Franchise leaders in more than 40 countries are marking the inaugural World Franchise Day on June 11 to celebrate the small business owners behind the world's biggest brands. Franchise leaders from around the globe are uniting today for the inaugural World Franchise Day, a new global initiative aimed at raising awareness of franchising's critical economic impact and celebrating the local business owners behind the brands. "I woke up at 3 a.m. and I thought, Oh my gosh, why don't we have some sort of franchise day? Together with Kirk Allen, co-founder of Reshift Media, and in collaboration with the World Franchise Council (which represents over 40 countries), McNeil helped establish today, June 11 — and subsequent second Wednesdays in June — as World Franchise Day. Ultimately, the hope is that World Franchise Day serves as both a celebration and a rallying cry.