The franchising world is enriched by the unique contributions of female entrepreneurs whose journeys often reflect resilience and determination. Aracely Melendez, an Express Employment Professionals franchise owner, exemplifies these qualities, demonstrating the significant role women play in shaping the franchising landscape.
Born and raised in the culturally diverse city of El Paso, Texas, Melendez was immersed in a community that instilled in her the values of hard work, perseverance, and social responsibility from a young age. Melendez received her Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix with the hopes of one day owning a business. She then began an entry-level career in higher education with her university, eventually working her way up as the Director of Project Management Office. Melendez spent 16 years at the University of Phoenix before later transitioning into another corporate role as a Program Manager for the Housing Authority of the City of El Paso. Her nine-year experience as a Project Manager taught Melendez about leadership, risk management, team management, and identifying key performance indicators which she’d later found very valuable as a franchisee.
Melendez was introduced to Express through a long-time colleague and friend. The thought of purchasing a business was terrifying as a single mother of two teens in high school. After thoroughly researching the business and franchising opportunity, she decided to attend a Discovery Day with Express to meet the leadership team and get a better understanding of what life would be like as an Express franchisee. Melendez decided to make a life changing decision by taking all that she had saved and give herself the opportunity to own a business and fulfill her dream. She found the team had a very positive culture reminiscent of her previous ventures in higher education, and she felt confident her knowledge and skillset would align perfectly with the brand. Following Discovery Day, Melendez became eager to pursue her passion to help her community but this time, by helping them find work, and she knew becoming an Express franchisee was the right move for her.
She acquired her Express location in her home city in April 2020, and has since become one of the company’s top-performing franchisees. While Melendez has faced a variety of setbacks, including launching her business right at the start of the pandemic, she did not let anything hold her back and instead using every incident as an opportunity to become a better business leader than before. Starting the business during a pandemic could have ended in disaster; phones were not ringing, clients were not hiring, job seekers were experiencing city lockdowns. However, the calm of the storm allowed her to understand the industry and start executing a plan for her clients and their future staffing needs. Not to mention, she had the support of her franchisor to assist in navigating these challenges. Despite the difficulties of the market, Melendez still achieved tremendous success in her first year and has only increased her momentum ever since.
Melendez was specifically intrigued by Express because it provided her the ability to operate her own local business while still having the support from a large and healthy international headquarters. The franchisor support was immensely critical for her success to know that the legal and risk team were providing up to date support to navigate thru the pandemic without interruption of the business operations. She was confident in the team of experts working behind the scenes to support her and the other Express franchisees so they had the resources necessary to succeed. Additionally, Melendez was eager to play an important role in her community by helping people who were struggling to find work because of the pandemic.
“Launching my first business in April 2020 was intimidating. I didn’t know what to expect, but fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised. Despite the pandemic, I was still able to help so many in my community find jobs which was such an incredible feeling. Since then, I’ve substantially grown my business and I’m lucky to be able to help people every day find new opportunities,” said Melendez.
Living alongside the U.S.-Mexico border, Melendez’s role as a staffer is a crucial piece of El Paso’s employment landscape. El Paso has an ever-growing population of families immigrating to the area, and Melendez is passionate about giving back to her community by helping her clients find qualified employees and assisting job seekers in their process to find meaningful employment. Melendez is dedicated to partnering with local organizations that aid her Express office to connect with more community members and gain important insights into the challenges and opportunities El Paso residents face on a daily basis.
As she continues her career as an Express franchisee, Melendez is looking forward to expanding her footprint with hopes to open a second location in the years to come. Melendez is grateful for the opportunity Express has provided her as a business owner and the support she has received from the franchisor as she continues to grow. However, what Melendez has enjoyed most about being an entrepreneur is working alongside her incredible team and helping them to develop and succeed within their career. Melendez and her team continue to share the passion to help job seekers find a work home. “Each job seeker is not just a person walking in the office, that person is someone’s mother, father, child, aunt, uncle, grandparent and because of that culture and environment we continue to find success daily,” said Melendez.
“Owning a business as a minority woman has its challenges, but I’m very grateful for all of the support I’ve received along the way,” said Melendez. “In my role, it’s very important for me to be able to make a difference in any way I can. Whether it’s helping my community, growing my team, or even just being an inspiration for other aspiring female leaders, it’s crucial for me to make a positive impact.”
Aracely Melendez’s road from higher education to franchising stands as a testament to the power of perseverance and passion. Through her endeavors with Express, she has not only been able to fulfill her entrepreneurial aspirations but has also made a profound and meaningful impact on the lives of individuals within her community. As she continues to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of franchising, Melendez stands as a beacon of inspiration to aspiring female entrepreneurs, demonstrating that with dedication and hard work, anything is possible.