--- title: "Robert Nikic Featured in USA Today (2025)" description: "Robert Nikic in USA Today: how the refugee-turned-founder used technology to make business ownership cheaper, more scalable and open to more people." canonical: "https://robertnikic.com/recognition/usa-today-2025" author: "Robert Nikic" advisory_role_profile: "https://reseated.com/robert-nikic" type: "WebPage" --- # Robert Nikic Featured in USA Today USA Today asks "Who is Robert Nikic?" and answers with the problem he set out to solve. #35 (Inc. 5000) · TEDx (Speaker) ## At a glance - Outlet: USA Today - Format: Contributor section - Published: January 16, 2025 - Topic: Making business ownership cheaper and more open - Robert's role: Founder and CEO - Inc. 5000: #35 (as reported) - Last updated: October 17, 2026 ## What USA Today reported about Robert Nikic ### The problem USA Today's January 2025 piece asks "Who is Robert Nikic?" and answers with the problem he set out to solve. The article describes the gap he saw in traditional franchising: high upfront costs, slow scaling and heavy day-to-day labor for owners. ### The approach As founder and CEO of an e-commerce platform, Robert paired technology with a customer-first approach to lower those barriers. USA Today reports that the model let new owners start with less money and less daily work than a conventional franchise demands. ### The recognition The article credits his leadership with a #35 national placement on the Inc. 5000. It presents him as a public voice on franchising and entrepreneurship, citing his Forbes Councils and Fast Company Executive Board memberships and his TEDx talk on democratizing entrepreneurship. Related: [GlobeNewswire on the future of ownership](https://robertnikic.com/recognition/globenewswire) · [CEOWORLD on modernizing the model](https://robertnikic.com/recognition/ceoworld) ## In Robert's words When people heard "franchise," they thought of a big check and years of long days, and that kept a lot of people out. My family came here as refugees from the Balkans and started over with nothing, so I know what it means when the entry price is too high. I failed at startups as a teenager and worked 18-hour shifts. We built the company without outside investors and went from #418 to #35 on the Inc. 5000. In 2026 I stepped away to work on SDG 8 & 9, because the cost of starting is still the first wall most people hit. ## Key takeaways - Ownership reimagined around technology: USA Today describes software replacing much of the labor a franchise owner normally carries. - Lower cost and labor for new owners: The model aimed to cut both the upfront price and the daily workload. - A public voice for access to entrepreneurship: The article cites his TEDx talk and professional memberships. ## Where this fits in his story - 2011: First platform launched - 2018: Relaunched as a full platform - 2023: Inc. 5000 debut at #418 - 2024: Climbs to #35 (this feature) - 2026: Steps away to work on SDG 8 & 9 ## Where it led Then, he lowered the cost of becoming an owner. Now, under SDG 8.3, he works on the costs that come from rules rather than markets: registration steps, paperwork, fees and delays. USA Today's framing of ownership as something more people should be able to reach is the same idea he now brings to policy conversations. See: https://robertnikic.com/united-nations-sdg-8-and-9 ## Questions ### When did USA Today feature Robert Nikic in 2025? January 16, 2025, in its contributor section. ### What did USA Today report? That he used technology to make business ownership cheaper and less labor-intensive, and that the company ranked #35 on the Inc. 5000. ### What does Robert Nikic do now? He works on United Nations SDG 8 & 9 as Advisory Council Chair at Reseated Councils. ## Original article Published in USA Today, January 16, 2025 (USA Today contributor section): https://www.usatoday.com/story/special/contributor-content/2025/01/16/who-is-robert-nikic-how-he-built-the-largest-franchise-in-america/77744870007/ ## About USA Today USA Today is an American national daily newspaper founded in 1982. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Today) ## About Robert Robert Nikic is an entrepreneur, TEDx speaker and Advisory Council Chair at Reseated Councils (United Nations SDG 8 & 9). He came to the United States as a refugee, and from 2011 to 2026 he built and led an e-commerce company that was twice named to the Inc. 5000. Today he works to make it easier for anyone, anywhere, to start a business and grow it.