Holly Doan and Deidra Viney

Franchisees, New Jersey

It was more than a mutual business decision when college friends Holly Doan and Deidra Viney opened the doors to their Express office in late 2000. It was the realization of a shared dream.

As finance majors at Rutger’s University, they dreamed together about opening their own business. The dream seemed to be short-lived when after college, Holly found a job at JPMorgan Chase and Deidra went to work for Moody’s Investors.

But the pair’s friendship remained strong, and after six years of the corporate world, they decided it was time to leave the rat race.

“Honestly, I was burnt out,” Holly said. “I didn’t dislike corporate banking, but I was tired of the corporate world and wanted to be my own boss.”

Now, they enjoy the freedom of owning their own business and working to build it. “We had to sacrifice a lot to get to this point – like our salaries! I went from six-figures to basically nothing and had to work really hard to get that back up again. But we worked hard, learned a lot, and I wouldn’t change anything,” Holly reflected.

“We still work hard, but it’s a different type of hard work when you are building your own dream, instead of someone else’s. It’s so rewarding to build our team and watch our business grow.”

Deidra and Holly may not have known it at the time, but they got something more than just their own business when they joined Express. Their dream not only came true, it grew. “So far, everything we’ve hoped for has happened. We own our own business together. We’re financially stable. And, that is a wonderful thing. But we have so much more than just that. Every day, we get to help people.”

“We can look at the companies who we’re helping to grow their business. We have all these great stories of people who we’ve helped find jobs. One of the first guys we placed at a company eight years ago is still working there. It makes us both so happy to know that what we’re doing is making a difference.”