Black Lady Entrepreneur Owns Two 7-Eleven Shops Proper Throughout the Road From Every Different

Meet Alyson Rae Lawson, the CEO and Founder of RaeLawson Enterprise LLC, a franchisee / operator of two 7-Eleven convenience stores with gas stations located directly across the street in Arlington, Texas. She is the only African American in her city who has achieved this.

Alyson is from Dallas and a graduate of HBCU. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Hampton University and later her Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University.

She knew early on that she wanted to become a franchisee because her father franchised three McDonald’s in the Oak Cliff area when she was younger. At 30, she was a 7-Eleven franchisee herself with not just one, but two locations.

She recently made history after working with a black-owned wine brand whose products continue to sell out in their stores.

Challenges along the way

“It’s never easy to be an entrepreneur,” Alyson told Voyage Dallas. “Even though 7-Eleven pans the purchase fees, I still have the franchise fees and other costs associated with promoting my own business. It is always difficult financially to start your own business. “

She believes the biggest battle in starting a business is employment. She comments: “Finding the best help and longevity in this industry is a challenge because even though I’m there most of the day, I need to be able to trust my people when I’m not there. The hiring process is therefore very tedious and selective. “

She also says that there are new challenges every day, but she describes herself as a team-oriented leader who combines motivation, drive and the ability to adapt to different opportunities and work tasks. She says she anticipates challenges and accepts them willingly.

In addition to running her 7-Eleven franchise, she is a motivational speaker that empowers high school and college students.

The article was originally published by BlackBusiness.com.