Yolanda “Salinas” Stevenson, Founder & CEO, TaxiMom
Yolanda Stevenson, a Mexican-American born and raised in Waco, Texas, started TaxiMom with one route in 2004 in Richardson, TX. By 2019, she started her franchising journey, expanding to multiple cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth multiplex. During 2023 Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re sharing her story to show how passion and commitment can combine for great business outcomes.
TaxiMom is now open in multiple territories across the country. They cater to working parents who may not have reliable, safe transportation for their kids to and from school or after school activities. As a parent herself, Yolanda felt the need for peace of mind for her kids’ commutes. Working in corporate America and traveling 3-4 days per week, she felt the pull to develop something for herself that could help others.
Yolanda’s story starts with her grandfather: “ My grandfather was an immigrant but not by choice. His father was doing business in the US and was crossing back to Mexico when he was killed. My grandfather and his brother became orphans in Eagle Pass and were adopted and cared for by someone in the US. My father and mother were born and raised in Central Texas. We grew up with ‘familia’ – the importance of family is something that runs thick in our bloodline.”
Entrepreneurship flows through Yolanda’s family. Her father and uncles own a construction company, with her dad specializing in masonry for schools, retail spaces, hotels, and apartments. Her aunt, known as “Tia Mary,” has a well-established seamstress shop in the Baylor area. Even her mother and aunt owned their beauty salons while growing up. Yolanda carries forward her family’s commitment to hard work and community engagement.
“Our culture plays a big part in our approach to how we do business and we believe strongly in community. Listening to our franchisees and customers as we grow is the key to our success.”
Her approach to diversity, equity and inclusion is to put herself in the shoes of her staff and the parents that use her services. “It is valuable to our community to be inclusive because we play such a big role while transporting their kids. On our staffing side, we are big at providing opportunity and DEI is how we are building our culture.”
To help foster inclusion for their franchisees, they have developed a franchise portal and mobile app which supports multiple languages, including Spanish and Mandarin, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for all users. She also established “Taxi Mom University.” Every other week for an hour, they meet, collaborate, share stories, come up with solutions to problems they may be facing and empower one another. “Our staff is our backbone of our company and we are always ready to listen and take direction from them. We do ride alongs in the field with them and we always let them know that we are not there to micromanage them. They are an inspiration to me everyday.”
When asked how she believes diversity empowers business growth and improves decision-making processes, she says, “It is important to not only build a culture of loving what you do but creating a space to cultivate creativity and growth. Our franchise owners, the families that use the service, and the staff all need to understand the vision to execute and I am super proud that our team is able to deliver. We are a very diverse group and it is my extreme honor to provide opportunity. It is so humbling to hear my owners thanking me for giving them the opportunity to own their own business.
Perla Avelino was one of the first Taxi Mom franchisees. “I love the freedom of working my own hours and being able to prioritize my family,” she says, “I never felt that this kind of freedom was possible when I worked in an office job – which I did for twelve years. I didn’t even think that it was possible to have this kind of freedom even as a business owner. I thought that I would be a slave to my business! I am so grateful to have this opportunity.”
Certainly, being a franchise owner is fundamentally about creating opportunities for all aspiring entrepreneurs, regardless of their ethnicity. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to Yolanda Stevenson for her unwavering commitment to ensuring that entrepreneurs from all backgrounds are not only given the opportunity to become business owners but also welcomed as valued members of her extended business family.