Mother-Daughter Dynamic Duo

Mother-Daughter Dynamic Duo 

Happy Mother’s Day! In honor of all of the invaluable women who provide nurturing, guidance, and love, The Entrepreneur’s Source^® is highlighting a mother-daughter team who are following a new path and pursuing business ownership together.

After spending more than 15 years working in healthcare, Sophia Gibbs was ready for a change. As associate director of clinical operations at Weill Cornell Medicine, Gibbs garnered a wealth of management experience, including recruitment, finance operations, and communications. Despite achieving a successful career in Manhattan, Gibbs had a desire to get back to the basics of customer service.

“I enjoy my job, but it does not focus on day-to-day care. It’s more administrative. I wanted to make a positive impact on people’s lives,” Gibbs said.

With three children beginning to enter the workforce, Gibbs’ primary focus was on helping them achieve a successful future. She had her sights set on business ownership to provide a legacy for her children. “I wanted to have a business I could pass down to my kids,” she added. “Business ownership is the best thing I can give them. It serves as a trust fund for down the road.”

Gibbs worked with Brian McNamara, a Career Ownership Coach™ for TES, to help achieve her entrepreneurial goals. TES coaches use education-based tools to help people set goals and explore possibilities at no cost. Coaches focus on helping people determine their Income, Lifestyle, Wealth, and Equity™ goals to chart a new course. TES coaches hold people accountable to their dreams and help them attain financial freedom.

“Brian gets to know you as a whole person. He is very available and very resourceful. He made us feel as if we had a partner during this journey,” Gibbs added.

Career coaching helped Gibbs decide that business ownership through franchising offered a low-risk, high-reward path to achieve success for her family. Franchising allowed them to operate a proven brand with the training and support needed to succeed.

“Sophia is extremely kind, caring, calm, cool, and collected. Through that, she’s achieved great success in life,” McNamara said. “We started working together last September, and by the end of the year, she’d decided on not one but two businesses.”

Having an aging parent exposed Gibbs to the gaps in the home healthcare system. Confident a better alternative existed, Gibbs signed a franchise deal to open a ComForCare location in nearby Jersey City, New Jersey, and immediately gave the leadership reins to her 26-year-old daughter, Sierra Graham. ComForCare offers an in-home care solution for the elderly.

Graham is a graduate of Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York, and is currently working in retail management. She is excited to put her customer service skills and business acumen to work on the new venture. “I think business ownership gives you a better world view and makes you a more well-rounded person,” Graham added.

Having a business that is all in the family is an exciting proposition for Gibbs. To keep conflicts to a minimum, she is giving her daughter a lot of autonomy and is confident she will flourish. The family plans to keep work and personal life separate but keep the lines of communication open to ensure their multi-generational business thrives.

Doubling Down on Business Ownership

In a rare move, Gibbs decided to open a second business. Having two brands allowed her to capture the interests of all three of her children. In addition to ComForCare, she signed on the dotted line with Tumbles, a kids’ gym and STEAM franchise based on developmental milestones, with a mission to fight childhood obesity. “I signed with ComForCare on a Tuesday and Tumbles on a Thursday. Sometimes when life tells you it’s time to do something, things just fall into place,” Gibbs added.

Gibbs’ son, Syrus Cohen, is planning to work at the children’s gym part-time while he pursues a college degree. Cohen attended a high school with a STEAM focus, which will help him contribute to day-to-day operations at the new franchise. STEAM Education is an approach to learning that combines science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics to promote critical thinking. Her other daughter, Serena Cohen, will help with both businesses when she has time.

Are You Ready to Pursue Entrepreneurship?
If you are ready to achieve the American dream by operating as an entrepreneur, contact a Career Ownership Coach™ to learn more about franchising. For more information about TES, visit www.entrepreneurssource.com, or check out our guide book, “Your Career 2.0^® A Survival Guide for the Battered Career and Investor Syndrome^®.”