By: Carla Lide
NFL Player Engagement
The Franchising Boot Camp kicked off the weekend on Friday, April 17th 2015 at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Melanie Barnett, Chief of Executive Education Officer at The Ross School of Business, welcomed 20+ players & significant others. Professor Francine Lafontaine, at the Ross School of Business, shared the program overview & her goal of providing as much information & expertise as possible. Stephen M. Ross, Chairman & Founder of Related Companies, was featured in a Q&A session with Dean Alison Davis-Blake. Participants questioned Stephen about his journey & success as a Real Estate Developer, Philanthropist, & Sports Team Owner. Ross suggested that when beginning your franchising career, hire people who are smarter than you, having compatibility with your team is an important factor in business.
The night concluded with Francine Lafontaine’s synopsis of The Project Overview. Participants divided into teams and chose a franchising topic to work on throughout the duration of the program. Participants will visit 4 local businesses to examine how a franchise is operated. On the final day, participants will wrap up the boot camp by presenting their franchising projects to Ross Professors. The participants were enthusiastic about growing their knowledge of the franchising business and the opportunity to build their network.