Author: Rebecca

Where Passion and Purpose Collide – Susan Trumble

Sheri Granger and Susan Trumble are both Mr. Transmission franchisees. As women working in a male-dominated business, they tell us how they lead and how they have learned the business. Both able to adapt their career paths at different times in their lives, they can teach us a lot about going for it!

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Meet Susan Trumble, Owner, Mr. Transmission

Moran Family of Brands is excited to announce that Susan Trumble, owner of the Mr. Transmission/Milex store in Florence, KY is the winner of Mr. Transmission Franchisee of the Year. She has worked tirelessly to grow her store after she purchased it from her father, and she is proud to have earned this distinction from her peers. Her commitment to serving her customers and building a community within her co-branded Mr. Transmission and Milex store has brought her success and joy for many years. We found out her secrets to star-caliber performance, and we’re here to share them with you!

After graduating from high school, Susan became a flight attendant with U.S. Air. Her father had also been with U.S. Air as a pilot before becoming one of the first franchisees of Mr. Transmission. Susan began helping her father in 1992, in an arrangement that was meant to be temporary. However, she took to the business and the customer service like a duck to water and soon became a permanent fixture at the store. When her father wanted to take less of a hands-on role in the business, it made sense to allow Susan to buy the business from him.

When Susan took over the business from her father in April of 1993, people in the area began to doubt how long the business would last under her leadership. Their skepticism about her abilities only served to light a fire under her, and the business is still thriving almost two and a half decades later. From the very beginning, Susan’s focus was on creating a place in her community that people could rely on. Mr. Transmission often sees customers when they’re feeling frustrated, helpless and confused, and the last thing they want to worry about is poor service or exploitative technicians. Susan learned quickly to strike a balance between compassion and honesty that consistently earns her rave reviews and business referrals. Susan loves the ability to be someone’s saving grace in the middle of an automotive crisis, especially for women who may enter an automotive shop feeling intimidated due to a lack of knowledge about cars.

Susan has far exceeded customer expectations to build a business that serves others in need of service to their cars. The people who visit her co-branded Mr. Transmission and Milex Complete Auto Care shop know they can count on getting the best from Susan and her staff. She recalls a time she drove overnight to pick up a customer whose car broke down and how thankful the woman was that she had someone on her side. This is the kind of above-and-beyond service that has shot her to the top this year.

“I think it is important to show people compassion in their time of need,” said Susan, who believes she learned that from her time as a flight attendant. “Nobody is prepared to spend hundreds of dollars on emergency car repairs. I just try to reassure them that this is just a vehicle, and I will help them get through this.”

Susan’s advice for franchisees and potential entrepreneurs alike is to invest in your community. This doesn’t just refer to your customers, but also to your employees. For example, two of her technicians have been with her business for over 20 years. This is a significant investment of time, and clearly, they’ve been happy enough to stay throughout the many changes in the industry during the past two decades. Susan has said they often spend evenings just talking in the shop after the day’s work has finished, which she knows is unique. She also recommends that business owners lose any fear, and reach out for help at every opportunity.

“Prospective franchisees should know there is a lot of support and assistance they can receive from the home office to help them run their business. People just need to know it is there and reach out for help if needed.”

No one can say Susan hasn’t worked hard to earn this accolade, so we want to extend some hearty congratulations her way! Join us in celebrating her win of Mr. Transmission Franchisee of the Year. If franchising with Moran Family of Brands sounds like a winning proposition to you, visit our franchise page and get in touch!

Where Passion and Purpose Collide – Sheri Granger

Sheri Granger and Susan Trumble are both Mr. Transmission franchisees. As women working in a male-dominated business, they tell us how they lead and how they have learned the business. Both able to adapt their career paths at different times in their lives, they can teach us a lot about going for it!

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Meet Sheri Granger, Mr. Transmission Owner

I was born 2/2/1968 in Chicago IL and raised there with my mom, dad and little sister. I went to Columbia College in Chicago for sound engineering and worked at a few recording studios in Chicago. I moved to Melbourne Fl. when I was 26 and got into the medical field doing office work. I lived there for 15 years and had a son, Eric. I moved back to Chicago so Eric could be raised around family. That’s when I met Bill, my husband. He adopted Eric and we got married in Vegas. One year we took a trip to Florida and I told Bill I would like to move back to Florida one day. He left his great paying job at BP as an oil operator so we could move to Bradenton Fl. By this time I had been working in the medical field for 25 years doing everything from medical assistant, scheduling, billing, payments and coding. Bill asked if I wanted to open up a franchise. Bill did not like his job here much because he was on call 24/7. If he wanted to take a day off they had to fly someone in to cover him. We looked at gyms, coffee shops, garage door repair and auto repair. Being that Bill was a master technician for 20 years when he lived in New York and Indian  I always felt comfortable with the auto industry.  I liked the idea that he would know what the technicians were talking about. I also felt like the auto industry is more secure than a gym or other industries being that people always need their cars to work. We looked at Aamco, Midis, Maco and Moran. Bill told me after the first phone call with Ben at Moran I was going to want to go with them because their corporate office was right down the street from my family and friends’ houses. That was a plus for me but not why we chose Moran. We liked that they were not as big as Aamco or the other franchises.  The others gave me the impression that once they got you to sign with them you were on your own. Moran was not like that. After a year of looking at buildings to purchase we purchased an existing tire shop.  The first 2 months were a mess, trying to get set up with vendors, computers and employees was a lot.  We have now been open over a year and I feel like I have more of an understanding and have our flow down. Now it is fun coming to the shop every day and working by my husband’s side is the best!

A Time to Celebrate!

by Elizabeth Denham

On June 15, 2020, in the middle of Pride Month, The United States Supreme Court ruled that existing federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.  This is a major victory for the LGBTQ community as they have lived in fear of being fired for who they were. 

“The Supreme Court’s clarification that it’s unlawful to fire people because they’re LGBTQ is the result of decades of advocates fighting for our rights,” said James Esseks, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & HIV Project to NBC News. “The court has caught up to the majority of our country, which already knows that discriminating against LGBTQ people is both unfair and against the law.” 

With the introduction of the Pride Council as a part of the IFA, inclusion and diversity are important in the franchising industry. The Franchise Woman celebrates this Supreme Court decision and looks forward to continuing to support diversity and inclusion in the industry in all its forms. 

Policy: 

While many businesses are reopening across the country, there is still a lot of information to keep up with in terms of COVID-19 and franchising. The IFA website has updated information on topics relevant to your business and the legislation surrounding the industry.  Here are some recent updates: 

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES 

EMPLOYER GROUPS MOVE TO DEFEND JOINT EMPLOYER RULE 

IFA STATEMENT ON SENATE PASSAGE OF PPP FLEXIBILITY ACT 

Heather Hudson Interview – Hero Heather

Heather Hudson of 9Round Fitness talks about being your own hero and how that applies to life. She also puts a lot of focus on self-improvement and shares that quality with her family. Her belief in the connection between physical and mental health is something we should all learn more about!

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Where Passion and Purpose Collide – Heather Hudson

On this episode, Elizabeth and Rebecca speak to Heather Hudson of 9Round Fitness. As an advocate for mental health, she believes in the mind/body connection for overall health and wellness. She also talks about staying in her own lane working with her husband, how his reading habit makes him more attractive and how they instill the desire for continual self-improvement in their kids.

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Meet Heather Hudson, COO and Co-Founder, 9Round

Heather Hudson, COO and Co-Founder of 9Round, has been with the brand since its founding in 2008. She is a mom of two, black belt holder and fitness competitor. Heather grew up with a passion for fitness and overall wellness, but after having two children, she found herself needing more results out of her exercise program, which she discovered through kickboxing. Heather is a huge advocate for women in fitness, and through 9Round, she has been able to take her passion for fitness and support women every day across the brand’s 800 locations around the world. Heather‘s passion is now helping others realize that their fitness goals are never too high, and since opening the first 9Round studio in 2008, membership has grown to more than 70% women.

Heather‘s fondness for helping others doesn’t stop in the gym. She is also extremely dedicated to helping the 9Round franchisees reach their financial goals. Heather supports the franchising company with a strong focus on communications to owners, marketing, and the development of scalable systems for the 9Round owners. She sets high standards for herself and the 9Round company, and she offers support to the franchisees at every level.

Social Links:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather–hudson-95a23874/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherLoveHudson/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_hudson/

 

SHIFT HAPPENS – Keeping Positive in Challenging Times

by Susan Scotts

No matter who you are or where you are, Covid-19 has affected everyone in one way or another.  The world is not the same place it was just a few short months ago.  In life, “SHIFT” happens.  As resilient human beings, we always learn to adjust and redirect.  If you are in a state of flux with life as you currently know, you are not alone!  The “new normal-ish” is something we haven’t identified yet, and I believe it will continue to change and evolve. However, many of us don’t like change – especially many of the changes that we are facing now during coronavirus.  Just because things have changed, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy life in a positive way.  It just requires a shift in our thinking as well.  

Please know, it’s ok to not be ok.  Allow yourself to feel all the feelings.  All crises are just opportunities to go back to our core principles and decide what really matters and readjust our lives to lead a life that is fundamentally more nutritious for our physical beings, spirits and souls. 

With all of the external issues we’ve been faced with, I feel that many of the biggest things we are learning are internal.  Introspection has surely hit all of us, with additional time to think while in quarantine.  It is a time that requires our patience.  Patience, according to a Benedictine Monk, means to “sit with our suffering.”  Isolation can take from you, or GIVE you the space created for dreaming of what you really want for yourself, an opportunity to clear the clutter of everyday noise, activities, and even physical things we really don’t want, need or enjoy any longer.  These are the times that shape us. You can choose to be shaped or to shape yourself.   Are you allowing the isolation to take from you, or give to you?  To shape you, or for you to shape yourself? 

Here are some helpful ways to stay positive and to make you more hopeful: 

THINK POSITIVELY.  I know that sounds obvious, but having positive thoughts is extremely important.  Good can be found in almost every situation (sometimes it is not obvious at first, but good things can positively come from what we see as a temporarily bad situation.)  Perhaps now we have time to experience the small things in life and remember how special they are.  Enjoying the glorious sun coming up, taking time and enjoying a delicious, flavorful breakfast or dinner with your family.  Listening to the beautiful harmony of the birds chirping or simply enjoying a slower pace of life.  Taking a little time for ourselves to just breathe in the fragrant grass and flowers and simply enjoy a warm, summer day.  The glass is either half full or half empty, how will you choose to view it? Meaningful moments are happening that we were too busy to enjoy before.  This time is allowing us to enjoy them! 

MAKE A GRATITUDE LIST AND LEARN TO ATTRACT WHAT YOU DESIRE.    Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”  If you are personally struggling to find gratitude in your day or your life, try making a gratitude list.  Get out a piece of paper or even a laptop and begin to write all the positive and good things in your life.  It can be as simple as, “I have a roof over my head,” or “I have enough food to eat.”  How about, “I am healthy!!” Keep writing!  You’ll see once you begin, it’s easy to keep writing and see all the wonderful things in your life.  If you can’t focus on something good, think of how much worse it could actually be.  Be grateful.  Energetically you get back what energies you put out into the universe, so by seeing the beauty, you will attract more beauty into your life.  To empower you to attract abundance in your life, I created a powerful app called The Conscious Manifestor (available in both Apple and Google Play stores).  The Conscious Manifestor app provides you with a positive affirmation each day that you select and helps you learn how to utilize the art of consciously attracting abundance in your life.  Why not choose to attract what you really desire today! 

SERVE OTHERS.  After creating a gratitude list, you can begin to see how incredibly blessed you are.  To add to that list, instead of allowing this time of forced isolation to create separation, why not let it empower you to come even closer to others by helping them?  It doesn’t have to be a huge expense for you to make a difference.  Making a simple phone call to someone who is at high risk during the pandemic can make a huge impact.  You can donate food or time to a local group who is serving your local community.   The small kindnesses that will become who we were during this time will become who we are after it.   

USE YOUR TIME PRODUCTIVELY.  Embrace a slower pace – it’s the little things that add up to a full life.  Instead of seeing this time as a punishment, try viewing it as an opportunity for additional time to do what you want to do.  You can start by identifying what is important to you.   As the lockdown forces us to turn inward, it offers us an opportunity to rethink what’s important and what we were meant to do.  Perhaps your excuse in the past has been “I don’t have time to think about what I really want to do or the time to learn something new.”  The ground has certainly shifted, and many people are reviewing their lives, reflecting not only on “what’s important” and “what makes me happy” but also “what was I created to do?”  It may be time to re-evaluate what you do to earn a living to have a more purposeful life. For some, it may be mandatory due to a layoff or closure. For others, it is necessary to live a more authentic life.  Together we can explore meaningful work that will make you happy and fulfilled and learn about possibilities that allow you to “make a life, not a living.”  Perhaps it is time for you to consider a home-based business so you can be there for your children or a service–based business that allows others to work for you and you can then focus on what’s important to you.  There are many options available that you’ve never even thought of or might have dismissed prematurely that could be a good fit for you.  As a Career Transition Coach, I’ve been helping people for over three decades to become self-sufficient.  A free 10–minute call will change your life, so use this time productively and let’s learn together what might be a good fit for you.  Learn more on Apple App Store or Google Play or at ConsciousManifestor.com.  What are you waiting for?