After 14 years of building one of the highest-performing ShelfGenie franchises, Alan Regala sold his business and stepped into a brand-new chapter of life. In this episode of Franchise Unfiltered, Alan shares how he went from mechanical engineer to successful franchise owner — and what it really takes to build a business that’s actually sellable.
We cover:
✅ The mindset behind long-term success
✅ How to avoid burnout as a franchise owner
✅ The systems that make a franchise valuable
✅ Why most people don’t think about the exit early enough
✅ What Alan is doing now with Athlete2Owner
Whether you're considering buying a franchise, scaling your business, or preparing for a future exit, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.
🎯 Learn how to build a business with freedom, flexibility, and long-term value.
Timestamps:
00:00 – From Franchisee to Friend: Alan’s 7-Year Journey
03:10 – The Exit Strategy Most Franchise Owners Ignore
05:45 – How to Build a Franchise That Doesn’t Depend on You
08:30 – The Systems That Made His Business Sellable
13:20 – From Engineer to Entrepreneur: Alan’s Career Shift
16:00 – The Book That Sparked His Business Mindset
20:10 – Why Franchising Was the Perfect Fit (And Almost Didn’t Happen)
25:40 – Innovating Inside the Franchise System
44:00 – The Moment He Knew It Was Time to Sell
57:00 – Life After the Exit: Coaching New Franchise Owners
7 Steps to Owning a Franchise:
https://path2frdm-1.hubspotpagebuilder.com/path-to-freedom-about-franchising
🔗 Want help finding the right franchise? Book a free strategy call with Wes: https://calendly.com/wes-barefoot/introcallwithwes
Connect with Wes:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/path2frdm/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/path2frdm
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesleybarefoot/
👍 Like, Comment & Subscribe for more insights on business, franchising, and financial freedom!
#Franchise #Leadership #Entrepreneurship
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.