The New Entry-Level Job: Gen Z Entrepreneurs Turn to Franchising

When Kugan Suppiah was 24, climbing a traditional corporate ladder was the last thing on his mind. Instead, his focus was entirely on cookies.

The Move Toward Built-In Support

The University of Oklahoma graduate spent months convincing his parents to back his vision: investing in a Bang Cookies franchise in Oklahoma City. Now 25, Suppiah is already scouting locations for his second storefront. He belongs to a rapidly growing wave of Gen Z and millennial entrepreneurs turning to restaurant franchising as a strategic middle ground between corporate employment and the volatile risks of launching a startup completely from scratch.

Franchise brands across the industry report a sharp rise in young buyers. These emerging founders are drawn to the freedom of business ownership but deeply value the corporate training, structure, and built-in customer base that independent startups lack.

“A lot of Gen Z is less focused on following one traditional path and more interested in creating opportunities for themselves,” explained Ashleigh Ewald, a 23-year-old public policy graduate student and entrepreneur. “The appeal is really about independence and ownership.”

Lowering the Risks of Business Ownership

For this new generation of operators, franchising is less about avoiding hard work and more about mitigating unnecessary startup risks. The framework allows young founders to build equity and make independent operational choices without the grueling burden of building an audience from absolute zero.

Take Amaan Bhanji, 22, who began mapping out his business plan during his senior year of high school. By 2024, after navigating training and location buildouts, he opened his own Graze Craze charcuterie franchise in Arlington, Virginia.

“I knew in my gut that I needed to build something of my own,” Bhanji recalled. “Attending university and working for someone else just did not appeal to me.” For Bhanji, partnering with an established brand group offered the hands-on training, playbook, and structural guidance he lacked as a first-time business owner.

A Win-Win for Gen Z and Corporate Brands

This collaborative model does not just benefit the young owners, it is actively transforming the corporate brands themselves. Executives note that millennial and Gen Z operators bring invaluable, native insights regarding social media marketing, digital community engagement, and viral menu items that convert online buzz directly into physical store foot traffic.

Furthermore, younger owners are actively shaping the brands they buy into. Suppiah, for instance, pitched a custom curbside pickup window to the executives at Bang Cookies, working directly with the brand to design and market the concept.

While steep startup costs remain a barrier for many young people looking at legacy chains like McDonald’s, it is driving them toward smaller, fast-growing concepts that offer lower financial barriers to entry and more room to influence corporate direction.

Ultimately, franchising is no longer viewed by youth as a retirement plan or a fallback career. In an economy defined by side hustles and digital creators, it has officially become the newest entry point into long-term entrepreneurship.