Barb Castagna

Barb was proud of reaching her goal of becoming Principal of a private Catholic school. And she accomplished this while working through the loss of her husband and raising her two kids on her own. But she wanted more.

She wanted the ability to create more financial security for a nice retirement and provide the kids with a college education.

While she was somewhat open, she preferred a business that was in the educational field so her search began there. Unfortunately, none stacked up for her. Not that the businesses weren't good, they just didn't fit the criteria we had established. So we took a break, thinking that perhaps franchise ownership wasn't the right path for her based on her expectations.

About a year later, my phone rang again. You guessed right - Barb was ready to take another run at it. We revisited and redefined her criteria and decided to investigate a business model that would allow her to keep her full-time Principal position while starting her business on the side.

Once we hit on that model, we knew we were on the right path and things fell into place rather quickly.

Last weekend, Barb opened her new business - a full-service hair salon called Fantastic Sams. I'm sure you noticed that it is not an education-related franchise. How did that happen? We focused less on the industry and more on Barb's role in the business and its impact on her family life. It is a service business that can run without her working in the business. She continues her role as a Principal during the day and as the business matures, will simply check in on the business a couple of times a week.

When I stopped to visit her, she was grinning from ear to ear. She is having fun, is thrilled with the number of folks who have already come in for services and is looking forward to building her new business. Barb's store is in Eden Prairie off of Highway 169 and Pioneer Trail. If you live in the area, be sure to bring the family.

Congratulations, Barb!