948 Brittney Lincoln:

Wings of Inspired Business Podcast EP948 – Host Melinda Wittstock Interviews Brittney Lincoln

 Melinda Wittstock:

Coming up on Wings of Inspired Business:

Brittney Lincoln:

Entrepreneurship can be a really lonely journey. Today there are over 3,000 individual franchise businesses. As far as I can tell, less than 10% of those are female founded or female owned brands. And so, you are in a very, very small group of people and they don’t always know each other. I love the idea of being able to use my platform to maybe bring some of those founders together.

Melinda Wittstock:

Brittney Lincoln started out in entrepreneurship by founding her own retail business, and before long she was imagining what it would take to grow her business through franchising.  Along the way in a male-dominated business she learned all the common pitfalls encountered by most aspiring franchisors. Today she shares how she helps business owners scale their brands, and take their locations from one to 100, plus why she’s building Females in Franchising, a dynamic platform dedicated to empowering women in the franchising industry.

Melinda Wittstock:

Hi, I’m Melinda Wittstock and welcome to Wings of Inspired Business, where we share the inspiring entrepreneurial journeys, epiphanies, and practical advice from successful female founders … so you have everything you need at your fingertips to build the business and life of your dreams. I’m all about paying it forward as a five-time serial entrepreneur, so I started this podcast to catalyze an ecosystem where women entrepreneurs mentor, promote, buy from, and invest in each other. Because together we’re stronger, and we all soar higher when we fly together and lift as we climb.

Melinda Wittstock:

Today we meet an inspiring entrepreneur who is creating a much-needed community, mentorship, and support network for women in a world that’s still largely male-dominated—franchising. Brittney Lincoln is the founder and CEO of Females in Franchising, and a partner in Limitless Franchise Growth, a franchise sales organization (FSO).

Melinda Wittstock:

In a moment, we break down the biggest challenges for women franchisors and franchisees, what entrepreneurial women should know before turning their business into a franchise, and the critical steps (and common mistakes) on the path to franchising success. Plus, you’ll hear Brittany’s insights on how community, operational systems, and even AI are changing the landscape—and how her growing platform is building a sisterhood in franchising.

Melinda Wittstock:

Brittney will be here in a moment, and first: 

If you’re enjoying this podcast and what you learn from all the inspiring women I interview every week, please go ahead, hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and share it with your friends. We really appreciate ratings and reviews on Apple and Spotify – it helps more entrepreneurs like you find the wisdom, tips, and epiphanies they need to grow their business. It makes a difference. Thank you. 

Melinda Wittstock:

If you’re dreaming of scaling your own brand or exploring business ownership through franchising, you’re in the right place today because franchising expert Brittney Lincoln is sharing what it really takes to turn a business into a franchise, must-have systems for success, and how to find—and vet—the right franchise for you. 

Melinda Wittstock:

Only 20% of franchises are female-owned with persistent challenges in securing funding and a lack of access to networks. So, Brittney shares how she’s changing that with Females in Franchising, why abundance, not scarcity, powers women’s success, and why she’s building a culture where women “don’t compete, but complete each other.”

Melinda Wittstock:

Let’s put on our wings with the inspiring Brittney Lincoln. 

[INTERVIEW]

Melinda Wittstock:

Brittney, welcome to Wings.

Brittney Lincoln:

Thank you so much for having me.

Melinda Wittstock:

So, we’re going to be talking about all things franchising and you have an exciting launch for females in franchising after working in the industry for a really long time. Tell me about your vision and what you’re building.

Brittney Lincoln:

Yeah, so I’ve been in the industry for 13 years now, and like so many industries, franchising is rather male dominated. And so, I like to share that I’m building this for who I was. Like the girl I was 13 years ago when I fell into the franchising industry and landed my first job selling a home services franchise concept. I was the only female salesperson, but not just with the company. As I started going to conventions and conferences, I was noticing I was one of the only females in the room. And so, it really took, honestly until about six years ago, so I’d say about halfway into my career in franchising to actually work with some amazing female coworkers, colleagues, people that have become mentors. All my bosses, and I love all of them dearly, have been men. And up until six years ago, I didn’t have those female coworkers, I didn’t have that community, that sisterhood that so many of us as women really love having and seek out and appreciate, mainly again, just because it’s a rather male dominated industry, especially on the sales side of things.

Brittney Lincoln:

And so, as I look today, there are tons of platforms and networks and groups and chats that are geared towards female executives. And there are also a lot of those same communities, networks, platforms, apps, you name it, for female entrepreneurs. But franchising is this lovely little middle ground in between those two things where it’s not quite corporate and it’s not quite entrepreneurship, especially if, if you’re an owner. I’ve always been on the franchisor side of things in my career. I did have my own retail business that wasn’t a franchise about 15 years ago. I’ve been an entrepreneur myself. But my goal with Females And Franchising is to bring women that work in franchising are part of the franchise industry together because I believe so strongly that empowered women empower women. And so many of us work remotely and we see each other a few times a year at these conferences and there are more of us in the room now for sure, 13 years later.

Brittney Lincoln:

But even though technology connects us, it’s still hard to form those really close human connections. And I’ve been really lucky for the last seven years to have those great female coworkers that I mentioned, and they’ve become friends and almost like family. And I want other women in franchising to have that. And I know that as I’ve been a part of some of these groups, when you go and you join the groups that are for female executives or if you own a franchise and you join the groups for female entrepreneurs, you, you don’t quite feel that you fit because franchising has some very unique nuances. Franchising is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission and when you’re in the industry, you all speak the same lingo. But right now, LinkedIn is essentially the only platform that people or women in franchising can really connect on. And so, I want to have this great community that is online eventually, maybe some in person events to bring women and franchising together, allow us to talk about all things franchising, you know, be with people that just get it, Maybe find a mentor if that’s what you’re looking for. Maybe find a mentee if that’s what you’re looking for, because you’re at a later stage in your career.

Brittney Lincoln:

And so, I’m in the process of building out my circle platform. We’re going to do calls, we’re going to do mentorship minutes, I’m going to bring in experts. I want to help people grow personally and professionally. It’s totally my passion project. It’s my goal to create this great sisterhood amongst women that work in franchise.

Melinda Wittstock:

That’s amazing. So, tell me, what are the biggest challenges that women have in franchising in particular? Are they any different from the ones just regular female founders and entrepreneurs have?

Brittney Lincoln:

So, if you’re working in franchising, I would say just sort of, I mean, look, if you work for a franchisor, right, which would be the company that is then franchising and selling franchises, I’d say it’s very similar to the corporate world, right. It just tends to be a little bit more male dominated. And so sometimes it’s a little bit harder to grow and get in the rooms. A lot of people that get into franchising never leave. But that also means that sometimes it’s, it’s hard to have upward mobility, right, and, and grow. And so, I’d say some of those challenges are similar, I would say for founders. You know, one of the things that I’ve found, because I’m also a partner in what’s called an FSO, a franchise sales organization where we help new and emerging franchises scale and grow. A lot of the founders, especially female founders that I’ve connected with, it’s sort of like when they first started their business.

Brittney Lincoln:

Entrepreneurship can be a really lonely journey. And when they make that transition from business owner to franchisor, I will tell you, the stats are almost jarring as far as I can tell. And it is something that’s a little bit hard to research. But today there are over 3,000 individual franchise businesses. Think brands, right? Brands that you might know in food or fitness or home service or whatever it might be. As far as I can tell, less than 10% of those are female founded or female owned brands. And so, if you do make that transition, you are in a very, very small group of people and they don’t always know each other. I love the idea of being able to use my platform to maybe bring some of those founders together.

Brittney Lincoln:

And it just, it’s totally different. Their colleagues or the people that they’ve been in entrepreneur groups with that are not franchises, they are now speaking completely different languages. Like I said, they’re now regulated by the Federal Trade Commission. They’re now supporting other people that have invested. And so, it is a really, again, unique industry. I would say there’s definitely challenges for founders or female founders as they come over. And then I would say on the franchise e side of things, right? So, think about women that have bought into franchises, that own franchises. Again, very much in the minority.

Brittney Lincoln:

There’s about 800,000 individual franchise business out there. So, think about the individual Massage Envy or whatever it might be that you see in your town. And of those 800,000 franchise businesses, about 30, maybe 40%, but somewhere between 30 to 40% are owned by women. So, they’re still, you know, a little bit more the minority. And while you have your franchisor and you’re getting support that way, it’s always great to have peer groups. And sometimes the other franchisees are really warm and welcoming and opening to connecting with you. And sometimes people are more lone wolves. I do think there’s a need as well of you sometimes have that similar challenge that true entrepreneurs have.

Brittney Lincoln:

It can be very lonely when you’re the business owner and your staff can’t always relate. And so, I’d say that that community, that peer group, right, being able to connect with other people that are doing the same thing doesn’t fully exist. Or if you go and you, you join a group that’s for female entrepreneurs. If you’re a franchisee, again, you’re kind of talking a different language. You have to subscribe to a different set of rules. You have a, you know, sort of big brother, if you will. Right. Franchisor that’s telling you kind of how to operate versus if you’re an entrepreneur.

Brittney Lincoln:

You get to make all the rules, you get to make all the decisions. So those are some of the things that make it unique, and I would say are some of the unique challenges if I just kind of look across the board of, you know, all the sort of different facets, if you will, that exist within the franchise industry.

Melinda Wittstock:

Right. So, let’s break it down. I want to get into the different challenges and what it actually takes to operate, first of all, a franchise. So, say you had your own retail business. You thought about what would it take to turn this into a franchise? And we’ll get into your story and your experience with that in a moment. But so, say you’re an entrepreneur and you have your location one, and you think, okay, I want to expand with a franchise model. What are some of the first things you have to do? What are the common mistakes that folks make in terms of franchising? Yeah, because I imagine there’s a lot of trial and error and whatnot. So, talk to me through that process, what it actually takes to pull that off.

Brittney Lincoln:

Yes. And I love this question, and I love sort of ‘geeking out’ over franchising. And this is really what my business partners and I sort of do all day long. We’ve talked to hundreds of founders that have amazing businesses, and they think exactly what you said, Melinda. They’re like, I think I can make this a franchise. Or I will tell you what I hear a lot of times is I have so many people that have come to my store, you know, use my services, and. And they want to open one in their town, or they think that, you know, this other place could use the services. And so, I will say I do think that franchising gets thrown around a lot because it can be a really amazing way to scale your business without you having to invest all of the money.

Brittney Lincoln:

Or bring people to your cap table and give up a ton of equity if you’re opening corporate locations or territories and things like that. But there are a few things that I share with everyone, and that’s why I love having the conversation. Call it what you want. Pillars, boxes, to check that I believe from my 13 years of experience that a business has to have before they even should think about what would be the steps for me to franchise. So, number one, and I know a lot of people giggle at this and think it’s glaringly obvious, but is your business profitable? Right. Other people are not going to want to buy in. However, I’ll follow that up very quickly by saying a lot of people nod and say, oh yeah, my business is profitable.

Brittney Lincoln:

And my follow up question to that is, how profitable? Because you have to remember that most prospective franchisees, potential investors are going to look at this, you know, as much as it might be, I would love to own this fitness business, this service business, whatever it is, they’re making a financial investment, and they want to understand the ROI. So how profitable is it? Right. I would say there is a range that most people are looking to land within. I’d say most people, right, would want to see profitability. And it varies a lot by industry. Right. A restaurant compared to a home service brand compared to brick-and-mortar fitness concept. But, but let’s say somewhere in the realm of, you know, 10 to maybe 30%, EBITDA does what a lot of people would, would, would say, I think is kind of what they’re looking for.

Brittney Lincoln:

And anything, you know, less than that wouldn’t be super exciting. Right? But even if someone’s business is there today, what’s typical in franchising is to have fees. You know, typically there’s some sort of royalty fee that you as the franchisor now are collecting. And this is where franchising can be this great copy and paste and scale and collect royalties and it can be pretty lucrative. Right. And then there’s usually a brand fund and I would say today, depending upon again, brand industry, those fees combined are usually anywhere from maybe 5 to 6% on the low end and even 8 to 10% on the high end. So, if you say yes, my business is profitable and you’re, you know, seeing about a 15%, you know, let’s say EBITDA return. But now, right, we take those fees into consideration and it’s not, it’s not doing so well.

Brittney Lincoln:

So, is your business profitable? How profitable can it be profitable after, you know, some of these fees? That’s number one. As well as, you know, have you documented and do you know what it would take to open another location territory, provide the same services you’re providing somewhere else? Understanding payback, period, right, is a big thing that almost every investor is going to want to know if it’s $500,000 for me to open this fitness studio. How quickly am I making that back? And again, I would say every investor is a little different, but if the answer is 10 years, it’s probably a hard no for most people. So sometimes there’s some quick math that people can do. And again, don’t let me deter you and think that you can’t ever be a franchise. But just know that these are the things that potential franchisees, investors will be looking at. And so, with if that all looks really good, then, hey, we’ve checked that box. Now let’s move on to pillar number two.

Brittney Lincoln:

Is your business repeatable and teachable? These two things kind of go hand in hand in my mind, but they’re a little bit different. So, is your business repeatable? There’s a couple facets to this. Is what you’re doing something that could be done in other markets, in other cities and other places, or is it certain so unique to where you are at? Right. That it might not work somewhere else? The brands that are born and bred in New York City don’t always translate to Main Street USA. And so how many locations, if you’re a physical location or if you’re providing services, how many markets are you providing services within proof of concept in other places is really important. And I will just come out and say that at Limitless, you know, my, my company I’m a partner in, we usually won’t work with a brand unless they have three to five locations in at least two different markets. Because we just know that it could be a little too hard to grow and scale if we don’t see that, that repeatability, and a lot of that too is not just market.

Brittney Lincoln:

But is it, you know, are you a brain surgeon? And it’s so closely tied to you and what you do that finding other people, Right. That can repeat it will be very challenging. And then that, that’s where the teachable goes along with it. Because sometimes it’s like, oh yeah, this will work in other markets. This can absolutely, you know, work, you know, outside of where I am or my one store or why my one, you know, area. But can you teach it to someone else? And can you teach it to someone else that’s not you.

Melinda Wittstock:

Right. So that original company needs really good operational systems, repeatable process, really tight brand guidelines, all these sorts of things that, that, that are easily replicable but really by anyone, right, like I think back to Ray Kroc and McDonald’s, and how fanatical he was about making sure that all the McDonald’s franchises were exactly the same.

Brittney Lincoln:

Yes.

Melinda Wittstock:

That you would have the exact same experience which, which puts a lot of, I don’t know, responsibility on the original, you know, the original business owner, right?

Brittney Lincoln:

Yes.

Melinda Wittstock:

To do all of that and make sure that they have the time and all of the, to even, even do all of that. Because I’m thinking, how much support does the franchisee really need? I imagine quite a lot, like in the, in the beginning stages, even in terms of picking the right location and evaluating that location.

Brittney Lincoln:

Yes, yes. And that is. And again, I would say I’ve got sort of like a longer list of like steps to franchise. But you’re spot on, right? Like, do you have a big enough team? Can you provide. If you’re a brick-and-mortar location, can you provide support? When it comes to site selection, lease negotiation, architecture permitting, construction, you’ve got to have marketing support, sales support, HR, operational. And look, there are people that start lean and mean at. I love the rise of fractional C suite. I think it is so smart when it comes to franchising.

Brittney Lincoln:

You know, some of these emerging franchises that we work with, they would be drowning in payroll to bring on. Right. A CMO, a CFO, a CEO, right? All these people that, you know, two, three, five years from now, they’re going to need and very likely the PNL would support. But today, you know, with five locations open, it doesn’t. And so again, like, if you don’t have this huge team in place, don’t let that scare you. But, but you’re so spot on.

Brittney Lincoln:

And it’s why I tell a lot of these founders and owners that have one location or even like two locations that they own, but it’s in the same, you know, town or area. Rather than invest the tens of thousands of dollars that it will take to franchise and prop yourself up legally and file with the FTC and all of that, invest that in opening another location and, and document everything. Because if they write, if they document everything that it takes for them, like there’s your training manual, there is your ops manual, there is everything that you just said. And systematization is like the name of the game of franchising. But that’s a lot of the time what I end up recommending to some of these founders that just have one location or a few locations is, hey, rather than going out and try to find people or risking, right. Is it repeatable and can you teach someone else? Do it again yourself, but document everything that you’re doing. And then you kill two birds with one stone.

Melinda Wittstock:

Right? And then there’s also now with AI and Agentic AI and all these things, I mean, a lot of those systems can start to be a lot more streamlined and come together a lot faster and a lot cheaper. And it’s interesting, actually, I’m just curious, do you have thoughts about how AI will ultimately transform franchising in that sense?

Brittney Lincoln:

Yeah, I mean, look, it’s, it’s, I feel like it’s transforming every industry. I think it’s going to really benefit franchising because of how systematized it is. There’s a lot of really great companies out there that are doing, you know, AI trainings in franchising or how can you leverage it? I think it’s going to help franchisors be more lean and mean and I think if they can train their franchisees on how AI can help them be more efficient right, in their businesses, you know, and I would say the best franchisors right now are prioritizing AI and are finding a way to not only use it, you know, whether it’s in their recruiting methods for franchisees or, you know, marketing, but also, like, how can they teach their, their, you know, teach their franchisees, right? How can they stay at the forefront of, hey, here’s how this, you know, AI tool could benefit your fitness business, your plumbing business, your whatever it might be. I mean, there’s a lot of people that have, you know, moved to like AI chat bots for support for their franchise or, you know, I mean, having an AI assistant, you know, call centers, right, things like that. I’m not going to say everyone in franchising has adopted it because I do think, like most things, right, you always have the, the early adopters and then you have the laggers. But yes, I mean, I think for how much franchising, you know, runs on systems, I think it will help franchisors and franchisees just become even more efficient and hopefully even drive down the cost of some of the things, right, like marketing or, you know, pushing out social media posts and things like that that traditionally, right, you needed a human being to do in the past, and now, right, you can have an AI agent doing some of that.

Melinda Wittstock:

Well, it occurs to me that the AI is also useful in just really understanding your customer base, like really understanding everything about them to be able to say, okay, is this customer base replicable? Because these are the ideal people that come to these, say, three locations in this particular city. Do those sorts of People in those sorts of circumstances with those sorts of needs exist elsewhere. And where else do they exist? Right. What are the actual factors that get people into this location? Right, yeah, well, to go out and find, you know, those people, so it can kind of help you evaluate like the location and, and the customer base and all that stuff to actually pick locations.

Brittney Lincoln:

Yeah. And I would say a lot of companies, I mean, even at least the data analytics, analytics companies that I know that we’ve used in the past when it comes to territory mapping, design analysis, I mean, I think they’ve been using it probably longer than anyone else to help aggregate some of that. And, and then you also just have, you know, I mean, anything you put on your credit card, the credit card companies know, right? Cell phone pings, you know, there’s a lot of data. Not just even, you know, what, what AI can help us with that? You, you look at and analyze when you’re looking at where should someone go. And to your point, if someone’s considering, you know, expanding or expanding to be able to franchise, I would say absolutely leverage AI for that.

Brittney Lincoln:

And then there’s other companies out there, right, that would be able to analyze who their existing customer base is based on credit card spending, things like that. And then do we see those same, you know, core customers, right, in other markets.

Melinda Wittstock:

Right. So, a lot of stuff to do. Okay. Now, say, for instance, if you’re someone who thinks, okay, I’m a little bit entrepreneurial, but I want to be a business owner. Say I’m a personal trainer and, you know, and I’m tired of selling my time for money and I want my own location, but I don’t really have the capital, or I don’t really feel ready yet to create my own business, say, around that. So, can I be of, you know, a franchise owner of, you know, existing chain? How does one even start that process and go about that and what’s the right stuff? You need to be good at that as a franchise owner.

Brittney Lincoln:

Yeah. So, I also love shouting out these people because there is a whole industry to help someone like you just described, and it’s not what I do. I always like to be very clear that I don’t do this. But they’re what’s called franchise consultants. Think of them like the real estate agents within franchising, right? Yes, I know the rise of Zillow and Redfin.

Brittney Lincoln:

And you can look up a lot of stuff online, but for the most part, right. People are still using a real estate agent to take them out and show them homes and they give them their parameters. And so that’s sort of the analogy I like to draw. These franchise consultants are kind of like the real estate agents of if you are interested in buying into a franchise or knowing would you even be. Right. Right. Kind of. That’s along the lines of what you asked.

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Melinda Wittstock:

And we’re back with Brittney Lincoln, CEO and Founder of Females in Franchising.

[INTERVIEW CONTINUES]

Brittney Lincoln:

I mentioned how there’s over 3,000 unique individual franchises, franchise businesses. I cannot say that all of them are completely reputable and right for you. And. Right. There’s. There’s a lot to dig into there.

Brittney Lincoln:

But these franchise consultants will work with you. And, and I, I’m not going to call anyone out, you know, specifically, but I will say there are a lot of really great organizations out there. The top ones that I work with are Franchoice, Friendnet, IFPG, FCC, Fran Serve. So, if you go on their websites, you can see their roster of, you know, consultants, or you can research, you know, it on LinkedIn, I can almost guarantee anyone listening, you probably have InMail right now in your LinkedIn mailbox from a franchise consultant because. And connect with people on LinkedIn and they share exactly what I’m about to share, which is, hey, I will work with you, I will profile you, I will understand your hopes, goals, dreams. You know, we’ll talk about everything from your financial goals to what you’re comfortable investing to how you want to spend your day, how much time, you know, what are you good at, what are your weaknesses, all of it. And then I will present you with some franchise options that meet that. And some of the best consultants out there, they’ve been franchisees themselves.

Brittney Lincoln:

They all have, I would say, slightly different parameters of how they do this, but they do vet the franchises. So, they’re not going to look at all 3,000. Right. They’re going to have, you know, they might have 20 or 50 that they’ve really honed in on and they feel really comfortable presenting to you as that perspective and potential franchisee. And then they’re there to support you through that entire process of you investigating. You know, usually they’ll have you look at like 2 to 3, and sometimes it’s kind of like dating you. Sometimes you got to find what you don’t want to find what you do want. And so, the first two or three might not be right, or you might come to the conclusion that franchising is not right.

Brittney Lincoln:

For you. But I cannot stress enough. Please, please, please, even though you could ask Chat or Perplexity or Claude what the best franchise to buy is, right. They do have some biases. I would absolutely work with a franchise consultant. And it won’t cost you anything to be fair and transparent. They do get compensated by the franchisor, just like if you were to buy a home, your real estate agent, right? Partake in some of the fees.

Brittney Lincoln:

But their work with you will essentially be pro bono and their goal is to match you up Right. With the right franchise. And so, I would tell anyone listening, absolutely go down that path and they’ll be honest with you. If they don’t think you’re a right match, you know, for a certain brand or a franchise, they’ll tell you because at the end of the day, what they really want is to help you find the right thing and you to be so happy that you come back and say, oh my gosh, Melinda, you changed my life. And here’s two friends of mine that you should work with. I will say, you know, really, you know, the majority of them are, are doing it. They themselves might have been, you know, a former corporate, you know, refugee, as we call it. Right.

Brittney Lincoln:

Someone that left and, and now has their own business or had a franchise. And so, I really would. I. I like to say that franchising’s entrepreneurship light. I think that franchisees deserve a ton of credit. They’re still being business owners, they’re still, you know, stepping out on their own. But to your point, Melinda, if you are someone that says, I don’t have that million, billion-dollar idea, I don’t know the business that I would start. And true entrepreneurship is rather risky if you look at the data.

Brittney Lincoln:

Franchising, I’m not going to say it’s zero risk. There’s still risk, but there’s some really good stats around, you know, just how much success people have when they are able to buy into something. And the last thing I’ll say this is kind of the best way to sum it up, is if you become a franchisee, you’ll be in business for yourself, but you won’t be by yourself. You’re going to have your franchisor and you’re going to have a support team and maybe other franchisees that you end up connecting with because they’re your peers and they own the same brand and another part of town or another city and state.

Melinda Wittstock:

Right. So, I get the reason why you’re doing females and Franchising So describe this for me. I mean, essentially it’s a social networking platform that you’re building, right? So, the franchisees are coming into this, also the potential vendors, the, the, the franchisors, everybody. And right now, when we’re recording this, you have a growing wait list of people who want to be in this group, right? And so, tell me, tell me your vision. Like, how do you see this working?

Brittney Lincoln:

Yes. So, I will say there’s going to end up needing to be cohorts, like the franchisees will be a cohort because while, you know, we on the franchisor side of things or the vendor side of things could be helpful. I think really what’s most helpful is, you know, sort of business owner to business owner, connecting. I would say for the most part everyone else, you know, people like me that work in sales and franchise level, vendors and consultants, we all kind of work together all the time. And so eventually there might be some cohorts where just vendors want to connect, right? Or just consultants or just salespeople or just marketing people. But in the beginning I’m going to open it up and just say, hey, if you’re a franchisee, right, you’re going to be on this side of things. If you’re a franchisor, a vendor or consultant, you’ll be on this side of things. And essentially everyone will have a profile.

Brittney Lincoln:

So, I’ve kind of joked it’s almost like LinkedIn meets Facebook and Instagram a little bit. So, you’ll fill out your profile and share who you are and what your background is. And I’m having what’s called our give and get wall because I feel like a lot of times people join these networks and it’s just all about what can they get out of it. And I’m trying to be very clear and transparent with everyone that I communicate to. And on the waitlist that this, this is about it being a two-way street. You know, I want people to show up that are there to get things, but that want to give to, right? Whether that’s through hosting a call or just connecting, with other members and, you know, sharing ideas and best practices. And so, we’ll have that where you’re sharing, hey, here’s how I can help. I’ll have a job board, which I’m really excited about because I do think while franchising is this sort of small, unique industry, again, like, you know, there’s, you know, not always every job opportunity is posted, right? Not everyone knows everyone in the industry. I think to Give the women that join the ability to post a job opportunity, you know, with their company or hey, I know of someone who’s looking for work, here’s their background, I want to allow for that. And there’ll be some ways to do it anonymously, right. Sometimes if you’re open to leaving your current position, you don’t always want to, you know, blast that out. And so, we’ll have that. And then to start, we’re going to do monthly calls where we’ll have a topic, you know, that we’re going to discuss.

Brittney Lincoln:

And then over time, I really want to learn from the community. So initially it’s really just to bring people together and have them connect and do a monthly call where we have a topic. I love the idea of having, you know, maybe someone hosts a 30-minute mentorship, you know, kind of open house coffee chat, you know, once a week where it’s like, hey, this person’s hosting. And if you’re interested in connecting with them, here’s what they’re an expert in. Great, join and some other things. But I’ve gotten some really good advice, and I think probably the best piece of advice I’ve gotten is, you know, sort of start small and add based on what your members want. So, I will also be open to saying that I want to get feedback from, you know, the early adopters and the founding members. And I want to hear, you know, there’s what I think would be beneficial, but I’m not so high and mighty to think that I know everything.

Brittney Lincoln:

And so, I also really do want to learn. And I want to say, you know, here’s what I’ve learned propped up for the community. Now you guys tell me, you know, what am I missing or what can we add that would benefit, you know, everyone? And I’ll try to, you know, take everyone’s input in and if it only benefits one person, it might not make sense. But if it’s a, oh, wow, that’s a great idea that benefits the group, you know, add to it.

Melinda Wittstock:

That’s amazing.

Melinda Wittstock:

One of the things I’ve noticed about female entrepreneurs generally is that we do tend to get isolated, but we succeed much more when we have a really good community around us, right? And when women can come at this from a place of abundance rather than scarcity. And there’s a lot of mindset work that needs to be done in that because people are in different places about it. Like it’s not a conscious thing, it’s maybe unconscious, but like, women can sometimes be threatened by other women’s success, right, rather than being inspired by it. Men over the years in business have just gotten good at doing deals on the golf course or just helping each other. Like, hey, Joe, I’ve got this opportunity. You want in? Yeah, I want in. You know, all that kind of stuff comes very naturally. And whereas women, it’s still kind of new in a way. So how do you, how do you foster that sense of abundance where women really are showing up and like, really, like, as we say on this podcast, let’s lift as we climb. How to really get that going?

Brittney Lincoln:

Yeah, no, it’s something I’ve thought a lot about, and I do think it will be interesting. You know, I’m trying through community guidelines, and you know, what my welcome emails and sort of what to expect emails and all of that will look like to sort of establish that. Right. Collaborative culture. Because you’re right. And look, I don’t want to, I don’t ever want to talk bad about women, but there are women out there that think that way and they’re a lone wolf and it’s me, myself and I. And they’re not interested in collaborating. And you know, sometimes that’s, that’s deep rooted and how they were raised or life experiences.

Brittney Lincoln:

Right. And so, you know, but I also believe that there are a lot of women like you. And I put myself in this camp and the women that I work with that want to lift other women up and that believe that someone else’s success is our success and that together we are so much stronger. And so, my community motto is, we don’t compete with each other. We complete each other. And I think that, that, you know, that’s the precedence, that’s the culture that I want to try to set from the beginning. And so, I know that, you know, member communities and networking platforms can be really tough to manage. And I know that sometimes you can, you know, get someone in that’s not upholding that and not subscribing to it.

Brittney Lincoln:

And it may be a tough decision. And I am saying I have the right to kick you out if, you know, if you’re not, if you’re not playing nice. But I also think, you know, to your point, I think if I communicate that really clearly early on and say, look, if you’re someone that wants to collaborate, if you think that everyone’s win is your win, you know, if you want to, you know, Fix someone’s hair and straighten their, you know, straighten their coat so that they look better, then this is probably right, the place for you. Right. If you’re seeking out sisterhood, if you’re tired of, you know, doing on your own, then this is, you know, this is where you want to be. But if you’re, if you’re that lone wolf and you want to be number one at all costs, then, you know, maybe we’re not right for you. And I think that’s okay too. You know, I would say that’s another piece of advice I’ve gotten along the way of you’ll never please everyone.

Brittney Lincoln:

Right. You can never be all things to all people. And so, I think if I, if I lead with that and the community guidelines and establish that culture from day one, hopefully like attracts like, and I’ll. I’ll get people in that want to, you know, that, that subscribe to my notion of, of completing each other and not being in here to compete.

Melinda Wittstock:

Right. This is so important. Well, I’m so pleased you’re doing this work. This is very, very exciting. And you’ll have to come on and update us on how all that’s going. And then if people want to connect with you, Brittney, either to be in, in the group. They’re either a franchisor.

Melinda Wittstock:

Or if they are interested in, in the work that you’re doing as a, as a partner in the FSO limitless franchise growth, what’s the best way to get in touch with you and work with you?

Brittney Lincoln:

Yeah. So, I’ll, I’ll say my email, which is Brittney emails. Enfranchising.com would be probably the email the easiest. But I will say my, my first name is spelled a little bit different. It’s B, R, I, T, T, N, E, Y. So, I’ll just call that out. But I will also say, please visit my website. It’s www.femalesenfranchising.com.

Brittney Lincoln:

That’s my Instagram handle. That’s my LinkedIn page as well. You can sign up for the wait list on any of those platforms. But by all means, if I love talking about franchising, if anyone’s listening and they have questions whether it’s, you know, turning your business into a franchise or should you buy a franchise or whatever it might be, I really do. I, I love this industry. I love what I do, and I want to shine a light on it, and I would love for more women to take part.

Melinda Wittstock:

Fantastic. Well, thank you so much. For putting your wings on and flying with us today.

Brittney Lincoln:

Thank you.

[INTERVIEW ENDS]

Melinda Wittstock:

Brittney Lincoln is the CEO and founder of Females in Franchising and a partner in Limitless Franchise Growth, a franchise sales organization (FSO).

Melinda Wittstock:

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Melinda Wittstock:

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