Just Between Friends CEO, Shannon Wilburn, Wins Bonnie LeVine Award at the 2021 International Franchise Association Convention

TULSA, Okla., March 10, 2021 (Newswire.com) - The International Franchise Association (IFA) Bonnie LeVine award recognizes women who are role models for all, but especially women, by their business and professional accomplishments within franchising and their contributions to our entire society. Bonnie LeVine award winners lead by example, demonstrate purpose, and focus on advancing women in franchising.

This year's winner has shown all of these traits and more, which is why IFA is proud to present Shannon Wilburn, CEO and Co-founder of Just Between Friends (JBF), with the 2020 Bonnie LeVine award during the IFA 2021 Annual Convention, the highest honor for women in franchising.

Shannon started her business in her living room and grew it to a franchise with more than 150 locations across 32 states. JBF has since won numerous awards such as Franchise Business Review's "Franchisee Satisfaction Award", "Top 10 Home-based Franchises for Stay-at-Home Moms" and "Top Franchises for Women", Entrepreneur magazine's Top 500 Franchises, IFA's Franchising Gives Back Award, and is the dominant brand in the children's pop-up resale industry.

Empowering women is large part of Shannon's mission. One of the most notable ways Shannon accomplishes this is through the Advance Program, a mentoring group she created that allows her to provide support and networking opportunities to other women leaders in franchising. With predominantly female Franchisees, Shannon's brand allows women to grow successful companies by being able to run a franchise with flexible hours while staying engaged at home.

When asked about the win, Wilburn said, "I'm honored and humbled to receive this award from IFA. I believe women contribute so much to Franchising and know that our JBF Franchisees are the reason I continue to passionately support these opportunities for women. It used to be that you had to choose between being a mom or being a business owner. What I love about our business is that you can do BOTH. Our Franchisees prove the power of business ownership to transform lives. They are all a part of making their communities better. While raising their families, they are able to run home-based businesses. That's what I love about what we do. Thank you for choosing me—and JBF—as the winner of this amazing award."

About Just Between Friends

Just Between Friends (JBF) is North America's dominant brand in the children's and maternity pop-up consignment industry. What began as a sale between a few mom friends, including CEO and Co-founder Shannon Wilburn in 1997, has grown into a nationwide phenomenon with more than 158 franchises in 32 states. Sales topped 34.6 million dollars in 2019. JBF has been named in the "Top 50 Franchises" by Franchise Business Review for twelve years and received awards such as "Top Home-based Business," "Top Franchise Culture," "Top Low-cost Franchise," and "Top Franchise for Women." JBF has been featured on numerous national shows and publications including The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, Entrepreneur Magazine, Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and more.

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Source: Just Between Friends