Women have long been the minority when it comes to franchise ownership, but that gap is shrinking. In the past ten years, the number of women-owned franchises has grown by 38%. When compared to earlier decades, the improvement is astonishing. In 1972, two years before women were even legally allowed to apply for and own a credit card, there were only 400,000 registered businesses owned by women. Today, that number now exceeds 13 million.
Women now make up 30% of franchise owners in the US, and of this number, a third have successfully operated their business for more than a decade. There is still a long way to go towards equality in the business sector, but within franchising the pay gap is steadily improving and, according to franchise discovery platform Franzy, “many studies clearly demonstrate that women tend to perform better than men in several areas when it comes to franchising.”
As women continue to forge their own path as business owners, it is critical that they are willing to be seen and heard within the corporate and commercial arena. When asked what advice she would give to aspiring women leaders seeking to succeed in male-dominated environments, Sunny Beutler, Sunrider International CEO, told Chief Executive magazine: “I would tell them to be confident, to speak up and to professionally take the lead in conversations if you feel you have something worth sharing. It may often feel like men are dominating conversations, so you will feel like you have to push hard to be heard, but keep on doing it because that’s how you can get your voice heard.”
Beyond finding the courage to speak up, Beutler advised women leaders to be proactive team members who reach out to others as they seek to improve processes, products and initiatives.
“I love initiative and innovation, and when women are able to raise their voices to express these initiatives or innovative ideas while competently doing their jobs, that’s when I think, ‘this person can be a leader.’”
