Lessons Learned as a Franchise and Virtual Assistant Owner with Ashley Campos

Welcome back to Unbreakable Mompreneurs with your host Charisse Walker, where we celebrate the journey of motherhood, entrepreneurship, resilience, and building businesses that last. In this episode, I sit down with the amazing Ashley Campos—a powerhouse entrepreneur who went from owning successful restaurant franchises to co-founding a thriving virtual assistant company, Global Connect Solutions (GCS).Ashley’s story is full of lessons every mompreneur, business owner, and aspiring entrepreneur can learn from. She has owned and operated franchise restaurants including Jimmy John’s (a top-performing training store that earned awards for excellence) and Little Caesars, where she learned the hard truths about location, profitability, and knowing when to pivot. Through wins and losses, Ashley discovered that business success isn’t about perfection—it’s about resilience, decisiveness, and trusting your gut.💡 In this episode, Ashley shares:How she started in the restaurant business despite having no industry background beyond waitressing in college.The advantages of franchising—including built-in systems and training—and the frustrations that come with limited flexibility.Hard lessons from her Little Caesars franchise and why location truly is everything in the restaurant world.Why you should stop throwing good money after bad and know when to rip off the bandaid on a failing business.The pivot that changed everything—how losing one business inspired her to launch a local delivery service (City Cheetah), which then led to her building a global virtual assistant company.How Global Connect Solutions was born, and how it now supports over 200 team members across Colombia and the Philippines, helping businesses in the U.S. scale smarter and faster.What to look for when hiring a VA and the most important questions to ask to ensure it’s a good fit.How much to expect to pay for virtual assistants (and why global talent often brings higher skill sets for the same cost).Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship—Ashley shares candidly about raising three kids while running demanding businesses, why having an au pair saved her family time and money, and how to integrate kids into your lifestyle without losing yourself.Advice for young moms and first-time entrepreneurs: don’t sacrifice your identity, let your children grow with your life, and remember—if you’re worrying, you’re probably doing a good job.✨ Ashley’s journey proves that failure is never final—it’s just a stepping stone to the next opportunity. Her ability to adapt, pivot, and reinvent herself shows exactly what it means to be an Unbreakable Mompreneur.📌 Whether you’re considering buying into a franchise, scaling your business with virtual teams, or just figuring out how to juggle family and entrepreneurship, this conversation is packed with real-world advice, honest lessons, and practical strategies to help you move forward with confidence.🌐 Connect with Ashley Campos:Website: gcshelps.comWebsite: UnbreakableMompreneurs.comInstagram: @charissewalker1🌐 Connect with Charisse Walker & Unbreakable Mompreneurs: