Jade Colin is a millennial franchisee making a name for herself in the restaurant industry as McDonald’s youngest black franchise owner in the country.
Jade Colin is a millennial franchisee making a name for herself in the restaurant industry as McDonald’s youngest black franchise owner in the country.
Colin opened her first McDonald’s location at the age of 26 in 2016.
“My business is truly a blessing. It was never something I would have ever thought I would be doing,” she told theblackprofessional.com.
She started her relationship with Mickey Dee’s in 2010 when her parents purchased their own McDonald’s restaurant. The venture led her to enroll in the franchise’s Next Generation program, which trains children of McDonald’s owners to take over for their parents or run their own franchise store. During the program, Colin received the Outstanding Restaurant Manager of the Year Award for her region and the Ray Kroc Award which recognizes the top 1% restaurant managers in the country.
Colin is a New Orleans native and a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.
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In order to find your niche and do what you love, Colin says you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone, work hard and have faith.
“Take the risk and know that it will be a lot of hard work. Pray about it. God sends everyone on a different journey in life. As you build your relationship with Him he will help lead and guide you in the right direction.”
And having mentors are essential.
“Network and have a core team of genuine mentors,” she shares with theblackprofessional.com. “You need people who are in your corner that will positively motivate you. I say genuine because not everyone will have your best interest at heart.”
Today her parents own six restaurants. Colin is aspiring to follow in their footsteps and applauds her parents for introducing her to the importance of generational wealth.
“As an African American community, we need more men and women to know it’s not just about right now but it’s about the generations to come,” she said.
After two years of ownership, Jade still holds the title of youngest franchise owner and she is not the only ‘yungin’ in the industry.
At the age of 26, Ashley Lamothe became the youngest franchise owner of a Chick Fil-A restaurant. Now at 32, she owns two restaurants in Los Angeles, including one downtown, the first of its kind.
Source: Michael Baisden Live (a paid partnership)
