On her 1967 B-side, "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man,"
Aretha Franklin sang, "They say that it's a man's
world/But you can't prove that by me." Apparently, you
can't prove that by franchising, either. Women are turning to
franchising to achieve a variety of goals, from supplementing
family income to heading a large chain of stores.
"Franchising has become so broad-based, almost every
conceivable business can be franchised. That gives women all kinds
of opportunities to pick the sort of business they want to be in,
whether it's a job that requires a great deal of time and lots
of hours per week or it's on a more low-key, part-time
basis," says Nancy Smith, chair of the Women's Franchise
Committee, an International Franchise Association group dedicated
to encouraging women to participate in franchising.
"There's a growing acceptance of women in business, and
franchise systems are encouraging women to join," says Smith.
Many women joining franchises are finding more possibilities and
fewer challenges than they would in the corporate world.
"Women in franchising have a lot of opportunities right
now," Smith says. "Women have gained larger and more
impressive roles in the franchise community. The future is
bright."
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Here are the stories of three women who are taking advantage of
all that franchising has to offer.
Bright Lights, Big
Business
Donna Curry had a hunch. While working as a camera girl 20 years
ago at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, Curry and her then-husband
first learned about a little franchise called Subway.
"An acquaintance in Newark, Ohio, the little town we moved
from, had three stores. We decided if someone could be successful
in the little town we were from, Las Vegas would be a really good
market," Curry says. "I took [out] a home equity loan to
buy the first store."
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In August 1983, the couple opened their first Subway franchise;
Curry, now 51, served as manager. Within nine months, the couple
opened a second store; soon after, they built their empire to four
stores, all of which Curry managed. By the time the couple opened
their fifth Subway, Curry moved out of the stores and into an
office where she could run the operation.
Throughout her early days with Subway, Curry didn't see any
additional difficulties associated with being a female franchisee.
"I believe a person becomes successful by getting in there,
leading by example and working hard," she says. "People
look at you more as a person and how driven you are and [how] hard
you've worked to get where you are."
Proving her theory that diligence pays off, a year after joining
the Subway system, Curry became a development agent, serving as an
independent contractor for Subway and selling franchises. "I
knew I wanted to be a multi-unit owner, so why not go ahead and be
a development agent?" Curry says.
Curry and her husband divorced four years ago and divided up the
stores they personally owned as well as their territories. Today,
Curry's territory includes 78 stores, 19 of which she owns
personally. An additional 19 are under construction this year (four
are Curry's), and Curry expects 25 new Subways to open in Las
Vegas in 2004.
Though hard work is the quality she values most in franchisees,
both male and female, Curry does believe most women have other
qualities important for franchising success. "Franchisees are
the ones dealing with the public and employees, and women have a
little advantage over men in that [respect]," she says.
"Women are good at multitasking and problem solving...they
make great franchisees."
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