Drew Brees and John Rotche sitting in dark chairs in an office smiling. They are both dressed professional in suit coats. The wall behind them is brick with two windows.

Founded on Mentorship

Franworth and Drew Brees Have Longstanding Relationship

Franworth was founded on the principle of helping others through mentorship. This mentorship-focused mentality was the genesis for the connection between Franworth Founder John Rotche and Franworth Partner Drew Brees, that later grew into a business partnership and lasting friendship.

John Rotche and Drew Brees

In 2012, John, then CEO of TITLE Boxing Club, was asked to speak at a franchising boot camp at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business to 250 NFL athletes on behalf of the Professional Athletes Franchise Initiative (PAFI). Drew, still an NFL quarterback at the time and a relatively new franchisee, was sitting in the front row, taking notes and asking questions. On a break, Drew introduced himself to John and asked him to mentor him, which kicked off a friendship and business partnership.

John was touched by his own mentors, including the legendary University of Michigan Football coach Bo Schembechler, Dominos founder Tom Manahan, and fellow IFA Entrepreneur of the Year David McKinnon. Through them, John discovered that one could increase their odds of winning by learning from others’ lessons and challenges. In Rotche’s book REACH, he talks about the importance of reaching out, reaching high, and reaching back and the many mentors he’s learned from throughout his life. Because of these valuable experiences, John made it his life’s mission to pay it forward to others through mentorship, which sparked Rotche to launch IFA’s mentorship program, FranShip, with Subway founder Fred DeLucca being the first to participate.

What began as a chance meeting and tour of TITLE Boxing Club turned professional when Brees, liking what he had seen in person,  became a partner of John’s in TITLE Boxing Club. From there, the level of respect for one another, professionally and personally, continued to strengthen. Beyond their business ventures, Drew has been an incredible mentor to John’s son, a college athlete, reaching out frequently to send inspirational and motivational messages.

Values Forged Partnership

In 2015 when John created and launched Franworth, he knew he had to bring Brees on as a partner. Their values frequently return to mentorship, Rotche’s core philosophy since the beginning of his career. Franworth scored big when these friends met: Drew currently sits on Franworth’s Board of Directors and provides mentorship to Franworth’s founders and many others in the franchising community.

The relationship came full circle when Drew Brees was a keynote speaker at the 2023 Annual IFA Convention. Brees shared his wisdom, insights as a franchisor and multi-unit franchisee, and the impact Franworth has had on his entrepreneurial career.

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