October 2019: FASTSIGNS® CEO Catherine Monson
ON THE COVER
Leading the Charge
CEO of FASTSIGNS® outlines the must-have ingredients for business success
by Rose Mango
Catherine Monson
FASTSIGNS
FASTSIGNS CEO Catherine Monson leads one of the country’s largest franchise companies. She tapped her education and tenacity to overcome many obstacles in reaching the top spot at the company and in becoming one of the franchise industry’s most respected leaders. Monson says she is driven to make – and keep – FASTSIGNS the nation’s best franchise, and she has worked tirelessly to cultivate a culture that fosters an exceptional work environment.
As she navigated life and career challenges to the top spot at FASTSIGNS, Monson says she learned early, at least for herself, that although women may have been told they can have it all, they really can’t. “I don’t believe anyone can have it all,” Monson says. “Vince Lombardi said, ‘To achieve success, whatever the job, we must pay the price.’ I believe there is a cost to becoming an excellent CEO. I believe there is a price to be paid.” That opinion may be controversial, but Monson looks at business and her career as “a professional meritocracy.” Much like sports, she says, you must stay laser-focused, build muscle strength, and push-push-push every day, “always perfecting your game.”
“Although I had a tough childhood that was marked by hardship and some tragedy, I found a way to have self-discipline and to think about all the things I have to be grateful for. I chose not to be a victim of a bad childhood. The ability to discipline the mind and develop a positive mental attitude is a learned skill that everyone can develop.”
Monson sees herself as an educator as well as a leader. “I love teaching people how to set and achieve goals. Self-motivation is key. You don’t have to do twice as much as anybody else. You just have to do 2% more, 5% more. You develop the discipline to learn how to make yourself do one more thing each day. I developed the habit of deciding, ‘OK, I’m going do one more thing before I leave today.’ It’s about learning to stretch yourself.”
Perseverance also has been crucial to her success, she says. “Never give up. Don’t give in. If it is important to you, keep trying. You must surround yourself with positivity. At FASTSIGNS Corporate, we created a hallway that envelops you in positivity as you walk through. We call it Inspiration Hall. It is filled with over 150 quotes on positive mental attitude, goal-directed behavior, self-motivation, perseverance, and never stopping learning.” Monson says. “It helps all team member fill their minds with positive and motivating messages. It’s part of our culture.”
Another element of that culture is empowering male and female franchisees alike. “Women, just as men, can do anything they put their minds to. FASTSIGNS has many female franchisees that are single moms, married with a family, all kinds of women who are very successful franchise owners.
We also have a great deal of women who are sales professionals working for our franchisees. None of them would say being a female is a detriment,” Monson insists. “What they would say is, ‘As long as I am smart and as good as or better than my competition, it doesn’t matter at all that I am a woman.’ The truth is, if you’re not bringing the most value, you won’t succeed the most.”
The company’s respected brand is a big help to all of its franchisees, she says. “The brand has created a proven, successful, winning business model. FASTSIGNS teaches our franchisees our proven method of doing business, right on down to how to make signs that happen to be higher quality and dot it more efficiently than other ways to make signs. We have created a certain way that our centers look, and we have a customer-focused approach that is unbeatable. We have built a proven model for success, and our franchisees benefit from that.”
FASTSIGNS franchise owners can still flex their individuality, though. “Our franchisees create their work environment based on their personality. Our franchisees contribute to their local communities in the way that fulfills themselves. Our franchisees put their own personal stamp on their business in the context of looking and acting like a FASTSIGNS franchise that is recognizable for its superb quality and customer service. We give our franchisees the tools to fulfill our brand promise to ensure the consumer knows what they’re getting.”
To learn more: https://www.fastsigns.com
ON THE COVER
Leading the Charge
CEO of FASTSIGNS® outlines the must-have ingredients for business success
by Rose Mango
Catherine Monson
FASTSIGNS
FASTSIGNS CEO Catherine Monson leads one of the country’s largest franchise companies. She tapped her education and tenacity to overcome many obstacles in reaching the top spot at the company and in becoming one of the franchise industry’s most respected leaders. Monson says she is driven to make – and keep – FASTSIGNS the nation’s best franchise, and she has worked tirelessly to cultivate a culture that fosters an exceptional work environment.
As she navigated life and career challenges to the top spot at FASTSIGNS, Monson says she learned early, at least for herself, that although women may have been told they can have it all, they really can’t. “I don’t believe anyone can have it all,” Monson says. “Vince Lombardi said, ‘To achieve success, whatever the job, we must pay the price.’ I believe there is a cost to becoming an excellent CEO. I believe there is a price to be paid.” That opinion may be controversial, but Monson looks at business and her career as “a professional meritocracy.” Much like sports, she says, you must stay laser-focused, build muscle strength, and push-push-push every day, “always perfecting your game.”
“Although I had a tough childhood that was marked by hardship and some tragedy, I found a way to have self-discipline and to think about all the things I have to be grateful for. I chose not to be a victim of a bad childhood. The ability to discipline the mind and develop a positive mental attitude is a learned skill that everyone can develop.”
Monson sees herself as an educator as well as a leader. “I love teaching people how to set and achieve goals. Self-motivation is key. You don’t have to do twice as much as anybody else. You just have to do 2% more, 5% more. You develop the discipline to learn how to make yourself do one more thing each day. I developed the habit of deciding, ‘OK, I’m going do one more thing before I leave today.’ It’s about learning to stretch yourself.”
Perseverance also has been crucial to her success, she says. “Never give up. Don’t give in. If it is important to you, keep trying. You must surround yourself with positivity. At FASTSIGNS Corporate, we created a hallway that envelops you in positivity as you walk through. We call it Inspiration Hall. It is filled with over 150 quotes on positive mental attitude, goal-directed behavior, self-motivation, perseverance, and never stopping learning.” Monson says. “It helps all team member fill their minds with positive and motivating messages. It’s part of our culture.”
Another element of that culture is empowering male and female franchisees alike. “Women, just as men, can do anything they put their minds to. FASTSIGNS has many female franchisees that are single moms, married with a family, all kinds of women who are very successful franchise owners.
We also have a great deal of women who are sales professionals working for our franchisees. None of them would say being a female is a detriment,” Monson insists. “What they would say is, ‘As long as I am smart and as good as or better than my competition, it doesn’t matter at all that I am a woman.’ The truth is, if you’re not bringing the most value, you won’t succeed the most.”
The company’s respected brand is a big help to all of its franchisees, she says. “The brand has created a proven, successful, winning business model. FASTSIGNS teaches our franchisees our proven method of doing business, right on down to how to make signs that happen to be higher quality and dot it more efficiently than other ways to make signs. We have created a certain way that our centers look, and we have a customer-focused approach that is unbeatable. We have built a proven model for success, and our franchisees benefit from that.”
FASTSIGNS franchise owners can still flex their individuality, though. “Our franchisees create their work environment based on their personality. Our franchisees contribute to their local communities in the way that fulfills themselves. Our franchisees put their own personal stamp on their business in the context of looking and acting like a FASTSIGNS franchise that is recognizable for its superb quality and customer service. We give our franchisees the tools to fulfill our brand promise to ensure the consumer knows what they’re getting.”
To learn more: https://www.fastsigns.com
The Drilecks love that they can customize the business to their market and to their strengths as business owners. “We can add on services as we wish, but don’t have to offer everything FASTSIGNS produces,” Chuck says. “We are able to scale the business at our own pace.” In fact, the Drilecks plan to open another location and will bring their daughter on board to help.
