Franchise Article

Sounds like a bit of an odd question, doesn’t it?  I mean, it would serve to reason that if when you look in a mirror you see the physiological signals that you are in fact a woman, then a women’s franchise would make a fair degree of sense for you.  However, in the age of gender equality, making a staunch, declarative statement like that could very well get a person strung up by his—or her—toenails.  So in the interest of my poor, brittle toenails, I’ll politely duck away from making politically incorrect, stereotypical remarks about franchising and attempt to open up our understanding of a “women’s franchise” and the franchisees for whom they succeed.

First, we have to acknowledge that, statistically speaking, there are particular business fields that tend to be female dominated.  Some of the more predominant ones are travel, child-based work, home cleaning, clothing, and salons/cosmetics.  If we’re going to be honest, we all have to confess that the vast majority of Molly Maid and Shoes Glorious Shoes franchises are run and operated by women.  Why?  Because generally women are more inclined toward them than are men.  But to be fair, let’s look at the character traits that make these particular fields so woman-friendly and in what franchises people with such personalities might flourish.

A Mind for Relational Business
By far, the biggest reason that women tend to pursue the franchise markets that they do is that they tend to have a natural taste for building relationships.  Life, and even business, is more than just a list of tasks to accomplish, money to make, and ends to reach, it is always a new opportunity to bridge gaps, engage other people, and impact lives in simple ways, and the average woman instinctively lives like this.

It’s no wonder that women gravitate toward and excel in an environment like a Rosemary Conley Diet & Fitness Club.  Aside from the fact that it’s an exclusively women’s health club, ladies who run one of these franchises have the special opportunity to build friendships with their clients by actively helping them attain the physical goals that will help them not just in body, but in mind and heart as well.  Losing weight and increasing fitness is so deeply personal, it takes a franchisee who adds a human touch to her interactions with both employees and clients to make it all that it can be.

An Eye for Beauty
Granted, we all know that special girl who really does think that striped trousers go well with a polka-dot top, but by and large, women are better than men at recognizing and appreciating beauty, particularly in clothing.  Half the time, men don’t even pay attention.  So when your granny is scouring the local Pauline May elderly women’s clothing store for a new blouse, the last thing you want is to inadvertently wander into one that’s owned by the average guy—who knows what kind of shirt-ish thing she’d wind up with in there.

Ladies who can walk that fine line between modesty and elegance in their purchasing, advertising, and sales are the kind of people we all want in a market like that.

The Freedom to Take a Risk
Though for eons many of us have associated risk-taking with the masculine, recent studies have shown that 66% of female small-business franchise owners are virtually willing to wager the shirts on their backs if it’s likely to get them ahead in business—of course, the study didn’t use those terms exactly.  It seems that women tend to give franchisors precisely what they’re looking for in a franchisee: courage.

This is essential to any business opportunity, including a work-from-home franchise with Activ Web Design.  Put that female eye for beauty and art together with the equally female bravery to push the limits of web design as far as they have to go to give your clients exactly what they need and expand your market as far as it can go.  The designs are already made and come included with the franchise, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less risky to step out and sell them everywhere you possibly can.

Something Not to Forget
Though the topic of discussion has been stereotypically female characteristics that translate well into specific business fields that franchise-enthusiastic ladies may want to get into, I want to reiterate two very important points.  First, not all women are going to fit inside this box, and if you find that you’re not really like this picture of the “average” woman, there are plenty of other franchise opportunities out there that may fit better.  And second, there are men who do demonstrate these tendencies and skills and would fall marvelously into the businesses listed in this “women’s franchise” category—despite their obvious failure to be women—and that’s great too.

What I’m trying to say is that business stereotypes can help us find a niche, but they don’t define us.  So my brittle toenails and I appreciate your open-minded understanding.