Moving on to a perfect fit:Businesswomen choose franchises that connect with personal interests and values

Mary Cullen helped her mother move, the first time, from a four bedroom house filled with thirty years of stuff, into an independent living apartment. When her mother, unhappy with the current apartment, decided to move to another complex, Cullen helped her mother move a second time. After her mother fell and broke her hip, Cullen helped her mother move to a place where she could receive full-time care—Cullen’s house. Each move required downsizing and was accomplished with the help of Cullen’s siblings and adult children. “What happens to people who don’t have family members to help?” Cullen wondered.

Cullen got her answer when she learned about Moving Solutions, a move management Franchise based in Suburban Philadelphia. Today Cullen and her daughter, Meg Albright, provide the same caring services she provided for her mother, to older adults and their family members. Their business, Changing Places, a Moving Solutions franchise, serves West Palm Beach , Martin and St. Lucie counties.

Although Changing Places joined the Moving Solutions network as a conversion franchise, new Moving Solutions franchisees pay an initial franchise fee of $17,000 and can anticipate $10,000-$20,000 additional costs for supplies, marketing and job material and a two-week training period, said Margit Novack, President of the Moving Solutions franchise. The Moving Solutions royalty fees are 4% o gross sales, with a $6000/yr minimum.

Cullen takes special satisfaction in working alongside her business partner and daughter Meg. “I think we have come to see each other in a new light and recognize reach other’s strengths.” Albright agrees, and says that their personalities complement one another. “Each of us has different strengths. My mom brings wisdom and softness that counterbalance my high energy.”

Franchises attractive to women

Cullen is one of a growing number of women business owners in the United States . According to a 2002 US Census Bureau survey, the number of women-owned businesses in the United States grew at twice the national rate for all privately held companies from 1997 to 2002. In 2002, 28 per cent of all private companies in the US were owned by women. An increasing number of these are franchises.

“Unfortunately there are no accurate statistics of women business owners at the franchise level, said Ann Poodiack, Director Meetings and staff liaison to women’s franchise committee of the International Franchise Association (IFA), an organization for franchisors, franchisees and suppliers based in Washington, DC. According to Poodiack, Franchise Opportunities are now available in more than 75 industries, and women are operating Franchises in all types of industries, including automotive and repair services---not just those typically associated with women, such as child care, décor and food services

Franchise opportunities are becoming increasingly attractive to women for several reasons.

• Although franchise owners manage their own businesses, they operate within the structure of the franchisor, who provides training, procedures, systems, support and networking. Many women like the support and network of helpful colleagues that a franchise provides.
• Most female franchisees are transferring skills gained from years of experience in other fields; they like the idea of not having to start from scratch.
• As business owners, franchisees have flexibility in setting their own schedule, which allows them to work around family and personal needs. For some, this means Child Care and fitness goals, but for a growing number of baby boomers business owners, it means caring for aging relatives.

Through its Women’s Franchise Committee, the IFA sponsors programs supporting the growth of women in franchising, including the Women’s Franchise Network (FFN), an annual leadership conference and the recently established Women in Franchising mentoring program to help women develop career opportunities and build professional networks.

Becoming an entrepreneur

The road to entrepreneurship often takes peculiar turns. Fifteen years ago, Chris Lautz’s expertise as a Veterinary Technician lead her to a position with a major pharmaceutical company where she monitored animal studies. From there, she rose up the corporate ladder, eventually assuming a role in quality assurance and regulatory affairs. When corporate downsizing lead to a generous severance package, Lautz decided to use the opportunity to reassess where she was going.

A book on 21 st century home-based business introduced Lautz to the concept of Senior Move Management. After her years in corporate American, she wanted to do something that gave back. The idea of helping older adults during a difficult transition resonated with Lautz. She proceeded cautiously, and used the time to acquire credentials for working with seniors by becoming a Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) --- a designation provided to individuals who complete a rigorous three day training program and pass certain examinations. Maintaining the certification requires continuing education, as well as a commitment to community service.

Working on your business, not in it

Lautz launched her move management business in 2002, and grew her business slowly. An extensive reader of business and personal growth books, Lautz was especially impressed by Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth Revisited, which preaches the importance of walking on your business, not in it. When the Moving Solutions Franchise was launched in 2005, Lautz decided that the systems, documentation, training and marketing material provided by the franchise were what she needed to grow her business according to Gerbner’s franchise prototype. In 2006 Lautz became a Moving Solutions Franchisee for eastern and southeastern CT and formally adopted the Moving Solutions name.

Today Lautz has seven employees and is gearing up for major expansion. She believes that the marketing and training materials provided by the franchise free her time, so she can focus on developing relationships that are key elements of her business growth strategy. Lautz is also using her CSA designation by heading up the Senior Resource Alliance (SRA) of Southeastern CT. The SRA is an alliance of companies providing services to seniors.

A modest, predictable investment

Getting married is what lead Mary Kay Taylor to become a Moving Solutions franchisee.

Like Lautz, Taylor ’s professional life had twists and turns. Following a Masters Degree in Human Services from Brandeis University , Taylor worked with troubled teens, and then became a paralegal and office administrator. Building on her strong organizational skills, Taylor turned to real estate office administration. She was living in Florida and had added real estate sales to her repertoire when she met Daryl Garvin. Six months later, they decided to marry and Taylor moved to Garvin’s home in Charleston, SC.

With a new husband and a new city, Taylor decided it was a good time to reassess her professional life. When an article about Move Management lead her to the Moving Solutions Franchise, she knew immediately that it was for her. “I am really organized, I love working with older adults and I enjoy sales.” It seemed like a perfect fit.

Taylor purchased the Charleston, SC territory, which consists of Charleston , Berkeley and Dorchester counties, for an initial franchisee fee of $16,500 (the price has since increased to $17,000). She completed the 2 week training period at the Moving Solutions corporate office in suburban Philadelphia in February, 2006 and immediately began marketing her business. She had her first job within two months, has several jobs on the books and is recruiting her first employees.

Although Taylor financed her business with private savings, many franchise owners use home equity or take advantage of new programs that that allow business owners to tap into retirement funds without incurring taxes or penalties.

A national brand

Jane Peckenham , a Moving Solutions franchisee serving Westchester County , NY , says she likes the dynamics of running a franchise. “Running a small business is hard; you need to be an expert in everything. Being part of a franchise gives me resources I can turn to for help, but still allows me to be my own boss.”

Like Cullen and Albright, Peckenham’s interest in move management stemmed from a personal experience with a family member, her mother. When Peckenham gave up her business in decorative arts to launch her move management business, she envisioned her business as a small, personal operation.

Last year a broken ankle caused Peckenham to be laid up for weeks. “I was forced to delegate tasks I had previously done myself, and I realized that I didn’t want a mom and pop shop that could only operate if I was personally there.” Peckenham began to envision her business in a new light. “I decided that being part of a national brand would help my business grow, especially as the industry becomes more competitive.”

None of us is as smart as all of us.

Beth Warren, a Moving Solutions franchisee serving Tampa Bay, feels that move management is the natural evolution of her skills and personality. “I have always been around seniors and I have always been a very organized person.” Warren started her business small, doing one or two moves per month, and never envisioned moving off the dining room table. “My business was known for integrity, respect for clients and a commitment to quality. What we didn’t have were the systems that would enable us to grow. That’s why I decided to become a Moving Solutions franchisee.”

One feature of the franchise that Warren likes but didn’t anticipate is the open dialogue with other franchise owners. “Since we don’t compete with one another and all benefit when any of us is successful, there is a lot of sharing of ideas and knowledge.”

A passion for what you do

According to Worthwhile Magazine (October 2005), research shows that increasingly, people want a heart and soul connection to their careers ---and if we can’t or don’t get it from corporate American, we’ll create it ourselves. What stands out most about the women business owners described above is how they feel about their businesses.

Warren sums it up: “What makes me what to be a move manager?  I love the fact that I provide a much needed service and have an impact on our client's lives.  We help relieve the stress for the adult child who can't help their parents because of their own jobs or own life situations and we help our retirement communities have a new resident who will adjust quickly to a new lifestyle.  What more could you ask for?”

Meaning, fulfillment, passion and purpose ---it’s an unbeatable combination.