Most business success stories follow a predictable arc. Franzen Todd LLC’s founder took a different route entirely—one that included riding a bicycle through Minnesota snow in a suit to close deals, losing everything multiple times, and ultimately building a business that’s transacted over 1,000 properties.
The story begins in commercial construction. By age 28, the entrepreneur behind Franzen Todd was already building McDonald’s and Dairy Queen locations across the region. But when a business partner withdrew over $280K and left, the company collapsed overnight. What followed was a three-year spiral that ended with jail time and the loss of driving privileges for three years.
What happened next sounds almost improbable: without a car, facing eviction from a one-bedroom apartment, he landed a $1.3 million church remodeling project. The image of him cycling through inclement weather in business attire to attend meetings captures something about the sheer determination required to rebuild from nothing.
Pivoting Through the 2008 Crash
When the 2008 financial crisis hit, rather than fold, he shifted into real estate investment, specifically targeting bank-owned properties flooding the market. That pivot proved prescient. Over the following years, he bought and sold more than 1,000 properties, developing expertise in distressed asset acquisition and property investment strategies.
Today, Franzen Todd LLC combines that real estate experience with zero-percent interest business funding solutions. The company works with real estate investors, startup founders, franchise owners, and established business operators who need capital but want to avoid traditional high-interest debt.
A Different Approach to Business Capital
The business model addresses a persistent problem: finding deals is one thing, but accessing capital to close them is another. Franzen Todd handles both sides, helping clients identify investment opportunities, negotiate terms, and secure funding for down payments at zero-percent interest. It’s a service born from someone who understands what it’s like to have the skill but not the resources.
The company targets real estate investors specifically, along with business owners looking to expand or franchise operators needing capital. The focus on zero-interest funding distinguishes the approach from conventional lending, which can saddle borrowers with substantial interest obligations before they see returns.
Looking Ahead
The founder projects the business will generate over $1 million annually within three years, while helping clients access more than $10 million in business funding each year. Plans also include developing a real estate coaching product to complement the funding consulting services.
At 54, with a wife of two years and expecting his first child, the entrepreneur behind Franzen Todd LLC has built a business that reflects hard-learned lessons about resilience, capital access, and the unglamorous reality of starting over. His story won’t appear in business school case studies about optimal strategies, but it offers something perhaps more valuable: proof that the path to success rarely follows the script.
