Female Founders: Rosalie Guillem on Embracing the Entrepreneurial Spirit

Name: Rosalie Guillem
Title: Co-Founder and CEO
Company: Le Macaron French Pastries
No. of units: More than 65
International units: 0
Growth plans: To have a location in every state
Public or private: Private
Year company founded: 2009
Year started franchising: 2012
Your years in franchising: 13

Rosalie Guillem is the co-founder of Le Macaron French Pastries, the leading French pastries and macaron franchise in the U.S. After spending years perfecting her traditional French macaron pastries with her daughter Audrey, Rosalie decided in 2009 to share her delectable macarons with the American consumer market and opened her first Le Macaron French Pastries boutique in Sarasota, Florida.

She has 15 years of operations experience and more than two decades of experience in the baking, pastry, and franchise industry under her belt, and the business has more than 65 locations. Rosalie has proven herself to be a driven and innovative businesswoman.

Beginnings

What inspired you to start your business? My daughter Audrey and I had a dream to share authentic French macarons with the world. When we moved to the U.S. from France, we realized the American’s take on macarons was often not true to the French tradition. This drove us to create the real, authentic French macaron experience. After months of perfecting our recipes with a French-trained pastry chef, we opened our first location in Sarasota, Florida, in 2009.

What is your background? I’m originally from the south of France, and I moved to the U.S. with my daughter Audrey. Prior to starting Le Macaron, I had more than 20 years of experience in business management. I always had an entrepreneurial spirit, which eventually led me to the world of French pastries. I also had a career in corporate management before making the leap to pursue my passion full-time.

How did that prepare you for starting your business? Early on with my first job, I had to meet and travel with a lot of people. I was able to learn important skills and learn how to grow the business. We learned the importance of sales and the power of dedication.

Coming to the U.S. taught me how to be adaptable and, early on, showed my dedication to the brand. In addition to being dedicated to the brand, I put in months learning the language and rebuilding my life in the U.S. 

What’s the best and worst advice you got when starting out? Never give up! And you can do it. Be able to ask questions so that you can find answers and get motivated. 

Was this your first time in franchising? Yes, this is my first time franchising.

Why did you choose to franchise? I chose to franchise because it allowed others to follow their passions. So many people have dreams of opening a bakery, and our model allows them to do that without the heavy lifting and risk. It allowed me to scale my business quickly while leveraging local knowledge. While there’s a risk of losing some control over the brand, I worked hard to develop a model that ensures consistency and quality across all locations.

Did you have a partner/co-founder when you started? Yes, my daughter Audrey and I co-founded the business together. 

How important was that in building your company? My family has always been my greatest support. They believed in me more than I believed in myself, and their encouragement inspires me daily. They constantly remind me to trust myself, stay confident, and not to worry.

How did you fund your company at the beginning? As you grew? Personal funds.

What were the keys to funding your brand? The key to funding the brand was knowing that the money was going to something that I believed in. Le Macaron was and is the first and original macaron franchise. Our product is only 80 calories, gluten free, and kosher. I am hands-on and passionate and knew the time and effort would be worth it!

The Business

What has been the best and the hardest thing about being an entrepreneur? In 2009, at the height of the recession, I co-founded Le Macaron French Pastries with my daughter Audrey. Moving to a new country felt like starting over, and I had to rebuild my life from the ground up. I embraced resilience and kept pushing forward. That mindset continues to drive me today. 

How has your experience in running a franchise business been different from what you expected? Early on, it was frustrating to see that not everyone was willing to work as hard as we did to run the business. It is not enough to just be there a few hours each day. You have to be motivated to have success in your store even if the business model is perfect.

How did you grow the brand at first? What changed as you expanded? I was selling the concept, but now, as a grandmother, I am having the next generation, like my son Gregory, help with franchising. I motivated and showed my family how to work, and it’s rewarding to leave this legacy to them. 

How did you transition from founding a brand to leading a brand? Now, I offer more guidance than day-to-day work. I help my franchisees to grow and succeed. As I mentioned above, I have found trustworthy people to continue to grow the brand. 

How would you describe your leadership style? A leader should stay positive and passionate about their work, inspiring others through their resilience and deep understanding of every aspect of the business. A true leader shares their experiences and knowledge with those eager to learn, helping others grow personally and professionally. It’s important to remember that being a leader doesn’t mean having all the answers. Never hesitate to ask questions and keep learning.

What is the key to your company’s success? Everyone loves macarons: children, teenagers, adults, families, and business people. We encourage our franchise owners to cater special events, like birthday parties, weddings, showers, anniversary parties, and local society functions. We are in our own category and offer the best product. We make more than 30,000 macarons a day plus pastries and gelato, and we are excited for more people to try it nationwide. I was willing to work hard, and I was supported by people who shared my passion and dedication. 

Female Founder

Was being female an advantage or disadvantage for you in building your company? How? Neither an advantage nor a disadvantage. When you know your goals and what you want, you work to achieve them!

Have you found specific advantages or disadvantages to being a woman business owner? No, I do not consider that being a woman is less or more advantageous in the business world.

What has been your biggest challenge as a woman entrepreneur? Running so much at the beginning was hard because there was less time for me to be a mother. Now, as a leader of the company, I have put myself in a position to be around the things I love and enjoy them.

Why do you think there are fewer start-ups with female founders than male ones? It takes a lot of confidence to be a founder. Alongside my daughter, I worked to push us as founders. Through my family, books I read, and listening to people, I have gained more confidence and ability to make good decisions. 

What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace? It’s important to me to uplift other women and advocate for equal opportunities. We are proud to be a woman-founded company and still led by my daughter and me. 

From your perspective, what notable changes have you seen for women in franchising since starting your brand? The franchising industry has continued to grow and become more inclusive. However, women still make up a minority of franchise owners and founders. I have seen a variety of women leaders speak on the grit and hard work it takes to be a woman founder.

It is nice to see women willing to become business owners and be supported by their families to develop a return of the family business model.

Which female leaders do you admire? Why? I admire Simone Veil and Marie Curie. Both of whom were strong, resilient French women! 

Looking Ahead

What would you like to achieve in the next five years? We would like to continue to grow the brand and expand to all 50 states. We want to make sure people across the states know we make our own high-quality macarons, classic pastries, creamy gelato, and handmade candies. Consumers should know us for our high-quality products that remain consistent across the board at every franchise location. Entering a Le Macaron location will get you great food and an amazing experience.

We want to help our franchisees be successful, become multi-unit owners, and spread passion for our product. 

What’s coming up that you’re excited about? We love giving Americans the chance to discover and taste authentic French macarons and pastries, so we’re excited for our continued growth across the states. We have new locations coming this year in Nevada, Illinois, California, and Georgia. We’re thrilled to have people try our menu offerings. We also just announced an amazing partnership with Leonidas Chocolate and will have exciting new menu developments later this year.