The growing diversity of Canadian franchising lifts the industry to new heights

Given the flexibility and favourable work-life balance the franchise business model provides, it should be no surprise that while Canada’s female workforce in general continues to grow exponentially, an unprecedented number of women are entering the franchising industry. According to recent data from Franchise Insights – an organization that provides research data and intelligence to help the franchise industry and investors understand the needs of prospective franchisees – women are now more likely to pursue franchise ownership than men, with Gen X and Gen Y demographic groups leading the charge. This is indicative of an overall upward trend in female franchising over the past five years, as statistics show that the percentage of female franchise owners has steadily increased year-over-year.

This growth isn’t being seen solely at the franchise ownership level. It’s happening in the corporate offices. Boardrooms are becoming more and more diverse as franchising offers women of all backgrounds incredible career opportunities not only as franchisees, but in franchise development, sales, marketing, and beyond. This is a benefit to not only women but to the entire industry. I truly believe that the more diverse companies are – working with a broad range of unique perspectives and opinions – the more collaborative they become and are thus stronger.

We can see the growth right here in our very own Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) community. The women featured here have all grabbed the franchise business model by the horns and have harnessed it to find tremendous success as key decision-makers shaping the industry itself.

Here, The Franchise Voice highlights a group of CFA Members who share their insight into how they have made building a female-friendly franchise system a top priority as part of their commitment to diversity and inclusion.scoa

Oxford Learning Centres

Creating a female-friendly environment within our franchise system has been an ongoing passion for many years now. We are in education and women naturally lean toward this profession. However, when we started to franchise, most of our franchisees were male.

Thirty years forward, the scales have tipped. Most of our franchisees now are women and many are from diverse backgrounds.

Having a diverse team adds many more dynamics to the workplace. Having fun and leading people to where they know they are making a difference changes the energy and the path that your business is on.

Start with a vision and values. Work with your team on developing a plan that will help you reach your goals and meet their needs – which must include work/life balance. Help women develop confidence as business owners. Create a workspace that promotes a safe, friendly, and supportive environment. Provide training and continue to educate and develop your team. This all builds a strong and confident team that is capable of anything. A woman will move a mountain if you value her opinion, treat her with respect and encourage her to be fearless as she pushes forward.

To create a female-friendly environment, you need to listen to what the women in your business are saying. Being out in the world, shoulder to shoulder with men, in varied work environments, wars, and politics, but the added responsibility of childbearing and raising families makes the job that much tougher. Ignoring the obvious does not create an environment that women should be willing to accept.

Franchising is unique. You can create your working environment and raise your family with the flexibility that not many jobs offer.

As an employer in a now female-dominated industry, you must be sensitive to your female staff’s needs. Offer flexibility with work schedules and support when their children are sick. Historically, it has been the mom who cares for the child. Oxford Learning encourages staff to attend their child’s/grandchild’s games, tournaments, or other events at school or after school. Employees mustn’t miss out on these. Our team enjoys flex days and a hybrid work model. When a company creates an environment at work that is female-friendly, it not only makes their life easier, but it also pays back the company. There is less burnout and a lot more appreciation for the job. That means less hiring, training, and a lot more efficiency.

We embody the FISH Philosophy. Happy people treat others well. Having fun leads to creativity and that makes time go by quickly. It’s also good for the soul. Creating this environment nurtures your goals as a business owner and the goals of the team that delivers on your mission. You are the key to the results you will get. Being kind, open-minded, supportive, and genuinely caring for your staff and their needs will create what is the closest to an ideal workplace.

Women are heading multinational organizations all over the world and even in some countries. This must continue; business must adapt and remove prejudices that have been in place for centuries. We must promote competence and foster an environment of positivity.

Lice Squad.com

Empowering women in the Canadian franchise community has been one of the most satisfying parts of my 23-year career as a franchisor. When I came into the industry, there was a lack of female presence and leadership. At that time, I felt alone and insecure, but I saw that as an opportunity to inspire and encourage other women to become leaders in their communities through the franchise model I was building. I wanted to prove that women could take their ideas and scale them through the franchise model and in turn, create opportunities for others. Finding a female mentor in the industry as a first step was essential. This allowed me to learn the ropes and eventually become comfortable enough to mentor my franchisees and other women just starting franchising.

Oh, how times have changed since then. There are so many more women involved in the franchise industry in varying roles such as franchisors, franchisees, CEOs, COOs, Vice Presidents, board members, and even our very own Sherry McNeil, President, and CEO of the CFA. Women have come a long way in a short amount of time and have an incredible amount of value to offer the industry.

Creating and maintaining a female-friendly environment within my franchise system helped me build an awardwinning national brand. Having women at the table was a wise move for me and essential to my success. Not only do women have diverse perspectives and opinions, but they are also critical thinkers who know how to manage multiple tasks. Women are democratic and nurturing in problem-solving and have a knack for working collaboratively. It was easy for me to build a female-friendly environment within my system because I have a brand that draws empathetic and nurturing personalities.

I have always felt having a diverse and inclusive workforce would be an asset to my organization. Variety is the spice of life and part of the receipt for my success. By including as much diversity in my organization as possible gave me, the company, and the brand a more intelligent, productive, and well-rounded business structure and culture. I feel blessed to be surrounded by so many talented and diverse women.

The 30 Minute Hit

The 30 Minute Hit has achieved great success in creating a female-friendly environment within their franchise system. This is an important task and with just a few simple implementations, you can set your franchise, and every person involved, up for success. An environment that focuses on fairness, equality and inclusion for everyone is how we should all be operating regardless of gender. So it really is a question of how to create a human-friendly culture that makes everyone feel valued, heard, and of equal importance within the franchise system.

If we do focus specifically on women in our franchise, however, there are some important considerations to make to ensure that the above ideals are in fact put into action and not just idle words.

For example, women, more often than men, are frequently forced to choose between caregiving responsibilities and their careers, putting them at a disadvantage for advancement or entrepreneurial opportunities. The 30 Minute Hit has numerous systems in place to allow owners to run their franchise location remotely, allowing owners to be at home as much as is needed. These systems include remote monitoring systems, so an owner can quite literally see all of the goings on in her location without having to be there in person. Also, an easily accessed support ticketing system offering a direct line to head office, getting questions answered quickly. By simply supporting and encouraging work-life balance, you can be instrumental in breaking the cycles of male-dominated leadership roles in business.

Leadership roles held by women are important in both the success of your franchise and in creating a female-friendly and inclusive environment. The co-founder and President of 30 Minute Hit, Deanna Loychuk, is an astute and massively successful businesswoman, who offers her franchisees the experience and perspective of starting a business while raising a family and facing all of the other gender-based challenges that arise for women in business. Deanna also makes herself readily available to personally speak with franchisees when requested, this example of leading with compassion is massively important, as the lack of emotion and compassion in business can often be a company’s biggest downfall. When a stay-at-home mom decided to step back into the workforce, a college student is trying to get started in the world, or a woman is simply looking to make a career change, she will be inspired and encouraged to see other women at the top of the proverbial ladder, thus becoming empowered, knowing she can get there too.

All employees, franchisees, and clients alike want to feel valued and heard. Creating ways in which your franchise team can communicate openly and honestly is massive in ensuring that every voice is heard. At 30 Minute Hit, all franchisees have access to an integrated chat forum, allowing for open conversation between franchisees. It is an exceptional tool for all franchise owners to speak, listen and learn alongside their colleagues. When franchisees can communicate openly with their peers, and their leadership team, they know that their thoughts and ideas are valued and that they can offer advice and share experiences with one another, facilitating an environment where learning from one another is always encouraged, regardless of status or gender.

Networking opportunities, conferences, and trade shows are ways in which we all communicate, inspire and grow in the world of franchising. Hosting or attending events that offer diverse workshops and speakers is imperative in creating a culture of equity. We can speak to honouring women in the workplace and women in leadership, but if we constantly draw education and inspiration from male-dominated conferences or male keynote speakers, or feature businesses that do not align with the values we are working to uphold, the sentiment of equality becomes disingenuous. Our annual 30 Minute Hit SumHIT not only consistently offers a variety of guest speakers, but also includes advisory panels and presentations from individual owners. Empowering your franchisees in this way makes the information conveyed, more accessible, relatable, and often more respected, than if it were just another “suit” at a podium, telling them what to do.

When we are inclusive not just to women, but to a variety of diversities, perspectives, and experiences, we ensure that everybody within the system is welcomed, supported, valued, and respected.