Franchising has helped many women achieve self-sufficiency and greater equity through business ownership. By embracing equity and inclusivity, franchising offers women a unique opportunity to become business owners while also providing the resources they need to succeed.
Franchising is not only about achieving financial success—it’s also about creating better work-life balance and flexibility, something that is often elusive in the corporate environment.
At The Entrepreneur’s Source® (TES), we want to help more women achieve success through business ownership and are committed to being a resource for women seeking self-sufficiency. Through franchising, women can create the flexibility and control over their schedules they need to achieve their goals.
Take Patricia McGraw, for example. She wanted more control over her day and her health, but working for someone else meant being confined to set hours in her corporate sales and marketing role.
A friend spoke a hard truth to her one day:
“You are always busy and say no every time we ask you to do something. We are going to stop asking you to do things.”
That moment made Patricia realize she needed a change. Her friend suggested she speak with a TES Career Ownership Coach™, where she discovered that franchising could offer the lifestyle she wanted.
Today, Patricia herself is a Career Ownership Coach™, helping guide others toward the clarity she now has.
“I love what I do! Talking to a TES coach helped me discover a path that fit me and what I wanted out of life,” she shares. “Now I am living a healthier lifestyle. I have time to cook healthy meals at home. I get to play tennis with my friends at 10 a.m. on a weekday if I want. I have control over my life now.”
Before reaching clarity in her own journey, Patricia says her coach encouraged her to explore options outside her comfort zone. Now, she helps her clients do the same.
Patricia often sees women struggle to picture themselves in certain roles.
“They don’t always recognize that the skills they have are transferable,” she explains. “With franchising, you don’t have to be an expert in that field. In fact, they often prefer that you aren’t so they can teach you their system.”
Breaking down bias and helping clients explore possibilities they may not have considered is a key part of being a coach.
“I worked with one woman who was in a time of transition,” Patricia recalls. “She was leaving her IT job to move cross-country to be closer to family.”
After exploring different options, the client ultimately chose a paint franchise—an industry not traditionally female.
“The clarity came when she realized it wasn’t about painting,” Patricia explains. “She could hire someone for that. As an owner, her role would focus on customer service and operations.”
The business built on her existing skills and even expanded her network—her mother was a real estate agent.
“It was a great fit, but it’s something she probably never would have considered without working with a TES Career Ownership Coach™.”
Like Patricia, April Saavedra-Duran also reached a point where corporate America no longer felt right.
As a Division Manager with a food service company, April traveled across 22 states.
“My job was taking me away from what I was working so hard for,” she says. “I made a lot of money for these companies but often felt undervalued and underappreciated.”
On top of that, she was missing valuable time with her family.
“Like many, I was sold ‘the dream,’” April adds. “Get the degrees, get the job, work your way up.”
Her weeks were spent traveling, driving, or in meetings. Weekends were consumed by catching up on household responsibilities.
“I didn’t want to wait until I was 65 to start living my life.”
April explains that many women stay in limiting situations because they feel responsible for providing stability.
“We stay because we’re providing for our families,” she says. “But staying often leaves you stuck with no room to grow.”
Advancing in her corporate role would have required relocating her family—something she wasn’t willing to do.
“And what was the trade-off?” she asks. “More sacrifices, with no real security.”
“The corporate world offers a false sense of security,” April explains. “The only real security is self-sufficiency.”
Because of her income and health insurance, April’s husband was able to build his own business. Eventually, he began enjoying the benefits of being his own boss.
“I would call him on Friday afternoons,” she recalls. “He’d tell me about golfing or picking up the kids for ice cream.”
“That’s when I thought—this isn’t fair. It’s my turn to work on my dreams.”
Becoming a Career Ownership Coach™ provided that opportunity.
“I watched my husband build his business from the ground up,” April says. “I saw how long it took to figure everything out.”
She didn’t want to spend years doing the same.
“As a perfectionist, I knew a startup would keep me stuck in planning instead of executing,” she explains. “The TES system helped me move from thinking to doing.”
Transitioning from a paycheck mindset to business ownership wasn’t without challenges.
“It took my husband time to get on board,” April admits. “My salary had always been the safety net.”
She encourages couples to go through the Discovery Experience together.
“It makes all the difference when you’re learning and exploring together.”
Looking back, April has clear advice:
“I encourage women to ask for what they want. Don’t believe the lie that there’s only one way to live or work.”
She recalls a defining moment—doing her daughter’s hair for school picture day for the first time.
“She looked at me and said, ‘I finally get to have pretty hair for picture day!’ That’s when I knew I made the right decision.”
“It’s not just about the big moments,” April says. “It’s about being there for the small ones, too.”
Both Patricia and April are examples of women who chose not to leave their futures in someone else’s hands.
Through franchising with TES, they achieved both financial and lifestyle goals while building meaningful careers. They now help other women explore business ownership in a supportive, discovery-focused environment.
At The Entrepreneur’s Source®, we’re with you every step of the way.
To learn more about becoming a TES Career Ownership Coach™, click here.
To learn more about how TES can support your career journey, click here.
