Black does shine. Black people, like a diamond in the dirt, shine brightly when given a good shine, given a platform to show what it is made of. This is so in the case of Jade Colin, a McDonald’s franchise owner in the USA.
The 28-year-old, by virtue of ownership, is McDonald’s youngest black franchise owner in the country. In a way, you could say it was predestined and she has her parents to thank for this. This is because she was Introduced to the franchise at a young age by her parents when they purchased their first restaurant in 2010. They now own six.
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“I started working in the restaurants learning McDonald’s procedures and policies,” Colin told The Black Professional.
With a degree in business management from the University of Louisiana, she went all steam ahead to get the knowledge needed to be able to own her own restaurant under the franchise.
She applied for the Next Generation program, that’s specifically for children of McDonald’s owners. The program allowed her to undergo extensive training, to prepare her to become a franchise owner herself.
During her first year, she received the Outstanding Restaurant Manager of the Year Award for her region. In year two, she received the Ray Kroc Award which is handed in recognition of the top 1% restaurant managers in the country.
Thanking her parents for their support and providing the platform from which she took off, Jade advised others to “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”.
When it comes to success, age really is just a number. We congratulate her on her historic moment and hope it is a first of many.