How a Layoff Becomes a Pay-Off: Peggy Barron-Antolin’s Journey with Office Evolution to Build and Inspire Future Entrepreneurs

In April of 2016, Greensboro Office Evolution franchisee Peggy Barron-Antolin faced a huge dilemma head-on. With 30 years of experience in engineering and operations management, she was let go.

“Losing my job was one of the hardest obstacles I’ve had to overcome,” says Barron-Antolin. “I was in flux, looking for a new job for six months. I was overqualified for most of the positions open in Greensboro.”

Realizing that the market was loaded with other experienced veterans, Barron-Antolin quickly realized that landing a job in her previous field would be unlikely if she wanted to continue to live in North Carolina with her husband.

While Barron-Antolin may not have had a job, she knew that she had time, and plenty of it. She sat down and started brainstorming, searching for a new venture that would bring her success.

New business venture

“I knew what I was good at,” says Barron-Antolin. “I love the process. Process, operations, and talent management. It’s in my wheelhouse.”

Barron-Antolin picked herself up, grabbed her resume and began to network, inspired to write the next chapter of her life. She came across a franchise broker, where she discovered owning her own business would soon become her next journey.

“The franchise broker connected me with several different opportunities in the market,” says Barron-Antolin. “When he introduced me to Office Evolution, I knew it was a perfect fit.” One of Office Evolution’s core values is “Ohana,” a Hawaiian concept meaning family. And that’s exactly how Peggy felt with Office Evolution: a part of the family.

Taking the leap into ownership wasn’t easy for Barron-Antolin. “I’m an introvert,” she said. “My entire life, I worked alongside a team. Opening a franchise was something I had to do on my own, with my own financial investment. But I trusted Office Evolution and researched the market heavily, so I took the risk.”

Market and growth

Barron-Antolin says the Greensboro market is a perfect place for the Office Evolution business model. The area is currently booming with entrepreneurial spirits, building their own businesses from the ground up.

“During my search for a new job, I discovered local organizations that provide support to entrepreneurs,” says Barron-Antolin. “I connected with them and suggested that we share referrals. I have sent aspiring entrepreneurs to them to get support, and they, in return, agreed to refer companies to me when they are ready for office space.

Barron-Antolin says what she loves most about the company is the constant progression and innovation in process and organization to better Office Evolution as a whole.

“Peggy [Barron-Antolin] is the ideal candidate for a franchisee with Office Evolution,” says Emily Larson, the company’s Vice President of Development. “She’s all about the process and logistics of a company and provides us with feedback to help us better the business. A company should be forever innovating and improving, and Peggy helps us continue to do so.”

Barron-Antolin has found great success in Greensboro, and is currently looking to open her second location in the greater Piedmont Triad area by the end of Q2 in 2019. She also plans on opening a third in the near future, continuing to further the brand’s success in the market as well as her own, proving that her taking her time led to the right decision.