Stories of Success: FBR Talks with Female Franchise Leaders
Who are the women leading franchising today and how did they get there? The IFA Women’s Franchise Committee (WFC) podcast series, Her Success, profiles female franchise leaders who are changing the future of the franchise sector.
WFC Chair, and president & COO of Franchise Business Review, Michelle Rowan, interviewed some of today’s inspiring leaders.
Paul Pickett, Chief Development Officer, Wild Birds Unlimited, 2020 Crystal Compass Award Winner
Paul, of course, is not a woman, but he is an advocate of women and the LGBTQ community both within and beyond franchising. Because of his tireless advocacy, the IFA’s Women’s Franchise Committee honored him with the 2020 Crystal Compass Award.
Paul shares what led him to become the first full-time employees of Wild Birds Unlimited, the people who have inspired him along the way, learning to be a good leader, and his advice for the younger generation entering franchising today.
Saunda Kitchen, Franchisee and President, Mr. Rooter, Sonoma County, CA, 2010 Crystal Compass Award Winner
Saunda shares how she fell in love with the trades and the franchise model, embracing being a woman and a leader in a male-dominated industry, navigating business ownership during a pandemic, and how she inspires and motivates her team.
Jania Bailey, CEO, FranNet, 2019 Bonnie LeVine Award Recipient
Jania recalls her path to franchising, shares her advice for surviving changes in management, formulating an exit strategy, and making franchising more inclusive, plus her outlook on the future of the broker industry.
Tamra Kennedy, Taco John’s franchisee, co-founder of Performax Franchisee Advisors and member of the IFA’s Board of Directors
Tam talks about starting her career as a secretary for a franchisee of Burger King and Taco John’s, ultimately buying the restaurants from the owner. She now owns and operates eight Taco John’s locations in Minnesota and Iowa. She also shares her personal mission to provide a family environment to help young people entering the workforce start on their own career path.
Subscribe to Social Geek Radio to access all the episodes of Her Success: Stories of Female Franchise Leaders.
Franchise Business Review (FBR) is a leading independent market research firm that provides franchise organizations with benchmarking research and best practices to improve franchisee and employee satisfaction and engagement. Since 2005, FBR has been trusted by more than 1,300 top-performing franchise companies to equip them with the human-centric data, insights, and tools they need for long-term growth and success in the franchise industry.
