This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Shirin Behzadi, author of “The Unexpected CEO: My Journey from Gas Station Cashier to Billion-Dollar CEO.” It has been edited for length and clarity.
My childhood in Iran was normal and stable. Then, when the Iranian Revolution started, chaos and violence were everywhere. I was arrested the first time when I was walking down the street. The second time, I was 15, and was arrested on charges of having a book. I can’t even remember what the book was. The Revolutionary Guards who were arresting me were about my age themselves, and they were looking for anyone who was trying to educate themselves.
After I graduated from high school at 17, my parents told me it was time for me to leave the country. Iran was no longer safe. I used to lie in bed, knowing that someone could knock on the door and take me away. My mother travelled with me to Turkey, but my parents weren’t able to leave their homeland. I eventually immigrated to the US, alone, at 18.
I worked behind bulletproof glass at the gas station
Getting into the US was difficult at the time for Iranians, because it was soon after the Iranian Hostage Crisis. I applied to college and was able to get a visa to attend. I’d been accepted to a private college, but I couldn’t afford that, so soon after I immigrated, I transferred to a state school.
My parents were still in Iran, and I needed to support myself. I worked as a gas station cashier, spending shifts behind bulletproof glass. Because I didn’t have kids or a family, the long, lonely shifts fell to me. I remember working on Christmas morning, alone and far from my family.
Still, I knew I was going to make something of my life. One day, while working at the gas station, I created a business card for myself. I knew one day I would run a big company, and that gave me the drive to work full-time at the gas station while being enrolled full-time in college.
I knew I would lead a company, and I moved toward that goal
After college, I started working at an accounting firm. I kept focused on my goal of running a big company. It wasn’t a dream, it was a knowing: I was determined to get there.
I moved up the ladder at the accounting firm, but I knew if I stayed there, I wouldn’t run a company. So I left, taking a job in operations so I could learn more about how a large company runs. I became a chief financial officer and then CEO.
As CEO of Home Franchise Concepts, I oversaw the integration of private equity, which allowed the company to flourish. When I stepped down in 2019, the company was doing about $1 billion in revenue and had about 1,700 franchisees.
I’ve used my adversities to grow
Since those early days at the gas station, my career has been guided by my core values, including a commitment to caring for people. As a CEO and leader, I wanted to do well financially while also doing good for those in my community.
The same principle guided me as a mom. I wanted to be an engaged, nurturing mother to my son and daughter.
My kids grew up with a very different lifestyle than I did. And yet, everyone has challenges and changes in their lives, which, by definition, constitute adversity. I believe there’s a superpower in adversity, because it allows you to learn. Whether it’s living through immigration and revolution or navigating day-to-day hiccups, you can use your challenges to grow.
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