June 16, 2026
From Burnout to Balance: How Teresa Hartsfield Found Freedom in a Coaching Franchise
<p>What happens when someone who has spent her whole career building businesses for everyone else finally finds the model that lets her build one for herself?</p><p>Teresa Hartsfield knows exactly what that feels like. A first-generation American, daughter of Vietnamese immigrant entrepreneurs, and a woman who has founded, led, and sold multiple businesses (including a top-performing franchise), Teresa spent years achieving everything from the outside while her personal life paid the price. She was gone. All the time.</p><p>Now, as a Focal Point Business Coaching franchisee, Teresa coaches executives and entrepreneurs to do what she wishes someone had helped her do sooner: align vision with execution, build great teams, and stop being so buried in the business that you forget to live.</p><p>In this conversation, Phyllis and Teresa go deep on imposter syndrome, the one question every franchise buyer should ask before signing, why "semi-absentee" is the most misunderstood term in franchising, and what it really looks like to invest in yourself after years of investing in everyone else.</p><p>If you're a woman in transition, an empty nester, or someone who is ready to stop working for somebody else and start building something that's actually yours, this episode will meet you right where you are.</p><h3>What We Cover in This Episode</h3><ul><li>Teresa's origin story: growing up first-generation American, watching her parents run restaurants, and where her entrepreneurial roots really began</li><li>What the restaurant life actually looked like (and why it shaped everything she did next)</li><li>Why servant leadership is at the core of who Teresa is as a coach</li><li>The biggest struggles Teresa sees in the women she coaches, including imposter syndrome, mom guilt, and the fear of being "too aggressive"</li><li>How the Focal Point model gave Teresa her mornings, her afternoons, and her family back</li><li>The one question she tells every franchise buyer to ask before they sign anything</li><li>Why franchise culture matters more than the product or the model</li><li>The kaizen philosophy: how working 1% better every day compounds into massive growth</li><li>A real, unfiltered look at what "semi-absentee" actually means (and why you should go in full throttle anyway)</li><li>Why women who've been stay-at-home moms are better prepared for business coaching than they think</li><li>The truth about franchise partnerships, conflict, and what makes them succeed or fail</li><li>Why following the proven system is always the right first move, even if you eventually reinvent</li></ul><br/><h3>Guest Bio</h3><p><strong>Teresa Hartsfield</strong> is a seasoned business and executive coach known for helping leaders break through overwhelm, scale with intention, and build performance-driven teams. With over 15 years of real-world experience building, operating, advising, and successfully exiting businesses, Teresa brings a rare mix of operator grit and strategic clarity to every client conversation. She's founded and led multiple companies, led turnarounds, and built and sold a top-performing franchise. As a Focal Point Business Coaching franchisee, Teresa focuses on strategic leadership development, co-founder alignment, building cohesive teams, and helping owners work on their business, not just in it. Her husband, Brian Hartsfield, is the Chief Development Officer for Focal Point Business Coaching.</p><h3>Connect with Teresa</h3><ul><li>LinkedIn: search Teresa Hartsfield - https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresahartsfield/</li><li>For coaching inquiries: connect via LinkedIn or reach out through Focal Point Business Coaching</li></ul><br/><h3>Ready to Explore Your Own Franchise Journey?</h3><p>If today's episode sparked something in you, even just a little flicker of "what if," let's talk. Book your free <strong>Freedom Clarity Call</strong> with Phyllis at: <strong><a href="https://franchise4u.com/calendar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">franchise4u.com/calendar</a></strong></p><p>No pressure. No pitch. Just clarity.</p><h3>Timestamp Markers</h3><p>TimeTopic</p><p>0:00</p><p>Intro and show welcome</p><p>1:00</p><p>Teresa's bio</p><p>2:30</p><p>Growing up first-generation American, watching her parents run restaurants</p><p>4:00</p><p>The reality of the restaurant business and what she learned from it</p><p>5:00</p><p>Why servant leadership drives everything Teresa does</p><p>6:00</p><p>What she loves about the Focal Point model compared to brick-and-mortar businesses</p><p>7:00</p><p>The women Teresa coaches: imposter syndrome, mom guilt, and the fear of being too aggressive</p><p>9:00</p><p>Phyllis on curiosity, her career, and being the first woman in the room</p><p>10:30</p><p>Wells Fargo study: women now make up 43% of global entrepreneurship</p><p>12:00</p><p>Teresa on the power of women in business and doing it unapologetically</p><p>13:00</p><p>The kaizen philosophy: 1% better every day</p><p>13:30</p><p>A day in the life as a Focal Point franchise owner</p><p>15:30</p><p>Morning devotionals, mindset, and showing up grounded for clients</p><p>16:00</p><p>The one thing Teresa wishes she had known before buying her first franchise: culture</p><p>17:30</p><p>What it's been like to watch Focal Point's growth alongside her husband, Brian</p><p>18:30</p><p>The increasing number of women joining Focal Point as coaches</p><p>19:00</p><p>AI, the future of middle management, and why a franchise structure changes everything</p><p>20:30</p><p>How Teresa builds her client base: network, referrals, BNI, and the power of presence</p><p>21:30</p><p>Advice for the empty nester or stay-at-home mom stepping back into business</p><p>24:00</p><p>What Teresa wishes she had been asked: lean on the Focal Point network</p><p>25:00</p><p>Entrepreneurship is hard, but women are built for it</p><p>27:00</p><p>The truth about semi-absentee franchising: go in full throttle first</p><p>29:30</p><p>Franchise partnerships: what makes them work and what destroys them</p><p>31:30</p><p>Follow the system before you reinvent it</p><p>33:00</p><p>Why working with a franchise coach like Phyllis shortens the whole process</p><p>35:00</p><p>How to reach Teresa and what she can do for you - https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresahartsfield/</p>
