What is the Women's Franchise Committee, and Why is it Important?

Today, 12 million American women own businesses, representing about 40% of all businesses in the United States. That number marks a 114% increase over the same statistic a couple of decades ago. And many of those women have found success through careers in franchising. 

One of the organizations that have supported this growth is the International Franchise Association’s (IFA) Women's Franchising Committee (WFC). The WFC is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging women in franchising by creating a network of business professionals dedicated to strengthening the success of women in franchising. 

The mission of the WFC is to promote women’s participation in franchising by providing international networking opportunities for the exchange of ideas, resources and experiences. The vision of the WFC is committed to providing resources for women seeking career growth opportunities in franchising. The committee serves an important role in creating initiatives and building a network of support for women in franchising. 

WFC has created several programs and resources to achieve its goals, ranging from "how to" guides and conferences to local networking chapters. Ways to get involved include: 

The Women’s Franchise Network (WFN) 

These local networks are designed to develop relationships with women franchising professionals and to address issues, share ideas and offer solutions related to franchising. The first WFN was launched in May 2002 in Denver and now includes markets across the United States and Canada. More information about the WFN and how to establish a chapter can be found here. 

The ‘Her Success’ Podcast

“Her Success: The Stories of Female Franchise Leaders” is a monthly podcast and video series. Women in franchising share stories of workplace challenges and share insights on everything from how to be an effective leader to the mentors who inspired them. 

Women in Franchising on Clubhouse

The Women in Franchising Club on the app Clubhouse is a space to engage in conversations, ask questions and develop one another as franchise industry professionals. The club is intended to mentor, build and grow relationships among women in the franchising world. 

Each week, the committee hosts a Women in Franchising discussion on the app that highlights some of the major topics of interest in the franchising community from operations, marketing, training and development.

The Annual Leadership Conference

There is also the opportunity to attend the Annual Leadership Conference held at the annual IFA convention each year. All programming is developed by the IFA Women’s Franchise Committee.

Click here for a list of committee members and to follow the WFC on LinkedIn.