Tag: featured

Elizabeth (Liz) Roberts, multi-unit franchisee with Pure Barre joins Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa on this episode of The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.  

Liz is an athlete. She played competitive softball, basketball, soccer, rugby and ice hockey in high school and college. In each she excelled with the exception of ice hockey where she claims she was the worst player. Liz talks about the pressure on top athletes and the many blessings when you are the worst player on a team.  

Whodathunk!? She shares how the lessons of being the ‘worst hockey player’ translates into the way she coaches her son’s soccer team and runs her Pure Barre business.  

Confidence runs through Liz’s veins. She had no doubt she was going to be successful running a business. She studied business in college, her parents were entrepreneurs and her husband is an entrepreneur.  

Elizabeth discusses the entrepreneur’s get the job done mindset and how her upbringing and athletic nature plays into that.  

Listen in to this inspiring business woman as she shares her views on competition, contribution, community and culture.  

Meet Elizabeth Roberts

Vermont native, Elizabeth, has been living with her family in Massachusetts since 2008.  Liz has a strong athletic background, having played sports her entire life, and her passion for health and wellness has only grown since childhood.   

Elizabeth studied entrepreneurship and finance at Babson College, and played sports throughout college. For several years after college she pursued a career in finance, but her ultimate goal was to run her own business.   

After the birth of her two children, she took her first Pure Barre class. She soon realized the impact Pure Barre could have on strengthening one’s body and overall wellness when she saw her body change post-childbirth, and she knew she wanted to bring Pure Barre to the community. Liz loves the burn and body-transforming results of the Pure Barre workout.  She opened her first Pure Barre while pregnant with her third child and ‘tucked’ all the way through!  After opening her first studio she grew from one location to 9 studios in under 5 years.  

Elizabeth sits on the Pure Barre Presidents Council and Marketing Committee to work with the franchisor on the brand. Elizabeth and her husband, Frank, live in Easthampton MA with their three children, dog and cat.  

Learn more about Elizabeth Roberts 

Learn more about Pure Barre 

As a middle child Marianne Murphy discovered the best way to stand out from her siblings was to be the Director and Chief of Everything. A role she took to like a duck to water. Always a bit independent it took some time for Marianne to realize going it alone is not always the best answer. Business has taught her that a true leader surrounds herself with smart, capable people.

Marianne Murphy, CFE and Vice President Brand Experience joins Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa on this fascinating episode of The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion and Purpose Collide.

Listen in as Marianne share’s her journey and discusses the vital role tradespeople will play in the future of franchising.

Meet Marianne Murphy

A veteran of franchising with over 30 years of experience, Ms. Murphy joined Floor Coverings International®, a FirstService Brands company, in October 2011, and currently holds the role of Vice President, Brand Experience.  In addition, Marianne is an active participant in the International Franchise Association, having received the designation of Certified Franchise Executive (CFE), and previously served on the IFA’s Women’s Franchise Committee.  She was awarded the 2014 Chrystal Compass Award.   

Throughout her career in the Real Estate and Franchising industries, she has engaged with numerous audiences on topics ranging from Selling in a Down Market to The Power of Connecting.   She holds a B.A. from Rutgers College, New Brunswick, NJ.   

Patrick E. Alcorn and Rich Ashe have much in common beyond their military service.  

Patrick was in the United States Army, including time as a Cadet at West Point. Rich served in the United States Marine Corps from 1976 to 1984 in the infantry and then as part of a joint Marine, Navy, and Air Force intelligence project.  

Together they are helping fellow veterans build a business beyond the battlefield.  

Patrick Alcorn is the Director of the Veterans Business Outreach Center University of Texas Arlington. Rich Ashe is the founder and president of Veteran Franchise Advisers.  

Listen in to this special Veterans episode of The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.  

 Meet Patrick E. Alcorn, MBA 

Patrick Alcorn is Director of the Veterans Business Outreach Center University of Texas Arlington.  He served nine years in the United States Army, including time as a Cadet at West Point. He has been an NCAA athlete, a combat engineer, a deputy city councilman, and an award-winning sales professional.   

Patrick is a 2016 SBA Small Business Champion of the Year and a 2018 Fort Worth Business Press C-Suite Award recipient.  His presentations deliver power, passion and a dynamic experience to inspire you to focus on value, leverage resources, implement strategies and persist in building your business beyond the battlefield. 

Learn more about Patrick Alcorn 

Learn more about Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC)  

Meet Richard Ashe, CFC  

Rich Ashe is the founder and president of Veteran Franchise Advisers.   

Rich served in the United States Marine Corps from 1976 to 1984 in the infantry and then as part of a joint Marine, Navy, and Air Force intelligence project. After his tenure in the Marine Corp, Rich attained a degree in Marketing and Business Management.   

Rich has worked for Fortune 500 companies such as Chase, Xerox, Compaq, and Hewlett Packard to expand or start new businesses.   

During his 30 years in business, Rich helped to launch three software start-ups and participated in two successful IPO’s. As an entrepreneur, Rich started two businesses of his own; a computer training service and an IT Network consulting firm. Rich also operated two franchises before starting Veteran Franchise Advisers.   

Rich became a Certified Franchise Consultant and founded Veteran Franchise Advisers in 2011. A member of the Franchise Brokers Association, Texas Veterans Chamber of Commerce, Lone Star Veterans Association, he works along with the SBA and SCORE teaching courses on business start-ups. Rich served on the International Franchise Association VetFran committee from 2011 – 2013. Rich founded Veteran Franchise Advisers to assist veterans, past, present, and future, interested in exploring franchise business ownership. Over the last ten years, he has served veterans across the nation to launch franchise businesses in multiple industries.   

Learn more about Rich Ashe 

Learn more about Veteran Franchise Advisers 

A United States Air Force veteran himself, Ralph Yarusso shares the inside scoop on VetFran on this special Veterans episode of The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.  

VetFran is an advisory committee of the International Franchise Association with a mission to help veterans access opportunities in franchising by encouraging franchisors to offer financial incentives to prospective franchisees who are honorably discharged veterans, educating the veterans community about the opportunities of franchising, and being a voice for veterans in franchising within both the franchise and veterans communities.   

Hear Ralph’s personal journey from pilot to multi-unit franchisee and beyond.  

Meet Ralph Yarusso

Ralph Yarusso, CFE.   

VP Business Development, BrandONE 

CDO, FullSpeed Automotive 

COO, Franchising Grease Monkey International  

Over 35 years franchising experience on both sides of the franchise model as franchisee and franchisor.   

Former Multi-Unit franchisee (15 centers) during 23 years with Meineke 

Chairman Meineke National Franchise Council 

President Dealer Association 

Worked on the Franchisor side at Driven Brands for 5 years with last role as COO with Meineke  

IFA – Franchisee of the year 2002 

IFA – Franchisee Forum  

USAF Veteran 

VetFran Committee member 

 Learn more about Ralph Yarusso 

 Learn more about BrandOne 

 Learn more about VetFran 

KC Gardner, Navy veteran turned franchisee, has become Reno’s most seasoned dog training expert. She joins Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa on this special veterans in franchising edition of The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.  

KC spent 15 years in the Navy with the ambition of becoming a lawyer.   

She’s an avid reader, detail oriented, possesses strong administrative skills and was always fascinated with a mystery when it presented itself. These attributes she believed would contribute to a successful career as a lawyer.  

One day after arguing a case in court and the stress mounting, it dawned on her that she hated arguing and was simply not having any fun. Later that night while sitting on the couch and rubbing her feet over her dog’s fur – the tensions of the day seemed to disappear. That was KC’s wake-up call.    

Listen in as KC shares how she took a side hustle, a passion, and turned it into a fulfilling and purposeful business.   

Meet KC Gardner

KC Gardner, veteran turned franchisee, has become Reno’s most seasoned dog expert. Dogs began to follow her home from school when she was in 1st grade and haven’t left her side since. KC joined the Navy, where her work heavily involved military dog training with water training, field trials, and splash dogs.   

After her military career, KC continued to follow her passion for dogs by opening a local business as a professional dog groomer for difficult pets. Living a life centered by dogs, KC became the owner of Zoom Room’s first location in Reno. With decades of experience under her belt, KC knows that the pet industry is the best-kept secret for investors. Paired with a proven franchise model that emphasizes positive reinforcement, strengthening the communication between dogs and their owners and demonstrated profitability, for KC, the decision to open her own Zoom Room was the right decision.  

Learn more about KC Gardner  

Learn more about Zoom Room 

Master Networker, Radio Personality, Speaker and Author Linda Ballesteros joins Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa on this episode of The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.

Linda shares the art and science of networking and building long-lasting, meaningful and profitable relationships.

I don’t want to give away all of her tips and tricks – suffice it to say there is a precise ‘recipe’ for successful network. A few of the ingredients include: insatiable curiosity, never speaking first, throwing away your elevator pitch … and oh so much more.

You will find this interview enticing, enlightening and entertaining – I promise.

Meet Linda Ballesteros

As a Certified Franchise Broker (CFB) Linda Ballesteros taps into her 30+ years in the banking industry as well as her coaching background to guide and empower those who are seeking to build wealth and leave a legacy through owning a business. 

Linda has founded and led many business networking organizations where she mentored entrepreneurs in the value of building their business by building relationships. 

She is an international bestselling author as well as a speaker and radio show host.   

Her recent book, The Secret to All Things Franchising (How franchising is the secret to a life of passion, purpose and prosperity), is a compilation of stories from franchisors, franchisees and others who support the franchise business model.  

Linda is also a Professional Life Coach. 

Learn more about Linda Ballesteros  

Listen to All Things Franchising Radio Show on Apple Podcasts 

Christine Kelly (Chris), is the founder and chairman of Little Kickers with 350 locations in 33 countries. She joins Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa from Malta on this episode of The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.

What makes Chris Kelly such a great leader? I think it’s several things including her childhood upbringing, her Quaker boarding school education, being true to her values and conscious decisions she has made along the way.

When asked directly what makes her a good leader, Chris stated 5 specific things. One of my favorite ones was regarding who she picks to work or partner with. Her criteria is very specific.

She ONLY works with people she likes and enjoys spending time with.

Shocker right? Yet, how many franchisors select franchisees (someone they will have a 10-year relationship with) solely on the basis of money, drive and/or skill? Or for that matter, how many employers have employees who get under their skin for one reason or another, yet they possess the right education, experience or skill set?

Meet Christine Kelly

After graduating from Aston University in 1993, with a degree in International Business and Modern Languages, Christine joined JP Morgan. 

Christine founded Little Kickers in London following the birth of her son, Lukas, in 2002.  The company sold its first franchise in 2004, and currently operates through a network of over 350 franchisees in 33 countries.  

Little Kickers has won a number of awards including most recently, the “Best Business Serving Football” in the 2021 Football Business Awards.  The British Franchise Association’s “Award for International Development” in 2017 and “International Superbrand” in 2020 and the Canadian Franchise Association’s “Franchisor of the Year” award in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2021.  Little Kickers was also recognized as one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top Global Franchises” from 2016 – 2021 and won the title of “Global Franchise Champion” at the 2020 Global Franchise awards.  Christine was awarded “International Businesswoman of the Year 2021” in the UK National Business Women’s Awards and was the Aphrodite Award winner in the NatWest / Daily Mail Everywoman Awards 2020.    

Christine was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration by Aston University in 2019 for her contribution to entrepreneurship. 

Laura Coe, CEO and Co-founder of Snapology joins Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa on this episode of The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.  

What does a single mother do when she can’t find after school programs or extra-curricular activities for her young, non-athletic boys? Simple. She creates one. Then another. Then dozens more and calls it Snapology.  

Snapology offers online and in-person classes, summer camps, field trips, and birthday parties. In addition to more traditional subjects, it features classes in robotics, coding, video game design and animation, using Legos, K’nex, and other technology, including iPads and laptops.  

This interview looks at how social interaction encourages a child’s self-expression and builds confidence. And how a child’s muscle of imagination grows when exercised during play, exploration and collaboration.   

Listen in as Laura Coe share’s how her passion for math collided with her passion to have a positive impact on the lives and future children and their communities.   

Meet Laura Coe

Laura is the CEO of the Snapology franchise system. Laura, along with her sister Lisa, founded Snapology in 2010. Snapology’s mission is to provide educational play to children using LEGO® bricks, K’Nex and other interactive mediums. Snapology provides coding, robotics and S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, art and math) programs to children of all abilities, including gifted children and those with extra needs.  

Laura oversees the daily operations of the Snapology franchise; including franchisee support, lead generation, systems development, curriculum development and the function of the local Pittsburgh-South franchise.  

Prior to starting Snapology, Laura held a successful career as a health care actuary for 20+ years.  As a health care actuary, she held senior-level positions with Aetna, CVS Pharmacare, Eckerd Health Services and Mercer Human Resource Consulting. In these roles, Laura was responsible for providing actuarial and strategic guidance for pharmacy, dental and behavioral health products. Laura has also presented to various State legislatures and members of the US Senate and House of Representative on various topics involving prescription drug programs.  

Laura holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Penn State University.  She is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.   She lives in the Pittsburgh area with her two children. 

Learn more about Laura Coe 

Learn more about Snapology  

Catherine Monson, CEO of Propelled Brands joins Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa on this very special episode of The Franchise Woman podcast: Where Passion & Purpose Collide.  

I think we can all agree, Catherine Monson knows a thing or two about success!  

She’s directed, managed and mentored the success of hundreds of franchisees as the CEO of FASTSIGNS International, Inc. She successfully oversaw the formation of Propelled Brands, the corporate umbrella that now includes FASTSIGNS, SIGNWAVE in Australia, NerdsToGo, MY SALON and Salon Plaza.  

As Chair of the International Franchise Association (IFA) Catherine has observed the good, bad and ugly of franchisors and franchisees when building their businesses.  

Catherine has her finger on the pulse of franchising and understands first hand the characteristics of highly successful people.    

If this podcast does not quicken your heart and enliven your spirit – I’ll personally administer CPR.  

Listen in. Listen up. Share.  

Meet Catherine Monson

Catherine Monson brings 30 years of franchising and management experience to her leadership role that spans multiple brands. Catherine has been the CEO of FASTSIGNS International, Inc., the leading sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, since January 2009. In 2021, Catherine oversaw and announced the formation of Propelled Brands, the corporate umbrella that now includes FASTSIGNS®; SIGNWAVE® in Australia where FASTSIGNS centers operate under the SIGNWAVE brand; NerdsToGo®, an emerging IT services franchise brand acquired in September 2020; and Suite Management Franchising, LLC, the parent company of MY SALON Suite and Salon Plaza acquired in June 2021. Salon Management Franchising, LLC is a leading concept in the salon suite industry bringing together a collection of independent beauty professionals in one luxurious location.

With a focus on business-to-business and service franchises and the people behind those businesses, Propelled Brands helps each franchise confidently navigate forward based on their unique position, momentum and purpose. Propelled Brands establishes a strategic path for each brand to chart a course and offer support and guidance to every franchisee in each brand to help them ultimately arrive at maximum success.

Below are awards and accomplishments Catherine has obtained over the course of her career:

●The International Franchise Association (IFA) Bonny LeVine Award in recognition of her contributions to the growth of the franchising industry (2009).

●Dallas Business Journal named her a top Women Industry Leader in the Dallas Metroplex (2010).

●Catherine appeared on the Emmy Award-winning series Undercover Boss to learn new ways to advance the FASTSIGNS® brand (2012).

●Named “Innovator and Influencer” by Sign and Digital Graphics Magazine (2013).

●Received the IFA’s first Franchise Action Network “FAN of the Year” award for her advocacy work on behalf of the franchising community (2015).

●Selected as Soderstrom Society Inductee for her contributions to the printing and graphic communications industry (2016).

●2016 Leadership Award from the Women That Soar organization.

●Under Catherine’s leadership, FASTSIGNS International, Inc. received the 2016 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest recognition presented by the Department of Defense to employers for their exemplary support of National Guard and Reserve members.

●Distinguished Women Award – Northwood University (2017).

●Ambassador of Free Enterprise Award by Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI)(2018).

●Most Admired CEO Award by the Dallas Business Journal (2019).

●Named to Franchise Dictionary Magazine’s 50 Women of Wonder (WoW) 2020 List.

Catherine has served on the Board of Directors of the IFA since 2008 and entered her second year as Chair of the IFA in February 2021.

Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors of Brain Balance, a franchise company with a non-drug alternative for children with behavioral challenges, and on the Board of Directors of the franchisor Big Blue Swim School, one of the nation’s fastest growing swim schools.

She is a keynote speaker at many franchise industry events, as well as at many sign and visual graphics industry events.