Many people who have decided to join the efforts of moving diversity and inclusion forward find themselves asking a familiar question: how can I make a difference in this area? Franchisees are likely to follow this line of thinking due to their inability to make large sweeping changes to the franchise structure. It can be easy for a franchisee to feel like their locus of control allows little room for making a significant impact. Companies are full of problems that seem beyond the ability of one franchisee to solve. Can one person truly stop the harmful practices of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and gender intolerance? Yes.

A franchisee may not change white-washed marketing materials, biased company policies, binary bathrooms, or costly price points. But a franchisee can practice awareness of unconscious bias. They can make sure they are actively hiring diverse employees. They can ensure that every customer who walks through their door feels welcomed by a smile. They can demand a racist or homophobic customer leave when he/she/ they act in ways that are harmful to diverse staff and customers. One franchisee can do a lot in a world that consistently makes diverse people feel unwelcome and rejected. They have the power to create a safe environment in the communities they serve.

In Permission Granted: Get Rid of the BS Risha shows franchisees how to eliminate their unconscious biases and connect their franchise culture. Through her simple 3-step process, Risha empowers individual employees to identify, own and confront their biases so that they can engage with co-workers and customers in ways that increase team morale, improve customer satisfaction, and add diverse dollars to the bottom line. Risha’s presentations will help attendees tackle tough topics in a manner that feels safe, informative, and rewarding.

Motivated by her passion to correct societal isms like racism, sexism, classism and plain old stupidism, it is Risha’s personal mission to expose the value of Diversity & Inclusion while shining a light on the economic impact it creates. From her race, gender and lifestyle choices, to growing a small business and tackling economic issues, every area of her life intersects diversity.

Founder & CEO of Risha Grant LLC, an award-winning diversity consulting and communications firm, as well as an edgy, educational and motivational speaker, author Risha Grant is an internationally renowned diversity, inclusion and bias expert. She covers these topics as NBC KJRH’s community correspondent and host of the Risha Talks series. Through her Tulsa World column, Risha Talks and as a contributor to Black Enterprise Magazine, she has motivated and educated numerous corporations, associations, and universities. In her book, That’s BS! How Bias Synapse Disrupts Inclusive Cultures and the Power to Attract Diverse Markets and her corresponding “BS” Video Series, Risha has led audiences to new places of respect and understanding. These audiences have included Discover Card Financial Services, Samsung Electronics America, Cox Communications, Wells Fargo, USAA Diversified Financial Group, Boy Scouts of America, U.S. Airforce, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, University of Oklahoma and Roger Williams University, to name a few.

She has been featured in Forbes, The Financial Times, Off Script, Bloomberg Media, Black Enterprise, Engage Magazine, Radioactive Radio, Take the Lead Radio, The Dream Catcher podcast, Money for Life podcast, DJC Oregon Newspaper, The Kansas City Star, WUSA-TV, KVUE-TV, KTLU-TV, WURD Radio, among other local and national media. Risha has also been awarded numerous honors such as being named a 2019 Top 100 HR Influencer by Engagedly, a 2018 Inclusive Leadership Award Winner and Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017.

Through her interactive keynotes and deep-dive training sessions, Risha teaches and empowers attendees with D&I tools to increase their bottom line and permission to get rid of their BS.