A Breakdown of Shaquille O'Neal's Franchise Ventures What you should know about the former athlete and 2022 IFA convention keynote speaker.
As the kicks off in San Diego, attendees may be surprised to see former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal as a for the conference.
But O'Neal has been in the business game for a long time. The 7′1″ former basketball player actually studied when he was a college student and has been able to put his knowledge to use with business ventures that include being Carnival Cruise Ship's "" and a for a variety of brands endorsements. Many of his business experiences come from the franchising world, and his reported net worth of speaks to his success in the industry.
Here's what you should know about Shaquille O'Neal, franchisee and franchisor extraordinaire.
Shaquille O'Neal the franchisee
Franchises seem to have a special place in the 49-year-old's heart. When the asked O'Neal why he found franchising so attractive, the entrepreneur said, "It's just partnering up with another reliable, excellent brand. Being in business with people, and just owning stuff." At one point, it was he owned 40 24-Hour Fitness gyms and 150 car washes.
But O'Neal also has experience franchising for several famous restaurant brands. He has owned and sold restaurants — which totaled 10% of the company's entire franchise portfolio. He also owns 17 Auntie Anne's Pretzels restaurants and nine Papa John's franchise units. In fact, O'Neal is a brand ambassador for Papa John's and has been on the pizza company's board of directors since 2019.
Time for a pizza party! I'm excited to join as a member of the Board of Directors and investor in 9 stores in . Excited to work with Papa John's team members and customers - more here:
— SHAQ.ETH (@SHAQ)
Out of O'Neal's franchise ventures, Krispy Kreme seems to be his current favorite. According to his WSJ interview, the celebrity was introduced to the donut in college and wants to be a large part of the business. The celebrity says he owns a few Krispy Kreme franchises and is on the lookout for more.
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Shaquille O'Neal the franchisor
O'Neal also knows what it's like to be on the other side of the franchising relationship as a franchisor of his own food brand. In 2018, O'Neal founded chicken sandwich brand Big Chicken. The Las Vegas-based chain has , with partnerships that include Toronto-based Ghost Kitchen Brands and . Big Chicken started franchising in 2021 and is looking to expand in cities like and .
LET'S GO ISLANDERS! Wishing our friends the good luck on their first home game at !
— Big Chicken (@BigChickenShaq)
While a startling go broke within five years of leaving, O'Neal's desire to diversify his career portfolio seems to have helped him steer in the other direction. So no matter whether IFA conference attendees identify him with his former athletic pursuits, franchise ventures or even his DJ career (yes, ), it's clear O'Neal can't be defined by any success metric other than his own.
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