Founderology Discussion board
Brandon Knudsen, co-founder and CEO of Ziggi’s Espresso, shares important recommendation on how he bootstrapped Ziggi’s from a single espresso store to greater than 100 places throughout 22 states.
March 18, 2026
On this episode of the Founderology — Constructed to Breakthrough podcast, I speak with Brandon Knudsen, co-founder and CEO of Ziggi’s Espresso and a member of the inaugural class of Visionary Restaurant Founders acknowledged on the Founderology Progress Summit. Brandon and his spouse Camrin have bootstrapped Ziggi’s from a single espresso store to greater than 100 places throughout 22 states, with 200 extra in growth — no personal fairness, no exterior buyers. Brandon held nothing again about what that journey really price them.
The licensing deal that failed earlier than franchising even began
Earlier than Ziggi’s ever offered a franchise, Brandon tried licensing first. No charges. No royalties. Simply handed over the playbook.
It fell aside.
The techniques he and Camrin had been operating for 12 years couldn’t survive with out them within the room. What Brandon did subsequent — spending his personal cash to stress-test the mannequin on his personal managers earlier than promoting it to anybody else — is a strategic lesson in how one can franchise the correct approach. Each rising franchisor must take this lesson and instantly apply it to their enterprise.
Fifteen-hour days and the texts that by no means obtained returned
Brandon started franchising so he wouldn’t need to do every thing himself as he and Camrin grew Ziggi’s.
He then spent the following three years doing extra of it than ever — driving to Realtor conferences, sitting by means of planning departments, displaying up at building websites and taking each name from each franchisee.
Till the day he realized he was the bottleneck.
The enterprise was within the caught zone – too massive to be small and too small to be massive.
The $400K COO he refused to rent
Brandon wanted executive-level expertise. The corporate was not ready to tackle six figures plus 10% of the enterprise.
So, he discovered one other approach.
The fractional leaders he introduced in didn’t simply fill gaps — considered one of them modified the whole tradition in a single day with out hiring a single new particular person. In case you are a Founder who thinks you can’t afford high-level technique, Brandon’s path will change your thoughts. Hear the important selections he made to deliver reasonably priced govt expertise.
The one query he asks each struggling franchisee
When a franchisee calls Brandon and says they’re struggling, he asks the identical query each time.
The reply is all the time the identical.
His philosophy on why you must by no means spend a greenback on advertising till the home is so as — and why the best-performing Ziggi’s places all have one factor in widespread — goes towards every thing the business tells you.
The information backs him up. You already know you wish to know this important query.
The recommendation that may hit you tougher than you count on
Brandon closes with one thing private — in regards to the shops that hold him up at night time, the success he forgets to have fun and the one factor each Founder wants to listen to when they’re in the course of the grind (literal in Brandon’s case).
It’s easy. It’s actual. In case you are deep within the Caught Zone proper now, it may be precisely what you want.
In case you are a Founder asking your self, “What do I do subsequent?” this episode solutions that query in so many actual and significant methods.
Hear now wherever you get your podcasts and listen to actual insights and actual options from Founders who’re constructing manufacturers to breakthrough. That is the group you could have been searching for to develop your enterprise!
