women in f ra nchising
Bergeron has worked hard over the years at creating and maintaining balance in her life. She credits a high energy personality for her ability to get it all done in a day. She has a number of roles to fill, but has always made it a priority to take care of herself, by getting up early to hit the gym before starting the rest of her day. And her days are full! In addition to her current role as Board Chair for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, Melanie is on the Executive Board of the IFA, a mentor, and heavily involved in non-profit work, as well as being a wife, and a mother to two teenage boys. In addition to having her days and weeks very carefully planned, she has one key secret to her happiness and success. That is to “be in the moment.” When Melanie is working, she is 100 percent present and immersed in that work. When she is with family, the same holds true. She also adds that perseverance has been a key factor for her. And there were times when it was needed.
235 of those in North America. Areas for expansion include the US East Coast in particular. This phenomenal growth and success has been achieved through hard work, and through focussing on the core purpose of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®. Their goal is moving people forward. When customers are moving, it is often due to less than pleasant circumstances. And it is always stressful. TWO MEN
Franchising USA
AND A TRUCK® works to put people in a better place, and to make that transition as easy for the customer as possible.
“We like to look at ourselves as service providers,” says Melanie.
The Woman Behind the Men As the woman currently behind TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, Melanie
When Melanie took over the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® business, there were 36 locations, and franchising was a new concept for the company. Melanie had no background or understanding of the franchise model, and no network to connect with at the time. Thanks to a grant from the state of Michigan, Melanie was able to work with a franchise consultant for a year. He taught her everything she needed to know about the franchise business model, and how to implement it. At the end of the year, the consultant left his high profile career to become a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® franchisee. That consultant turned franchisee had a profound impact on the way Melanie moved forward with franchising.
The Importance of Giving Back Another of Melanie’s key influencers was Dina Dwyer-Owens, of The Dwyer Group. The two women met at a conference, in