How 8 Women Leaders in Franchising Are Overcoming the Industry's Greatest Challenge From workforce shortages to changing minds in Washington, these women are pushing the franchise world forward.
By Entrepreneur Staff Edited by Frances Dodds
This story appears in the October 2021 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
"Finding the right people. We are more focused on that than rapid growth — although, ironically, because we have found such incredible people, we are able to grow faster than we expected. We set up an incredible amount of support so franchisees don't have to be professionally trained chefs; they just need to be kind and passionate, and to see our students for who they truly are — brilliant little humans needing a positive, joyful, supportive environment. That means more to us than anything, because we can train for everything else." — Felicity Curin, Founder and president, Little Kitchen Academy, a Montessori-inspired cooking academy for kids aged 3 to 19
"The pandemic intensified some of the biggest issues facing the healthcare sector and showed us how important it is to keep the most vulnerable safe at home. Earlier this year, we joined Moving Health Home, a new coalition aimed at changing federal and state policies that prevent the home from being an accredited clinical care site. The workforce shortage also impacts us — and as a result, many vulnerable adults could go without access to care. We need permanent legislation that permits affordable in-home care as an integral part of patient care. We also need to drive new policies that support the workforce, like access to affordable childcare." — Shelly Sun, Founder and CEO, BrightStar Care, an in-home care and medical staffing agency
Related: More Women Are Entering Franchising -- and It's Changing the Industry
"The biggest challenge now is the need for agile franchise operations. We're in the midst of a revolution in the way we produce products, and the pandemic caused eight to 10 years' worth of changes to happen in a few months. In the education space, 1.6 billion students were pushed into digital learning overnight! Customers expect not only newer and better offerings but also flexibility in how they receive those services. At STEM for Kids, innovation is key to our child-centric curriculum development and the business processes we maintain to stay agile for our operators worldwide." — Moni Singh, Founder and CEO, STEM for Kids, an educational enrichment company
"More brands are using the franchising model as a vehicle for growth — and while that's exciting, it means more brands competing for a small pool of potential franchisees, which puts a lot of pressure on franchise development teams to close deals at all costs. When a franchisee isn't a good fit for the system, dissatisfaction is bound to occur. As an emerging brand, I believe that by getting clear on our core values, and saying no to folks who don't have the Code Wiz DNA, our growth might be slower, but we will have a stronger, happier system." — Ruth Agbaji, Founder and CEO, Code Wiz, a coding and robotics school for kids aged 7 to 17
Related: 5 Reasons Why More Women Are Making the Choice to Become Franchisees
"The biggest challenge is the lack of awareness by our nation's leaders about the true value of franchising. We like to say that you go into business for yourself but not by yourself. But a negative perception of franchising has driven policymakers in Washington and elsewhere to push for legislation that would upend franchising — turning local franchise owners into corporations. Changing perception cannot be solved overnight or by one person, which is why we're working together through the International Franchise Association to educate key stakeholders on the value of franchising." — Barbara Moran-Goodrich, Cofounder and CEO, Moran Family of Brands, an automotive repair franchise
"Labor shortages are the biggest issue right now. At FastSigns, we put a variety of solutions in place. For recruitment, our franchisees have access to CareerPlug to help streamline and automate the hiring process, and to McQuaig, a tool for assessing candidates' strengths, weaknesses, and skills. We benchmarked every position in a FastSigns so that franchisees can compare an applicant's profile to the ideal one for the position. We also recently partnered with the International Sign Association, paying for all franchisees' memberships so they gain access to affordable association health insurance." — Catherine Monson, CEO, FastSigns, a global custom signs and graphics company
Related: 10 Ways Successful People Push Through Adversity
"As the world's largest restaurant company, with more than 51,000 KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger Grill restaurants, we see an opportunity to activate future entrepreneurs by expanding access to a broader range of people. We recently created the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence at the University of Louisville, part of our $100 million, five-year commitment to promote equity and inclusion, education, and entrepreneurship for employees, frontline restaurant teams, and communities around the world. The center offers multiple franchising education tracks and a pathway to successful ownership." — Tracy Skeans, Chief people officer and COO Yum! Brands, a global fast food corporation
"The biggest challenge is the "head trash' preventing potential franchisees from moving forward. That can be the news, social media, politics, concerns about COVID recovery — it all instills fear and anxiety in potential franchisees, who wonder if they'll be successful. The antidote to fear is clarity. Identifying what's causing hesitations and addressing those issues is now more of a priority than ever. At FranFund, we work with aspiring franchise owners to identify the most efficient and effective capitalization strategy for each candidate based on their specific financial situation." — Sherri Seiber, COO, FranFund, a franchise funding solutions company
