Female Founders
a more effective leader, while growing in
a way that keeps pace with the direction
of the brand.
How would you describe your leadership style? I’m very hands-on and I try
to make myself easily approachable. I like
to be available to my staff and franchisees.
I also know I don’t have all of the answers
or skills, so I like to delegate tasks that are
not the best fit for me and let my team have
a chance to shine and do what they’re good
at. We’re a big family, and nothing makes
me happier than when my franchisees are
succeeding and happy. I grew up as a middle
child in a family of five kids and supported
all of my siblings. I decided one of my sisters should be on the gymnastics team, so
I taught her how to do back handsprings.
I didn’t know how to do them, but I made
sure she did. Then I decided another sister needed to be student council president
and I was her campaign manager. Just as
I did with my siblings, I’m here to make
sure my franchisees (who I also look at as
family) are successful.
What is the key to your company’s
success? Even though I’ve been in this
for 10 years, I’m just as passionate about
this business as I was the day I thought of
it. And I’m surrounded by staff who are
just as passionate about our business. I
think that’s the key: being passionate and
loving what you do every day.
BEING FEMALE
Was being female an advantage or
disadvantage for you in building your
company? How? I don’t ever let being
female be an issue with me. I would never
think of it as an advantage or disadvantage.
I believe that if you go into a situation
thinking you are at a disadvantage, you
are already making excuses for failure.
You can’t have that mindset if you want
to succeed at something. Alternatively, if
you enter a situation thinking you have
an advantage, you may be fooling yourself into thinking you don’t have to work
hard enough. However, there have been
times when I’ve sat back and thought, “Is
he treating me differently because I’m a
woman?” I don’t think about it on a dayto-day basis, but I’ve had moments where
I’ve asked myself, “Would he be talking
this way if I were a man?”
Have you found specific advantages
or disadvantages to being a woman
business owner? I don’t let being a
woman get in the way of running my
business. Here in America, we are often
very fortunate. I have conversations with
some of my international franchisees who
face debilitating disadvantages at home.
For example, one woman was not allowed
by her country’s law to fly by herself to
visit us in Waco.
What has been your biggest challenge as a woman entrepreneur? I
have been faced with moments when I feel
as though I’m being patronized or talked
down to because I’m a woman. I always
remind myself that these people are usually untrustworthy. That type of behavior
is a manipulation tactic that I don’t have
time for, in life or in business. My biggest
challenge starting out was realizing I was
being manipulated. I had to learn how to
see through people to discern their true
intentions.
Why do you think there are fewer
start-ups with female founders than
male ones? For some, the problem could
be work/life balance. For example, it can be
very challenging for female business owners to provide both their family and their
career with all of their attention all of the
time. It is for this reason, I can only imagine, that plenty of women are overlooking
executive-level career opportunities and
business ownership opportunities because
it is a hard balance to strike.
What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
Women, and certainly everyone else, should
make it a point to be as confident as possible. When you are confident, nothing
in the world can bring you down. I think
this confidence can only be developed if
a woman is aware of how she works best,
as well as what her talents and gifts are.
From a woman’s perspective, what
notable changes have you seen for
women in franchising since starting
your brand? I’m seeing more women
involved in franchising and leadership in
general than there were 10 years ago. In
fact, in the past 5 years, the number of
women in franchising has increased by
45 percent.
Which female leaders do you admire?
Why? I’ve always admired Sarah Blakely,
the founder of Spanx. I like her tenacity.
She is an entrepreneur at heart, and like all
of us, she had her share of failures before
she found her success. I also admire Dina
Dwyer-Owens, co-chair of The Dwyer
Group. It’s been a pleasure getting to know
her. She is one of those experts who always
had time for me. She is always available
and generous with her time and sincere
desire to help, including introducing me
to other mentors in the industry.
Has mentorship made a difference
in your professional and personal
life? How? Absolutely. Having a mentor
is invaluable. It’s important to have that
unbiased sounding board. They have your
best interest at heart and can look at your
situation from the 30,000-foot level while
you are swimming upstream at sea level.
Are you involved in any female entrepreneur organizations? Not currently.
PERSONAL
What does your typical day look
like? I don’t normally have a “typical”
day. Many days include coming to the
office and having meetings with key staff,
whether it’s planning or brainstorming. I
also regularly check in with my franchisees and go over reports. Exciting things
are happening here all the time. We just
had visitors from Dubai and I will be out
visiting franchisees soon.
How do you maintain a work/life
balance? For me, having a work/life
balance is one of the benefits of being a
business owner. You have to work harder
and longer, but it affords you the freedom
to be able to participate in more family
activities. I’m usually able to schedule my
work day around important family events
like my son’s basketball schedule. We try
to make family dinner a priority at home.
I also make a point of not talking about
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