Like many other industries, women’s presence in business ownership and franchising has grown significantly over the past few years.
Franchise ownership by women in the U.S. has gone up 25% over the past decade, according to The Wall Street Journal, with women owning or co-owning an estimated 265,000 franchise businesses, roughly 35% of franchise outlets in the country.
Experts point to the increasing presence of women in the workforce and corporate worlds, as well as the increase of resources for aspiring entrepreneurs, as reasons behind the growth. Signs of the trend are also apparent in Baton Rouge, where several franchise businesses have been opened by women over the past few years.
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Maria Finley, the franchise owner of Rita’s Italian Ice on Lee Drive, was already considering opening her own small business when she discovered Rita’s while on a trip to Washington, D.C. While she had been considering a few different options for her business, Rita’s concept swept the Baton Rouge attorney off her feet and she says she knew she had to bring the concept to Baton Rouge.
“Opening a franchise, it’s been a love-hate relationship,” Finley says. “It’s really great because a franchise is a tried-and-true company with a tried-and-true product that people will recognize. The downside if you do give up some of your autonomy when you go the franchise route.”
Read on for the rest of the story, which appeared in the Sept. 1 edition of The Network. Click here for more from this Business Report newsletter, all about connecting women in the Capital Region.