The Early Years
Dennis is the American Dream: Born in Anchorage, Alaska, to a single mother with four children under 6 years old, from an early age he tried to emulate the work ethic he saw in his mom. She instilled in Dennis the fuel that drives his self-motivation and dedication to business today. “Plain and simple, my mom will always be the number one hero in my life. She was the most dedicated parent, and through major adversity kept our family together by any means necessary. She did it all without resources to help her.” He adds, “One of my goals is to develop the Helen L. Mulgannon Foundation in her honor, a charitable organization that will assist single parent households in starting their own small businesses.”
Not realizing that his family was considered poor, this naivety afforded Dennis the ability to take risks without fear — leading him to the life of a true entrepreneur. Failing multiple times while attempting to build sustainable businesses, Dennis believes this is where he learned the most important key to success: perseverance. He says, “When I speak to people about business, I lead with my failures, not my successes.” He strongly believes that learning from his mistakes and using his failure as fire propelled him to succeed.
Franchising
Despite Dennis's past failures, his successes have lead him to be one of the most highly-coveted developers of franchising national and international small businesses. Dennis leans on this experience and credibility to help burgeoning entrepreneurs scale their business through his company, FranchiseScale. One of the things he loves most is helping business owners grow their brands from a single unit into recognized brands. Some of his success stories include Home Care Assistance, Junk King, The Flying Locksmiths, Nerds To Go and WaveMAX Coin Laundry. Stay tuned for his next brand launch…
The MBA
Dennis doesn’t have a degree higher than a high school diploma, but that hasn’t stopped him from achieving his goals. Intimidated by MBAs and business degrees in the past, he now uses his real-world, hands-on experience to his advantage — something beyond what can be learned in a book. These days, the only MBA he owns is a Massive Bank Account he says, I earned it at UHK… the University of Hard Knocks.
The CNBC TV Show BYOB: Be Your Own Boss
Dennis’s new show, BYOB: Be Your Own Boss, will profile people’s dreams of owning a small business. He’ll assist potential small business owners by helping them to vet multiple opportunities, and ultimately empower them to choose the best business for their background, needs and goals. Playing an integral role in one of the biggest decisions of their lives is really what makes Dennis excited for this show.
Consulting with Dennis & FranchiseScale
Buying an existing business, selling a business, or buying and starting a franchise from scratch are the pinnacles of what Dennis does at his company, FranchiseScale. He partners with best-in-class business & franchise brokers across the U.S. and Canada for the best possible outcome. If you're looking to franchise your business, head to FranchiseScale's website at www.franchisescale.com.