Women In The Know – Creating A Strong Team

Rebecca Monet and Elizabeth Denham discuss our conversation with Kristen Pechacek and how she spends time working on the team rather than in the team. She takes time to get a holistic view on her team and how to build relationships to make it stronger. How do you work on your team? What is important to you in team building?

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Women In The Know – Managing Up

Managing up is a concept we spoke with Mary Ann O’Connell about in our interview with her. She understands that without good people working for her, she would have struggled more to achieve what she has in business. Have you ever had someone managing you up? or have you managed a superior? Tell us in the comments below.

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Mary Ann O’Connell Interview

Mary Ann O’Connell shares her experience as a woman in business and how she progressed up the ranks. She understands how having support in the workplace and being “managed up” made a difference in her success. Listen for a great interview from a formidable businesswoman!

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Mary Ann O’Connell Where Passion and Purpose Collide

Mary Ann O’Connell’s perspective and experience can teach us so much. On this episode, she discusses the idea of “managing up,” and she shares stories of coming up through the ranks in franchising. As a woman in business, she was expected to be a secretary and found a space in real estate where she was able to grow and succeed. Tune in to learn how she has successfully navigated the business world.

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Meet Mary Ann O’Connell

Mary Ann O’Connell, CFE is the founder of FranWise^® a franchise‐counseling firm that helps franchise systems grow through processes, compliance, manuals and training. Her franchise career stretches more than 40 years as a multi-unit franchisee, franchise executive and a consultant. O’Connell works with major brands, new concepts and the top professionals in the franchising sector. She serves on several IFA committees, is a past member of the IFA Board of Directors, former Chairman of the Supplier Forum Advisory Board, Women’s Franchise Committee and Membership Committee; is the recipient of the Crystal Compass Award and frequently contributes to IFA with articles and presentations. She is an advocate for the poor and underserved in her community, working as a volunteer for Share Ourselves, Habitat for Humanity and Big Sisters.

Ask Beck And Liz – Know Your Audience

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Patty “Effing” Clisham Interview

Patty can do anything she sets her mind to because she is Patty “Effing” Clisham! Tune in to find out about her show and tell projects and how she leads her Ductz and UPS employees!

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Patty “Effing” Clisham – Where Passion and Purpose Collide

This is Patty “effing” Clisham! Her exuberance and relatability are inspiring, and she has a lot of experience paving the way as a woman in a male-dominated industry. She tells us her dirty stories, talks leadership and makes us laugh. Tune in and tell us how you motivate yourself!

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Meet Patty Clisham

Ok, here’s a drive-thru version of how I got here. Or at least my kind of drive-thru! Use whatever you need, it’s hard to keep me from talking about my businesses. Can’t wait for this afternoon!

I have always kind of had non-normal jobs for a woman. Very first job at 16 I worked at a full-service gas station and pumped gas, checked the oil and washed the windows. I loved it! I also worked right next door at a restaurant as a waitress. That taught me the importance of time management and priorities. And also working with the public. That experience came in very handy later in life. I was a soils technician on the groundbreaking building of a General Motors plant here in Missouri, that was fun and educational. I took drafting at Tech School high school because my father would not sign the paperwork for me to be in the auto mechanics program. But having that experience got me a drafting job for Honeywell International where I learned anything and everything about building automation and temperature control.

Interesting, but I did not want to sit at a desk for the rest of my life. I went back to school so I could be a field service technician. Bingo! That was my calling. Troubleshooting electronics and making things work. Great career, but I still wanted more. I had difficulty getting promoted so I went to another company that appreciated my ability to be technical and also manage people. That was short-lived when that company was bought by Johnson Controls. So here I was back at another large male-dominated company and no chance at being promoted.

It was here that I decided that if I was going to work this hard, I wanted to work for myself. So I started looking at owning a franchise. I found DUCTZ! There was not one in my area so I saw an opportunity to use my background in building operations and my desire to control my own destiny to start my new career. I purchased the very first DUCTZ Franchise in St. Louis in 2007. No one had ever even heard of DUCTZ before then. We are practically a family name to many HVAC companies, mechanical contractors, general contractors, luxury home builders and the list goes on.

About 6 years ago, I had the opportunity to purchase a UPS Store Franchise as an investment for the future. I saw a great deal of potential in growing that store and I have had double-digit growth each year. The UPS Store is a completely different animal than the DUCTZ Franchise. One retail and one service-oriented. Different set of skills to manage each which is interesting.

Along the way, I have been involved in many industry organizations and networking opportunities to educate others about my businesses and connect people. I have lived in the St. Louis area all my life and have never met a stranger. My mother told me when I was very young that I would talk to anyone about anything… and she was right and I believe it has served me well.

Sounds crazy, but I couldn’t be happier! I work long, hard hours some weeks. But I’m working for me and holding myself accountable. Who knows where I’ll end up. I feel like I’m just getting warmed up!

Meg Roberts Interview

Meg Roberts is a smart, driven, tough executive who shares her willingness to embrace imperfection and create real and lasting relationships. She leads with transparency to create trust, and with clear communication to build her teams. Tune in for this very real glimpse of a true leader.

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Meg Roberts – Where Passion and Purpose Collide

Meg Roberts discusses leadership, communication and accountability. She uses themes to keep her team focused and motivated – this year, they ROAR! What are you doing to keep yourself going?

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Welcome Meg Roberts

Meg Roberts joined Franworth as an Operating Partner in 2018 where she serves as CEO and President of The Lash Lounge. Meg brings a proven track record of leadership, growth and marketing expertise to The Lash Lounge. She is most proud of her franchisee relationship skills and looks forward to building a system of success and satisfaction.

Meg began her career in franchising at Service Brands International where she served as the Vice President of Marketing overseeing both Molly Maid and Mr. Handyman where her primary focus was on national brand marketing and digital strategy. In 2012, Meg became the youngest President to lead the Molly Maid brand, a system of over 200 franchisees, where she built a team of Operations and Marketing experts to lead the brand into a new era of success.

Meg was named to Crain’s Detroit Magazine 40 under 40 and was featured in an episode of the A&E series “Be the Boss.” She serves on The Women’s Franchise Committee, the NextGen Committee and is part of the IFA Convention Planning team. Prior to entering the franchising industry Meg spent eight years in marketing and television advertising with BBDO Chicago.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts in Marketing Research from Michigan State University.

Women In The Know – Rejection, Obstacles and Community

Rebecca Monet and Elizabeth Denham discuss what they learned from their interview with Laura Spaulding. Her resiliency, grit and determination are inspiring. We could all learn a lesson about how to overcome and create the lives we want from her.

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