Amy Patel Popat shares her family’s origin story and her journey from certified optometrist to Right at Home franchisee in Solent & Southampton, UK.  Amy’s father is from Africa. His family moved to Africa from India when the British Empire colonized Africa. During this time the British Empire moved a bunch of Indians to Africa to build the railways. Afterwards many would stay. However, in early August 1972, the dictator President of Uganda Idi Amin ordered the expulsion of his country's Indian minority, giving them 90 days to leave the country. The British would then bring the I ..read more

Was it luck?  Some call it luck, coincidence, fate, or God's hand. In hindsight, Dana Besbris believes meeting and working with Allen Fishman was meant to be. Allen Fishman, a Wall Street Journal and Amazon.com bestselling author, is Founder and Executive Chairman of The Alternative Board (TAB®).  TAB addresses the need for peer advice from fellow business owners and coaching from experienced professionals. Under Allen’s mentorship, Dana went from executive assistant to executive.  He saw in her something she had not yet recognized. He gave her a seat at the table and challenged ..read more

Debbie Roxarzade, Founder and CEO of Rachel’s Kitchen franchise, joins Rebecca Monet and Tracy Kawa on this episode of The Franchise Woman podcast.   Debbie has been a leader in the restaurant industry for more than 20 years. She attributes her growth to focusing on community and giving back. With several locations throughout the Las Vegas area, Rachel’s Kitchen is truly a local cafe where residents come again and again. Friends of Rachel provide community support to various charities and schools.   Listen to the full interview here ..read more

In 1998, Colette and her husband, Andy Bell, started Handyman Matters and developed it into a franchise model in 2001, launching a successful franchise system that was acquired by Ace Hardware in September 2019.  Colette is the kite string to Andy's kite. Andy is a passionate visionary whereas Colette possesses the curse of capability. In other words, Colette can figure out a way to get where Andy wants to go. Suffice it to say they make a great team.  Listen to this interview as Colette takes us on a ride of passion, luck, adventure, gratitude, success, and of co ..read more

Travel is our best teacher.  At age 5, Kelli Schroeder was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. Kelli said she wanted to be a stewardess. “No,” said her Mom, “you want to be the pilot.” Seems her Mom knew her well.   Travel became Kelli's education and passion, soon it would intersect with purpose while on a mission trip at age 11 to Honduras. It was a transformed trip that shed light on her future. A future where she would travel to more than 130 countries and help build businesses/franchises all over the world.  Today Kelli Schroeder is VP of Franc ..read more

A cord of 3 strands is not quickly broken. Amy Leclerc co-founder of Sit Still Kids Salon franchise has three interweaving themes in her life. Theme 1: Keep meeting new people. Amy makes a deliberate habit of meeting new people. New brings growth, connection, diversity and opportunity.   Theme 2: Trust your intuition and inner compass. Amy has an uncanny ability to fully trust her instincts. When it comes to gut vs. data – gut wins the race for Amy.   Theme 3: Take big swings. Be comfortable with risk. Amy is no stranger to risk. By trusting her inner compass she is unafraid to ..read more

In the bustling streets of entrepreneurship, where passion, purpose, and profit intersect, one name stands out: Nichole Daher. As the visionary founder of "Success on the Spectrum," Nichole embarked on a transformative journey fueled by her unwavering dedication to make a difference in the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum. Nichole's story begins with a deeply personal connection to autism. Raising a stepdaughter on the spectrum, she witnessed firsthand the challenges and triumphs unique to individuals with autism. This ignited a passion within her to create more access to care for c ..read more

Danessa Itaya is president of Bio-One®, the most trusted crime and trauma scene cleaning franchise in the United States and part of the Five Star Franchising platform of brands.  Itaya has been a nationally recognized pioneer in the franchise industry for nearly 30 years and has more than 10 years of leadership experience with noteworthy franchisors such as Service Brands International, Maid Right, Molly Maid and Property Management Inc.  In addition to her own professional accomplishments, Itaya is a passionate advocate for the franchise industry and women’s leadership, serving on t ..read more

The 1st law of psychology ‘we do what is expected’ was in full play in Dr. Shania Seibles life while growing up. Her parents were born in the 1940’s. Both received their PhD’s. One in physical chemistry and the other in organic chemistry during a time when it was difficult for minorities to do so in our country. Whether her parent’s expectations were spoken or unspoken Shania knew she too would do something great one day. There was never a moment where she decided to be a doctor, or entrepreneur, or for that matter rich. She just knew she would be. Dr. Shania Seibles, an Atlanta area physician ..read more

This week’s episode of The Franchise Woman podcast highlights the life, dreams and adventures of Kayla Bramlet. At age 17 Kayla Bramlet got a job at a Frenchies Modern Nail Care franchise as a nail technician. At 19, she BOUGHT the nail salon and became one of the youngest franchise owners (of any brand) in the country! Kayla is a wonderful example when passion and purpose collide, doors open and life unfolds in perfect timing. Listen in to the full episode here ..read more