Being Mom and Franchisee
by Pamela Gold
Making the jump from being Mom to being Mom and Franchisee is a huge step for anyone. Whether you're married and you and your husband have decided a family business is the best way for you to control your family's future, or you're a single mom who needs to support your children but also desires control and flexibility, franchising could be the ideal way to empower yourself and control your destiny.
The following are the stories of two women's journeys to becoming franchisees. These women exemplify the spirit of women who balance motherhood with the demands of owning their own franchise.
Working Once Again...
For Karen Glass, mother of two, from Portland, Maine, life as a stay-at-home mom was great until her husband, Peter, was injured at work and his company would no longer put him back out on the road as a Territory Manager. The couple decided it was time to start their own business.
"My husband came to me with some business ideas. I didn't want to take the risk and deal with the stress associated with some of those businesses. I wanted to maintain a level of sanity that allowed us to keep up our commitment to our family. When we compared start-ups to franchises, the level of success was higher with most franchises. I also didn't want to be married to a business. -- I wanted to successfully run the business and then come home and enjoy my children," recalls Glass.
Karen and her husband began the process of searching for and researching franchise opportunities; "We did some searching on the Internet and found FranchiseBuyer, a national franchise consulting company that offers their services free of charge. We filled out the pre-qualification form and quickly received a phone call from Dave Woods, the consultant assigned to us. Going through the FranchiseBuyer process made us feel confident that we were doing the right thing for our family by purchasing a franchise. Dave guided us to the Budget Blinds opportunity. He was awesome and made us feel great about this life-changing decision," said Glass.
Transitioning from full-time mom to mom and franchisee can be tough on both moms and children, but often the decision brings with it excitement and new adventures. "The decision for me to work three days a week was a really hard one. Not only was it a hard decision, but it was a hard transition as well. Having to find daycare for my two and four-year old was extremely difficult for me. So far, my two-year old has been just fine with me working. My four-year old seems excited about the business and loves our big, purple van! And I have to say, I feel good being part of the business. I know what's going on with the day to day aspects, so I don't feel as stressed as I might be if I was at home everyday and wasn't sure how everything was going. I think I am able to maintain the perfect balance between motherhood and working," commented Glass.
Children can learn so much from having parents who own their own business as Glass explained, "I want my children to have exposure to our business. There are lots of different ways to be successful. You can create your own success and you don't have to work for someone else in life. You can be in control, and I hope my children will learn this from us."
The success of a working mom can often be attributed to very different factors from the average business owner; "A lot of my success and the fact that I can come to work three days a week and do my job without worrying about my children is due to the fact that I have a wonderful nanny. You have to feel confident in the person you leave your children with, and the nanny we are fortunate enough to have has just been wonderful," explained Glass.
If you're still wondering why franchising is a smart choice for everyone including moms, here are a few explanations. Glass said, 'The best part of being a franchisee is that there's always support. The staff at corporate is fantastic. They are there to answer any questions we might have and they offer marketing support, sales support, vendor alliances, and more. Being part of Budget Blinds has really taken the pressure and stress out of getting started. The support has been a huge part of our success."
She continued, "If you're fed up with the process of working for someone else, but you want a security net to fall back on, franchising is perfect. Being a mom, my day is made easy by Budget Blinds because they provide us with a checklist of daily tasks. All I have to do is go through the list and I'm done. I don't have to worry about forgetting to do something and when I go home after working all day, I can relax and be with my children because I know I haven't forgotten anything. You really have to believe in the system and the process that your franchisor has laid out for you. Budget Blinds plan works, and I believe in and trust it fully."
"My advice for moms who want to own a business is that there's a franchise out there for everybody. Find a franchise that lights your fire. For me and my husband, we always had a passion for real estate and rehabilitating homes. Interior design excites us and we already had alliances with real estate agents and interior designers, so Budget Blinds was ideal for us," said Glass.
"It was very important to me that my children were home and a part of the neighborhood, and not in daycare. So our solution was to find a wonderful, reliable nanny," explained Glass. You simply have to determine what's important to you and then figure out a balanced approach to solving any problems.
"Make a list of your business priorities and then make a list of your home and personal priorities. Then, find a franchise that meets all of those needs. For us, Budget Blinds was and continues to be the perfect franchise," concluded Glass.
Taking Chances...
Linda Feldman grew up in a tight-knit, well-educated Jewish community. "When I was in my early twenties, all my friends were getting college degrees, getting married, and getting jobs. I had a hard time, and couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I finally got a job in a beauty shop as a receptionist," recalls Feldman.
One day, a twist of fate changed Linda's life forever. A man walked into the beauty shop looking for the owner. He told her she could do better with her life. "It turns out he was selling radio advertising. With good fortune, I worked my way to the top of the radio advertising sales ladder. I worked in radio ad sales for eight years and in 1987, I left that position because I decided I wanted my own business. I looked at different franchises and businesses for sale. I had heard that tie dye was coming back into fashion, so I made some t-shirts in my condo laundry room. I told myself that if I could get an interview at Dayton's department store, I'd officially start a t-shirt business. Dayton's gave me an order for 864 pieces and I was in business."
At age 35, Linda became a single mother. "While I was in the hospital having my daughter, I got a phone call from a huge Chicago manufacturer who wanted 15,000 shirts per week for a minimum of six months. We had to increase the size of the factory and business was good," said Feldman.
Linda kept her shirt manufacturing business for seven years. During that time, she made some mistakes and with the demands of raising her daughter, Linda decided to close her t-shirt business and went back into radio advertising sales.
With all of life's ups and downs, Linda deeply believes that, "you can have a life if you work hard."
"I did find myself allowing my job to take precedence over my daughter, and that just wasn't fair to her. I left ClearChannel as a top sales executive in February 2002," remembers Feldman.
Linda applied for jobs and decided not to go back to the corporate world. She turned to a franchise broker who helped narrow down her choices to Money Mailer® and similar concepts. "I put my goals and priorities down on paper and every time I did this exercise, my daughter came in as number one. I decided I wanted a home-based business and at that time, Money Mailer® registered in my state," said Feldman.
For Linda, who earned a six-figure income in radio sales, opening up a business was a hard decision. She had to weigh the pros and cons to decide what was right for her and her daughter. "It was a huge decision to open this business up. I had the money, so that wasn't the issue. There were no other Money Mailer® franchisees in the Twin Cities area. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this on my own, and was scared. I eventually decided to go for it, and it was a difficult first year. I had lots of competitors, many of whom were large corporations. They'd give their advertising away for the first year. It was tough. The following year, Money Mailer® added more local franchisees to the area and everything became less difficult for me," recalls Feldman.
She continued, "Because I've never been in a position where I've earned a salary, - I've always owned a business or earned commission - owning a franchise has been challenging but not as dramatic of a change as some people might experience. It is the first time I've worked from home, however, and my daughter is just thriving on me being here for her! We used to have everything because I earned so much in sales, but my daughter is so happy that I'm home and here for her that she doesn't care."
Linda and Natalie used to vacation regularly. Since opening her franchise, they have not been on vacation. Natalie is just fine with this. She helps her mom with many aspects of the business, and has been involved since day one.
Linda's daughter is learning so much from her strong, confident mother; "When Natalie becomes an adult woman, she knows she can do anything she wants in this world, whether she's married or single. She's grown up in a very strong, female-based home, and she has more confidence at 14 than I can even imagine having!"
Buying a Money Mailer® franchise was the right decision for Linda and for her daughter, "I feel like I have my life under my control now. I can work late on a Saturday night if I want, and then I can volunteer at Natalie's school during a workday. I feel like I've achieved success because of Money Mailer®... They're a phenomenal company to work with and be a part of. In my first six months in business while I was learning the ropes of the business, the company sent someone out here eight or nine times to help me, and it was on their dime. They really helped me get through the difficult aspects of starting up the business and I love being part of this brand," said Feldman.
Feldman continued, "I feel like I have the perfect balance...A strong, confident daughter that I've raised on my own, and a thriving, successful business. I tell women I know not to victimize themselves. There's a huge difference between I can't and I won't. Before you tell yourself you can't do something like own a business, look at your situation, and you'll realize you can."
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You, too, can be a mom and a franchisee. If you have the motivation, organization, and support of your children and loved ones, having the best of both worlds is possible. As Karen Glass and Linda Feldman exemplify, maintaining a balanced and fulfilled life is possible. Start your search to find your ideal business opportunity by visiting our Franchise Center today!
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