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<div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">After a sudden hip injury, Michael Stone realized his NFL career would be ending before he ever would have guessed. Besides having a busboy job at an Italian restaurant growing up, his seven years as a professional football player for the New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, Houston Texans and the New York Giants was his only professional experience.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">Rightfully so, he felt there was a void that needed to be filled. Spending your whole life working towards a goal you have achieved begs for one question: What&#8217;s next?</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">Stone saw this problem of his as a larger issue for athletes post professional career. This was not only an issue he struggled with, but also for many other professional athletes once their careers end.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">&#8220;It became my personal mission to help athletes fill that void,&#8221; said Stone.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">Growing up, Stone always felt that he had an entrepreneurial spirit. He explained, &#8220;If there is a need for something, and you can fill that need in a unique way, there is an opportunity to make income.&#8221; With that mindset, Stone was destined to be an entrepreneur.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">When asked why he became interested in franchising specifically, he said, &#8220;It provides an opportunity without any formal business experience needed. It also gives you coaching and support.&#8221;</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">Junior Bridgeman also convinced him of the unique opportunity franchising could provide. &#8220;He encouraged me to look at franchising in a different light,&#8221; said Stone. Meeting with another titan of athletes in franchising, George Tinsley, as well as Stan Friedman from the <a href="http://www.franchise.org/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-michael-stone-is-helping-professional-athletes-transition-into-being-franchisees-3360" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">International Franchise Association</a>, Stone started to become educated and informed on the industry and how he could help athletes. He attended the <a href="http://www.franchise.org/diversityfran?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-michael-stone-is-helping-professional-athletes-transition-into-being-franchisees-3360" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">IFA&#8217;s Diversity Institute</a>, which helps promote and foster diversity in the franchising community and build awareness of franchising within minority communities.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">With three top mentors in the franchising industry, Stone started to see an obvious connection for professional athletes. Stone helped put together a summit at Emory University to educate and inform others on franchising around eight years ago.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">&#8220;Local brands came and supported us, and from that summit, more athletes started to call,&#8221; said Stone. From this success, they then moved on to create a platform that is now known as the <a href="http://thepafi.org/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-michael-stone-is-helping-professional-athletes-transition-into-being-franchisees-3360" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Professional Athletes Franchising Initiative</a>.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">PAFI is a platform that assists professional athletes in understanding the world of franchising through research, education and interaction. The platform serves as a bridge that connects franchisors and suppliers together with professional athletes interested in franchising.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">The platform includes programs and resources for athletes. To name a few, PAFI has resources such as a Franchise Playbook, monthly emails, the Franchise Summit, Convention and Expo, along with programs for continued development.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">Members of PAFI are the franchisors and suppliers where they can choose how involved they would like to be. &#8220;There is a small financial commitment for members, and also a commitment to the PAFI mission,&#8221; Stone said. Members must be willing to give their own time to the organization so that they can help athletes, and in turn, receive potential interested franchisees.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">A few of the franchisors that PAFI works with include <a href="http://www.dunkinfranchising.com/franchisee/en.html?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-michael-stone-is-helping-professional-athletes-transition-into-being-franchisees-3360" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dunkin&#8217; Donuts</a>, <a href="https://www.jerseymikes.com/franchise/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-michael-stone-is-helping-professional-athletes-transition-into-being-franchisees-3360" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jersey Mikes</a>, and <a href="http://titlefranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-michael-stone-is-helping-professional-athletes-transition-into-being-franchisees-3360" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Title Boxing Club</a>.</span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style=""><br /></span></div><div id="pastingspan1"><span style="">While Stone does not currently own any franchises himself, he is working on owning one and is hoping to in February of next year.</span></div>

1851 Franchise

The founder and executive director of the Professional Athlete Franchise Initiative, Michael Stone, is helping athletes find a career after sports with franchising opportunities.   

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