Over the course of just over thirty years, Nadeem Bajwa transformed from a college student striving to pay his bills to the owner of a fast-food empire, boasting 270 Papa John’s outlets across North America.

The 58-year-old shared with CNBC that he immigrated from Pakistan to the U.S. in 1991. He enrolled in a college in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and took on various side jobs to make ends meet. One such job involved delivering pizza for a local Papa John’s franchise, earning $4.25 an hour. During his first summer in America, he washed dishes in the morning, delivered pizzas for Papa John’s in the afternoon, and worked at Taco Bell in the evenings.

“I began delivering for Papa John’s when they set up in town, and from there, I just grew to enjoy it, plus the tips were good, so that helped,” Bajwa explained to CNBC.

After earning his degree in 1996, Bajwa had already climbed the corporate ladder at Papa John’s, advancing from delivery driver to area manager. Although he applied to corporate roles within other companies, he found he wouldn’t earn more than he already did working at Papa John’s. Therefore, he chose to remain with the pizza chain.

Bajwa’s practical experience managing a Papa John’s location aided him when he ultimately decided to become a franchisee. In 2002, he launched his own Papa John’s in East Liverpool, Ohio, minimizing initial costs by handling most of the work himself.

The store required a $150,000 investment and immediately drew more patrons than anticipated. Unfortunately, the inexperienced crew struggled, and on that hectic first day, half of them left.

“[At first] it was chaos,” Bajwa told CNBC. “I learned how important it is to be ready before [opening].”

That one restaurant led to another, then another. Bajwa’s goal now is to open 500 Papa John’s locations in the coming years.

Papa John’s, which was founded in 1985, has over 3,000 locations in the U.S. It usually takes an initial investment of at least $272,915 to get a Papa John’s restaurant off the ground.