Many years ago I appeared on “Undercover Boss” and, unknown to me before filming began, I was given an unexpected treat. You see, I was going undercover in the service trades, a field ripe with experienced male service professionals. But I felt in my heart that there was an incredible future for more women across our service trades at Dwyer Group. After all, I was a woman in a male-dominated industry, and I relished the job. What if there were women with similar aspirations from the C-suite to the grassroots of our organization who felt the same way?

I don’t necessarily believe in glass ceilings. But I do believe that sometimes people can make the wrong presumptions.

A female service professional opened my eyes about our business.

That happened when I worked alongside a female service professional with Mr. Appliance on “Undercover Boss.” She and her husband were introduced to one of Dwyer Group’s franchise brands when a local franchise owner made a service call at their house. In addition to performing the service call, he was looking to grow his staff, and he assumed the husband of the house might be a worthy candidate for employment. Since the gentleman was a firefighter, he was the kind of guy who might entertain a second job on his off hours. But little did he know it was the wife who was more interested in a career with Mr. Appliance. And when she phoned the franchise owner later to express an interest, she not only got the job, but she excelled at it.

As she explained it to me when I was undercover, her customers were usually women. And they always looked surprised, less intimidated and even excited when she showed up in her uniform at their house to answer a service call. In fact, she was the mom who could pass out business cards on playdates with other moms. The referrals grew quickly. And so did my instinct to do something big after appearing on the show.

More women need to see the opportunity. More women need training.

I’ve always felt that women are nurturers by nature. We have it in our DNA to care for others. And that translates perfectly to what happens on the front lines of business across the service trades. That’s especially true for a company with a strong Code of Values.

After appearing on the show, Dwyer Group launched the Women In The Trades program to help spread the word about career opportunities in the service trades. We also unveiled a female line of uniforms across our service brands. And, lastly, we introduced the WITT scholarship program. Twice a year, Dwyer Group awards scholarships across North America to women who are interested in career training and education across the service trades where we do business. It’s that technical schooling that opens doors for more people to excel in our industry as a whole.

I am proud to say that years later we have awarded more than $50K in scholarships through the Women In The Trades Program. And the journey continues.

In addition, we have more women involved at all levels across Dwyer Group’s organization. From female franchise owners and female service professionals to female brand presidents and the c-suite of Dwyer Group, there are women leading by example and creating a path for more to follow.

Today, I look across Dwyer Group, and I am reminded that I see no glass ceilings. I only see great people, men and women, at all levels doing great things for a Neighborly kind of company.

If you know people who fit that description, they need to join our team. Who knows. They might even want to be their own boss and run their own franchise.