Olga Lilia Puig Cancino: Winner – Women Leader in Travel Franchising & Entrepreneurship | International Women Awards 2026
The 8th International Women Awards 2026, presented by Great Companies, celebrates women entrepreneurs and leaders who turn ambitious ideas into meaningful business opportunities. This year, Olga Lilia Puig Cancino, Founder and Director of Big Dreams Franquicias, is recognised in the category of Travel Franchising & Entrepreneurship for developing a business model that combines tourism expertise, technology, professional training, and ongoing support to help aspiring entrepreneurs establish their own travel agencies.
Based in Mexico, Big Dreams Franquicias is built around a powerful idea: entering the travel industry should be an achievable entrepreneurial goal, even for people who do not have prior experience in tourism. Through its online franchise model, the company provides the structure, tools, and guidance that individuals need to begin building a professional travel business.
For Olga, entrepreneurship is about more than creating a company. It is about helping others transform their ambitions into businesses of their own.
Website: https://bigdreamsfranquicias.com
Big Dreams Franquicias: A Business Ecosystem for Travel Entrepreneurs
Established in 2024, Big Dreams Franquicias operates in the travel and tourism sector, with a business model focused on helping people launch and manage their own online travel agencies.
The company brings together tourism-industry knowledge, supplier access, technology, commercial tools, operational guidance, and continuous training in one integrated franchise ecosystem. Rather than limiting its role to providing a brand name or an operating manual, Big Dreams aims to accompany its franchisees throughout their entrepreneurial journey.
Its model is designed to help individuals understand the travel business, develop their sales capabilities, build their own brands, and serve customers with greater confidence.
The company's online approach also provides an alternative to traditional agency setups, allowing franchisees to operate without requiring a physical business location. Its mission is to support their professional and financial growth while helping them create memorable travel experiences for their customers.
A Distinctive Approach to Travel Franchising
What differentiates Big Dreams Franquicias is its emphasis on building entrepreneurs rather than simply selling franchises.
The company's business model brings together several elements:
Continuous professional training: Helping franchisees develop the knowledge and skills needed to operate a travel agency.
Technology and business tools: Providing resources designed to support daily operations and commercial development.
Tourism supplier access: Connecting franchisees with tourism suppliers and commercial opportunities.
Operational guidance: Offering personalised advice and ongoing support as agencies develop.
A collaborative network: Creating an environment where franchisees can learn, adapt, and strengthen their businesses.
A royalty-free model: As described on the company's website, its franchise proposition is designed without royalties.
This integrated approach is intended to make the travel industry more accessible to aspiring business owners while helping existing franchisees continue improving their capabilities.
For Big Dreams, the franchise relationship does not end when an entrepreneur joins the network. It represents the beginning of a longer process of learning, development, and business growth.
The Leadership Journey of Olga Lilia Puig Cancino
Olga's entrepreneurial vision began with a question: how could people who dream of entering the tourism industry get the knowledge and support needed to start?
She recognised that aspiring entrepreneurs may have the motivation to build a business but lack a clear understanding of where to begin. Establishing a professional travel agency involves learning about tourism products, developing sales skills, building supplier relationships, using technology, and understanding customer expectations.
Big Dreams Franquicias was created to address these needs through a structured business model.
As Founder and Director, Olga has led the development of the company's franchise ecosystem, introducing tools, training programmes, technology, and strategic partnerships to strengthen the agencies operating within its network.
The company's website also highlights more than 30 years of combined experience in areas including sales, talent development, marketing, advertising, and customer service as part of the expertise made available to franchisees.
Her leadership philosophy centres on education, innovation, collaboration, and sustainable opportunity. Rather than viewing franchisees simply as business partners, she sees them as entrepreneurs whose growth is closely connected to the development of the wider network.
Turning Challenges into Opportunities for Growth
Building a franchise business in a competitive and rapidly changing industry requires more than a compelling idea. It demands the ability to develop reliable systems, build trust, and continuously adapt.
For Olga, one of the central challenges has been transforming an initial vision into a structured and scalable model capable of supporting entrepreneurs with different backgrounds, experience levels, and business knowledge.
Establishing relationships with tourism suppliers, maintaining relevant training, developing technology, and providing personalised assistance have also required continuous effort.
The travel industry presents additional challenges through changing regulations, market fluctuations, and rapid digital transformation. These changes can affect how agencies operate and how they serve customers.
Olga's approach has been to use these challenges as opportunities to improve internal processes, strengthen education programmes, and develop new solutions for the franchise network.
Her experience reflects an important principle of entrepreneurship: resilience is not simply the ability to withstand difficulties. It is the ability to learn from them and build a stronger business in response.
Creating Opportunities Through Education and Technology
Big Dreams Franquicias places professional education at the centre of its business model. The company aims to help franchisees understand not only how to sell travel, but also how to build and manage a business.
Through training, personalised advice, digital tools, and operational support, the company seeks to make entrepreneurial knowledge more accessible.
Technology plays an important role in this approach. An online operating model, supported by business tools and continuing education, can help franchisees manage their work without depending on a traditional physical agency structure.
The company's vision extends beyond its current operations. Big Dreams aims to become a leading franchise in the online travel agency sector, recognised for innovation, excellence, and international expansion. Its ambition is to build a global community of successful entrepreneurs and satisfied customers.
This vision positions travel franchising as both a business opportunity and a platform for developing entrepreneurial capability.
Recognition for Entrepreneurial Leadership
Olga's entrepreneurial journey has also been accompanied by recognition within Mexico's business and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
According to her nomination, she was recognised by the Mexican Association of Entrepreneurs through E100 in 2025, an initiative highlighting entrepreneurs and their contributions to the country's business ecosystem. She was also recognised through POSIBLE 2025, an entrepreneurship initiative associated with Fundación Televisa and Nacional Monte de Piedad.
In 2026, she participated in the Victoria147 Pitch initiative, focused on strengthening and showcasing women-led businesses and female entrepreneurship.
These milestones form part of the broader journey of developing Big Dreams Franquicias and advancing a model designed to support independent travel-agency entrepreneurs.
Advice to Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs
Olga's message to women considering entrepreneurship is direct: do not wait until you feel completely ready to begin.
She encourages aspiring founders to start with the resources they have, learn as they move forward, and develop the confidence required to lead their businesses. Entrepreneurship involves uncertainty, mistakes, difficult decisions, and moments when others may question a founder's vision.
For Olga, these experiences can become valuable lessons when approached with discipline and a willingness to learn.
She also emphasises the importance of building a business with purpose, surrounding oneself with people who encourage growth, and remaining open to reinvention.
Success, in her view, should not be measured only by revenue. It should also be measured by the opportunities created, the people empowered, and the lasting impact of one's work.
Her message is particularly relevant to aspiring women founders who may believe they need to possess every skill or answer before taking the first step. Growth, she suggests, is part of the entrepreneurial journey itself.
Looking Ahead: Building a Global Community of Travel Entrepreneurs
Big Dreams Franquicias aims to strengthen its position in the online travel agency franchise sector while expanding the opportunities available to its franchisees.
Its stated vision is to become a recognised benchmark for innovation and excellence, with an international outlook and a global community of entrepreneurs and customers.
Continued development of technology, training, strategic partnerships, and operational support will be central to this ambition.
At the heart of the company's future is a model that connects individual entrepreneurial aspirations with the collective resources of a larger network. By equipping people with knowledge, tools, and support, Big Dreams seeks to help more entrepreneurs participate in the travel industry and build businesses around their passion for travel.
Why Olga Lilia Puig Cancino Deserves Recognition
Olga Lilia Puig Cancino's recognition in Travel Franchising & Entrepreneurship reflects her work in developing a franchise model that combines tourism expertise with entrepreneurship, education, technology, supplier access, and ongoing operational support.
Through Big Dreams Franquicias, she is working to make the travel industry more accessible to people who want to establish their own agencies, including those who may be entering the sector for the first time.
Her leadership demonstrates the value of building a business around the success of others. By focusing on franchisee development and continuous improvement, she has established a model in which entrepreneurial learning is an essential part of the service.
Her journey also illustrates the importance of resilience, adaptability, and a clear vision when building a business in a changing industry.
As a winner of the 8th International Women Awards 2026, Olga represents a form of entrepreneurship that seeks to create not only commercial opportunities but also the knowledge and support that help others pursue their own ambitions.
Official Recognition
Winner: Olga Lilia Puig Cancino
Award Category: Travel Franchising & Entrepreneurship
Business: Big Dreams Franquicias
Industry: Travel, Tourism, Franchising and Entrepreneurship
Country: Mexico
Recognition: 8th International Women Awards 2026
Presented by: Great Companies
About the International Women Awards
The International Women Awards, presented by Great Companies, recognise women entrepreneurs, business leaders, professionals, and innovators for their contributions across industries. The awards spotlight leadership, entrepreneurial initiative, innovation, and the work of women creating opportunities and making a difference through their businesses and professional journeys.
Through winner stories and digital recognition, Great Companies aims to share the experiences, ideas, and lessons of women whose work can inspire other entrepreneurs and future leaders.
Website: https://bigdreamsfranquicias.com