Age is just a number. Here’s a wonderful true story about the journey of Colonel Harland Sanders, who created the KFC empire, showing how he never gave up on his dreams. His story is one of resilience, patience, and the power of franchising to expand a vision across the globe.

Table of Contents

1. How Colonel Sanders’ Story Began
2. The Role of Franchising in KFC’s Expansion
3. Franchising: A Powerful Tool for Small Business Owners
4. Why Franchise Your Business?
5. Ready to Explore Franchising?

How Colonel Sanders’ Story Began

Colonel Sanders began his journey with humble intentions. Born in 1890, he led a life of challenges and career shifts, from farm labourer to streetcar conductor and even insurance salesman. Yet, in his 60s, he found himself at a crossroads, still searching for the success he deeply craved. His love for cooking—particularly his fried chicken recipe, perfected with a unique blend of 11 herbs and spices—drove him to consider a bold, and at the time, unconventional path: franchising.

The Role of Franchising in KFC’s Expansion

When Colonel Sanders started, franchising was still a relatively new business model. He believed that franchising would allow his recipe to reach more people while letting individual business owners benefit from his unique product. In the 1950s, he took his fried chicken on the road, travelling from restaurant to restaurant, cooking meals on-site for prospective business partners. Despite countless rejections, he persisted.

Finally, in 1952, he secured his first franchise deal in Salt Lake City, Utah. By licensing his recipe and brand, Sanders was able to expand his reach, but he maintained a high level of quality control. His hands-on approach and commitment to high standards became a cornerstone of KFC’s global reputation.

Franchising: A Powerful Tool for Small Business Owners

Colonel Sanders’ story shows us that franchising can be an extraordinary opportunity for growth. It allows business owners to scale without the intense resource requirements of traditional expansion. For entrepreneurs today, franchising represents a sustainable, scalable way to share a beloved product or service with a larger audience, just as Colonel Sanders did.

Why Franchise Your Business?

If you're a small business owner, franchising can enable you to:

• Expand Quickly: With franchisees handling their own capital, the brand grows faster with less direct financial strain on the original business.
• Increase Brand Recognition: Franchising lets you increase visibility in new markets while strengthening your brand image.
• Offer Business Opportunities: Franchisees can own their own businesses while benefiting from the resources and support of an established brand.

Colonel Sanders’ story continues to inspire, illustrating that with resilience and the right strategies, it’s never too late to pursue your goals. By choosing franchising as his path, he built one of the most recognizable and successful brands in the world, and his legacy lives on as a testament to resilience and the unique power of franchising.

Ready to Explore Franchising?

For those eager to explore franchising as a way to grow their business, understanding this model’s fundamentals and the keys to successful expansion are essential first steps. 

Your next step in your franchise journey is to see my free lesson here. If you've already seen it, then I strongly advise you to consider buying my online course...it will put you in the right direction. Check it out here.