'I Am Strong Enough'

Not sure you can take on a new challenge like franchising? Shea Coleman has advice she learned from the military: You've got this

- MADELINE GARFINKLE

Shea Coleman is no stranger to new situations. She joined the military out of high school and was regularly outnumbered by men on her teams. That included her stint doing airfield security during the Obama administration, protecting high-level officials as they flew in and out.

When she left the military in 2014, she pursued what seemed like it would be familiar territory: She became a physical fitness trainer at The Camp Transformation Center, which at the time was a small fitness program chain designed to help people lose weight and improve their health. Then the company grew and started to franchiseand Coleman stepped out of her comfort zone to become one of its first franchisees. "I was a little nervous," she says, because she had no prior business experience. But by relying on her military training and building her self-confidence, she and a business partner now own two locations.