Female Founders
care” of people. I feel I do a pretty good
job with my co-workers.
What has been your biggest challenge
as a woman entrepreneur? Separating
home life from work life.
Why do you think there are fewer
start-ups with female founders than
male ones? I’m not sure. I recently read
there are more women in medical school
than men now. There are more women
attending college than men. Living in
Massachusetts, there are many, many
women entrepreneurs, CEOs of large
corporations, presidents of universities,
etc. We’re just getting started!
What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
I’ve always found that being a woman
in business is advantageous, even in my
former construction business.
From a woman’s perspective, what
notable changes have you seen for
women in franchising since starting your brand? The biggest change
is that there are a lot more of them. For
me personally, I would have to say the
Internet has changed business more than
anything else. Back in 1987, I didn’t own
a fax machine or a cell phone. There was
no social media or email, no Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. Business has gotten
a lot more complicated.
Which female leaders do you admire? If Condoleezza Rice were running
for president, I would vote for her. I’m
also impressed with Carly Fiorina and
Sheryl Sandberg.
Has mentorship made a difference
in your professional and personal
life? How? The only mentor I had was
my father, who started his company when
I was seven years old. He was always very
encouraging and supportive.
Are you involved in any female entrepreneur organizations? No.
PERSONAL
What does your typical day look
“Back in 1987,
I didn’t own a
fax machine or
a cell phone.
There was no
social media
or email, no
Twitter, Pinterest,
or Instagram.
Business
has gotten
a lot more
complicated.”
like? At the office 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; at
the kitchen table on my computer 8 to
10 p.m. Meeting schedule every other
week: Mondays I meet with our president, Kathy Troknya, to discuss issues
that have come up since the last time we
met. We also discuss our team and their
needs. Monday afternoons I meet with
the Learning Express Play development
team, our new children’s activity concept
(weekly). Tuesday mornings I meet with
our development team to review new
stores that are opening, people in the
pipeline, and contract and lease renewals. Wednesdays I meet with the buying
team in the morning to review product
selection for catalogs and the inventory
mix for the new stores we are opening.
Wednesday afternoons I meet with the
marketing and graphics departments so we
can anticipate our store and e-commerce
needs for the coming weeks. In between
these meetings I’m answering email,
talking to stores, meeting with vendors,
etc. I work from our lake house on most
Thursdays and Fridays.
How do you maintain a work/life balance? For the first 13 yea