fe at ure : hom e serv ices franchising
WOMEN IN FRANCHISING: Kim Marmolejo | Hello Garage
WOMEN POISED TO TAKE OVER AS LEADERS IN THE
home-service industry
Both men and women possess the traits necessary to operate and lead franchises but as more women are choosing to invest in the home-service industry, they are poised to take over in the years to come. One of the women positioned to be a female leader in this sector is Kim Marmolejo, a seasoned truck driver and single mother of four boys. She was always on the road away from home and finally came to the decision to make a career change that would allow her to be closer to family.
Kim considered a truck driving business as her first option but it wasn’t the most family-friendly business endeavor and the industry was not as safe as it had been in years past. With the desire to leave something for her family in the form of a business that would flourish for generations to come, Kim came across Hello Garage franchise opportunities. Immediately her boys were on board and Hello Garage of Naperville, IL was born. All four of the Marmolejo boys currently play a role in the family business. The eldest who lives in Tennessee is interested in eventually purchasing a Hello Garage
Franchising USA
territory near him to allow the family business to continue to grow while Austin, the second eldest serves as the company’s Garage Guru and is in charge of sales. Alex, the second youngest works as the team’s lead installer while Adam, the youngest who is still in high school, manages all of the company’s social media and local marketing efforts. While all four have extremely different skills and roles, Kim says that their individual personalities are perfect for each position they hold in the company. When looking for her next business endeavor, Kim was open to any and all opportunities. Her research included restaurants, coffee shops, even a flooring company – but she always came back to
Hello Garage in large part to the constant insight and support she would receive from the company’s team. While franchising has been a historically male-dominated industry, gone are the days where women are expected to own and work in more feminine-oriented industries like beauty or food-related franchises. Working in a male dominated field most of her adult life, from driving trucks to roofing and construction, choosing to join the franchise world with her own business in that field wasn’t even a question for Kim. “I’ve worked as a laborer, a roofing contractor, and I have also done concrete work so a service-based franchise opportunity was one that I knew would be best for me and my family. With
