Female Founders
of leadership development work, coaching
work, and learning as I grew.
How would you describe your leadership style? I empower my team to do
what they’re best at. I build personal relationships with my employees and trust
them to do what they’re talented at and
what they were hired to do.
What is the key to your company’s
success? The people I’ve surrounded
myself with over the years: our franchisees, employees, and loyal clients.
BEING FEMALE
Was being female an advantage or
disadvantage for you in building
your company? How? Both. It was a
disadvantage when trying to get capital
and raise money, but it was an advantage
in connecting with our clientele, who are
mostly women and appreciate that caring
aspect when it comes to their pets.
Have you found specific advantages
or disadvantages to being a woman
business owner? I’ve never looked at it
that way. It only occurred to me when I
was trying to raise capital. I had to work
harder to make people take me seriously.
What has been your biggest challenge as a woman entrepreneur?
Balancing work and family.
Why do you think there are fewer
start-ups with female founders than
male ones? Women are generally more
risk-averse. We need to encourage our
girls early on that entrepreneurship is a
great way to express themselves and do
something they love.
What do you think is the biggest issue
for women in the workplace? Trying
to have it all—you can’t do everything and
you can’t be perfect at everything you do.
Some days you’re going to be a great business owner and some days you’re going to
be a great mom, but you probably won’t
be both in the same day.
From a woman’s perspective, what
notable changes have you seen for
women in franchising since starting
your brand? The most notable change
is there are more women! There were
very few women in franchising in 2003.
There’s a great community of female
founders and we’re very supportive of
each other. It’s one of the most supportive women in business communities I’ve
ever seen.
Which female leaders do you admire?
Why? Sheryl Sandberg and Condoleezza
Rice. They are clear with their vision, but
they are also relatable and authentic. I
also appreciate leaders who give back, like
Sara Blakely with Spanx and Tory Burch.
Has mentorship made a difference in
your professional and personal life?
How? I’ve had a number of great mentors
over the years who have helped me grow
personally and professionally. I also love
being a mentor, working with high school
and college kids and instilling in them an
excitement around entrepreneurship and
following their passion.
PERSONAL
How do you maintain a work/life balance? Sometimes I don’t very well : ) but
I try to take each day at a time and put my
faith and family first always. I also have
learned not to beat myself up if I have to
work hard for a few days away from my
family, or if I need to spend time with my
family and give up on work a bit.
What are your top 5 favorite things
to do? Hang with my four kids, watch
college football, travel, give back/volunteer, and speaking engagements to tell my
story and inspire others.
LESSONS/ADVICE
What’s the most important lesson
you’ve learned so far? The Golden Rule:
treat others how you want to be treated.
If you could do one thing differently,
what would it be? It comes down to
the people. I would have trusted my gut
more often when it came to people and
I would have been slower to hire and
quicker to fire.
What advice would you give to other
women considering starting their own
franchise brand? Align your business to
your passions. If you firmly believe in your
idea and pour your heart and soul into it,
you will make a much bigger impact.
WHAT’S NEXT
What would you like to achieve in the
next 5 years? I hope to see the number
of camps grow to 1,000 over the next several years so we can provide superior pet
care to even more pets who have yet to
experience Camp Bow Wow.
What’s coming up that you’re excited
about? I can’t wait to see how technology plays into pet care. n
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