WOMEN IN FRANCHISING: Shannon Russell
successful business BUILT FROM COLOURED BRICKS I never imagined that what started as a fun bonding experience with my child would eventually lead me to become a successful multi-business owner. My son has always been interested in playing with LEGO® bricks. He was fascinated by the ability to build exactly what he wanted. Watching the wheels turn in his head showed me this may be more than just a fun toy. At the time, there was no way I could have imagined just how far playing with LEGO® bricks would take me. I was lucky enough to live out my dream career as a television producer for more than 16 years. I worked with the biggest names in entertainment like MTV, E!, Popsugar, Yahoo!, and more. With that dream career of over a decade came a lot of traveling, long days and long commutes. There came a point when I was ready to be home more and play a more active role in my children’s lives. When I thought about my next move, I kept my kids in mind and I searched for an opportunity that wouldn’t take too much of my time away from them. I went to graduate school for teaching, but I knew that was not the right fit. When I noticed how intrigued my son was building his LEGO® creations, I dedicated time to research STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education to see if there was a business I could build around this. It wasn’t long into that research that I found Snapology, and my choice became simple. At first, I had the idea of building my own STEM education center, but once I came across Snapology, I instantly felt their curriculum and ideals matched what I was trying to accomplish. To me, it made 48 Franchising MAGAZINE USA