Growing up I was fortunate enough to live in the great city of Fort Collins, Colorado. My parents had strong Texas ties but Colorado felt like “home” for our family. My mother was a family physician, and my dad was a lawyer. My parents were hard-working individuals working 50 hour plus weeks. There were many days that I could see the strain of working long days and hours. Their motivation was to take care of family by all means necessary. However the grueling hours and weeks finally took a toll where everything changed in 2008.
I got the first taste of entrepreneurship when my family opened an aesthetic clinic – one of the first – in northern Colorado. We poured long hours and days to make this dream into a successful reality. I started working at the clinic in high school. Front desk and managerial accounting work. There was nothing glamorous about my beginning positions but I was able to oversee both ends of the business giving me high-end experience of customer service and operations. The business thrived and is still thriving. The success of my family’s business opened my eyes to business ownership. Work life balance, building a legacy, and being your own boss.
I continued to work with the clinic in a part time role as I worked my way through college. I attended Colorado State University (Go Rams!) obtaining a degree in Business administration with a focus in marketing and finance. I followed the path that most hear when they graduate from college “get a good paying job”.
Post graduation, I worked for a software sales company in Denver, which was my first deep dive into the corporate gig life. It started off great, then it hit rock bottom. Endless hours on the clock, meaningless meetings, non-stop pressure to hit numbers with no room for growth or development. I was just another number on their payroll. This wasn’t for me. I put in my resignation and decided to follow one of my passions. I took a chance into the health and wellness sector.
Maybe going into a different industry as well as something I enjoyed was the answer. I was fortunate enough to work for a luxury style health club working in membership and sales. I worked my way up the leadership ladder. Everything was going as planned until my colleagues and I were informed that the club was closing its operations due to a lease agreement. It was heartbreaking to say the least.
As the club was starting its closure, I was recruited by the University of Denver to operate their fitness facility. After multiple interviews it felt right. What an experience it was. Having the opportunity to manage all aspects of the facility and business was invaluable. All was moving smoothly, until a nationwide shutdown happened. Unfortunately, a layoff came with that. My time in the health and wellness sector abruptly came to an end. Things happen for a reason but never a doubt that everything works out.
I did however find myself questioning what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. Eventually, one of my former members and clients that I had a wonderful relationship with had recruited me to jump into the real estate industry and become a broker associate for his luxury brokerage. I spent the next few years establishing my personal brand in the real estate industry, working for myself, and helping my clients find the right fit for their real estate needs. I still currently maintain and have an active license in the state of Colorado. More of a side business as of today however I love the fulfillment and success for my clients.
Now my path into franchising happened on a random Tuesday a few years back. A small operating franchising development company based in Denver directly reached out to gauge my interest in working with them. They saw my resume and thought I could be a great asset to the team. Like most others, the only thing I thought of with franchising was big chains, Chic-fil-a, 7-Eleven and pizzerias. I accepted an interview to learn more and gather more insight into the franchising world. The deeper our conversations started to get, the more interest grew. I was fascinated by the franchising world and the number of potential opportunities to change someone’s life. From the work life balance, being your own boss, the support systems, marketing, and creating generational wealth, there is a fit for many. I worked as a franchise development manager consulting hundreds of individuals successful through the franchising process. Working with individuals of all backgrounds is my passion, guiding individuals through the process and finding the right fit is special to me. As cliché as it sounds, I didn’t find franchising, franchising found me.
All of our journeys and stories are constantly evolving and growing. As I look back to my past experiences and path to where I am today, I couldn’t be more grateful for the journey. Franchising has changed my life and it has the ability to change others. Franchising can feel complex but my goal is to simplify the process for my candidates by leveraging my experience and knowledge. If you are curious as I once was about franchising and whether it is the right fit, don’t hesitate to reach out. The first step into franchising is taking the first step. I’m here to help. I’m here to guide.