Fifty years ago, even a whisper of it would have had the militant male-dominated print unions grabbing their cloth caps and beating their well-trodden path to the door.

 

In fact, it wasn't until as recent as 1985 - when Britain's Brenda Dean became the first female President of the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades and famously confronted Rupert Murdoch - that women around the world began to get a sniff of the printing industry's top jobs.

 

My, how times have changed.

 

Today, Worldwide has finally proved what we've all secretly suspected; women in business may still have to do everything twice as well as men to be thought half as good - but luckily that's not difficult.

 

For three of our top women franchise owners - who together generated over $3 million of design and print revenues last year - success comes from juggling the usual everyday challenges of customers, sales, marketing, HR, finance and operations - but in an environment where they know they're not going to encounter a problem which hasn't already been solved by someone else.

 

With two successful WA Worldwide franchises already under her belt, 31 year old Lisa Stephenson drew from her eight years as a creative powerhouse in the advertising game for an insight into the crucial role which customer service plays in the business mix - and how it can make the difference between a good franchise business and a great one.

 

"However many times it crops up in cheesy sales conference packs, you can't get away from the salient fact that people buy people first,"she said. "Winning and retaining customers reflects how effectively you can devise an outcome which is the best one for them - and then deliver it in a compelling way."

 

"The business world is a lonely place, and it's tremendously reassuring to know that, as a Franchise Owner, you're among 'friends' who have already come across your challenges."

 

"Franchising as a business model offers women huge advantages over the traditional employer/employee workplace model because it also neatly sidesteps any remnants of the 'glass ceiling' growth restriction myth."

 

"Instead, it offers a very reassuring support structure while we get on with the business of being in business."

 

"There was initial skepticism - mainly fuelled by surprise among customers when they were confronted by a young woman in what they still perceive as a messy and aggressive male-dominated working environment. But they soon got over it."

 

In NSW's North Ryde Worldwide franchise, Kate Richards also lacks the fear gene - a quality she remembers drawing upon when a Japanese machinery supplier called to see her for the first time.

 

"The look on his face when he turned up was priceless, but he soon realized he was talking to an engineer who understood his technology,"she said. "Given that his culture isn't exactly best-known for its ability to accept women in meaningful roles, I was quick to show respect, and acknowledge the areas where I needed his guidance. Being the buyer also helped!"

 

"At the end of the day, franchising confers upon your business instant credibility and respect - which means you have much more time to channel your energies into managing customer expectations and helping your team to grow while also keeping life's other everyday challenges under control. In essence; multi-tasking....but let's not go there!"

 

"It's also about accepting that while business life is laced with emotion, it's important to know when to show it and when to rein it in. After all, most workplace decisions are made in order to further a company or a product, not as personal attacks. Where women often get into trouble is when they become unsure of how to handle such emotional situations. An intense fear that they'll come across as a bit 'too emotional' doesn't help."

 

"We need to stop thinking in terms of 'I shouldn't care so much', and start focusing on how to process strong emotional reactions and move on with the job at hand. Too many business women dwell on how disappointed they may feel if they fail. They forget that they're doomed anyway if they don't even try."

 

Few Worldwide Franchise Owners have seen the industry driven through as much change as Stephanie Walls; who runs the network's Hamilton centre in Queensland.

 

With 15 years in print under her belt, she puts success down to drive - and the confidence to accept that, ironically, experience doesn't count for quite as much in franchising.

 

"When you're sat behind the name and reputation of a major franchise group, you're seen as part of the corporate whole - which is a double-edged sword,"she explained. "On one hand, there's a huge sense of security, but on the other it's harder to establish differentiation for your own personal culture and business beliefs.

 

"The trick is to dive into the network's vast repositories of skills and experience when you've a problem or need clarity on an issue - but also use that layer of protection to develop personally and professionally so that you can foster and grow your own identity."

 

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