What if the path to business ownership didn’t require a million dollars—or even quitting your job?

In this episode, Susan Sly sits down with Alex Smereczniak, founder of Franzy—an AI-powered platform on a mission to create one million entrepreneurs by reimagining franchising. After scaling a laundry startup to a $100M valuation, Alex is now focused on using technology to democratize business ownership for anyone ready to bet on themselves.

However, this conversation extends far beyond a company's story.

Susan and Alex unpack what it really takes to become an entrepreneur in 2025: how to know if you're ready, how to navigate fear, and why curiosity and resilience matter more than polished credentials. Alex shares candid lessons from raising venture capital, managing self-doubt, and starting small with big ambition. They also explore the reality of AI-driven job displacement and why business ownership might be the most secure path forward.

Whether you’re actively searching for your next venture or quietly questioning your 9–5, this episode will challenge you to think differently about risk, readiness, and what’s truly possible.

Alex Smereczniak, founder and CEO of Franzy, turned a college laundry hustle into a $100M exit. Now he’s using AI to help 1M people become entrepreneurs through franchising—an industry with double the 5-year success rate of independent startups.

Connect with Alex:

• Franzy: https://franzy.com/
• LinkedIn: @Franzy

Susan Sly is the maven behind Raw and Real Entrepreneurship. An award-winning AI entrepreneur and MIT Sloan alumna, Susan has carved out a niche at the forefront of the AI revolution, earning accolades as a top AI innovator in 2023 and a key figure in real-time AI advancements for 2024. With a storied career that blends rigorous academic insight with astute market strategies, Susan has emerged as a formidable founder, a discerning angel investor, a sought-after speaker, and a venerated voice in the business world. Her insights have graced platforms from CNN to CNBC and been quoted in leading publications like Forbes and MarketWatch. At the helm of the Raw and Real Entrepreneurship podcast, Susan delivers unvarnished wisdom and strategies, empowering aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned business veterans alike to navigate the challenges of the entrepreneurial landscape with confidence.

Connect With Susan:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepause.ai/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://susansly.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Trusted Partners:⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.susansly.com/trustedpartners⁠⁠⁠
• LinkedIn⁠⁠:⁠⁠⁠@susansly⁠⁠⁠