Former Blackhawk crew-chief and door-gunner for the Army National Guard and career pilot Wade Googe knows all too well how drastically life can change at the drop of a hat.
His aviation career began with the Army in 1999 and spanned experiences from deployment and flying charter to cargo planes. Through his diverse career, he was afforded the opportunity to travel in 43 different countries and experience many cultures. As his career continued soaring to new heights, Googe felt like he was on top of it all. Then he received devastating medical news.
Wade was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and he needed to undergo eight months of biopsies, two months of chemotherapy and surgery and a month of radiation. But through it all, with his wife Parisa by his side, he survived the ordeal, and today, he is proud to say he’s healthier than ever before.
Due to the extensive amount of time required to undergo his cancer treatment, Wade lost his job and insurance and in turn was forced to use up most of the couple’s savings. While he was able to secure another job later on, his battle with cancer was life changing, and the experience brought Wade back to one of his lifelong desires to be an entrepreneur. “When you see firsthand just how quickly everything can change, it’s a wake-up call. There’s no better time than right now to pursue your dreams and passions,” said Wade.
In 2015, Wade and his wife Parisa began to explore business opportunities the pair could pursue together. They wanted to be a part of the explosive growth trend in their North Frisco Texas community and build a business that would provide a more secure future for their family. During the research process, they discovered Florida-based Burger 21 and knew it was the perfect opportunity for them.
“We believe the community will love Burger 21's high quality, chef-inspired recipes, diverse menu selection and a 'beyond the better burger' experience like no other, and we’re thrilled to be able to bring the very first location to the Lone Star State,” said Wade. “In addition to the top-notch product, we were very impressed with the model and business plan that’s been laid out by the Burger 21 team, and alongside it they were able to direct us to BoeFly, which proved to present us with better options for a startup loan than we ever could have found on our own.”
The loan options BoeFly was able to connect Wade and Parisa with not only helped them secure a startup loan to best fit their needs and put them in a position to open their first location in Frisco in early 2016, but gave the couple confidence in plans for additional expansion.
“Being able to create opportunities for deserving people like Wade and Parisa is why we’re so passionate about helping potential franchisees find funding,” said Mike Rozman, CEO and co-founder of BoeFly. “Through our strategic partnerships with brands like Burger 21, we are able to not only help franchisees get into business, but also to expand and become multi-unit franchisees. It’s a very rewarding process all around.”
The husband-and-wife team plans to open two additional locations in the north Dallas suburb area in 2016 and is considering developing two new Burger 21 restaurants in The Colony and McKinney, Texas.
“It’s incredibly important to us that both our new and existing franchisees have confidence in their ability to secure financing, working capital and liquidity that will support them in their business endeavors, rather than weigh them down with burden,” said Ashley Sawyer, director of franchise development for Burger 21. “The Googes are a prime example of why we connect franchisees with BoeFly time and time again. They’re both incredibly competent business people and with the confidence they gained through their first experience with BoeFly’s ability to custom match them with the best loan options, they plan to expand with us beyond their first location. We couldn’t ask for a better outcome for everyone involved.”
While Wade will focus on strategizing, marketing, and developing relationships with local organizations and mapping out future growth for additional units in the couple’s Burger 21 business, Parisa will assist the general manager on a day-to-day basis to ensure the franchise experiences consistent growth and sustainability. Wade does intend to maintain his position as a full-time pilot, while Parisa will also maintain ownership of her Perisian Health and Fitness location in Plano, Texas.