We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brittany Francois a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Brittany thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. The first dollar your firm earns is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.
After a few years into pageants and gaining much success, the excitement was contagious and my friends wanted in on the fun. So I encouraged whichever of my friends that were interested in competing and helped them with the process. Everything from what dress to wear, how to walk, smile and talk. Many of the friends that I mentored won titles and that started their pageant journeys. I charged a minimal fee in the beginning as it was never about the money for me, but I was excited that it became a small business venture. Throughout holding my own titles and helping with the production aspect when crowning my successors, I learned to emcee and host pageants. I also used my dance background to choreograph the opening number productions. This was always just a part of being a title holder until one day I was offered payment to produce a pageant and then direct one. From watching my friends win, to creating opportunities for others to compete, I loved my new positions in pageantry and had no idea when I started it all that it would turn from a hobby to a career. I am the most thankful that it did, I love every second!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I started competing in pageants at 11 years old after I saw a queen in the local parade with her crown on. I wanted to be a princess too! I did really well right away but had a lot to learn about competing and what being a title holder meant. I had amazing mentors; my mom, older queens and the staff/directors of the pageant. Pageants were a friendly sport from the start. I made new friends and we enjoyed doing events together. After years of winning and learning the industry, I encouraged my outside friends to compete and I found that I had a knack for helping others succeed. I was doing it for fun in the beginning and then other people starting asking me to help them. As a reigning queen I helped emcee and host many pageants, as well as choreograph the opening number productions. I learned incredible skills like how to public speak in front of an audience, how to judge pageants, how to create non profits and work with them in the community, how to create ad pages and program books, how to develop your personal best image, how to create a bio sheet and how to interview. These life long skills helped in many aspects of my life as well as helped me expand my positions in pageantry. This led me to producing many pageants and one day directing them, such as Miss California United States. I love all aspects of pageantry, in front and behind the scenes and have a natural ability to be an asset in each position. I started at the local level in my hometown of Victorville winning Preteen Miss Victorville, then went on to win regional, state, national and international pageants throughout my 24 years. I am a 2x Miss California, Ms America 2018 and Miss Truismo Latinto 2010, winning over 13 countries in Ecuador. None of this would’ve been possible if I didn’t have a very supportive mother and family, as well as the financial resources to support this expensive endeavor. I have competed in 80 pageants, winning 64 of those. Because of my great passion for this industry I have continued judging, hosting, producing and coaching throughout the U.S. and have even coached winners in other countries. I am proud to have coached a dozen ladies to win State or National titles. In 2022 I was nominated for “Best Coach” at the Global Beauty Awards, which is the pageants award show. I also encouraged my mom when I was 16 to compete for Mother of the Year, which she won, as well as being crowned together National Mother Daughter Route 66, as well as many other titles my mom has won. Now I have 2 daughters and have big plans for them to get involved, if they want to. :) My 2 year old daughter Empire is named after the pageant system I first started in, Empire Pageants, because it had such an impact on my life. She has competed in 3 pageants, winning 2 of them and 1st RU at Nationals, and is the reigning Baby Miss Midwest! I hope to one day all compete together with my mom and my daughters. But in the meantime I will keep coaching incredible girls and women of all ages to strive for their dreams, accomplish goals, break glass ceilings and prove that beauty and brains have no age limit!
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
The pageant world is full of hundreds of pageants and seems big but is very small. The Who’s who all know each other and word travels fast. You can get a reputation fast and it can be broken down just as fast or built up. I learned at 11 years old that it was important to have integrity, to be the same with my crown and sash on as without it. This is not the same for everyone in the industry and all ends up coming out. The saying goes, “It’s easy to win with grace, but it’s more important to lose with grace.” I teach this to my clients. The pageant starts from the moment you sign up, which headshot you choose, your wardrobe, your presence checking in, the way you talk to others and interact, all to how you are after you win, crown your successor and leave. Every step in just as vital as competing on that stage, it’s a full package sport. I have led by example in all of these ways in each position that I hold in pageantry. Someone is always watching, videoing, and sharing about you so always be your best self! The only time to “let you hair down” is in your own home or hotel room at the end of the day. If you can follow this then you will succeed such as I did. I have always kept the queen like mentality even when I wasn’t currently reigning and that is how I have managed to keep my reputation!
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The pageant industry is so tough in. many ways. Often my clients break down crying during our coaching sessions or pageant weekend and often when talking about their platforms. I lost my Dad when I was 20 years old. I had been competing for 9 years at this point and my Dad was my greatest fan. He always matched my gowns with his dress shirts. Before losing him I worked with tons of non profits and community outreach and enjoyed all of it but didn’t have a personal connection. My father passed away from Diabetes, as he was a Type 1 Diabetic. As tragic and heart wrenching as this was I decided to learn about Diabetes and start working with the American Diabetes Association. I wish I had known everything I learned when my Dad was alive so I could’ve helped him. I became an advocate for this cause and a spokesperson for the ADA. I was on the LA Committee and later the Midwest Committee. I spoke at tons of events sharing my story, educating others and hopefully saving others from losing a loved one like I did. This was extremely hard for me to relive the loss of him, the hurt and the pain, but I knew it had to be done. To my surprise it helped me grieve him and keep his legacy alive. I have now worked with the ADA for 15 years. I coach my clients to take the hard parts of their lives and turn them into something else, to choose to the champion the organization that is closest to them because that’s where they will make the most difference.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: mrsbrittanyfrancois, ThePageantPurpose