---
title: "Entrepreneur Magazine: Lightbridge Academy in The Rise of Female Franchises"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/b6b55661-b28d-4241-a2af-a1b5b15b314d
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/entrepreneur-magazine-lightbridge-academy-in-the-rise-of-female-franchises-2705685
category: "Childcare & early learning"
industry: "Education & Childcare"
segment: "Childcare & early learning"
topics: ["Emerging brands"]
published: 2018-02-23T14:09:20.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:52:10.918Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/2a0e33e6243bea395d2baa99331bff2d9234.jpg
---

# Entrepreneur Magazine: Lightbridge Academy in The Rise of Female Franchises

**TL;DR:** Entrepreneur Magazine highlights the rise of female franchises, with women owning 27% of franchises in 2017. Lightbridge Academy President & COO Gigi Schweikert notes that the influx of women has changed the way franchisors operate, leading to positive changes.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2018-02-23. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/entrepreneur-magazine-lightbridge-academy-in-the-rise-of-female-franchises-2705685).*

## Story

The Entrepreneur Magazine article highlights the rise in the number of women entering the franchising sector and the shift of the industry itself as more women drive growth. According to the International Franchise Association, women owned 27 percent of franchises in 2017 compared to 20.5 percent a decade back. Female franchisees throughout the article specifically point to franchising as an investment that offers lower risk, a scalable model and a better quality of life for women looking for a greater work-life balance.

Lightbridge Academy President & COO Gigi Schweikert says the influx of women has changed the way franchisors operate, leading to positive changes that ripple across the system.

Said Schweikert to Entrepreneur, "One thing that's refreshing with the amount of women we have as franchisees is that they're not afraid to pick up the phone and say, "How do we do this?" We're able to smoke out a lot of potential problems because they ask a lot of questions."

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- franchise growth (topic)
- Education & Childcare (sector)
- International Franchise Association (company)
- Lightbridge Academy (company)
- Inc. Magazine (company)
- work life balance (topic)
- Gigi Schweikert (person)
- female franchises (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/entrepreneur-magazine-lightbridge-academy-in-the-rise-of-female-franchises-2705685). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/b6b55661-b28d-4241-a2af-a1b5b15b314d).