Carey Gille & Franchise FastLane

Never one to follow traditional paths, Carey Gille has always chosen entrepreneurship. Despite graduating magna cum laude with multiple job offers, she shunned a typical 9-to-5 desk job to chart her own path, partnering with a small group to launch a software venture. Together, they built a tax deductible tracker that became so valuable Intuit bought the company. Not only did this garner Carey front page coverage in The Wall Street Journal, but the solution remains integrated with the TurboTax® platform to this day. Despite this astonishing success, Carey immediately co-founded another software startup, Sojern, now used in 90 countries as the world’s largest boarding pass and travel data advertiser. Gille then pivoted to franchising, as chief development officer for a national retail chain offering wellness products and consultation. Surpassing the brand’s initial goal of 20 new locations, Carey’s team grew the brand to 240 units in less than 18 months. With franchising, she’d found her true calling – combining opportunity with corporate infrastructure to build brands that impact communities. These combined experiences led her to co-found Franchise FastLane in 2017, a firm dedicated to providing next-level sales and development programs and processes that drive accelerated, yet responsible brand growth. Under Carey’s steadfast leadership, the company now has over 70 employees and worked with 70+ brands. In all, Franchise FastLane has awarded franchise units in over 8,000 U.S. territories – helping to change over 3,200 lives for the better through independent business ownership. Under Carey’s guidance, it’s no surprise Franchise FastLane has become the industry’s No. 1 franchise sales organization. As a frequent guest lecturer on the college circuit, Carey staunchly advocates for the inclusion of franchising in our university curriculums. She’s an active board member for the IFA Supplier Forum and Titus Center for Franchising at Palm Beach Atlantic University. Under her leadership, Franchise FastLane ranked as one of Entrepreneur’s Top Suppliers for five consecutive years and made the Inc. 5000 list three times. Above all is Carey’s passion and vision for changing lives, empowering others from a compassionate people-first perspective to become the best versions of themselves.