---
title: "The Globe & Mail: Former employees become franchise owners 'almost by accident'"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/ce6250f9-2e45-4db9-b70c-0b20f7ce587e
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/the-globe-mail-former-employees-become-franchise-owners-almost-by-accident-6992
category: "Education & Childcare"
industry: "Education & Childcare"
topics: ["Operations"]
published: 2016-10-29T15:10:14.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:11:02.182Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/2135d1712ce3785e178c3ea69bdae5f06691.jpg
---

# The Globe & Mail: Former employees become franchise owners 'almost by accident'

**TL;DR:** Penny Loome, a former Sylvan Learning employee, became a multi-unit franchisee, citing the benefits of understanding the business model prior to opening her first location. She started with Sylvan as a part-time employee and now owns locations in multiple countries.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2016-10-29. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/the-globe-mail-former-employees-become-franchise-owners-almost-by-accident-6992).*

## Story

The Globe & Mail's franchising section featured Sylvan Learning franchisee Penny Loome, who started with Sylvan as a part-time employee before becoming a multi-unit, multi-country franchisee. Loome elaborates on the benefits of being an employee first, understanding Sylvan Learning's teaching philosophies and how they were compatible to her own. She also liked that the program was skill-specific and tailored to each student.

Loome underscores that she felt she had an advantage as a business owner from the start by understanding the business model prior to opening her first location, and that Sylvan is a great opportunity for aspiring female entrepreneurs.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Education & Childcare (sector)
- franchise ownership (topic)
- Sylvan Learning (company)
- Multi-Unit Franchisee (person)
- education (topic)
- multi-unit franchisee (topic)
- female entrepreneurs (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/the-globe-mail-former-employees-become-franchise-owners-almost-by-accident-6992). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/ce6250f9-2e45-4db9-b70c-0b20f7ce587e).