Stars of Franchising Podcast

Stars of Franchising Podcast logo

Stars of Franchising

Stories of Inspiration & Entrepreneurial Grit

Presented by the Tariq Farid Franchise Institute at Babson College 

“How do I find and choose the right franchise opportunity?” “How do I overcome the obstacles and bounce back from the setbacks?” “How do I achieve the scale I’m after?”  

Join hosts Ab Igram and Vini Onyemah to learn from the global pioneers, innovators, and visionaries who are realizing their entrepreneurial dreams through the franchise business model. New episodes every week. 

Be Our Guest on the Podcast!

Are you a franchise industry expert with insights to share? We're looking for thought leaders, innovators to join us on our podcast. Complete the form below to tell us more

Season 2

Listen to Ab and Vini as they dive into everything associated with entrepreneurship, franchising, and scaling with each episode.

Somia Thumbnail

Episode 1

Somia Farid Silber, CEO of Edible Brands

"It's about creating a lasting culture while embracing growth for the next generation."

Somia Farid Silber grew up with entrepreneurship in her DNA — starting at the age of nine working at Edible Arrangements, the iconic brand founded by her father, Tariq Farid. Now, after years of learning every aspect of the company, Somia steps into her own spotlight as the new CEO of Edible Brands, just in time for the brand’s 25th anniversary.

Check out Season 1

Your front-row seat to the minds reshaping franchising and entrepreneurship.

About the Hosts

Ab Igram headshot

Ab Igram MBA'96

Co-Host and Executive Director of Tariq Farid Franchise Institute

As the Executive Director of the Tariq Farid Franchise Institute at Babson College’s Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership, Ab pursues his lifelong passion of providing entrepreneurial leaders and companies with the tools and knowledge to create social and economic value.

“My dream for Stars of Franchising is to empower and enable current and future entrepreneurs to better understand franchising as a means to scale both as a franchisee and franchisor. I’m grateful to have built a network of proven winners and leaders in the franchise industry, and to give them this global platform to share their passion and knowledge.”

Vini Onyemah headshot

Vini Onyemah, PhD

Professor of Sales & Marketing; Chair, Marketing Division

Dr. Vincent ‘Vini' Onyemah, professor of sales and marketing at Babson College, is an international scaleup expert with decades of experience helping hundreds of companies to grow rapidly in Africa, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, and North America. Vini has studied numerous franchising models during his research, teaching, and consulting in more than thirty countries. 

“Franchising remains a formidable, diverse, and inclusive pathway to scaling entrepreneurship and producing entrepreneurs. Stars of Franchising amplifies the inspirational stories and entrepreneurial grit of franchisees and franchisors across the globe. This podcast is both a celebration and a motivation to embark on entrepreneurship.”

Production Team

Travis Gray

Engineer

Caryn Sowa

Producer

Learn more about the Tariq Farid Franchise Institute