchise leadership, "Accelerating Enterprise Growth" offers the tools, knowledge and network to scale your operations and achieve unparalleled success in the franchise industry.

Courses include:

• The Franchise Model
  Learn to navigate the intricacies of the franchise business model and gain insights into the obligations and responsibilities of both the franchisees and franchisors. This course will also cover crucial aspects such as marketing strategies, advisory councils/associations, and the impact of C-suite changes within a franchise system.


• Advanced Financial Management for Multi-Unit Leadership
  Deepen your financial acumen with essential finance topics like interpreting financial statements, leveraging Key Performance Indicators, guiding teams to achieve profit margins, managing time allocation, coaching large teams on P&L levers, understanding the significance of EBITDA, and navigating appropriate debt levels and leverage ratios.


• Financial Strategies for Business Growth and Expansion
  Learn essential strategies for business growth and expansion. Topics include funding options, effective communication techniques when engaging with financial institutions and the criteria they assess, business valuation principles, key levers to increase business value, types of debt, real estate leverage, financial covenants, site selection, first right of refusal and remodeling considerations.


• Advanced Leadership and Management Excellence
  In this advanced leadership course tailored for executives leading large business operations, you will develop skills such as vision setting and execution, building a positive organizational culture, implementing performance metrics and monitoring systems that foster accountability, cultivating executive presence, developing communication strategies for various stakeholders, understanding crisis management principles, and designing frameworks for ethical decision-making in complex business scenarios.


• Strategic Business Planning
  Learn the essential business infrastructure needed as the business expands while exploring realistic considerations and strategies, including elements such as HR and legal components, the dynamics of franchisor-driven strategies and initiatives, retaining autonomy while aligning with overall organizational goals, and developing risk mitigation strategies for franchise growth.


• Contemporary Trends in Franchise Management
  Master effective change management and methods to stay ahead of current trends and the ever-evolving landscape of the industry. Topics include current legal issues affecting franchises, the transformative role of AI, digital marketing strategies, managing a changing workforce, and methods to stay informed bout economic and industry developments.

We are currently accepting scholarship applications for the session starting in March 2025.

• Course Application Deadline: February 24, 2025
• Scholarship Application Deadline: February 14, 2025