Ashley Clark never planned on franchising. Fresh out of Clemson and headed for law school, a single suggestion from her dad led to a Kilwins inquiry and, twelve years later, a six-store operation across four states with five more in the pipeline. In this episode, Ashley breaks down how she and her husband went all in, financed growth through SBA and conventional debt, built systems, and learned to lead at scale.

How Ashley bought her first store and went cash positive on day one

The leap from one to two units including selling their house to fund the deal

When SBA makes sense and when conventional lending opens up

Why franchising still feels entrepreneurial

The mindset shift from operator to multi-unit leader

Systems, people, and the biggest misconceptions about franchising