Franchise Spotlight: Living Legacy Laura Kaufman

Laura and John Kaufman just opened their Office Evolution Franchise in Westport, Connecticut last month. They’re excited to get started and have already seen a lot of success in their location. Laura’s dad passed away in October and he was a small business owner. One of his favorite things to do was to connect people. Now that Laura has the chance to connect people at Office Evolution, it makes feel like she’s living out his legacy a little bit.

Tell me a little about your background?

I was a teacher and before that, I was an educational consultant. I also worked at a nonprofit in the education field. I started my own business a few years ago to help people create and maintain organizational systems in homes and offices. However, once Office Evolution came my way, my husband and I thought it was a good fit for my interest and skills.

Why did you decide to open an Office Evolution franchise?

Mostly because I thought it was a really good fit for my skill-set and interest. I feel like I missed my calling a little by being in education and not going the business route. My husband has been in business for 30 years and he agreed I should be in business. He thought I should apply the skills I learned to the business environment.

Tell us a little about your Business Center Managers

She’s amazing! The best thing about Lindy is she has the skills you can’t teach. She has a wonderful way with people and she instantly took ownership of the business. I feel she’s just as invested as I am in making it work. She has a great sense of humor and she understands the nuances of things. She knows when to push in a sales perspective and when laid back.

Tell us a little about your members

Our first few members are life coaches and therapists. We also have a couple of attorneys, a documentary film-maker, and a few people in finance.

What makes your locations unique?

Westport is kind of a small, affluent suburb of New York City. Also our place was completely built out, so it’s brand new. We picked some unique and upgraded decor to add our own touch to the place as well.

How were you able to see success?

So far, it’s really exciting to see everyone in the office on days where it’s busy and our conference rooms, offices, and coworking spaces are all filled. I really love when our members find each other and start to interact and network. My dad passed away in October and he was a small business owner and one of his favorite things was to connect people. Doing that at Office Evolution makes me feel like I’m living out his legacy a little bit.

Advice for future Office Evolution franchise owners?

Just to engage with your community, both your local community where your location is (even if you don’t live there) and also with the Office Evolution Ohana. Use the resources around you, especially your fellow franchisees because they can help you research and make decisions.