From Franchisee to Founder
Meet Your Coach: Saunda McDaniel
Saunda began her journey in franchising at just sixteen years old. By nineteen, she had already earned her way into management, leading a Burger King restaurant in Fortuna, California. At twenty-one, she became the General Manager of Eel River Brewing Company, the first organic microbrewery in the state.
Those early experiences taught Saunda what it means to lead with discipline, care, and consistency. They also laid the groundwork for a lifelong passion for business, people, and the kind of leadership that creates lasting impact.
Her First Deal:
The Early Shuffle:
At twenty-three, Saunda partnered in the trade service industry as the owner and operator of Mr. Electric of Humboldt County. Over the next two decades, she built and sold three additional franchise businesses: Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Humboldt County, Rainbow International of Sonoma County, and Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Shasta County.
She now serves as the Franchisee and President of Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Sonoma County, where her leadership continues to inspire growth, mentorship, and excellence across her team.
Building One Hand at a Time:
Throughout her career with Neighborly®, Saunda’s franchises have earned Top Gun Status, Franchisee of the Year, the Don Dwyer Award of Excellence, and recognition for Excellence in Leadership and Excellence in Mentorship.Her companies have also achieved Sales Leader of the Year for ten consecutive years.
Personally, she’s been named Woman of the Year by Mr. Rooter Corporation, received the North Bay Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award, as well as The Most Influential Women of the North Bay, and was honored with the Crystal Compass Award for extraordinary leadership in franchising.
For Saunda, each recognition reflects the dedication of her team and the lessons learned along the way.
Saunda has spent much of her career giving back to the franchise community. She served eight years on the International Franchise Association’s Board of Directors and continues to be an active member of the IFA Franchisee Forum.
She has represented franchise owners in both Washington, D.C., and Sacramento, advocating for policies that support small business success. Her leadership has always been rooted in service — showing up, speaking out, and lifting others along the way.
Lessons from the table:
Leading Beyond the Brand:
In 2021, drawing from years of trials and triumphs, she founded a strategic advising company where she continues to keynote and facilitate for businesses.
Her work focuses on leadership, motivation, and peer-group performance — helping others grow through the same lessons that shaped her own journey.
Built from experience:
While keynoting and hosting sessions for emerging franchise brands, Saunda observed a significant underlying theme: leading teams is a universal challenge, but holding successful management meetings was downright intimidating. Inspired after a family game night, she devised a way to develop leadership skills in new managers using a deck of cards — 52 cards for 52 weeks of meeting topics.
With the design help from her daughter, Grace Kitchen, Coach on Deck© was born in 2023. Together, they continue to grow the brand, combining Saunda’s experience and Grace’s creative vision to help leaders everywhere lead with confidence and purpose.
