Breaking The Franchise Discovery Code: How Alex Smereczniak Is Using AI To Transform Business Ownership

Alex Smereczniak is a serial entrepreneur who has made it his mission to simplify complex business landscapes through innovation. As CEO and Co-Founder of Franzy, Alex brings a unique perspective shaped by his experience scaling 2ULaundry from a student startup into a national franchise operation. His journey from franchise operator to franchise technology pioneer has given him rare insights into the pain points that aspiring business owners face when navigating the overwhelming world of franchise opportunities.

In an exclusive interview with Entrepreneur Loop, Alex shares how his firsthand experience with the broken franchise discovery process led him to create Franzy – an AI-powered platform that functions like “Zillow for franchising.” His approach combines artificial intelligence with deep industry knowledge to score the fit between entrepreneurs and franchise opportunities, making business ownership more accessible and transparent. Alex’s philosophy of “betting on yourself” and his willingness to step away from one successful venture to create something bigger exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit that drives innovation in today’s business landscape.

Q: Please provide a brief introduction of yourself and your professional background.

I’m Alex Smereczniak, co-founder and CEO of Franzy. Before Franzy, I scaled 2ULaundry from a student startup into a national franchise. My focus has always been building businesses from the ground up; now with Franzy, I’m using AI to simplify franchise discovery and make ownership more accessible.

Q: Please tell us a bit more about your startup – what does it offer, what problem does it solve, and who is your target audience?

Franzy is an AI-powered franchise discovery platform. We help aspiring entrepreneurs navigate the overwhelming options and quickly find the franchise opportunities that best fit their goals, budget, and lifestyle. Our target audience is anyone exploring business ownership who wants a smarter, faster, and more transparent way to get there.

Q: What inspired you to start your own business? What was the “aha” moment?

My ‘aha’ moment came while scaling 2ULaundry into a national franchise. I saw firsthand how broken franchise discovery was; slow, confusing, and biased. Entrepreneurs were left stuck in uncertainty. That’s what inspired me to build Franzy; which is a smarter, AI-driven way to connect people with the right franchise opportunities.

Q: What were some of the biggest initial challenges you faced in getting your business off the ground? How did you overcome them?

One of the biggest challenges early on was data; franchising is fragmented, and reliable information isn’t easy to come by. To solve that, we invested heavily in building our own data infrastructure and verification process. It wasn’t glamorous, but it gave us the foundation to deliver accurate AI-driven matches entrepreneurs can trust.

Q: How did you identify a gap in the market or need that your business fulfills?

I identified the gap while scaling 2ULaundry into a franchise. I watched entrepreneurs struggle with the same thing; finding the right franchise was slow, overwhelming, and often biased toward whoever shouted the loudest. That’s where Franzy comes in; using AI to make discovery transparent, efficient, and customized to the individual.

Q: What have been some of the toughest decisions you’ve had to make as a founder? Any stand out as pivotal?

The hardest decision I’ve made was stepping down from 2ULaundry, the company I co-founded and scaled my entire adulthood. It was gut-wrenching to walk away from something I’d built, but it created the space for Franzy. That choice ended up being the pivot point for my career.

Q: How do you stand out from the competition in your space? What sets your product/service apart?

Most franchise discovery platforms feel like lead-gen sites; biased toward whoever pays to be listed. Franzy is different. We built an AI-powered Fit Score that matches entrepreneurs with opportunities based on their goals, budget, and lifestyle. Our focus is transparency and fit, not selling leads, and that’s what sets us apart.

Q: What have been some mistakes or failures you’ve made along the way as an entrepreneur? How did you recover and learn from them?

One mistake I made early on was trying to do too much at once. At 2ULaundry, we spread ourselves thin testing every growth idea. I learned the hard way that saying yes to everything slows you down. Now with Franzy, I focus on solving one problem really well.

Q: What do you find most rewarding and most challenging about being an entrepreneur?

The most rewarding part is seeing an idea turn into something real that helps people; it never gets old. The hardest part is the constant uncertainty. As a founder, you’re making big calls without perfect information. You learn to trust your gut, move fast, and keep adjusting.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start their own company?

Don’t get stuck waiting for the perfect plan; you’ll never have one. Start small, test fast, and listen to the market. The earlier you can prove (or disprove) your idea, the faster you’ll know if it’s worth scaling. Speed and focus beat perfection every time.

Alex Smereczniak’s journey from franchise operator to AI innovator demonstrates that the best solutions often come from those who have lived the problem firsthand. His transition from 2ULaundry to Franzy wasn’t just a career pivot – it was a strategic move to address systemic inefficiencies in franchise discovery. As Franzy continues to grow, Alex’s vision of making business ownership more accessible through technology could fundamentally change how entrepreneurs approach franchise investment, proving that sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from having the courage to walk away from success to create something even more impactful.