Pat Sajak Taking on Groupon With Daily Deals Franchise The longtime 'Wheel of Fortune' host has big plans for his hyperlocal company.

By Gabrielle Karol

This story originally appeared on FOX BUSINESS

Wheel of Fortune star Pat Sajak is expanding his Great American Deals franchise company nationally.

Great American Deals, which Sajak describes as a hyperlocal Groupon-like business, currently has just under 20 locations operating in California.

"If there's a shortcoming, and I'm not knocking them, in terms of the big guys, it's that they don't have their feet on the ground," says Sajak. "If you're interested in daily deals as a business owner, the idea is to build customers. But often someone will save 20 bucks by driving 40 miles, but may never come back again."

Related: Steps to Starting Your Own Business

Sajak says Great American Deals is looking to solve this problem by selecting franchise owners who have deep ties to a particular community. Then, the franchise gives the entrepreneurs the tools to run their own daily-deals site, which can be found from the main Great American Deals homepage.

The Great American Deals franchises do not require an investment in physical real estate. Sajak says the franchise fee is $35,000. Both the franchisee and the franchise organization get a cut of each deal sold on the site.

Since launching the Great American Deals franchise last year, Sajak says the company has been focused on slow-and-steady growth. With the International Franchise Expo underway this week in New York City, Sajak says it's the perfect time to pursue national growth.

"We've had it running smoothly, and we're up to about 17 franchises in California," says Sajak. Cities include Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Santa Monica and Santa Clarita.

Related: How to Set Up Your First Board of Directors

Though he owns a couple of radio stations and is involved in real-estate investing, Sajak says Great American Deals is a first.

"It's the first time I've stuck my name on something like this," says Sajak, who has hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1981.

In fact, Sajak says the show's guests helped him decide to start the business.

"I do this little game show and we have the nicest people on the show – all regular folks like small businessmen and housewives, and they're hardworking folks," says Sajak. "There are a lot of people struggling, and if we can help them … it's really nice to see."

Related: From Food Truck to Brick-and-Mortar: Mexicue's Sizzling Strategy

Gabrielle Karol is Web reporter @FOXBusiness covering technology, startups and more.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Science & Technology

Build a Profitable One-Person Business That Runs Itself — with These 7 AI Tools

Discover seven tools to automate content, leads and sales so you scale solo.

Business Solutions

Send Your Productivity Skyrocketing for Only $15 With Windows 11 Pro

Get advanced security and productivity features, plus game-changing AI assistant.

Business News

McKinsey Is Using AI to Create PowerPoints and Take Over Junior Employee Tasks: 'Technology Could Do That'

Over 75% of McKinsey employees now use the internal AI tool Lilli, which safely handles confidential information.

Business News

Amazon Lays Off Workers in Its Book Division, According to Leaked Email

The move impacted Amazon's Goodreads site and Kindle division.