At IFA, Responsible Franchising is our North Star. We’ve made it our mission to help provide the resources, governance, and support to ensure that franchisors and franchisees – and the suppliers that support along the way — can come together to create long-lasting, sustainable progress that better serves their customers and everyone in their system. We’re fortunate to have incredible champions among our members to point to, learn from, and emulate these five principles of Responsible Franchising every day — not because they must but because it’s the right thing to do and ultimately leads to better outcomes for everyone involved.

The International Franchise Association will host its annual franchise Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada from February 26 to March 1, 2023. Every year, the convention program helps franchisees and franchisors explore franchise best practices in the areas of business development, staff learning, franchise operations, financial planning, legal strategies and more.

Karnardo Garnett grew up in a small town in rural Georgia. “I grew up literally off a dirt-road, I come from a family of farmers.” His home was filled with lots of love, hospitality, and amazing food. Karnardo realized early that farming was not for him, and instead opted to carry on his family’s tradition of hospitality and building relationships over great meals.

I have spent the last two decades of my career in top-level positions, overseeing both brand and personnel growth. When playing this role for any given company, people inevitably turn to you for advice. How did you get to this point in your career? What would you have done differently?





I think there’s a limitless amount of advice any person in this position could give. Yet truthfully, I don’t know if there is any guidance out there that carries the same value as leadership advice. For any position you interview for, your skill set is what brought you to the table. But, your ability to act as a leader and lift others up will set you apart and give you the longevity needed for a successful career.

While navigating the uncertain landscape of growing a business in the midst of a pandemic, Jenny also became increasingly aware of the need to create and support a more diverse, equitable and inclusive society where all people could pursue opportunity and all children could see a potential future in a STEM field. 

June may be Women’s History Month, but the International Franchise Association works year-round to support women entrepreneurs through our Women’s Franchise Network. This network, led by the Women’s Franchise Committee, was created to foster local networks and develop relationships with female franchising professionals so that they can discuss common issues, share ideas and offer solutions to the unique challenges that come from being a woman in business.  

In 2010, 11 Dallas/Ft. Worth Jersey Mike’s Subs locations banded together to create a co-op, deciding to use their community relationships to make a difference. These local business owners decided to partner with well-known Dallas based charity, Wipe Out Kids Cancer, to create a month-long fundraiser. The locations provided a free sub with a donation to the charity, which raised $50,000 in one month.

We are so excited to introduce the newest member of the IFA membership team- Sydni Konohia!

Michael Valestin will be the first to tell you he was never one for office work. He was always much more interested in building things and the construction process

This year has been trying for even the most diehard among us. It’s difficult to run a business when the game plan is constantly changing.