Women Who Found the Right Work-Life Balance Through Franchising

Over the years, mistaken narratives have occasionally arisen surrounding franchising.

There’s the one about the lack of quality because ‘chains’ couldn’t possibly provide a top tier experience the same way a ‘mom and pop’ shop can. There is misunderstanding surrounding the idea that franchisees are simply arms of some corporate overlord from some faraway place.

And, there is the age-old narrative that franchising is just a boy’s club.

They’re all outdated ways of thinking—and dangerous to the future of the franchise business model.

Just like franchising is no less local than any other community business, it’s also no longer just a man's game. A growing number of women are finding rapid success through franchising, and steadily rising in the ranks. Between 1997 and 2012, the number of women-owned firms in the United States grew 54 percent—nearly twice as fast as the national average, according to a recent study from American Express Open. The International Franchise Association (IFA) now estimates that women operate at least 42 percent of all franchises, either in a partnership role or as a sole owner.

A number of factors have spurred the rapid growth of female entrepreneurs, but one of the most applicable to franchising is the flexibility offered by the business model.

That’s one major factor that drew Molly Martin to Wireless Zone, a premium mobile phone retailer exclusively offering Verizon Wireless products and services.

As a millennial driven by the entrepreneurial spirit, Martin was searching for opportunity. She found it at Wireless Zone from a young age, first joining the brand at the age of 15 as an intern. A year later she was a salesperson on the floor. By 20, she was the sales manager, and by 22, a division manager.

With the skills she had developed, going into to business for herself was the next logical step. But Martin knew she needed a business model that offered her flexibility, and the potential to succeed at her own pace.

“I’m a mother, and family is so important to me, but I’m also driven by success,” Martin said. “I needed the ability to find quick operational success, but also to have a support system to back me up. Franchising provides that. Wireless Zone helps me with everything I need to be successful along the way. Even with Wireless Zone being the first franchise I've been involved in, I have had the constant support from every aspect of this business. From legal advice to training, Wireless Zone offers it all, and it’s been easy to quickly be successful.”

As a working mother also focused on her young family, Wireless Zone’s business model has simultaneously allowed Martin to grow as a determined businesswoman and a multi-unit franchisee. With Wireless Zone as a partner, she’s now on her way to building a mobile phone empire in Michigan where she now owns three successful units.

“Wireless Zone and the franchise model presented me with an opportunity that I was able to embrace because I had confidence in the system and everything they have to offer. If you are willing to spend the amount of time and money in a franchise to be successful, then they are willing to do the same for you,” Martin said.

Miracle Method franchisee Erin Gilliam had a unique opportunity to fully understand the advantages her franchise would provide. After owning and operating a marketing research firm in Colorado, Gilliam moved to Seattle to open a Pirtek franchise. In 2015, she sold the franchise in order to return to her home state. That’s when she came across Miracle Method, the nation’s largest professional bathroom and kitchen refinishing franchise. Her experience as a franchisee, combined with her degrees in marketing and management, were a great fit for what Miracle Method was looking for in a marketing manager.

Turns out, Miracle Method was also the perfect fit for what Gilliam and her husband Gabe were looking for in a franchise, and, in late 2016, the two opened their first Miracle Method franchise in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“Seeing the inside of Miracle Method’s operations, we understood just how much support we would be provided as franchisees,” Gilliam told 1851 Franchise. “Miracle Method has an unparalleled, extensive training program in place not just for our franchisees, but also for their entire team of technicians and front office staff. That solid training from the start makes all the difference in how comfortable a franchisee feels and performs early on.”

Miracle Method’s support structure also allows Gilliam to manage the franchise from afar, while continuing to focus her day-to-day efforts on growing the brand.

“With new franchisees, we start scheduling estimates during their last week of training so that when they return home to their market they’re able to hit the ground running. With our experience with the brand, we were able to do just that. Our business is marketing driven, so we are fully equipped with ad plans, ongoing training and marketing guidance as well as full in-house advertising and marketing support for both traditional and digital platforms. Franchisees who are the most successful are the ones that develop consistent, diversified and well-branded marketing efforts that they then track. Franchising provides that ability for quick growth to us, and I think you’ll see more and more female success stories like that in the future.”