My Story – Tony Carrella
The foundation of my life’s path was built on the resilience and sacrifice of my parents, who immigrated to the United States from Naples, Italy, with little more than two suitcases, a baby on the way (me!), and an unshakable belief in the American dream. We settled just outside of Chicago, where their determination to build a better future shaped every part of who I would become.
While working multiple jobs to keep us afloat, my parents came to a bold conclusion: business ownership was the only way to take control of their future and provide lasting opportunity for our family. That decision would become the starting point of my own journey.
From a young age, I was steeped in the rhythms of entrepreneurship. Weekends, summers, and holidays were spent working in our family’s restaurants throughout Chicagoland — learning firsthand what it meant to serve others, take ownership, and show up every day with grit and grace. These were some of the most formative — and cherished — years of my life.
That foundation was tested when my father became terminally ill. I put my education on hold for two years to manage our family businesses and support my loved ones during an incredibly painful chapter. It was a humbling experience — but one that deepened my sense of purpose and clarity.
After we sold the businesses and I returned to school, I began my corporate career in hospitality, landing my first role at McDonald’s — the gold standard in franchising. It was there, and in the years that followed, that I gained the operational knowledge and business discipline that would serve as the bedrock for everything that came next.
But something inside me never stopped pulling: I knew that building someone else’s dream would never feel like enough. The desire to reclaim the autonomy I saw my parents fight for — and to chart my own course — ultimately led me to walk away from corporate life and launch my first venture.
Since then, I’ve had the privilege of starting several companies, particularly in the technology sector, and of partnering with many of the most successful franchisees and franchisors in the industry. These experiences have given me not only business success but something more meaningful: freedom, flexibility, and the power to live — and lead — on my own terms.
My only regret? Not starting sooner.
Today, I’m grateful to be in a position where I can share what I’ve learned — and what I’ve lived — to help others do the same. Whether they come from privilege or struggle, experience or none at all, I get to coach people as they unlock a life filled with possibility: freedom, ownership, wealth, and joy.
That, for me, is the most rewarding part of the journey.