Women Leaders in Franchising: Danessa Itaya of Maid Right

 

There’s one simple reason for that: visionary leadership and a commitment to creating a business plan built for success. From the brand’s founding nearly three years ago, following in the successful footsteps of its sister brand, commercial cleaning giant JAN-PRO, Danessa Itaya has helped steer Maid Right toward success. 1851 Franchise recently spoke with her to learn more about how the brand has grown so quickly across the nation, how she’s helping to spur on success in her own franchising career, and the importance of having strong mentors to look up to on the path to success.

 

I got my start in franchising as something temporary, as my husband had a one-year assignment in Ann Arbor, Michigan and then we would move back to California. After about three-months working with Molly Maid and Service Brands International, we realized that I had a fantastic opportunity to learn more and grow with the company. There was strong leadership and vision through David and Karen McKinnon. When my husband’s one-year assignment ended, we decided to stay in Michigan and I stayed with Service Brands for more than 18 years, starting out as an accounting assistant and leaving as the Vice President of Field Service and President of the Ms. Molly Foundation. Service Brands International taught me a lot about franchising and building a brand on solid relationships.

 

Throughout my career, I have been blessed to have many incredible mentors in my life. They each encourage me to reach outside of my comfort zone, by example, and by being great sounding boards for me. Most recently I have been fortunate to work closely with Richard Kissane, chairman of Premium Franchise Brands, as we launched Maid Right. He built a great team, shared his vision, and encouraged us through each new milestone. Through all if it, every day he would come into my office and I would give him an update on what was going on and he would provide me with some feedback or suggestions. Some of them I thought were kind of crazy, but after talking it through with him, I would find that it was a great idea and we would emerge ready to push it forward. In our careers, we always need that person who continues to encourage us to think differently and see things in a different perspective.

 

I’ve also had the pleasure of working closely with many women in franchising and they have taught me how to be a strong female leader and how to balance work and home life. I’ve learned that I can be successful at the office and a great mom and still make it to the Pinewood Derby. Recently, I was leaving an amazingly decorated baby shower and I made the comment, ‘Boy, I wish I was that talented!’ and Carol Goodcuff, JAN-PRO Cleaning Systems’ co-founder turned to me and said ‘You don’t need to be great at everything. You’re really good at what you do. That’s enough.’

 

Describing your own leadership style is tough, but I would say that my leadership style is that I try to lead by example. I wouldn’t ask any of my team members to do something I’m not willing to do myself. I’m a strong believer in building relationships and you can lead effectively by encouraging and building up your team and franchise network. In addition to growing the brand, my goal is also to make sure that I continue to develop my team so that they can grow with the company and hopefully one day take my job! I’ve been very fortunate to have an awesome team!

 

In franchising, we have some amazing women leaders. I’ve been fortunate to work or interact with some of them and continue to learn from them. I’ve met many of them through networking at various franchising events. Take advantage of these opportunities!

 

In Cheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, she talks about the importance of more women needing to take a seat at the boardroom table, and franchising is no different. Franchising provides strong leadership opportunities for both men and women and it’s growing! There are some amazing women in franchising that you can learn from, including Mary Ann O’Connell, Meg Roberts, and Melanie Bergeron just to name a few. Lean in now!

In the next 5 years, my goal is to make Maid Right a household name, synonymous with exceptional housecleaning and a great way to own your own business and create a better lifestyle for your family.