From Dorm Room Startup to $100M Valuation with Alex Smereczniak

What if business ownership didn’t require quitting your job or raising millions?
In the latest episode of The Raw and Real Entrepreneurship® Podcast, I sit down with Alex Smereczniak, founder of Franzy, an AI-powered platform focused on creating one million entrepreneurs by rethinking franchising. After building a laundry startup to a $100 million valuation, Alex is now channeling his expertise into helping others take their first steps into business ownership.
This is a direct and honest conversation about what it takes to become an entrepreneur in 2025. We cover raising capital, managing self-doubt, navigating fear, and why curiosity matters more than a perfect resume. We also confront a critical question, when AI is disrupting so many traditional career paths, could owning a business be the most stable option?
If you are questioning the future of your work or quietly planning your next move, this episode offers a new perspective on risk, timing, and what is truly possible.

About Alex:
Alex is the founder and CEO of Franzy, an innovative AI-powered franchising platform with an ambitious mission to create one million entrepreneurs. As a 2-time entrepreneur, Alex transformed his college side hustle into a successful laundromat business that reached $100 million in value. Now with Franzy, Alex is focused on democratizing entrepreneurship through franchising, which boasts a five-year success rate double that of independent businesses. His unique journey from college entrepreneur to tech founder gives him valuable insights into what it takes to build sustainable businesses and help others do the same.

🔗 Connect with Alex:
💼 Alex LI:   / alex-smereczniak-%f0%9f%a6%81-40310329  
🌐 Franzy:https://franzy.com/
📷 IG:   / franzyinc  
💼 LI:   / franzy  
⭐ TikTok:   / franzyinc  

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 Sly:
🌐 Website: https://www.susansly.com
📷 Instagram:   / susansly  
💼 LinkedIn:   / susansly  
🎙️ More Episodes:    / @susansly  

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