Fempire Rising: Her Future, Her Voice
Welcome to Fempire Rising, her Future, her voice, the podcast where women in business rise, lead and redefine success on their own terms. I'm Trudy Heins, and I'm the CEO of Fempire. I'm an entrepreneur and a business coach, and I believe when one woman rises, we all rise. Each week we'll dive into real conversations about business, leadership, money and mindset, the highs, the lows, and everything In between, you'll hear stories of women who've turned their fire into focus, their fear into fuel and their purpose into profit.
If you're ready to build a business that gives you freedom, fulfillment, and financial confidence, then you are in the right place. This is where passion meets purpose, and together we rise because the future isn't just bright. The future is female.
Fempire Rising: Her Future, Her Voice
Season 3 | Episode 4 | Franchising Isn’t Scale. It’s Structure.
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In this Fempire Rising Season 3 episode, Trudy Heins interviews Susana Hands, a Certified Fempire Coach becoming known as “the franchise lady”, bestselling author of The Optimal Franchise System, about what it really takes to franchise successfully.
Susana shares her 15-year journey from franchisee to franchisor, including early mistakes like focusing only on legal documents and manuals without building the infrastructure, systems, team, and step-by-step SOPs needed to support franchisees, culminating in being sued by a franchisee.
Trudy and Susana discuss common misconceptions, especially underestimating complexity, regulation, and franchisor responsibilities, and key readiness tests like whether the business can run profitably without the owner.
Susana outlines essential foundations (team, POS/CRM, scalable website, modeling fees/royalties and ROI), risks of overreliance on specialized talent, and realistic costs of roughly $50k–$100k plus expert support.
If you’re thinking of moving into franchising or wondering what goes on behind the scenes to start franchising a business. Susana pulls the curtain back on what the real deals are when franchising and doing it the right way in order to protect yourself and your business.
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02:09 Meet Susana Hands
03:40 Franchising Lessons Learned
06:04 Franchisor as Coach
07:47 Personal Brand Sells
08:45 Franchising Misconceptions
11:45 Foundations Before Scaling
13:18 Model the Franchise Numbers
15:00 Avoid Overqualified Hiring
16:30 Rogue Franchisee Reality
17:10 Remote Island Readiness
19:02 Service Licensing Workaround
19:34 Franchise Duplication Systems
19:52 Academy Program Pitch
20:36 Expansion Mistakes Costs
21:30 Franchise Setup Budgeting
23:48 Build Your Expert Team
24:51 CRM Automation Essentials
25:30 Growth Planning Market Tests
27:22 Second Location Proofing
28:18 Rapid Fire Core Questions
31:19 Pricing Knowledge Confidence
32:06 Support Networks Intuition
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So, I guess if you look at your business and if it's heavily reliant on you being in it, working in it every single day, and you can't step away and have somebody else run it, then your business is probably not ready to be franchised. Because if you were to step away and do the exercise, I get everybody to do this exercise. Step away from your own business, go on a remote island, don't have internet. Can the business still run and make money whilst you're sleeping or going somewhere else? That's where most people tend to go to franchising because you eliminate people problems and you have capital investment.
SPEAKER_01Yep, yep, because that then becomes the franchisees' issue internally in their business.
SPEAKER_00So and you leverage off their money and their expertise and their ability to want to work in that particular store, and that's how you can actually grow quicker.
SPEAKER_01Welcome to Fampire Rising, the podcast for women who are serious about building strong, profitable, sustainable businesses. I'm your host, Trudy Hines, the CEO of Fampire, business coach and mentor. And here we are in season three. This season we are bringing you the women behind the infrastructure of business. The experts in marketing, finance, systems, strategy, visibility, and design who help businesses grow properly. Because building a business takes more than passion, it takes structure, it takes smart decisions and it takes the right support around you. So if you're ready to think bigger, operate better, and build a business with real substance behind it, you're in the right place. Let's get into today's episode. Hello and welcome to the Fempire Rising Podcast, Her Future, Her Voice. This podcast is all about the women building businesses, creating impact, and shaping the future of female entrepreneurship. And in season three, we're speaking to the women behind the infrastructure of business, the experts who help business owners build something strong, sustainable, and successful. Because building a business today isn't just about having a great idea, it's about the structure, the scalability, and the decisions you make as you grow. And one of the most powerful yet often misunderstood growth models is franchising. So today I'm joined by the wonderful Susanna Hands, also known as the Franchise Lady. And Susanna is now also a best-selling author of the Optimal Franchise System. I also like to mention that Susanna is one of our Fempire certified coaches as well. Now Susanna works with business owners to understand structure and navigate franchising in a way that actually supports long-term success. Susanna, welcome to our podcast. Thanks, Trudy, for having me. I really appreciate it. Absolute pleasure. To start, can you share a little about your journey into franchising and what led you to become known as the franchise lady?
SPEAKER_00So I've been doing this now for 15 years. I started just like many others with an idea I don't want to run my own business. I didn't want to work for anybody. So I bought a franchise because I had no idea how to run a business myself when I first started back 15, 20 odd years ago. So I bought my first franchise and I learned a lot through owning my own franchise as a franchisee. Then I also learned how to sell. Then I also learned how to start a business from scratch. And then I also learned how to franchise my own business that I had started from scratch. But I actually physically learnt it myself through the hard knocks that business ownership gives you.
SPEAKER_01So I know that, Susanna, you've shared previously that your journey to franchising certainly was a bit of a bumpy road and there were some mistakes along the way that you learned. Are you happy to share some of those?
SPEAKER_00Absolutely. So when I franchised, I was so excited about franchising. The first thing I did, which is where most people tend to go, is I went, I can do a legal documentation and get myself franchise legally. Then I went and wrote a manual, which I thought was compliant with giving it to somebody to learn how to do what I do. And I pretty much knew how to sell because that's who I am. I like selling. And I thought, I've got this, right? So when I then got out there and started franchise, I actually got my first franchise on board. I realized that my infrastructure to be able to expand through franchising was there was a lot missing. And the missing elements was like your website wasn't ready to be expanded to have multiple people on there. My team wasn't ready to be expanded. And then I could not do everything myself. I couldn't sell the franchise, I couldn't train these people, and I couldn't actually hold their hand and support them to grow business. So I ended up kind of failing myself. But after I'd sold my eighth franchisee, so my last franchisee in the second year of being in franchising, she sued me. And she sued me on the basis of a mum can't run a business because mums can't do business and be a mother. It was a really interesting case, but it was also a very, very hard knock to the head to say, you know what, if I had infrastructures there, if she didn't get angry because she wasn't making money, because I had a structured process on how to get into business, I sold it in a way that, hey, you know, it's hard yakkers to start a business. I don't care if it's a franchise or it's a normal business, it's still the same process. It's hard is tough, right? It's very tough. But the biggest thing I learned was the fact that I didn't have kind of an SOP to sort of say, okay, step one is this, step two is this, step three is this. So most people, when they get into franchising, they think that, oh yeah, I'm franchised, I've got a legal document, I've got this. But it's more so you're starting everyone from scratch. Think about that. I'm starting this person, even though she's buying into my business or he's buying into my business, that person is starting from scratch, and you still have to build them up, not just their knowledge on how to run a business, them how to sell, them, how to do the product or the service or deliver the service, and also be able to get them to grow and make money. So you think about it, you're like almost like a coach.
SPEAKER_01I think the thing that I take away from that is that people are coming into franchises from all walks of life, and so you can't assume any sort of prior knowledge almost, can you? You have to really keep it simple and assume that everybody is coming from an absolute bare bones baseline. Hold on. If if they're coming in with a level of knowledge, well, that's great. Then they can probably leapfrog a few things, but ultimately, you as a franchiser have that responsibility of saying, I have to assume nothing. And I get them there.
SPEAKER_00But look, that's the biggest thing I always say to people that want to convert into a franchise. Look at yourself first as a leader. Are you a leader? Can you influence people to follow your lead? And can you guide them? Can you coach them? You become a mentor to them because yes, you're being paid to kind of support them and grow their business, but it's not really like a business coach, right? You can tell them how to do it, you can guide them, but you can't dictate like an employee, hey, I want you to do this and I want you to do that. It's a very different kind of relationship between yourself and your franchisee. They've invested money into your business, so they're buying your intellectual knowledge, they're buying your skill sets of how you became so successful in your business. And thirdly, they're actually wanting the same success you've had, and that's why they buy into you.
SPEAKER_01They're buying into your story. They are yeah, and they want to replicate themselves as you, but often they don't have that skill set. So, as you said, you have to be able to essentially coach them in that skill set, or if you can't 100% replicate them as your clone, which of course you can't, you need to be able to identify how you can pivot that for them so that they are successful.
SPEAKER_00Well, that's where the brand recognition comes in.
SPEAKER_01Sure.
SPEAKER_00Most people buy into your brand because one, it's either very well known, it makes money, and it's been proven to work whichever way you're selling it. Are you selling a product, are you selling a service? So that's that's the key. The second best thing is who's the person behind who built it. Most franchisors hide and don't want to sort of tell their story of who they are, what they do, how they go about in life. They hide behind their brand. And I'm always a very big believer that if you don't have a personal brand, it's you who they tend to want to know about your story. And the brand comes second to that. Yeah. And then they join you and then they go, Yeah, I like who she is or he is, I like the brand. I'm gonna invest, I trust you, I trust the system, I trust the process, and that's where you get better sales. However, I always say that you can be a very good business owner, but if you can't convert yourself into a franchiser, you'll struggle. It doesn't matter how good your system is.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and that probably leads me on to my next question, which is what do you think women in business particularly often misunderstand about franchising as a growth model?
SPEAKER_00I think they misunderstand the complexity of getting into franchising. So franchising isn't like expanding about just opening up another store or opening up another location or another stream of things. It's understanding every single aspect of what does it take to be able to duplicate your business into another area or duplicate your system so that somebody else can learn everything you've done without the skill sets, and you've got to be quick on the buzzer to be able to teach them that. The structures is another thing that people tend to fail, get right. And lastly, I think it's just that fact of you've got to have everything. Your foundations have to be super spot on before you take that plunge. It is very expensive to get in there and then try to figure things out. So you want to sort of structure everything prior to you getting into franchising and then having that, and then the expansion is much easier and more flowy.
SPEAKER_01I guess, like anything, you know, building a business, building a house, having that foundation really, really solid is going to be the thing that will help you into the futures.
SPEAKER_00And the other thing you want to make sure you know is you know what it's like to be a franchisor. So franchising isn't like owning an independent business. There's so much responsibilities on the actual franchisor that you need to be aware of. And apart from the responsibilities, it's compliance as well. Really educate yourself in the industry, ask the questions and make sure that you're working with the absolute experts for every single aspect that's not.
SPEAKER_01And it has become more regulated, hasn't it? Over the, you know, because obviously there's been some horror stories over the time. And so I think you're one of the things that I have seen over the years is that it has become such a heavily regulated way of doing business. So if you're not prepared to dots your I's and cross your T's, you need to have somebody in your business that can do that for you.
SPEAKER_00I would always highly recommend don't do what I did because I went straight to somebody that just structured me and gave me legal documents and a manual. You need to work with an advisor or an expert that knows everything about franchising. So similar to what I do, I know the legal side of things, I know the compliance, I know the manuals, I know the selling and what gets you to launch. People get that really confused because they go straight to a lawyer and say, just create documents.
SPEAKER_01Just create a document for me. Or, you know, with these days with chat or any sort of AI, I'm sure they think they can do that themselves. But ultimately, like a lot of things when you are setting up, that cost of investment will stand you in good stead because if you actually get it wrong, the cost of getting it wrong will far outweigh, and as you've indicated. And I've experienced it, so it's been a period and that cost me a lot of money as well to learn that hard way. So if we have women that are listening and are thinking, I've got this great business and it's potentially a franchise, I know you've mentioned sort of getting that advice, but before you even go down that route, what are the key things you would think about before you even consider this is a potentially an option?
SPEAKER_00Look at every single department of your business and make sure that everything has got a real solid foundation. So, for example, if you look at your team, do you have a team that's ready to grow with you? If not, what's the plan to employ people at that certain home and what roles are they going to be doing to convert from independent to franchising? Second, your POS system or your point of sale system or your system that you or CRM systems. Does it have potential for growth? Can you implement more people into that? Thirdly, your website, biggest one that everyone makes a big mistake on. Like when we all start as a new business, we always just go to GoDaddy and just build it ourselves. Most people just think, yeah, it's just there, it gives me credibility. But once you get into franchising, you're gonna have to create URLs for every single franchise or potentially have them to have their own page. Does your website have potential? Does your hosting have that potential?
SPEAKER_01And I think that's it. I think it's it's being able to look at everything through the lens of scale. Yes. And understanding that when you're a sole operator, scale is not something that you necessarily have to think through. But this is a whole other part of your business if you're going to go down that track. And what's that look and feel like?
SPEAKER_00The other thing that's a massive one that everyone fails to do is model your system out. So model what system you're thinking of wanting to put out there. Because remember, you're a business owner, so you don't pay royalties to yourself, you don't necessarily will be paying a marketing fee, which is all the little elements that I call in the commercial terms in your franchise agreement that you will expect a franchisee to pay you, being the owner, not only a franchise fee to enter into the business, but also a recurring percentage of revenue. So if you haven't modeled your business out to understand what that costs a franchisee, do you know if you're going to ask them for X amount of money, at what point are they gonna make money and do a return of investment? So modeling this out and making sure you're speaking to the expert like yourself that can actually give them a whole, hey, this is what I think I'm gonna charge, and this is where I feel like they're gonna make what's their break-even point.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, where's the break-even point? And I think that's it. And I think a lot of people now are going into businesses and potentially they don't know, but one of the things that is critical, whether it is a franchise or any other sort of business, is return on investment. It is about I'm going to pay to do this, so therefore, when is my point when I'm actually in profit? Because if you're paid to go into a business, and just because you make profit in that week, it does not make it a profitable business. Bottom.
SPEAKER_00And it's got to be consistent because everyone's got expenses. Once you're in a franchise model, the franchiser will have recurring costs, regardless of whether they're making money or not, they're going to have recurring costs. So you need to make sure that they're not going to get angry because they're sitting back doing nothing and not making money, but yet they've got an obligation to pay the franchise all. So these are things that you want to make sure you've got down pat. The other thing that people don't realize is I want to franchise my restaurant, but I need a head chef that's got super qualifications. That's like finding a needle in the needle in a haystack. Yep. You can't just go and find anyone to be able to do that. So if you're going to do that or you're going to be a Pilates instructor, or you're going to do, you need to figure out how you can train someone in a short period of time to be able to be successful in the business that you're trying to sell. And that's another thing that people fail to do because people then go, I'm looking for the niche of the niche. I need that person to have super qualifications. But if you make it so hard, you can only sell it to a small portion of people. So franchising is literally for somebody that you don't have to have any qualifications or potentially certain skill sets, and I can, as a franchiser, can teach you how to teach you.
SPEAKER_01And I think as you said, and going back to that, then people buy you, they don't necessarily buy your brand. And I think that is critical again across all areas of business, but nothing more so than franchising, is that brand is critical because that gives recognition out in the marketplace. But if you don't know how to replicate you, then it's probably not the right space for you.
SPEAKER_00But the key is that it's not you trying to replicate yourself as such, because you don't want somebody else to be so entrepreneurial like you, because there's only so many people that can do that. You need someone who's willing to follow your training, your systems, your processes, and implement and run with it. If they then try to reinvent the wheel and say, hey, I do things the way, because let's face it, yeah, they don't vague. And I know that because I actually did that when I was a franchisee. I actually thought I could do things my way and heaps better. And so I actually did it and I went rogue. And I'll be honest with you, I was never a good franchisee because I thought my way was better. And you know, let's call it what it is. I actually did a better job. However, that's not what a franchise is about. That's not what a franchise is about. Yeah. And it's not what it's about. So hence why I knew that that wasn't for me. And that's how I knew I was never going to be a great franchisee. But I could sit on the other side of the fence and be that franchise or to be guiding others into it. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01What makes a difference between a business that you think is ready to scale, one that is too reliant on that owner? You've talked about obviously having your departments, and I know you have a really structured approach to the departments and how they operate. So could you talk us through that a little?
SPEAKER_00So I guess if you look at your business and if it's heavily reliant on you being in it, working in it every single day, and you can't step away and have somebody else run it, then your business is probably not ready to be franchised. Because if you were to step away and do the exercise, I get everybody to do this exercise. Step away from your own business, go on a remote island, don't have internet. Can the business still run and make money whilst you're sleeping or going somewhere else? If the answer is yes, then you've got a pretty good business there that you just have to tweak it up and you can duplicate that. So that's a pulse check there. Yeah. That's right. That's probably my biggest reality check there. Can the thing make money whilst you're not there? And if your answer is no, then you've got to then work on how do I get myself out of my own business. The data they're running of it. I'll give you an example. If you run a chicken shop and you're on the burners cooking the chicken every single day, and if you're not on the cook because you cook your chicken way and whatever, if you leave that business and you're off on holidays and the chicken doesn't get cooked the same way because your people haven't been trained or they don't know how to do it, and you lose sales, then your business isn't ready for franchising because you haven't been able to teach your own people how to run the business without you being in there every single day.
SPEAKER_01That's just a real No, no, and that's you know, and I think it's critical for people to know this because I think there has been so much conversation around franchising and there's a perception that it's a great way to make money. But the reality of it is that if your business is not primed and positioned for it, nor ready for it, it's not a great way to make money. It's a great way to lose money very quickly and quite frankly, annoy a lot of people along the way. It does.
SPEAKER_00Here's another example with your services, right? Because a lot of people think, oh, the services, how do I do it? I need a specific person to have certain qualifications or certain licenses. So another way you could do it is if you need that person to hold certain licenses, but you can't get them to go out and do it because they will take four years to get it through TAFE or uni or wherever it needs to be to get that, then you carry the license and you then outsource your license to all your franchisees so that they don't have to go and spend four years studying to get that same license. Just think about things that will stop someone making money and then implement it from a head office perspective to build your model out to be able to give you a well-oiled system that makes sense and you can duplicate it. So the duplication of your business is going to be key to be able to grow and expand franchising.
SPEAKER_01Before we jump back in, if you know you need more support in your business, but you are not ready to commit to one-on-one coaching, the Fampire Academy is your next step. This is our stepping stone program for women who know they need more guidance, more structure, and better support as they grow. Inside, you'll have access to thousands of dollars worth of business training, a monthly QA session with one of our coaches, and our sisterhood Facebook group, where we share exclusive content, insight, and support for women building serious businesses. And because you're a podcast listener, you can join with 25% off using the code RISING. You'll find the link in the show notes. Now let's get back to the episode. And so, what are some of the biggest mistakes that people make when they do expand too quickly or without the right structure?
SPEAKER_00Firstly, they don't understand the cost structures. So they don't understand once they are in there, it's not just about illegal documentation and creating legal documents, and it's not just about having an operations manual. There's a lot more to it, and there's a lot more expenses that go along the way. Trademarks. You need to have budgets for marketing to be able to launch your business. You then have to probably implement people in there to start helping you grow. You've got to have a project manager to be able to project manage your franchisee on board and having that office or store opened up. So I guess the biggest thing I would say is making sure that you are well aware of everything you need to know, not only just from a cost perspective, but of a people perspective. And what do you need to put in place to be able to help you get to franchising?
SPEAKER_01And so let's talk ballpark figure, because obviously there's a lot of differences depending on the franchise, but even let's talk ballpark cost without the people infrastructure. What would you suggest would be a reasonable figure?
SPEAKER_00So startup businesses, you can do it on your own, and to just go and do the four stages, which is what I send people through strategic planning, legal documentation, operations manual, and then your sales and marketing to launch your business. Anyone would pay anywhere between$25,000, being do it your own way, up to about$50,000. So that part, anyone that's a consultant, you can go to there's a whole heap. Them that should where you then get caught out is you've got to have marketing, you've got to have extra money to set up your business structures. That is an accounting cost. You also have to do an independent audit on the business that you've structured. That's an independent auditor that then has its own fees. So you're talking about two grand. So I would say, and then you've also got to allocate money for marketing and then sending yourself out to launch and then having the right people to be able to sell it for you. You can't just go and get a business broker that sold an independent business to come and sell a franchise because they don't know the regulations. So you really have to find or get trained to be able to do that. So that's why I started that franchise sales accelerator because it was where I found a lot of people got caught out. They went into that section and then they go, okay, I'm now franchised, but how do I sell this? So then I would help them coach them and teach their people or themselves to then have a team internally to be able to do that. I would say allocate between 50 and 100K in total to be able to do a good solid job of this, because then you also have to look at every little thing that comes your way: marketing, website creation, all of that stuff.
SPEAKER_01And as we know, costs come out of the woodwall all of the time. And I guess what I think from what you're saying is that if you've got a successful business at the moment and you're thinking of franchising, you need to understand what your profit looks like now. And if it's not really profitable year on year at that$50,000 to$100,000, you probably need to work with a coach to get you there before you even start thinking franchising. Then you need to work with somebody that is a specific franchise coach to take you to the next level.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. And don't just work with one expert. So some people work directly with a lawyer. The lawyer can only share with you legals and compliance and probably trademarks. So you need a team. You need a team. You can't just have somebody, and that's how I do it. Like I have a team. I'm not the expert in legal, I'm not the expert in all marketing stuff, I'm not the expert in commercial structures and things like that. But my team has accounts, legals, sales, which is my biggest baby. That's my biggest thing that I like to do. And then structuring. So if you have the team that does everything, you've got the expertise from every angle, you can't fail because we're going to say, Hey, did you think about this? And they're like, Oh no, I didn't think about that.
SPEAKER_01And I know you look, as a retired financial planner, that was exactly the way that I used to work is that I would work with an accountant, I would work with a lawyer. Because you look at things from a different perspective, and ultimately that just makes it very client-centric so that you are getting the best of a team's knowledge from all different perspectives and angles. So I 100% support that.
SPEAKER_00So the biggest thing I always find as well is CRM systems. Do you know how many people get to that point and go, I don't have a CRM system? I'm running off an Excel spreadsheet. Yeah. How are you supposed to sell if you don't have something structured and something that's really automated? Absolutely. And then start the lead flow happening, you get 100 leads a day, and then what do you do with them? You're like, ah, I'm going to call it overwhelming.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Working with an expert that gives you all that thinking. Have you done this? Have you thought about this? Have we structured this? Have we put this in place? That's the key.
SPEAKER_01And I think, look, you know, the more that you can automate, obviously it helps the overwhelm, but it also takes away an element of human error, which is critical. So for women who are building with growth in mind, what should they be thinking about earlier?
SPEAKER_00What is their growth plan? So get that plan in place really early on. I think because you wouldn't know if franchising is going to be for you at the beginning, but you do definitely know that you want to expand. And probably you want to expand to a different area. You can make money in a different market than where you currently are. So, for example, if I'm based in Sydney and yes, my clients in Sydney would love my service or my product, but will that product work in, say, Queensland or Melbourne? So trial in out different markets, first and foremost, but you have to be mindful that you've got to invest time in people and structure and capital to be able to like have that second store, etc. When you try that out, then you sort of can map it out going, okay, I can expand as a corporate, but you then have to fit figure out capital investment, people problems, because it's all going to be on you. Or no, I don't want to have the people problems and I don't want to have the capital investment part fall on me. That's where most people tend to go to franchising because you eliminate people problems and capital investments. Yep.
SPEAKER_01Yep, because that then becomes the franchisee's issue internally in their business.
SPEAKER_00So and you leverage off their money and their expertise and their ability to want to work in that particular store, and that's how you can actually grow quicker your pre your brand presence than doing it all yourself.
SPEAKER_01Fabulous. And thank you for that. That insight is amazing. And I hope that there are listeners out there that have been thinking about it. It's either given them the perspective that they need to go look at. I tick these boxes and I can explore it, or I'm so not ready for that. So what I need to do is actually get back to basics. Doesn't mean you can't, but you're just not ready for that next step.
SPEAKER_00So the other thing you can do, which is what a lot of my clients I are, I sort of tell a lot of my clients to do is if you're going, if you're in the food industry or in a service or product, right, you want to set up another location, so separate location to where you're currently being trading. Run it as your own corporate store and then see how that goes. If it does make money, then you know that that makes sense, right? You can always sell a you know there's demand in different markets. That's right, and you can sell it as a first franchise is an ongoing concern. So that store could become your first franchisee, and you can find the manager might want to invest in your business and might buy it. So don't think that by expanding and investing in a second store is going to be all doom and gloom. It's actually really, really powerful for you to realize which way you're not necessarily putting a hold on that franchise plan.
SPEAKER_01It's actually potentially proving it for you. Correct. That's right. So okay, good great advice. In every episode and every season, we actually have some core questions. So I'm just going to go through those now. I always say that the responses are probably off the cuff, quick and dirty, because it gives us a real insight into your thought process. From your perspective, what is one thing that women in business need to understand earlier if they want to build something strong and sustainable?
SPEAKER_00Don't be that person that's working in your business all the time and long term. If you build a business that relies heavily on you, you're doing yourself an injustice.
SPEAKER_01Fabulous. And 100% agree with that. In your field, what is one mistake you see business owners make time and time again?
SPEAKER_00Assume that everyone is franchise ready and they spend a whole heap of money going do a legal document and they get to the end and they think, how do I sell this? Be able to model this whole thing out and be able to have the right experts to be able to get you that growth. So invest in strategy before you take the leap.
SPEAKER_01Yes. What separates the women who build lasting businesses from those who struggle to gain traction?
SPEAKER_00I guess it's more the fact of they start with the smell of an oily rag, as I say, and then they just think, oh, I'm reacting, I'm just dealing with all the problems, and then they're constantly just doing that, and they don't have a plan on how to move forward or how to do that. So 90-day planners is very, very big. I'm big on that. So if you set yourself some goals that you want to achieve in 90 days, achieve that, work to the next one, work and do stepping stones to get your growth there. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01Because if you don't have a goal, and I always say this is that get in your car and just drive around with no destination, how are you ever going to get anywhere?
SPEAKER_00And have a dream. Have a dream of what you want to achieve. What is that end goal you want to achieve and what you want to do? And then work backwards. Because sometimes it's not money. I'm not motivated by money. I'm motivated by achieving milestones in my life and through business. So if I can say, yep, I've got these goals, I'm going to move back. And that these are the little steps I need to do to get to that. That's what I would say is the best.
SPEAKER_01And I find that most successful business owners are not motivated by money. And as you know, the FemPy ethos is about helping women in business create sustainable businesses. So that is definitely not about money. It is about what your mission is. So totally. Chef's kiss on that one. What is one decision or shift that had the biggest impact on your own professional journey? Copycats, no.
SPEAKER_00I have so many people ring me up and go, hey, can I pick your brain and I want to share? And then they go off and they think that they can build something based on your knowledge. And don't be afraid. I just think if people are going to be afraid, if you've got something really good and you are scared to share your wealth of knowledge, people can do whatever they want with that knowledge, but no one can do it as good as you. So just stick to your plan and just go out there and don't think of the noise around you. Because if you are clustered by noise around you, you're not focused on what your journey is, and you are the only one that's going to be motivated enough to get you to your milestones and your goals.
SPEAKER_01And do you also think that it's important to really value your knowledge? And I think one of the things that women often do is we downplay our knowledge and don't put a monetary value on that. And I think we really need to get very much better at pricing our knowledge and standing in that power.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so don't discount all the time because you don't think your knowledge or your deliverables are going to be worthwhile. I always think that if you work with the right people and you tell them this is what it costs to work with me or do what I need to do for you, they're not willing to pay for it. Walk away. There's heaps of people that would appreciate working with you and have your knowledge. That person's probably not the right fit for you, and that's okay as well. Great.
SPEAKER_01So not everybody needs to be a client. No. So when you look at the future of women in business, what gives you the most optimism?
SPEAKER_00I love the fact that we have more women starting businesses, more women willing to take the risks. And let's face it, if you've got a pretty solid relationship like I have many years, my husband was the one that says, you take all the risks, I'll be the one that sits in my job and just sustains the true. So it's really important, and I learned this very early on. If your partner isn't aligned with what your goals are and where you want to achieve, it's very hard to do it by yourself. Always make sure that you're aligned with your partner and your goals are your dreams, your goals, but it also includes them, that person in there as well, because it's a team affair. You can't do this all on your own.
SPEAKER_01Yep. And sometimes that may not be possible, but if you can't, find yourself some aligned support somewhere. Find your tribe.
SPEAKER_00Best friends, best friends, absolutely coaches, people who are influential in your life that you respect that you respect, they need to be on this journey with you. I had a real and I still have my best friend since I was in year three. So we've been together for a very, very long time. She tells me when my ideas are good or they're really bad. And I remember going back now when I first started my franchise. She then said to me, Why are you franchising? You're way too early to franchise. She had no idea about business. But I look back now many years back and I think, oh, she had give me some really good advice. I just chose not to listen to her. So don't always take the negative advice you get from your friends and family.
SPEAKER_01Take it with a grain of salt, but I always think just listen and then be open to listening, I think is because I think there's you know, there's a couple of things in in messages in that. Some people who you think are aligned with you actually probably want to sabotage your success, but there are others who are heavily invested in your success and they can see things that potentially you can't. I think be open to listening to all opinions, but ultimately it's your road to tread.
SPEAKER_00Spot on. And that's why I say I've had multiple advice from multiple people. If you get too many, you get bogged down with oh, it's overwhelm. It's overwhelming. You get, as I call it, mind fog, and you just don't know which way moving forward. So always know that your opinion is well received by others. Don't just take their opinion and roll with it. You've got to make sure that it your gut is telling you that that's trust your intuition.
SPEAKER_01And this is where we really need to be more confident and more comfortable in doing that as well. So yeah, I agree.
SPEAKER_00There's a little story that I did when I first started in franchising. I went to my accountant because I always listen to my accountant. He's the numbers person that's going to give me the best advice. My accountant told me, Don't buy that business because the numbers don't stack up, it's not going to be worth it for you. I look back now, that was 20 odd years ago. I look back and I'll go back to him and I go, Why did you give me that advice? Like that was really dumb. Because look where I am today. If I had taken your advice, I would never have bought that business. And he goes, Well, I just have to give you the worst case scenario because if you fail, guess what happens? You come back and sue me because I gave you that advice.
SPEAKER_01I think also probably he didn't factor in the Susanna factor in that.
SPEAKER_00That's right. And everything has got to come down to you as a person, what's your motivators, what is going to make you successful? And everyone's wired differently, and motivation is so different for everybody. So really come to yourself and say, can you see yourself doing XYZ? Do you think you can achieve this? No one else is going to be able to help you. It's you yourself taking you there. And then you find the right people to align yourself with.
SPEAKER_01And on that absolute gold nugget of advice, Susanna, thank you so much for joining me today and sharing your insights. Franchising is one of those decisions that can completely change the trajectory of a business. So understanding it properly is incredibly important. If what Susanna has said today has resonated with you or somebody that you have come into contact with who has been talking franchising, we will have all of Susanna's contact details in the show notes, and I'm sure she would be more than happy for you to reach out and have a chat. Thank you for your time. It's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. Thanks for being here for another episode of Vampire Rising. If this conversation gave you value, challenged your thinking, or helped you see your next move more clearly, share this episode with another woman in business who needs to hear it. We'll include the links to our guests in the show notes so you can connect with them directly and learn more about their work. Make sure you're following the podcast, and I'll see you in the next episode.