It’s that WOW time of year again! Get ready for our annual special section in the October edition: WOW: 50 Women of Wonder! This is our moment to celebrate and honor 50 outstanding women franchisors who make a significant impact. These trailblazers forge ahead, no matter the obstacles, shaping the future of franchising with their resilience and vision. By Rose Mango
The number of women in the franchising industry continues to grow. Today, women either own or co-own about 265,000 franchises in the U.S. To give that figures some context, that’s approximately 35% of all U.S. franchise outlets, up 24% from just a decade ago. But these numbers represent a mere snippet of the impact women are having on the franchising industry and the wider business world. By Sue Bennett
Each year we reach out to you, our readers, and ask you to nominate a woman franchisor who has gone above and beyond her business’s expectations and who has inspired you the most. This year we were excited about the number of nominations that came in and were genuinely motivated by their stories. These next several pages are a culmination of the top 50 nomination results.