Female Founders
of accomplishment in building a business
from scratch, particularly one that makes
people smile and that creates jobs. Working alongside my husband and an amazing
team makes it even better. Hardest: Particularly as an emerging brand, when it’s
all getting off the ground there is a heavy
sense of responsibility. A lot of people
are counting on you, from employees to
franchise owners, to get it right. It can
also be a little lonely sometimes making
some tough decisions that you know are
better in the long run.
How did you grow the brand at first?
What changed as you expanded?
When we first started franchising, we used
a lot of third-party providers for everything
from lead generation to real estate. They
had the expertise and relationships we
needed, and enabled us to better manage
cash flow. But as we emerged into young
adulthood, we brought many of those
areas in-house. Another change is how
we approach our growth geographically.
We’re more focused on specific markets
and venues than in the past. We know a
lot more about where and how we’re going to be successful.
How did you transition from founding a brand to leading a brand? There
was a point when we were concerned
about growth and getting traction. But
once we had 15 or so franchise owners,
it was a turning point to start building
processes to manage and support the franchise base. We started to hire specialists
and trust them to take over a subset of
responsibilities that we used to manage
ourselves. That wasn’t easy. Being more
hands-off is hard. But at some point you
realize that the business needs you more
for a strategic vision versus the day-to-day.
How would you describe your leadership style? My ultimate goal is to be
a coaching leader. I also try to play more
of a project manager role, making sure
team members are getting the information they need in the most efficient way
possible to keep the ball moving in the
right direction.
What is the key to your company’s
success? Product and people.
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BEING FEMALE
Was being female an advantage or
disadvantage for you in building
your company? How? Our business
is successful not because I am a woman
or my husband is a man. It’s about the
individual skill sets we each bring to the
table and how they complement each
other. I came from Fortune 500 companies and Rob was a born entrepreneur,
so we think a little differently and that
makes for a great partnership. I will say,
however, that some of our best franchise
owners are couples or families. The fact
that my husband and I have that same
dynamic is helpful.
What has been your biggest challenge as a woman entrepreneur? Even
in an executive position or in owning my
own business, sometimes I have felt like I
had to prove that I earned my seat at the
table. Whether it was truly necessary or
imaginary, there have been circumstances
where deep down I felt a need to show
that I’m worth my value and more. Judging by conversations I have with female
counterparts, I’m not alone.
Why do you think there are fewer
start-ups with female founders than
“Our business
is successful not
because I am a
woman or my
husband is a
man. It’s about
the individual
skill sets we
each bring
to the table
and how they
complement
each other.”
male ones? Generally speaking, when
it comes to raising money, women have
a hard time asking for what they want to
get their idea off the ground. I think this
is changing, but this is what I have personally observed with women entrepreneurs
I have mentored over the years.
What do you think is the biggest
issue for women in the workplace?
Communicating in an effective and honest way what we need and deserve is critical, and that goes for both women who
own their own companies and for women
working for someone else in a more traditional environment. But first we have
to convince ourselves we are worthy before we can convince others. This is one
of the reasons there is still a culture that
includes unequal pay and women with
children leaving the workplace. I don’t
believe we are always comfortable making sure we are heard and that our needs
are addressed.
From a woman’s perspective, what
notable changes have you seen for
women in franchising since starting
your brand? I’ve definitely seen more
women becoming the face of leadership at
the IFA. When I started it seemed speaking
positions and panels were mostly maledriven. More recently I have seen leaders
such as Catherine Monson, Shelly Sun,
Dina Dwyer-Owens, Jania Bailey, and
many others taking on leadership roles
and I’m seeing more women