Melanie Bergeron: Chair of the IFA

Wife, mother, entrepreneur, C-suite executive, weight lifter, wine enjoyer and all-around personable powerhouse, Melanie Bergeron, will be taking the reins and adding Chairwoman of the IFA to her laundry list of accomplishments. Through her tireless (and successful) work with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK*, to her inspiring seminars and speeches aimed at promising entrepreneurs, Bergeron will be spearheading the direction of the franchise industry through a time of uncertainty and advocacy by focusing on spreading education and encouragement.

1851 sat down with Melanie to hear her thoughts on how she will move the industry forward after the blunt effects legislative and economic strains brought onto the franchising industry in 2014.

1851 sat down with Melanie to hear her thoughts on how she will move the industry forward after the blunt effects legislative and economic strains brought onto the franchising industry in 2014.

1851: What challenges are you most looking forward to taking on this upcoming year?

My focus is going to be on the IFA mission statement claiming to protect, enhance and promote franchising.

I’m just so thankful that we have a very talented IFA staff that is intentional, tireless, and always on 24-7. This year I want to enhance and promote in my leadership, while having a great focus on people and stakeholders in the IFA, meaning franchisees, franchisors and suppliers.

Through strategic initiatives, we can help promote and enhance franchising with the Capital Campaign. We have two co-chairs who have worked very hard to raise nearly $8 million dollars in capital for franchising. These funds will be allocated very carefully in programs that will enhance our industry and success.

Funds will be invested carefully into an endowment so that the education foundation continues to make money off the interest. Second, that money will be invested in research because we need the credibility on Capitol Hill that helps protect the franchise business model.

We will also invest in franchise relations and franchise compliance to make sure our franchisees understand the FDD because this is the first stepping stone in success.

Additional donations made out the Capital Campaign that came from generous donors will be designated to VetFran and the Diversity Institute, per the donors requests because we’re always looking to create more opportunities for returning vets, minorities and women so they can pursue careers through franchising.

1851: What new programs will the IFA be launching this year?

We’re rolling out two new programs that are very exciting. NextGen is being led by an incredibly inspiring woman by the name of Jennifer Kushell. She is a young lady that travels all over the world to recruit brilliant young minds for franchising.

One billion young people are joining the workforce in 2015 and there aren’t enough jobs for people. Our goal with NextGen is to spread information about franchising and what it is, as many don’t quite understand its purpose or its possibilities. NextGen is IFA’s way of intentionally seeking out young go-getters and young entrepreneurs to teach them about all of the opportunities they can dive into with franchising. We currently have a group of top ten finalists that will be attending the upcoming convention so we can get a younger generation involved. This is also perfect for franchisors and multi-unit franchisees looking for great managers and suppliers looking for hard workers to join their team. Through NextGen, we’re building a bridge for people seeking work.

Another program we have launching is Franchising Gives Back. There are millions of volunteers within franchising and billions of hours and billions of dollars already donated to charities and nonprofits around the world by the franchising community. Franchising Gives Back will be an online mechanism to collect community outreach data so we can let communities and the media know about all the wonderful things franchising provides to citizens. We’re not only huge job creators, we give back to the communities we serve.

It is important to enhance and promote because it will help the IFA grow and we’ll have more membership toward outreach and it also helps shape the public’s perception and show all the positive things franchising provides worldwide.

Right now, all people in the media are hearing words like discrimination, union, NLRB ruling, etc. when it comes to franchising. It, at times, felt like we were being attacked. We are not negative - we need to show the positive sides of why the franchising business model is good, and that is my main goal as chairwoman. I want people to understand precisely what we do, the great things we’ve done in the past and about all the wonderful things we will do in the future.

1851: What is your favorite part about the IFA Convention?

This is my 16 consecutive Annual Convention, and while it’s exhausting, there is a type of energy in networking I have experienced and I have never left the convention without a new idea. This is absolutely my favorite part.

1851: What changes in the convention have you noticed?

The IFA has gotten a lot bigger and attendees need to be strategic and plan before they attend. Going with one other person is also advisable so you can attend different sessions. This year will be a little bit different because the franchise model is being attacked and things are changing. While we’ll still promote and participate in educational sharing and best practices, we have a clear focus on advocacy and what we can bolster in that area.

1851: How has your personal and professional career shaped you into the female business leader you are today?

I’m just a really hard worker and a people pleaser. I’m very organized and I’m good with time management, which comes from the several jobs I had in high school. This goes way back to pharmaceutical sales and starting my life out broke. I started off in business with no money. To succeed, you have to be a multitasker yet very organized with your time. I used to rush things because during my entire working life, I have been in a hurry, so now I try to be very mindful about being balanced.

I have boys, and it’s very important to be a good mom and a good listener and just be good. According to them, I think I’ve done a good job. I’m not perfect, but I feel good about being a mom and the wife I’ve been. The trick to that is being very sensitive to other people’s feelings. We all have to understand that everyone is going through things, so be sure to seek to understand them before being understood. It all comes back to listening and doing what you say you’re going to do. I don’t forget anything; if I say I’m going to do something for someone, I do it.

Also being grateful for everything you have and everything you’ve done. Every situation, every person you meet takes you to the next level and the next step. These are very simple things but they have worked wonders for me.

1851: What was the best or most empowering advice you have received.

The best advice I’ve received that I keep leaning on is from Dina Dwyer-Owens. When it was announced I was going to be chair, she said to me, “Never change who you really are, because that’s what got you here.”

I thought that was really powerful advice because I’m someone who leads from the heart; I’m not going to act like something I’m not. There are many brilliant people in the IFA and I thought, “I am who I am and I’m going to continue being the leader that I know I can be.”

Her other advice, because she has tons of great advice, is that you have to know what’s really going on. There are so many moving parts to the IFA so I try to stay well read and really focus on hearing all sides in order to be completely prepared at all times.

1851: If you had to give someone advice, what would you say?

Over all, my mantra is, “Treat other the way you would like to be treated.”

While I’m not perfect, I try to be a good listener and remember there are three sides to every story. Stay humble, work hard and remember that things do change. Realize that things evolve and there can be a great amount of good in that. In order to cope with this, I use the 80/20 percent rule.

If it is going to positively affect 80 percent of the people, then move forward. Alongside this, make sure to build trust and communication and always -always- remember to listen to people no matter who they are.

1851: How do you deal with failure?

If something fails, rather than have a knee-jerk reaction, take a step back and take a breath. This allows you to think about what you would have done differently and then supports your new idea.

I pray very quietly about everything and insights come to me during this time as to who I should talk to for advice or support. With failure, there is always a silver lining, so take it, learn from it and more forward with the new knowledge you have.

Currently my biggest failure is reacting to things too soon. I get excited about something and I just want to say “let’s go, let’s do it,” without analyzing various outcomes. Some people don’t operate this way, but I’m a risk taker - but always remember to stay balanced.