STYLE ENCORE: FT. MYERS, FL

Owner, Carolyn Rivera, discusses her Winmark journey.

How did you come to own a Winmark franchise?

I began looking into Winmark in late 2017 when my husband and I made a cross-country move for his career. I knew I wanted to start a business, but I knew nothing about our new city and had no connections. Partnering with a franchise made it a lot easier to build a successful business than doing it alone.

What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known when you first opened your store?

I have learned that delegating tasks makes the team stronger and more confident. I was working way too many hours to do everything a certain way in the beginning. Now I can go home and I am confident that the work will get done at a high standard.

2020 was, without a doubt, a challenging year. What was one way you evolved your business that you will keep utilizing in 2021?

It WAS a challenge, but we pulled out stronger and it put a lot of things into perspective! We started selling online via our website, and it's now a huge part of our business.