What can one of the most influential franchisees in the world tell us about multi-unit franchising? Well, Aziz Hashim has run more than 60 franchises as a franchisee across several brands in the US.

His investment company NRD Capital has a portfolio of franchisor businesses. He has just been appointed chairman of the International Franchise Association.

And for this year’s National Multi-Unit Summit organised by Franchise Relationships Institute, Hashim will be a guest mentor, sharing his tips for expansion with the multi-unit franchisee and franchisor delegates.

In an interview with Franchise Times Hashim points out that multi-unit franchisees need to brace themselves for a possible drop in salary while they invest in their expansion, will need the right kind of personality to manage delegation, and need to be absolutely clear about why they want to grow their business.

Hashim’s first experience with franchising was working at Burger King as a teenager; after training and briefly working as an engineer he saw the potential in business ownership and bought a KFC store. He hasn’t looked back, adopting a stockbroking approach to investments: “I enter and exit brands based on the brand’s business cycle. One of the tricks is to get in on the expansion part of the cycle and exit before it goes on the downward swing,” he told Franchise Times in 2014.

Hashim is an advocate for franchisee knowledge. In the same interview he said “I think the industry needs to take a stronger look at the wisdom and talent of franchisees and use that.”

His private equity firm NRD Capital is believed to be the first such organisation to seek investments from multi-unit franchisees to plough into suitable franchisor operations. Key to the process of selection is the presence of franchisee influence and a sense of partnership between franchisees and franchisors.

At the FRI National Multi-Unit Summit, Hashim will speak about ‘Expanding with your eyes open’, sharing his tips for leadership, investment and expansion strategies.

Another US franchising expert, Rod Bristol of Profit Mastery, will present on protecting cashflow and profitability.

There will be high profile figures in the Australian franchising sector participating in workshops and seminars including award-winning franchisees Carolyn McManus of The Coffee Club and Ribs and Rumps, and Brad Walker of Grill’d; Greg Nathan, founder of FRI, and Denis McFadden, founder of Just Cuts – both in the FCA Hall of Fame.

The one day event takes place in Sydney on 7 April.