That perception, along with a lack of access to capital, are what officials at Churchs Chicken blame for the low numbers of women in franchising. At a time when the number of women-owned businesses is growing at twice the rate of all businesses, women make up just 10 percent of franchisees nationwide. Churchs wants to change all that with The Churchs Professional Mentoring Program.
"Part of our philosophy and business strategy is to have a diverse customer base, franchise base, suppliers and partners," says Sarah Helm, Churchs' director of marketing for new business development. "We have a highly diverse system, but when it came to women ownership, we realized that we weren't doing as good a job."
Churchs has 1,450 restaurants worldwide, 1,200 in the U.S. Of the 660 that are owned by franchisees, just 20 percent are owned by women. Still, Churchs has a woman at the helm. Hala Moddelmog, Churchs' president, is one of the few women leaders of franchise corporations.
So, Churchs seems to fancy itself somewhat of an expert on women in franchising. Its mentoring program will be tailored to individual women franchisees, as well as those interested in purchasing a franchise - any franchise, not just Churchs. Specific training will depend on a woman's needs. Churchs hopes to get volunteers from its corporate and franchisee ranks, and to eventually expand the program to all the systems of its parent company, AFC Enterprises.
The program will commence with a panel discussion in Chicago on May 24. Helm says that Churchs hopes this event will shed some light on the reasons why women aren't embracing franchising. It will be moderated by Moddelmog. "The program was born out of wanting to do a better job of attracting women to Churchs," says Helm. "The intent of the launch is to raise the challenges and opportunities that women face in franchising."
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