Retired Engineer Finds Next Adventure in Paris Baguette, Signs To Open Café in Livermore, CA

With two engineering degrees and a successful career working with big names in the industry, Shahla Vatannia approached retirement as an incredibly successful woman — but she wasn’t done yet.

The closer she got to retiring, the more she realized she would not be interested in spending her days at home. When her brother approached her about investing in Paris Baguette, she knew it was the perfect opportunity for this new stage of her life and would fulfill her lifelong dream of entrepreneurship.

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Vatannia: I was born in Iran, and we moved to Canada at the end of 1997. After about four years, we moved to the U.S. I have a bachelor's degree in engineering, which I earned in Iran. I earned my master's in mechanical engineering in the U.S.

I worked with Chevron and did consulting. But when I started thinking about being retired, I knew I couldn’t just sit at home. That’s when I started thinking about opening my own business.

My brother was the CEO of a big company, and he wanted to open a Paris Baguette. He asked if I wanted to join him, and I said yes. But then he got another high-level job in technology and needed to pivot. I still wanted to do it, though, so I asked my friend Nivad to be my business partner.

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Vatannia: I knew how franchising worked, and I didn’t want to open a business that wasn’t a franchise and wasn’t known to people.

I like franchising because the quality of the product will stay high, and that’s the reason customers and franchisees will come back. Some restaurants start with good quality, and after a few months, it goes down. Then they end up closing. With franchising, we have someone supervising us in a way, and they give us comments. We cannot go out of the bounds of the brand standards. Our quality will stay high, and that’s fantastic.

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Vatannia: It’s a really good organization, and we’re all very close to the CEO. I can send him an email or call him directly. It’s not a bureaucratic organization; everyone is very friendly, and there’s teamwork.

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Vatannia: Our market is now sold out, so we will just work to build the best business we can and be sure it continues to be successful.

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Vatannia: With a background in engineering and science, this whole process was a little bit scary for us when we started. We found that it’s not really difficult, though. We can handle it. There has been some trial and error, but we have realized we can achieve what we want.

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Vatannia: I think that Paris Baguette is the best option because the organization is a very good one. Everything is set up, and I like the system. I recommend finding this kind of franchise — one where you feel the system is robust and easily accessible.

ABOUT PARIS BAGUETTE:

Paris Baguette is a bakery café franchise with more than 4,000 units across the globe. The brand first franchised in the U.S. in 2015 and has since established nearly 150 locations in markets across the country, making it one of the premier franchise opportunities in its category. Paris Baguette’s primary mission, executed every day by its expert staff of bakers, cakers and baristas, is to share moments of joy with customers and help customers share moments of joy with their friends and family by providing world-class cakes, pastries, coffees, breads and other French-inspired bakery café fare. For more information, please visit parisbaguette.com/franchising/.