Shaquille (Shaq) O’Neal’s Franchises And Other Businesses

Shaquille (Shaq) O’Neal is huge. And Shaq’s business empire (which includes franchises) is too.

Check it out.

His Hugeness

So, how huge is Shaq?

Well, my friend, Carol Roth, got to hang with Shaq as a fellow judge on the America’s Greatest Makers television show. Here’s what she said when I asked her just how huge Shaq was:

“When he walked down the hallway he had to bend over since his head was touching the ceiling.”

He’s 7 ft 1 in tall and weighs around 325 pounds. There aren’t too many NBA players that big.  Shaq played for six teams during his 19-year NBA career.

FYI: I found this little tidbit from Shaq’s WikiPedia Page: After graduating from high school, O’Neal studied business at Louisiana State University. Mmmmm

And Shaq is not just huge, physically. He’s a caring guy. A guy with a huge heart. Look…

Ok. Enough mush.

About Ex-Professional Athletes

Unfortunately, there are ex-professional athletes who are never heard from again after they retire.

Of course, there are ex-professional athletes who make a bit of a splash after they retire, then fade into the background.

Then there are the ones who build business empires. Like Shaquille O’Neal. Franchise business empires.

An Entire Industry Is Interested In Ex-Athletes

I wish more ex-professional athletes would launch businesses when they retire-and I’m not the only one. There’s an entire industry-with a specific program, geared towards persuading ex-professional athletes to consider franchise business ownership.

The Professional Athlete Franchise Initiative (PAFI)

“The PAFI is a strategic initiative of the International Franchise Association. It’s a bridge that connects the professional athlete community to the franchise community through education, research and interaction. PAFI fulfills its mission by partnering with stakeholders in the professional sports and franchise communities to build education based programming for professional athletes interested in learning about the franchise model and franchisors and suppliers interested in discovering ways to open doors to this niche audience.” More

It seems like a good program, and I like the guy (Stan Friedman) who runs it. But why is the franchise industry so focused on getting ex-professional athletes involved?

For the answer, please take a couple of minutes to read this snarky article.

C’mon…it was funny.

Shaq’s Franchises And Other Businesses!

Let’s talk about what Shaq has created for himself, franchise business-wise. He now owns:

• 40 24-Hour Fitness franchises
• 17 Auntie Anne’s Pretzels franchises
• 155 Five Guys Burgers and Fries franchises

And…

In addition, Shaq purchased a Krispy Kreme franchise business in Atlanta. (A location that’s been around for 60 years!) I guess Shaq likes his doughnuts.

NEW: Shaq becomes new owner of historic Atlanta @krispykreme store: https://t.co/JLxTIVhCrx pic.twitter.com/fGedYiYkjJ

— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) October 24, 2016

Congrats Shaq!

How many Krispy Kreme franchise units do you plan on adding to your franchise business empire?

How huge will your business empire be in a few more years?

Shaq Update!

Time for a pizza party! I’m excited to join @PapaJohns as a member of the Board of Directors and investor in 9 stores in #Atlanta. Excited to work with Papa John’s team members and customers – more here: https://t.co/PRXG7ORtFk pic.twitter.com/c5uj5BRuQ1

— SHAQ (@SHAQ) March 22, 2019

What’s next on your list, Shaq?