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sPeciaL feaTure: Women in franchising
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husBanD & Wife resTauranT Duo LooK To eXPanD CELEBRITY’S SOUL FOOD
Celebrity’s Soul Food, a casual restaurant concept that specializes in premium soul food, is opening up a new franchise opportunity catered to chefs and entrepreneurs.
franchisee partners, we’re seeking people The company founded by celebrity
who are open to being adventurous on the CEO Dr. Fredrick Jacobs and his wife, Taja Jacobs, has partnered with United Franchise Group to grow the brand.
The Celebrity’s Soul Food menu spotlights local flavors and specialties. They serve up soul food that is prepared from scratch and utilizes high quality ingredients. Dishes vary from classic favorites such as Fried Chicken, Shrimp & Grits and CornmealDusted Catfish to innovative twists such as Gold-Dusted Chicken Wings, Barbeque Glazed Alligator Ribs, and Red Velvet “Celebrity’s Soul Food prides itself on embracing all cultures and inviting folks from various walks of life and tastes to join us at our tables,” said Taja Jacobs, Chief Sustainability Officer. “When it comes to
Chicken & Waffles. culinary front and who hold hospitality as a
top priority. We believe our business model is attractive to chefs and entrepreneurs who are seeking a turn-key franchise opportunity.”
www.celebrityssoulfood.com/franchise
Taja Jacobs on Women in Franchising:
WOODY’S BAR-B-Q ceLeBraTes 40 Years WiTh chariTY funDraiser
In 1980, armed with some dog-eared recipes, a love of great food and a desire to make patrons feel “right at home” in their new restaurant, Woody Mills and Yolanda Mills-Mawman opened the doors of Jacksonville-based Woody’s Bar-B-Q.
Over the 40 years since, the co-founders and their franchisees have shown their support for the communities that surround their restaurants. Whether sponsoring the local high school football team or raising funds for an area nonprofit, the hospitality of Woody’s Bar-B-Q extends beyond the kitschy country interior of its restaurants.
During a 40th Anniversary Celebration at Woody’s Bar-B-Q to commemorate Woody’s flavorful 40-year history by taking part in a silent auction and art show presented by Florida artist, Diana Patterson—the proceeds of which benefitted Tim Tebow Foundation’s Anti-Human Trafficking Ministry. By the time the event came to a close, $6,000 had been raised.
artist Diana Patterson with Woody’s Bar-B-Q cofounder of Ponte Vedra Beach, nearly 100 people were in attendance
Yolanda mills-mawman
this North Florida community come together year after year as they have since our first anniversary celebration in 1981,” she said.
“We are so grateful for Woody’s Bar-B-Q, Diana Patterson, and the community that rallied with them to support the fight against human trafficking through this event,” shared Steve Biondo, President of the Tim Tebow Foundation.
Janice Branam nameD VP of oPeraTions for 9ROUND FRANCHISING, LLC
9Round Franchising, LLC, has announced Janice Branam as Vice President of Operations. Bringing over 20 years of franchising experience to the position, Branam will play a key role in advancing the support programs and tools for the growing franchise network.
“Janice brings years of franchise experience to the table that will help ensure the future growth of 9Round,” said Shannon Hudson, Founder and CEO of 9Round Franchising. “As the brand weathers the effects of the pandemic, we have not had to permanently let go of a single person at our corporate office, but instead have hired Janice to help support the franchise network now and on the road ahead. Now is not the time to shrink an organization, but instead to fight forward and prepare to come out of the pandemic stronger than ever.”
Prior to joining 9Round Franchising, Branam worked for several rapidly growing franchise and corporate brands including Pizza Hut, Boston Market, Quizno’s, Smashburger and Teriyaki Madness. In her various roles she designed and delivered operations and franchisee support programs and tools, worked with Franchise Advisory Councils, developed classroom and on-line training and provided coaching for franchise support teams, operators, and trainers. Valley from Coaldale, Alberta, Canada to pursue their American entrepreneurial Angela and Trevor decided to relocate,
“This is an exciting time to join 9Round and build on the incredible track record and solid foundation that Shannon, Heather and the team have started,” said Branam. “Franchising at its core is about support, and now more than ever with the effects of the pandemic, we are focusing on helping franchisees run healthy, profitable businesses to benefit them, their families, and their communities.”
www.9round.com
Wine lovers Angela and Trevor Zuba of Waters Edge Winery & Bistro Kalispell are excited to welcome visitors to their new 3,500 square-foot micro-winery a in the Flathead Valley.
“We are beyond thrilled to open our doors,” said Angela Zuba, owner. “We are excited to recreate the winemaking and “It is truly a lifelong dream of ours to own
our community’s wine and culture scene.”
Waters Edge Winery & Bistro Kalispell is a warm, welcoming space adorned with authentic elements of rustic Montana. All wines are made in-house and feature classic selections as well as lesserknown grape varietals grown locally. To accompany its extensive wine and beverage menus, food offerings include a selection of globally inspired tapas, salads, paninis, flatbreads and desserts.
The Zubas relocated to the Flathead dream. Prior to this new venture, Angela spent nearly 20 years growing businesses and not-for-profit organizations and was active in local business and politics. After spending time in the Flathead Valley area, opening their new business and raising their family in the Valley. tasting experience while contributing to
a winery, and we are so thankful for the opportunity to move to America to pursue our dreams,” said Zuba. “We are excited to share our love of wine from around the world with the residents and tourists who stop in to visit us, and we look forward to providing them with a place where they can create memories over a glass of wine.”
FRANCHISINg PROVIDES IDEAl OPPORTuNITIES FOR wOMEN TO EXPERIENCE buSINESS OwNERSHIP All CEO SAyS
Franchising provides flexibility and a predictable path to business success for women who are interested in owning their own business says the ceo of Assisted Living Locators.
Angela Olea started her franchise company which helps find senior living options for the elderly and family members needing assisted living, back in 2006.
Over her 14 years in franchising, Angela has seen tremendous growth in the industry for women, and notes that the International Franchise Association is now woman-led, along with many franchise brokerages that support the industry.
“Franchising provides such an amazing opportunity for women and you’re not locked into choosing traditional femalespecific roles,” Olea said during a recent interview from her second home in Savannah, GA. “Women are buying franchises in everything from plumbing to home repair to something more service oriented such as Assisted Living Locators. It’s a wide-open sector.”
It’s been Olea’s experience that when women are getting into business ownership, they tend to put a priority on flexibility and balance.
alane roberts
According to Assisted Living Locators of San Gabriel Valley, CA franchisee LeeAnn Allman, her franchise provides a muchneeded work-life balance, giving her the flexibility to still work, but also meet her children’s needs. “During the pandemic, I have been able to homeschool my children and fulfill my dream of entrepreneurship,” she explained. “Owning your own franchise, being your own boss while having an incredible corporate office that always has your back is the best of all worlds!”
“Franchising is ideal for women who want to modify their work schedules around their lives,” Olea noted. “As a franchisee, you’re also never alone. It’s not a lone wolf venture -- it’s a true team mentality.” She added that franchising also typically provides a faster ramp-up for business ownership and a more reliable path to success.
“There’s no ceiling to where they can go,” said Olea.
Inspiring women
One way Olea tries to help women get into franchising is by being an inspiration to them by sharing her story. She’s heard from other women that it’s a really strong draw to hear the story of how she went from being an employee to a business owner.
“Seeing the path I followed has inspired other women, so I try to share the story of where I came from, where I’m going and what the franchising path has created for me,” she says.
Jasilika Davidson
Even if women don’t choose to buy an Assisted Living Locators franchise, Olea wants her story to inspire women to explore business ownership through franchising.
“We may not be the right fit for everybody, but I try to educate them on what options are available,” she explained.
To share her story, Olea does public speaking and interviews on podcasts and tries to be a mentor to women thinking about getting into business.
Family obligations
Olea noted that sometimes women can have barriers imposed on them because they tend to be the ones in the household taking care of other family members, whether that is an elderly family member with failing health or children who are now having to be homeschooled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“It can slow down the trajectory of where they’re going if they let it,” she said.
Leeann allman
franchisees to see how they were doing, typically the women franchisees told her they were finding it challenging having to deal with their children’s homeschooling whereas the male franchisees didn’t seem to mention that as much.
This is where the flexibility of franchising can be helpful, she noted, because she found that when she called her franchisees in a household where both parents were self-employed and working from home, they had an easier time than households where one of the parents was working remotely for a company.
About 55 percent of Assisted Living Locators’ franchisees are female and 45 percent are male, Olea said, which has held pretty steady throughout her 14 years as a franchisor.
Currently, the franchise has about 140 franchisees spread throughout 36 states and the District of Columbia.
Olea said although it is frightening to embark on a new venture, what can be gained from women stretching beyond their comfort zone is amazing.
“The opportunities are endless out there, so take that chance and embark on a new endeavor,” she advised.
Assisted Living Locators, which is based in Scottsdale, AZ, has successful female franchisees from all walks of life. They range from women in their late 20s looking for a career to women who have retired from corporate America and now want to do something where they have more control over their own destiny.
Female franchisees in the Assisted Living Locators’ system run the gamut from Wall Street to being homemakers their whole lives and everything in between, Olea noted. Columbus, OH franchise owner Jasilika Davidson, who was looking for a career after leaving the South Carolina National Guard, said joining Assisted Living Locators has been fantastic.
“This is the best decision I’ve ever made for my career as a veteran,” she said.
Slight pandemic impact
Because Assisted Living Locators is considered an essential service, it wasn’t impacted by COVID-19 as badly as some other franchise options, Olea said.
The most significant impact is that the franchise had to shift all of its training to online and also had to embrace virtual tours of the facilities they recommend to families. It also shifted family timeframes by about a quarter- COVID delayed placements, but the aging process and family needs didn’t fundamentally change with the pandemic, it just deferred them slightly.
Pre-COVID, all the training was in person in Scottsdale and they routinely took families for in-person tours of facilities.
The franchise has always had virtual tours, but they’ve picked up drastically now.
“It went from playing a 20 percent role to playing a 100 percent role,” Olea noted.
Even though things are opening back up to in-person interactions, facilities have upgraded their virtual tours so much out of necessity that they’ve become a valuable tool for Assisted Living Locators.
“We’ve benefited and the families have benefited from the facilities really having to step up their virtual tours so families could get a good experience,” Olea said.
Olea gave the example of Houston, TX franchise Alane Roberts who has thrived throughout the pandemic. “During COVID-19, Alane went the extra mile to help seniors and families virtually connect with her provider network, resulting in her revenue increasing,” said Olea. “We are also proud of her leadership in mentoring her other fellow franchisees to adapt to the use of technology to succeed during these challenging times.”
Another big difference for Assisted Living Locators has been holding their annual conference virtually instead of in-person, but it was important to still have a conference so the franchise system could hand out its annual awards, the CEO explained.
For any women who are looking to get into business ownership, Olea and Assisted Living Locators offer an inspiring story and a solid business opportunity to go with it. As Olea says, there are no ceilings to where women can go in franchising.
