At 15, he waited tables at chain restaurant Friendly’s—22 years later, he bought the whole company

When Amol Kohli started working at a Philadelphia-area Friendly’s as a waiter in 2003, he was a restless sophomore in high school hoping to make some pocket change.

Kohli made about $5 an hour at the diner-style restaurant chain, doing any job his manager needed, he tells CNBC Make It. On any given day, he was a cook, a dishwasher, a table busser, an ice cream scooper, you name it.

More than two decades later, Kohli added another Friendly’s job title to his resume: Owner. On July 22, Kohli’s investment group Legacy Brands announced its acquisition of the entire Friendly’s chain — which has locations in most states on the U.S. eastern coast — plus its parent company Brix Holdings and six other restaurant brands, for an undisclosed amount.

The deal marked a culmination of sorts for Kohli, 37, who has now spent most of his life working at Friendly’s in some capacity. Even while attending Drexel University — where he double majored in finance and marketing — Kohli spent his summers working five to six days per week at Friendly’s, learning more about the ins and outs of the business as time went on, he says.

“I started supporting a couple franchisees and just started learning what happens after the money makes its way into the register,” says Kohli. “Learning about insurance, payroll, food costs and all these other things. I did that all through college.”

Kohli graduated with honors in 2011, according to his LinkedIn profile, and chose to take a Friendly’s regional manager position instead of pursuing a career in finance, he says. A few years later, he applied to take over a closing franchise location. Licensing, contracting, and equipment for the store cost around “a quarter of a million dollars,” including credit, money from Kohli’s savings and funds he got from friends and business partners, he says.

“That’s how my franchising career started. And from there, it just never stopped,” says Kohli, who eventually franchised 31 Friendly’s locations before buying the brand outright.

An ‘unbelievable’ ascent with challenges ahead

Kohli’s path to owning his one-time employer started with plummeting sales at Friendly’s during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2020, and announced plans to be acquired by Dallas-based franchising company Brix Holdings for just under $2 million. The deal was finalized in 2021.

In May, Kohli founded his own investment group, Legacy Brands International, with a sole purpose: Acquire Brix Holdings. He funded his investment group “through a mix of both capital (equity) and debt financing,” a spokesperson says.

The creation of Legacy Brands International was the result of “a combination of a lot of stars aligning, the right people supporting, faith, and a lot of goodwill that all got cashed in at one time,” says Kohli. And his long track record with the company made him “the ideal candidate for ownership,” Brix founder John Antioco said in a statement when the deal was announced.

Kohli is now a franchisor who owns, but doesn’t operate, the other 60-plus Friendly’s restaurant locations in the U.S., a company spokesperson says. As a result of the deal, Kohli’s company also now owns Clean Juice, Orange Leaf, Red Mango, Smoothie Factory + Kitchen, Souper Salad, and Humble Donut Co. The entire portfolio includes more than 250 restaurant locations.

The ascent from entry-level Friendly’s employee to chairman of Brix’s board of directors is “unbelievable,” says Kohli. Yet he faces a challenge reviving a brand with dwindling locations, he adds — just over 100 today, down from more than 800 in the mid-1990s.

More broadly, chain eateries have reported declining sales amid inflation and a shaky economic environment that’s caused many consumers to rethink how often they want to spend money at a sit-down restaurant.

Kohli aims to modernize the brands he oversees, leaning on technology like a recently revamped Friendly’s mobile app, Kohli told Nation’s Restaurant News in August. He also hopes to attract new franchisees, using his own career trajectory can prove to be a selling point, he now says.

Specifically, he wants people to see restaurant and food service roles as opportunities to establish a long-term career and start building wealth, not just dead-end jobs or gigs you ditch after graduation, he says. His particular path is rare, but not completely unique: Former IHOP CEO Julia Stewart was a waitress at IHOP as a teenager before eventually leading the brand from 2002 to 2017.

“Some of the people that are on my executive team now were dishwashers and cooks,” Kohli says. “This is one of the few [industries] in the entire world that you can literally start from that level and work your way up to a CEO or executive.”

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100-year-old competitive bodybuilder: ‘As long as I love what I am doing, I should keep doing it’

For Andrew Bostinto, following his dreams has no age limit. At 100 years old, he still competes in bodybuilding.

Bostinto has been training for the past 87 years, and started when he was just 12 years old, according to his wife, Francine.

“We believe he is the oldest bodybuilder in the world and still training,” Francine wrote in a post shared on the National Gym Association Inc.’s Facebook account.

Bostinto is the founder and CEO of NGA, which is a not-for-profit bodybuilding association, and Francine serves as president of the organization.

“I enjoy training, and people ask me when I am going to stop. I tell them I’ll stop when I stop breathing,” Bostinto said in an interview earlier this year with Muscle & Fitness, a magazine that focuses on fitness and bodybuilding.

“I did everything I wanted to do in bodybuilding and the Army, and sometimes I wonder what is left, but you know what? I still live my life for me. As long as I love what I am doing, I should keep doing it.”

In May, Bostinto competed in NGA’s physique contest in Florida, four months after his 100th birthday. He earned top honors, a championship belt and a trophy, according to Inside Edition.

In 1977, at age 52, he won “Senior Mr. America.” But he’s most proud of his service as a World War II army infantry veteran, in which he served for 29 years.

Now, even at 100, Bostinto trains five to six days a week, he told Muscle & Fitness. He’s had to make adjustments to his training as he ages. He developed a problem with his leg due to his time in the military and has had a stroke before.

“I find ways to compensate when I am training. For example, I lift my legs when I do sit-ups to keep my abs tight,” he said. “And even though my right arm is not as good as my left, I still do reps until I feel it on the right side.”

His advice for aspiring bodybuilders is to “visualize what you want, then put your mind into it as much as you do your muscles.”

How highly successful people talk to their bosses, says expert: It’ll give you ‘a competitive edge’

Melody Wilding has met a lot of frustrated employees. Whether they can’t figure out what their boss wants, feel overlooked for plum projects and promotions, or are overwhelmed by office politics, she writes in her book, “their problems often boil down to one thing: They don’t know how to manage up.”

That phrase might conjure outdated ideas of keeping your head down and kissing up to your boss and senior leaders. But in “Managing Up: How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge,” Wilding defines managing up as “strategically navigating relationships with those who have more positional power than you, namely your boss.”

Wilding, a CNBC Make It contributor, draws on her experience as a therapist, human behavior professor, and executive coach who’s worked with thousands of professionals — including at Google, Amazon, and other Fortune 500 companies — as well as dozens of interviews and a survey of 12,000 people. The result is a book full of practical strategies, scripts, and relatable anecdotes.

Her goal is to “show you exactly how to apply the principles of emotional intelligence, influence, persuasion, negotiation and more to give yourself a competitive edge at work.” You might need these to deal with a control freak or toxic jerk, set boundaries in an always-on company culture, navigate office gossip, give your boss sensitive feedback, figure out whether to take another offer, or face other common workplace situations.

CNBC Make It selected “Managing Up” as our September book club pick because, as Wilding puts it, “you deserve better than just ‘getting by’ at work.” You deserve “to feel confident, valued and strong when interacting with those above you.”

If you haven’t picked up Wilding’s book yet, or could use a refresher before you join us for Wednesday’s discussion in our private LinkedIn group, here are some key takeaways.

It boils down to 10 key conversations

Wilding structures her book around them. They’re typically ongoing rather than one-offs, ranging from formal to casual and foundational to advanced.

The alignment conversation “is all about figuring out how your work fits into the bigger picture and making sure you and your boss agree on what success looks like,” Wilding writes. You’ll figure out what your manager’s needs and priorities are and how to focus on meaningful and “promotable” work.
The styles conversation is about learning to “decode your boss’ communication styles and work habits” and gaining the self-awareness and confidence to assert your own needs “in a way that commands respect and still keeps higher-ups on your side.”
The ownership conversation is about moving past a more junior mindset of simply doing what you’re told and stepping up with new ideas. Wilding wants you to “learn to solve the right problems, get your manager and others on board, and take thoughtful action in a way that minimizes resistance.”
The boundaries conversation is about gauging when and how to say no while maintaining a reputation as a team player.
The feedback conversation is about sharing constructive criticism with your boss and up the chain of command in a way that gets your voice heard and your input taken seriously. Wilding also covers handling offensive remarks and navigating retaliation.
The networking conversation is about looking beyond your boss to other decision-makers and influential people, building social capital, and helping you get what you want and need, without feeling icky or awkward.
The visibility conversation is about making sure your accomplishments — the right ones — get seen and rewarded. Wilding shares storytelling tips to help you attract the opportunities you want, along with scripts to use when someone takes credit for your work, for example, or your comments are ignored.
The advancement conversation is about positioning yourself to take on bigger projects, more responsibilities, or a new role. You’ll need to think about aligning with the company’s needs, getting your boss on board, and navigating objections.
The money conversation, which may or may not come up in tandem with the advancement conversation, is about pushing past stigma and fears to negotiate effectively for a higher starting salary, a raise, or other valuable perks.
The quitting conversation is about transitioning out of a job on good terms to “keep your reputation and relationships glowing,” Wilding writes. Because “how you leave is how you’ll be remembered.”

Tailor your approach

Your interactions with your boss won’t sound exactly like your friend’s interactions with their boss. All of these conversations can and should be adapted based on styles, personalities, goals, circumstances, and context.

Wilding weaves in suggestions throughout to help you tailor scripts and strategies. For example, she helps you determine whether your boss is a Commander, Cheerleader, Caretaker, or Controller — and shares tips for approaching each one in different scenarios.

Know what you want—and let it evolve

Early in the book, Wilding prompts readers to lay out their one-year vision. “Before you can align with others, you have to know what you want,” she writes. “Imagine yourself 365 days from now having the best possible workday. What are you doing? Who are you interacting with? What makes this day stand out and feel fulfilling and energized?”

She encourages people to use their one-year vision as a roadmap for many of the conversations throughout the book — and to revisit and revise it as they grow.

Start small—it’ll get easier

These conversations might be daunting. They are even for the smart, talented high performers Wilding often coaches. “Start small if you need to,” she writes. “Stay the course and the conversations will get a bit easier, a bit more natural.”

At the end of the day, “the goal of this book isn’t simply to change how you deal with your boss or people in power, but to change how you see yourself,” Wilding writes. “Instead of being at the mercy of others’ decisions or moods, you now have what you need to take the reins.”

Ready to dive in? Start reading, request to join our LinkedIn group, and come chat with us and Wilding on Wednesday, October 1, at 10 a.m. ET, at our next CNBC Make It Book Club discussion.

Any questions for the author? Drop them in the comments of this LinkedIn post (you’ll need to join our private group first, which you can do here). Or email them to us in advance at askmakeit@cnbc.com, using the subject line “Question for Melody Wilding.”

Hoping to get ahead? Our October pick is “The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life” by Sahil Bloom.

Have suggestions for future picks? Send them to us at askmakeit@cnbc.com, using the subject line “Make It book club suggestion.”

Want to be your own boss? Sign up for Smarter by CNBC Make It’s new online course, How To Start A Business: For First-Time Founders. Find step-by-step guidance for launching your first business, from testing your idea to growing your revenue. Sign up today with coupon code EARLYBIRD for an introductory discount of 30% off the regular course price of $127 (plus tax). Offer valid September 16 through September 30, 2025.

Ivy League-trained psychologist: People-pleasing kids can become unhappy adults—3 ways to fix it early

Agreeable kids may seem convenient. They’re more likely to let their parents tie their shoes, apply sunscreen or eat their vegetables without fuss.

But if kids only comply with rules to make their parents happy, they’re more likely to become anxious, burnt out adults, child psychologist Becky Kennedy said at the Fast Company Innovation Festival 2025 on September 18.

“We love our people-pleasers when they’re young … because they’ve gotten very good at noticing if we’re happy with them and changing their behavior accordingly,” said Kennedy, host of the parenting podcast “Good Inside” and a Columbia University-trained psychologist. “Long term, if we want to know what leads to a lot of adult anxiety and emptiness, it’s those literal qualities.”

Helping your people-pleasing kid at an early age can help them be more successful in the future, Kennedy said. To help kids find their own identities, they need to be reminded and encouraged to explore their own wants and needs, so they can learn who they are outside of satisfying other people’s expectations, she added.

“We train kids, especially little girls, to disappoint themselves over and over in the name of making other people happy,” Kennedy said. “We shouldn’t be surprised when they get older that they don’t get into the best relationships and don’t feel great about themselves.”

Putting other people’s needs before your own can come with long-term consequences, some experts say — and being a people-pleaser as an adult is often associated with avoiding conflict, suppressing emotions and relying on external validation to gain self-esteem. Those traits can prevent you from forming close relationships, developing self-esteem and even getting ahead at work.

You can help your child break their people-pleasing habits with these three strategies, Kennedy said in an Instagram reel posted in April 2023:

1. Let your child know you still love them when you’re mad. Try saying something like: “Yes, I am upset, sweetie, and even when I’m upset, I still love you,” Kennedy advised.

2. Identify and encourage when your child does something separately from you. If you notice them doing something differently from you, point it out: “You see me eating yogurt for breakfast most days, and you still know that you don’t like yogurt. You prefer bagels. I love that you’re a kid who knows who they really are,” said Kennedy.

3. Nudge your kids to make decisions for themselves, even when other people are upset. You can balance teaching your child habits, like sharing with others, with developing their own self-esteem. If they’re playing with a toy truck, and their brother wants it, you can remind them: “You can keep it a little longer before you give it to him. It’s not your job to make him happy,” Kennedy said.

Kids often learn best by example, Kennedy wrote in the post’s Instagram caption. If you put other people’s needs ahead of your own, struggle to stand up for yourself or have poor self-talk, your child is likely to pick up similar habits, she said.

Wanting to make others happy isn’t wrong, of course — it just can’t come before satisfying your own needs, experts typically say. People-pleasers can help prevent their own burnout by setting boundaries, self-help author Hailey Magee told the Harvard Business Review’s “HBR IdeaCast” podcast in July 2024.

If a co-worker or a member of the Parent Teacher Association asks you if you have time to help, for example, take a moment to take inventory of your own tasks, responsibilities and energy levels before you volunteer to assist them, recommended Magee.

“It does actually benefit your workplace for you to be able to show up rested, balanced, and not feeling this subtle lurking resentment toward your workplace and your colleagues,” she said.

These 10 colleges offer the best value in the U.S., says new report—only 1 is an Ivy League

College is expensive for many American families. But it doesn’t have to be.

The average cost of a year’s worth of tuition and fees is over $30,000 at all U.S. 4-year colleges, according to the latest National Center for Education Statistics data, but many families wind up paying far less after federal and school-based financial aid, grants and scholarships.

Students and families looking for institutions that offer strong outcomes for graduates at an affordable cost can find several schools that meet that criteria in the Big Apple. Seven of the 10 best value colleges in the U.S. are part of the City University of New York network, according to The Wall Street Journal’s 2026 rankings released on Sept. 29.

WSJ considered schools’ average net price — the cost students pay after financial aid and scholarships — as well as the value each school adds to graduates’ salaries. The latter figure is calculated as the difference between median graduate earnings and the median earnings of workers who only attended high school in the state.

Baruch College in Manhattan takes the top spot for the third year in a row. The school has earned a reputation for its affordability and high-quality education that helps students from middle- and low-income families fare better in adulthood.

Nearly half (47%) of Baruch students came from families the bottom fifth percentile of earners nationwide and moved into the top fifth of earners as adults, according to a 2017 New York Times analysis. The Journal also ranked Baruch No. 7 in its social mobility rankings, which considered factors like the school’s salary impact and graduation rates.

Here are the 10 best value colleges for 2026, according to The Wall Street Journal.

1. Baruch College (CUNY)

Average net price: $2,978
Value added to graduate salary: $49,499
Time to pay off net price: 2 months

2. Hunter College (CUNY)

Average net price: $2,446
Value added to graduate salary: $35,943
Time to pay off net price: 3 months

3. Brooklyn College (CUNY)

Average net price: $2,943
Value added to graduate salary: $34,037
Time to pay off net price: 4 months

4. City College of New York (CUNY)

Average net price: $3,486
Value added to graduate salary: $37,007
Time to pay off net price: 4 months

5. John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY)

Average net price: $3,046
Value added to graduate salary: $29,721
Time to pay off net price: 4 months

6. Queens College (CUNY)

Average net price: $3,830
Value added to graduate salary: $35,468
Time to pay off net price: 5 months

7. Lehman College (CUNY)

Average net price: $3,482
Value added to graduate salary: $29,923
Time to pay off net price: 5 months

8. Princeton University

Average net price: $10,555
Value added to graduate salary: $89,368
Time to pay off net price: 5 months

9. Stanford University

Average net price: $12,136
Value added to graduate salary: $94,725
Time to pay off net price: 6 months

10. California State University, Los Angeles

Average net price: $4,113
Value added to graduate salary: $31,298
Time to pay off net price: 6 months

Trading prestige for value

With an average net price just below $3,000 and a value-add of nearly $50,000 to graduates’ salaries, the average Baruch graduate can pay off their cost of attendance in about two months, the Journal reports.

That’s increasingly important for families helping their students pay for college, Jeff Selingo, a higher education expert, recently told CNBC Make It. While schools like Stanford and Princeton also offer a great value to students, they come at a steeper cost with average net prices above $10,000, per WSJ.

Historically, families have felt it’s worth it to send their student to a top-ranked school, despite the cost. But these days, they’ll “trade in prestige for a college that’s going to cost half as much,” Selingo says.

“They have the money, but they’re unwilling to pay for a certain level of prestige,” he adds. “They want to save that money for other things, including their children after they get out of college.”

While Baruch and the other best value CUNY schools don’t rank nearly as high in The Wall Street Journal’s overall rankings, “location matters,” Selingo says. And the fact that these colleges are in New York City — which is a hotspot for high-paying jobs in a variety of industries — can also give students a long-term career advantage.

However, living in New York for college may be expensive. CUNY schools have limited student housing, and it typically is not guaranteed for students.

That could mean living in an off-campus apartment in Manhattan, where the average rent is around $5,600 a month, according to RentCafe, although that figure can vary depending on the neighborhood, apartment size and number of roommates.