Female Founders
What’s the best and worst advice you
got when starting out? Best: From my
husband, who said, “We can do this.” I was
hesitant and scared, but he was right. Without him pushing me I probably wouldn’t
have moved forward. Worst: “Don’t open
a restaurant! Are you crazy? You’re going
to be there every night and weekends.”
Why did you choose franchising? We
realized there were other entrepreneurs
like us who wanted to bring healthy food
to their communities. That really helped
in our decision to franchise. I didn’t open
Vitality Bowls with the intention of franchising, but even though it happened organically, it turned out to be the best decision.
How did you get started in franchising? After opening three corporate Vitality
Bowls to huge success, we realized there
were no other franchises that offered the
quality and variety of our açaí bowls and
other superfood menu items. People were
begging us to start franchising. We finally
took the plunge in 2014.
Did you have a partner/co-founder
when you started? How important
was that in building your company?
Yes, my husband and I started the business
together. Since he’s an entrepreneur with
a background in finance and real estate, it
really helped to have someone with that
knowledge from the beginning. I then
brought in my brother who has an extensive culinary background and experience
in the foodservice industry.
How did you fund your company at
the beginning? As you grew? We’ve
been self-funded from the beginning and
hope to continue to stay that way.
BUILDING THE BUSINESS
What has been the best and the hardest
thing about being an entrepreneur?
Best: Watching the growth and success of
our franchisees bringing allergy-safe and
healthy food to other communities. The
most challenging thing is that you are on
call 24/7.
How has your experience in running
a franchise business been different
from what you expected? Working
with so many other entrepreneurs can
be rewarding and challenging. Everyone
brings different skills sets to the table, so
identifying how I need to cater toward
each can be a challenge.
How did you grow the brand at first?
What changed as you expanded? In
the beginning, we were able to create new
menu items and recipes to launch with
little turnaround time. Now things take
more time since we need to have consistency with each location. We have to make
sure we give everyone enough time, educate them, source ingredients in different
locations, and make sure our marketing
material is ready.
How did you transition from founding a brand to leading a brand? How
would you describe your leadership
style? Making decisions that affect only
you is one thing, but making huge decisions that affect others is a tremendous
responsibility. I try to lead by example
and build strong relationships with each
franchisee. Communication is everything!
I try to be fair to every franchisee and take
their suggestions or ideas into consideration. I want my passion for our food and
brand to translate down to each franchisee.
What is the key to your company’s
success? Having an incredible team I can
count on, and partnering with dedicated
franchisees who stand for the healthy lifestyle
we’re so passionate about. Also, having my
husband and brother on board makes us
a power team with our different skill sets.
BEING FEMALE
Was being female an advantage or
disadvantage for you in building your
company? How? I didn’t think it was
either. It could have been a disadvantage
working with contractors who might try
to take advantage of a female, but I’d built
two other businesses before and knew what
accurate costs should be.
Have you found specific advantages
or disadvantages to being a woman
business owner? Advantages: I get to
choose my own hours and balance my fam-
ily life with my work life. Disadvantage:
Same thing: juggling and balancing work
with family and giving each the attention
they need.
What has been your biggest challenge as a woman entrepreneur? As
the mom, I’m the primary caretaker, making dinners and spending quality time with
my two young children. I work a lot of late
nights when they’re sleeping.
Why do you think there are fewer
start-ups with female founders than
male ones? I think many women are
concerned with work/life balance and
trying to manage having a family with the
demands of their own business. I’ve not
faced any challenges from being a woman
entrepreneur other than trying to balance
family life. With a 4- and 6-year-old, my
schedule has to be flexible for them. I encourage more women to create businesses
of their own to ensure more control over
their schedules.
What do you think is the biggest issue
for women in the workplace? My kids
are my first priority, and business secondary.
I think that’s what prevents most women
from taking on starting a new company.
Still, you get more balance when you’re
in charge of your own schedule.
From a woman’s perspective, what
notable changes have you seen for
women in franchising since starting
your brand? We have several woman
franchisees who now own their business
and are experiencing success on their own.
It’s amazing to be a part of it.
Which female leaders do you admire? Why? Lori Greiner. She is a mega
entrepreneur! I met her last year and was
actually starstru