By Santina Christian
March 15, 2024
Santina Christian, who owns four Dunkin’ locations in New York, including one in Binghamton, found success through franchising. This article originally ran in the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin.
New York has long been hailed as the state where dreams are made, a place where there is nothing you can’t accomplish without hard work and determination. In the business world, the same can be said for franchising − a model that promotes upward mobility and generational wealth for all.
My success story began at the nexus of the two. I found myself on a Greyhound bus headed for New York with nothing in tow but my daughter and a dream. It was all I had, but also all that I needed. Franchising with Dunkin’ filled in the gaps, allowing me to take that dream and go into business for myself with the support of the brand and other business owners behind me.
If you don’t know anything about the sector, you’re certainly not alone. My daily iced coffee with a mocha swirl drew me to Dunkin’ before I knew anything about franchising. According to recently released data, this year alone, franchising is expected to add more than 221,000 jobs to the economy as employment across the industry topped over 8.7 million last year.
The Empire State particularly reaps the benefits of the model. Last year, it contributed $31.8 billion in economic output and is home to over 29,000 local franchise establishments that create nearly 300,000 jobs.
Recently, I participated in a panel at the SOMOS, Inc. conference in Albany. SOMOS, Inc. is an organization committed to uniting and empowering the Latino community and the panel highlighted the positive impact the model has had on communities of color. Franchising has a nearly 26% minority ownership rate as compared to just 17% of non-franchised small businesses.
The panel, which included a number of franchisees, allowed us to share our individual success stories with elected officials, and the theme of building generational wealth could not be ignored. My daughter, a baby when we moved to New York, is now 23 years old and has learned the business from the ground up. She hopes to run our Dunkin’ locations alongside her brother one day. I see stories like ours reflected in every franchisee I meet and now have a sense of duty to ensure every community, as well as the lawmakers who govern them, understand the countless opportunities this business model provides.
Going forward, when you pop in to get your morning Dunkin’, pull into a McDonald’s for dinner after a long workday, or when you check into the closest Crowne Plaza for your next adventure, you can rest assured that you are supporting a small business, owned locally by members of your community − neighbors even − with their own unique journey.
It’s critical that lawmakers in Albany support policy that protects and uplifts the franchising model, allowing more constituents to go into business for themselves, but not by themselves. We implore them to continue fostering an environment in New York that allows small businesses to flourish.
Santina Christian is the owner of four Dunkin’ locations across New York, including in Binghamton.
