Delivering the Dream: Franchisee Starts at the Bottom and Builds an Empire

Name: Nadeem Bajwa
Title: Co-founder and CEO
Company: Bajco Group
No. of units: 270+ Papa Johns
Age: 57
Family: Wife and 3 daughters. Brothers as business partners
Years in franchising: 24
Years in current position: 24

Nadeem Bajwa is the American Dream MVP (Most Valuable Performer) for achieving remarkable success in his new country.

As a young man growing up in Pakistan, Nadeem Bajwa saw members of his family pursue careers in medicine or finance. An admittedly mediocre student, he felt those fields were too difficult for him, so he set his sights on becoming an entrepreneur.

Bajwa dreamed of the life-changing opportunities available in the U.S. At 22, he became the first member of his family to move here in 1991. Life wasn’t easy. In addition to the language barrier and frigid January temperatures upon arriving in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the culture shock of coming to a new country made him feel even farther from home. While attending college, he washed dishes and delivered pizzas for $4.25 an hour. Those jobs helped bring his future into focus.

“I didn’t have a car, and I would walk two miles to get something to eat when the cafeteria was closed on weekends,” Bajwa says. “There were nights that I cried. I would miss my family, and it was tough, but going back was not an option because of the life I could have here. When I got here, it wasn’t easier, but it was rewarding.”

Several years after arriving in the U.S., Bajwa joined Papa Johns and eventually worked his way up to store manager. By the time he graduated from college, he was a district manager of seven stores in Fort Wayne (all of which he currently owns). He built his first restaurant in the system in 2002 and partnered with his brothers. Two of his brothers, Abdul Malik and Faisal, both had financial backgrounds, and they were critical in helping to fund his growth. His company, the Bajco Group, operates more than 270 Papa Johns locations and employs more than 5,000 people.

“We first thought about owning 10 to 12 units, but after opening the fourth store, I knew I needed someone else,” says the American Dream MVP. “I found people with similar passion and dreams, and by the time we got to 10 restaurants, it became an addiction, and it was fun. Developing leaders is also addictive. It is such a great feeling to develop leadership for tomorrow. One can only live for so long. It is amazing to think that something you built will be around for generations after you. It is very fulfilling.”

Bajwa returns to Pakistan several times each year to visit his other businesses and to see friends and family members in his native country. His wife and three daughters accompany him at least once a year to reconnect with their roots. While in Pakistan, Bajwa shares advice for other aspiring entrepreneurs hoping to achieve the American dream.

“Passion and humility can show you the path to success and get you to where you want to be,” Bajwa says. “Those are the two words I live by: passion and humility.”

MVP QUESTIONS

Why do you think you were recognized with this award? I believe I was recognized with this award because of my consistent hard work, true passion for what I do, and the humility I embody. My story as an immigrant is the foundation of who I am as an individual and business owner. It can also inspire others like me who are pursuing the American dream.

How have you raised the bar in your own company? By practicing deep self-reflection and prioritizing my team’s individual goals as much as I can. This mindset has allowed me the opportunity to raise the bar at my own company and inspire the professional development and growth of others in my circle.

What innovations have you created and used to build your company? As a company, we found that outsourcing vendors was less efficient and cost hundreds of thousands more than taking on those services ourselves. We developed numerous businesses within our company to assist with accounting, technology, and construction. This helped us save money and understand our work thoroughly. We are also able to service other companies with these resources.

What core values do you think helped you win this award? I’ve had the privilege of being supported by incredible mentors and my amazing family, whom I get to work with every day. These relationships have instilled within me the importance of consistency, compassion, and tenacity.

How important is community involvement to you and your company? Nothing can flourish without the support of a community and a sound foundation. Giving back to the communities that have helped our businesses grow and succeed is extremely important to us. We are heavily involved with numerous local charities, fundraisers, and community organizations in all our markets.

What leadership qualities are important to you and your team? I believe that one of the most important qualities of a leader is the desire to learn from everyone inside and outside of your business. If you are consistently the smartest person in the room, you are not challenging yourself.

PERSONAL

First job: I got my first job after immigrating to the U.S. for college. I began washing dishes at a local restaurant and eventually started delivering pizzas for Papa Johns before continuing to work my way up the ranks.

Formative influences/events: The most influential event in my life was coming to the U.S. from Pakistan for school. I went through extreme culture shock and missed my family immensely. This experience deeply humbled me and pushed me to take life much more seriously to make the move worth it.

Key accomplishments: Proving to myself that although I did not feel like the smartest person, I worked extremely hard to get to where I am today. I never thought that I would be able to build the company and team I have. Supporting my team through their growth has been extremely rewarding and a full-circle moment.

Biggest current challenge: The QSR category cycles through phases. Currently, the industry is operating in a moment where external factors, like shifts in consumer spending habits, are influencing performance across the board. However, this is not the first time I have experienced roadblocks nor is it the first time the QSR category has seen challenges. I’ve always considered challenges to be opportunities for growth and improvement. They push me to get back to the basics and think beyond boundaries.

Next big goal: I hope to continue developing more leaders in the space, offering the same opportunities to grow that I was given. As a company, we aim to expand to 500 locations in the next couple of years.

First turning point in your career: When I graduated from college in the U.S. and began looking for jobs, I found that there were not a lot of opportunities better than my career trajectory at Papa Johns. I was managing numerous stores and loved the brand, so I decided to stick with it.

Best business decision: I believe that going into business with the right people is the most important decision you can make as an entrepreneur. Finding people who share the same values as you and are eager to learn builds the foundation for a long-lasting, successful company.

Hardest lesson learned: While immigrating to the U.S., I was filled with the excitement of independence and opportunity. However, I quickly grew lonely and homesick and began to doubt my abilities. This was a very hard time in my life, but instead of giving up and going home, I began to work harder to make these struggles worth it.

Work week: My schedule is more or less sectioned into monthly rotations. I consistently travel within the U.S. to different markets and restaurants once a quarter, and I travel overseas once a quarter to Pakistan as well. I have weekly calls with senior leadership that I never miss and monthly calls with our financial team to ensure I stay as involved as possible even while things change very quickly.

Exercise/workout: I enjoy walking and aim to get in my 10,000 steps a day.

Best advice you ever got: Papa Johns founder John Schnatter told me to focus on the people you surround yourself with in business and to support each other’s development.

What’s your passion in business? My passion is rooted in creating a strong business foundation for future generations while accomplishing my own career goals. I believe that paying back the privileges you were given is one of the most rewarding aspects of growing a business.

How do you balance life and work? I am very lucky to have such a supportive and loving family. My wife is incredible and understands that I take every second I can to be with her and our children.

Guilty pleasure: Whenever I get the chance, I love sleeping on a flight. I often take long flights back to Pakistan and like to take advantage of this downtime.

Favorite book: Although I don’t have much time for reading, I regularly listen to audiobooks and industry podcasts.

Favorite movie: “The Silence of the Lambs.”

What do most people not know about you? I’m a fairly anxious guy. The people closest to me know I sometimes have moments of doubt in myself.

Pet peeve: When individuals lack commitment and discipline and are not open to learning and improving their mindset.

What did you want to be when you grew up? I always knew I wanted to be a businessman. I was never stellar in school and knew I wouldn’t succeed in the medical industry, like much of my family. I focused instead on what I knew I would excel at, being an entrepreneur.

Last vacation: I got to spend time with my family in Hawaii near the end of 2025.

Person you’d most like to have lunch with: I have always said I would love to have lunch with my mom. She passed this year, and I would love nothing more than to spend a meal with her.

MANAGEMENT

Business philosophy: To build something strong for the next generation of business owners.

Management method or style: Give second chances but no more if the effort to learn and grow is not there.

Greatest challenge: Relinquishing control of certain responsibilities to allow for growth as a team and as individuals.

How do others describe you? As somebody with passion and a desire to win.

Have you ever been in a mentor-mentee relationship? What did you learn? My brothers have been some of my most influential mentors in life and business. I have also been greatly inspired by John Schnatter, the founder of Papa Johns. The most inspiring lessons I have learned from my mentors are to remain humble, stay hungry to succeed, and always keep learning.

One thing you’re looking to do better: I’m always looking to improve. I consistently self-reflect to see what I could be doing better.

How you give your team room to innovate and experiment: I strongly encourage my teams to connect with all other teams and employees at the company. No matter your title or rank, you will always learn something from one another. This opens the door to innovative ideas.

How close are you to operations? When I first got started as a business owner, I was much closer to the operations side of my company. Now, I have an amazing team that I know I can rely on to keep things running smoothly. It can be hard to relinquish that control, but with quarterly meetings and regular communication, I’m able to stay involved and in the know.

What are the two most important things you rely on from your franchisor? I have always relied on the Papa Johns team to uphold a commitment to quality products and consistently support us franchisees with proven tools and business models.

What you need from vendors: As we have developed internal teams for many of the vendor services we need, there is a company-wide understanding of every facet that results in efficient systems and processes.

Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the economy? How? Even as the economy changes, we always prioritize consumer needs. Often, the best way to maintain this value is to start with more localized marketing campaigns and micropartnerships.

How is social media affecting your business? We have our own marketing team that utilizes social media to connect with local restaurants, and we work closely with the Papa Johns corporate team to contribute to national marketing. These strategies help us get a feel for our customers’ opinions across markets.

How are you using technology, like AI, to manage your business? At our inbound call centers, we are currently testing AI programs for order taking. This is live in three locations, and we are seeing great results so far.

How do you hire and fire? Experience is a huge plus when we are hiring, and we place a big emphasis on positive attitudes and excitement for the business. When that alignment is not there, we work to problem-solve with the individual to see if the connection needs nurturing. We believe in doing all we can to allow our team members to grow to their potential first before we consider firing someone.

How do you train and retain? When welcoming a new member to the team, I emphasize our company-wide values of commitment, passion, and efficiency. Reflecting these values myself helps to set the tone. We also pride ourselves on promoting from within to grow deep connections with our team members and recognize their hard work.

How do you deal with problem employees? We know that some individuals need additional resources and that mistakes happen. When this happens, we ensure that our values align before giving the time and support that the employee may need to truly succeed with us.

Fastest way into your doghouse: Consistently repeating mistakes after reliable direction and guidance shows me that there is a difference in our long-term goals.

BOTTOM LINE

Annual revenue: More than $300 million.

2026 goals: We are aiming to grow our Papa Johns portfolio to 350+ locations through a combination of building new locations and acquisitions with a heavy focus on rapid growth of our accounting, call centers, tech, and construction businesses.

Growth meter: How do you measure your growth? We measure through a combination of revenue growth, customer count, and profitability.

Vision meter: Where do you want to be in five years? 10 years? In the next five to 10 years, we aim to grow the Bajco Group team to 15,000+ employees from our current 5,000 globally. We always keep in mind that we have grown past our goals.

Do you have brands in different segments? Why/why not? We currently only franchise with Papa Johns. We are open to considering partnering with other brands, but I have not been able to find the right fit yet.

How is the economy in your region(s) affecting you, your employees, and your customers? The economy is particularly tough, but we always stay financially disciplined, ensuring that team members are taken care of and that we are catering to customer affordability.

Are you experiencing economic growth in your market? Yes, in some of our markets. It varies from city to city.

How do changes in the economy affect the way you do business? The economy, of course, affects the way we do business. By staying focused on the fundamentals, such as quality, service, team development, and smart cost management, we put our business in a better position to navigate unstable economic cycles.

How do you forecast for your business? We keep a well-rounded outlook as a business by evaluating growth daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly.

What are the best sources for capital expansion? The best sources, in my opinion, are combinations of equity and debt.

Experience with private equity, local banks, national banks, or other institutions? Why/why not? We work with a traditional bank. We have never worked with private equity.

What are you doing to take care of your employees? Other than competitive wages and benefits, we really focus on promoting each individual’s growth to become successful business leaders for tomorrow.

How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, minimum wage, healthcare, etc.)? Our system efficiency and internal vendor sectors keep our costs low.

What laws and regulations are affecting your business, and how are you dealing with them? None.

How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees? We promote self-improvement at Bajco with incentives such as increased compensation and bonuses.

What kind of exit strategy do you have in place? As a business, we maintain a heavy focus on the long-term succession plan, preparing for the next generation of the company rather than implementing an exit strategy.