My name is Sara Waskow and I’m FranNet’s Market President for Dallas-Fort Worth and Oklahoma.
I’d like for you to meet a former client of mine, Janet Schimek. A self-described “Jack of All Trades”, Janet previously worked in hospitality, accounting and health and wellness industries. But to get to the next level of career success, she did the smart thing and took the entrepreneurial route to become her own boss.
With the assistance of FranNet of Dallas-Fort Worth and Oklahoma, Janet Schimek became the proud owner of a Frenchies Modern Nail Salon franchise in Southlake, TX. In this client success story, Janet explains how she went from teaching to having the freedom and flexibility to live her best life…
Background
“I’m from all over, so I don’t count a hometown, but I have lived in Atlanta, Las Vegas, and now Texas. I’m married with two children. My original background was in the hotel and hospitality industry, where I specialized in the accounting department and credit management. After maternity leave, I resurfaced in the early education space as a pre-school teacher. And just before this opportunity, I was a medical assistant in a dermatologist office. I describe myself as a ‘Jack of All Trades’.”
On Becoming an Entrepreneur
“I never harbored a desire to own my own business because I’m mostly a risk-averse person. I have to credit my husband who knows my workaholic ways for suggesting I look into owning a business of my own. Fortunately, a good friend of mine was already a franchise owner and it was she who introduced me to Sara Waskow with FranNet.”
Why Franchising?
“Being risk-averse, I liked how franchising provided a feeling of comfort. I mean, it’s still a risk, but it’s more of a controlled risk in starting your own business. I liked how almost all of the concepts are just ‘ready-made’ business opportunities.”
How FranNet Helped
“I initially attended a SCORE seminar and it appealed to me. I started to think about the type of business I wanted to own and run. I didn’t want a huge team, but I also didn’t want to work solo and be the only one manning the desk. FranNet helped me to sort through the different franchise concepts and Sara allowed me to choose what appealed to me and reject the ones that didn’t. Sara Waskow is just a wonderful human being. She took so much time, stress, and energy out of the decision-making process. And when you save time, it gives you the tools to make the right decision. Sara never made me feel pressured to go in a certain direction. I really thought I’d be owning a fitness franchise, but…”
Where Do You Stand?
“…I ended up with a Frenchies Modern Nail Salon here in Southlake. We opened in Dec. of 2019 and just two months later, my location set the national record for month over month growth. Then came COVID-19 and we had to pause all of our customer memberships—which I felt was the right thing to do. The next few months felt like treading water, but almost all of my customers stayed with me and so did my staff. We’re back to doing well now and we’re meeting all of our KPIs. We’re thankful to be OK and I have to stress how important word of mouth and local support can be for a small business owner.”
For more information, please visit Frenchies Modern Nail Care on the web.