After starting her career as a secretary for a Taco John’s franchise owner earning $4.05 an hour, Tamra Kennedy got to work learning the business inside and out. As a new mom, she wanted to provide more for her son — telling her boss that she, too, wanted to own a franchise one day.
After 17 years of hard work in the company, Kennedy achieved her goal when she purchased the Taco John’s locations and transformed from employee to owner. Today, she owns six local franchises in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, working to provide the same opportunities for her employees that she had, while giving back to her community and all the people she serves.
Kennedy is the personification of the American Dream, and she’s not the only one who has used franchising as a pathway to success.
Today, there are over 800,000 local franchised businesses in the United States supporting nearly 9 million jobs. These franchises are individually owned and operated, serving as essential pillars of their communities. Comprised of over 300 industries, from gyms to hair salons to home repair and childcare, franchising is a way to go into business “for yourself, but not by yourself.”
The benefits of franchising
Franchising provides a roadmap for entrepreneurs who want to be their own boss but may not know where to start. It offers a business with a proven brand name behind it, and existing systems and processes in place, plus a network of other franchisees who are undergoing similar challenges. At the same time, franchisees have the freedom to own and operate their own businesses. The autonomy and independence are unlike any other model, and it makes franchising unique.
For aspiring business owners like Kennedy, franchising provides an avenue to business ownership that going at it alone may not, especially for underrepresented communities like veterans, women, and racial minorities. In fact, nearly one-third of franchisees say they wouldn’t own a business without franchising. Furthermore, 26% of franchises are owned by people of color, compared to 17% of their independent business counterparts.
Even in a divided country, support for small business remains a point of common ground. In Gallup’s 2024 update on Americans’ confidence in major U.S. institutions, small businesses topped the list at 68%. Franchising is a core component of this community — and key to putting business ownership in reach for so many who wouldn’t have the opportunity otherwise. While too many people associate franchises as big business, 8 in 10 franchise owners own and operate one location.
So, on this Small Business Saturday, do your part to get out and support a small business in your community, and don’t forget to thank a franchise owner for doing their part to keep the American Dream alive.
