How Chick-Fil-A Is a $12B Business

How I got here…

21: Graduated Vanderbilt in 3 years Magna Cum Laude, and took a fancy consulting job.
23 yrs old: Left my fancy consulting job to start a business (a gym).
24 yrs old: Opened 5 gym locations.
26 yrs old: Closed down 6th gym. Lost everything.
26 yrs old: Got back to launching gyms (launched 33). Then, lost everything for a 2nd time.
26 yrs old: In desperation, started licensing model as a hail mary. It worked.
27 yrs old: "Gym Launch" does $3M profit the next 6 months. Then $17M profit next 12 months.
28 yrs old: Started Prestige Labs. $20M the first year.
29 yrs old: Launched ALAN, a software company for agencies to work leads for customers. Scaled to $1.7mmo within 6 months.
31 yrs old: Sold 75% of UseAlan to a strategic buyer in an all stock deal.
31 yrs old: Sold 66% of Gym Launch & Prestige Labs at $46.2M valuation in all-cash deal to American Pacific Group. (you can google it)
32 yrs old: Started making free content showing how we grow companies to make real business education accessible to everyone (and) to attract business owners to invest or scale their businesses.

Today: Our portfolio now does $200M/yr between 10 companies. The largest doing $100M/yr the smallest doing $5M per year. Our ownership varies between 20% and 100% ownership of the companies. Many of them we invested in early and helped grow (which is how we make our money - not youtube videos).

To all the gladiators in the arena, we’re all in the middle of writing our own stories. The worse the monsters, the more epic the story.

You either get an epic outcome or an epic story. Both mean you win.

Keep crushing. May your desires be greater than your obstacles.

Never quit,

Alex

*FULL DISCLOSURE*
I make content to make money - just - on a longer time horizon than most. I want to build trust with business owners so we can find the best ones and help them scale. And if they’re awesome, write them a check and go all the way as partners.

[Jayz]

imagine trying to be a franchisee but ending up just being an employee, and also chickfila doesn’t allow you to have any other jobs, businesses or investments if you partner with them

[anxdesign]

If you have this much passion in talking about your business you will succeed no matter what.

[NacholeJ]

You forgot to mention crush it without being open on Sundays!

[govin]

I now know what to think of while working out

[sandralujan]

No one they’re always happy! Thats awesome ❤🎉

[Dheeidjdndbd]

Another up and comer with a similar model is Cook Out

[HavenatLee]

Love the information and take, Alex!.. and (of course) mad love for Chic-Fil-A

[JeffBorn]

Fascinating stuff! I'm genuinly curious where Alex reads about this stuff? Or is this common business stuff that I'm just learning?

[cutenobi]

McDonald’s started it and Chick fil A used biblical principles

[watcher]

Sounds like they're doing amazing.

[claydupuy]

I heard MacDonalds is better described as real estate company not a burger joint. This is interesting to hear Chick-fil-a’s model. Chick-fil-a is so good. Wish they were in Ireland!

[nathanbarnhart]

But I would NOT work there as a franchisee lol.

[MarissaCarterArtist]

They need me to revamp their menu, they missed a few decent options. Love their overall impression, and art!

[Icyjuicemanreporter]

Thts like tht Walmart truck driver 100k year select few traing. I thnk was in Tx

[CN]

Wall to wall and they still ain’t sold out. Shoutout Jesus first and shoutout hardy for the reference(Jesus is also Hardy’s reference so he came first regardless but gotta help the slow folk. Like the kind that say ur dumb for believing when they think this life is a game of Rick n mortys “Roy”)

[jguygytttuh]

I swear they let anyone talk these days. Most of them are on ground leases, similar to wawa and other large outparcel tenants.

[relaxingasmr]

Random person at the gym: “ excuse me, you have the time?”

Alex:

[RudysReactions]

unfortunately, a good friend of mine is an operator here in norcal and about 50% of what this random dude said is not accurate. Oh the internet LOL

[smokingcrab]

I feel so stupid when I hear this guy talk. I should have been analyzing business like this guy a LONG time ago.

[LukeErWin___]

Chicken on the filet, could go public, which if they own the majority they can keep their same ideas. Long as they keep the shares. You didn't read this.