Dan Gizzi spent 26 years working in sales roles in the corporate tech world, but in October 2024, he found himself sidelined by a layoff. Unsure of what he’d do next, Gizzi accepted a meeting with what he thought was a job recruiter, but it turned out to be a franchise consultant. The meeting went well, and Gizzi was faced with a decision: pursue franchising or find his next gig in corporate America. By Kelsi Trinidad
An Unexpected Detour to True Independence
Dan Gizzi spent 26 years working in sales roles in the corporate tech world, but in October 2024, he found himself sidelined by a layoff. Unsure of what he’d do next, Gizzi accepted a meeting with what he thought was a job recruiter, but it turned out to be a franchise consultant. The meeting went well, and Gizzi was faced with a decision: pursue franchising or find his next gig in corporate America.
Then, an opportunity with CyberGlobal crossed his path, and the cybersecurity franchise caught his attention.
“I wasn’t familiar with cybersecurity, but I was familiar with managed services,” said Gizzi. “It really made sense from the perspective of where I wanted to be with my own career – having that control over my future while not completely flipping the entire sales model that I was used to all these years.”
After his layoff, Gizzi was focused on finding a franchise model that could withstand any turn in the economic tides, like a recession. He also didn’t want to pursue a model that required a brick-and-mortar location or any costly inventory. CyberGlobal fit the bill.
In March, Gizzi opened his franchise, purchasing the entire territory of North Carolina. Since opening, Gizzi, who is based in Raleigh, North Carolina, has been able to make significant headway networking in the local cybersecurity community and has built strong relationships with clients. Owning a CyberGlobal franchise has given him the flexibility and stability he had been seeking.
“I’m not worried about having to answer to a corporate structure that I have no control over anymore,” said Gizzi. “I can separate myself from a lot of those challenges that I was facing just a year ago – the uncertainty and having to always wonder what’s happening next quarter.”
“Obviously I have my own challenges as a small-business owner now,” he added, “but at least I have control and say of what direction that I can go to overcome any specific challenge and turn it into an opportunity without wondering what’s going on behind closed doors.”
Kelsi Trinidad