She Turned $500 Into a National Franchise Empire

Learn how to franchise a business and build a million-dollar brand with this raw, unfiltered look at creating a national franchise from scratch. 💥 Grab your copy of "The Stretch" and connect with Kika Wise here: 👉 https://www.kikawise.com At 25 years old, Kika Wise was sleeping on a deflated air mattress, pregnant, and surviving on government assistance. Armed with just $500 and an unyielding vision, she did the unthinkable: she built Kika Stretch Studios into a nationally recognized wellness brand with 14 locations and became one of the first Black women in American history to legally structure a national franchise brand. In this episode of BSN BookShelf, Brian J. Olds goes behind the scenes of her new book, The Stretch: How to Build a Million Dollar Brand. Kika shares the transparent truth about what it actually costs to build something from nothing, including escaping abuse, rebuilding after her studio burned down, and discovering franchising while crying in her car after a major deal fell through. Here's what we get into... 📌 Growing up watching her mother build at the kitchen table on a typewriter 📌 Her mother's quote: "You don't have a boss. The only boss you have is God." 📌 Promising herself she would never be an entrepreneur 📌 Her last job at Ashley Furniture and the Disney trip that changed everything 📌 Starting Kika Stretch Studios with $500 📌 Building 14 locations across the country 📌 Escaping abuse and rebuilding after her studio burned down 📌 Becoming one of the first Black women to franchise a national brand 📌 The gym deal in Times Square Manhattan that fell through (BSN exclusive) 📌 Discovering franchising by googling in her car (told publicly for the first time) 📌 Building Black Box Franchising and helping 35 businesses franchise 📌 Launching the book on her birthday with a billboard in Times Square 📌 Her Instagram getting locked by AI during peak book launch 📌 Why ownership of your platform matters more than followers 📌 Building businesses that don't rely on you posting every day 📌 Using your losses and obstacles to propel you forward 📌 "You have what you need today to start to get what you need tomorrow"\ 📌 Why 2025 was the last year to play games 📌 Financial lessons learned the hard way 📌 Start where you are with what you have ABOUT KIKA WISE Kika Wise is the founder of Kika Stretch Studios, a nationally recognized wellness brand with 14 locations across the country, and the founder and CEO of Black Box Franchising, a firm that has helped 35 businesses become national franchise brands. She is one of the first Black women in American history to create and legally structure a national franchise brand and was named the youngest female franchisor in 2018. She is a keynote speaker (Investfest 2025, 25,000 entrepreneurs), a former professional dancer and actor, and a mom of three. She has been featured in the New York Times, Yahoo Finance, and Business Insider. 📚 ABOUT BSN BOOKSHELF BSN BookShelf is a content interview series produced by Black Speakers Network that spotlights authors, thought leaders, and creators who are shaping conversations through the power of their written work. 🔗 GUEST SOCIAL LINKS 🌐 Website: https://www.kikawise.com 🌐 Franchise: https://www.kikastretchstudios.com 🌐 Consulting: https://www.blackboxfranchising.com 📱 Instagram: @kikawise   / kika_wise   JOIN THE NETWORK 🌐 Website: https://www.blackspeakersnetwork.com 📱 Instagram:   / blackspeakersnetwork   #BSNBookShelf #BlackSpeakersNetwork #HowToFranchiseABusiness #Franchising #KikaWise #TheStretch #MillionDollarBrand #WomenInBusiness #BlackExcellence #AuthorInterview #FromNothingToSomething #BusinessScaling #EntrepreneurLife