Tag: growth

  • Edible Arrangements
  • employment
  • growth
  • success

It’s hard to believe we are nearing the end of 2020 and, before we know it, the holidays will be over and we’ll be starting fresh with a new year. If nothing else, 2020 will leave us with plenty of memories — both good and bad.

For us at Edible, we haven’t been immune to the lows brought on by this year. At the same time, we’ve been fortunate to have experienced some of the highest of highs, including sales numbers like we’ve never seen in 21 years of business.

There are many other milestones we’ve achieved this year, and as a result I’ve recently been repeatedly asked by the media and others in the industry: “How did you do it?” The answer is simple. We did it TOGETHER. 

There’s no “I” in “TEAM” 

A successful business is like a champion sports team. The different players on the team depend on each other, challenge each other and ultimately will only achieve their championship dreams if everyone is doing their job effectively. A team made up of all the best players working together toward one common goal is unstoppable. 

It’s taken time to find this perfect combination for us, but the team we have assembled at this point continues to produce incredible results regardless of the challenges put in front of them. I’m fortunate to be surrounded by a group of men and women who are singularly focused on our brand’s mission to “WOW” our customers with everything we do. 

As simple as this mission may be, keeping it at the core of our efforts has resulted in what will be a record-setting year for us despite all odds. As I look back on what has led us to this point in what is a relatively short amount of time, I’m reminded of what a team effort it’s truly been.

It takes an army

Between our nearly 200 corporate team members and our 1,100 franchise locations worldwide, the Edible team is a large and mighty force. With everyone pulling their weight, some amazing things have happened for us this year.

First, you have our HR team. As concerns took over regarding how the pandemic would impact our organization, this group probably had it worst of all as they struggled with how to keep us afloat by potentially having to take away the livelihoods of people they’d grown to love and respect as their colleagues. But thanks to HR Vice President Tom Horn and his team, we not only maintained a majority of our original staff, but we’ve expanded our headquarters team by an impressive 27% since March and plan to grow by another 25% in the coming months. 

A major driving force behind us actually growing our team during this crisis has been our finance department, led by Vice President of Finance Carey Malloy. Without Carey and her team keeping our fiscal affairs in order, we not only would not have been able to grow our team, but we wouldn’t have been able to achieve the profits we’ve seen this year. 

Meanwhile, our innovation and marketing departments have made a perfect team in the face of all this uncertainty. Thanks to Vice President of Innovation Cindy Mockler and her people, the creativity Edible has put forth this year has been unmatched. We’ve launched multiple new product categories this year, including Fresh Produce Boxes, FruitFlowers, Bakeshop, Printible, and Edible Music. And each new launch has made a major splash thanks to Vice President of Marketing Laura Rueckel and her marketing and PR teams. 

And of course we can’t forget the complete 180 we’ve seen from our eCommerce platform in the past year since Somia Farid Silber took over as Vice President of eCommerce. The timing couldn’t have been better for our eCommerce platform to excel like it has, as this aspect of our business has been more essential than ever this year. 

Naturally, implementing so many exciting new innovations and adjusting to the world as it is now meant making a LOT of changes to our standard way of doing business. But transitioning to this “new normal” was seamless under Cheikh Mboup as our President and Chief Operating Officer, with VP of Operations Scott Wakeman and their teams by his side. They worked tirelessly with our franchise network to figure out the best way to respond to all the changes, coordinating with our Vice President of Supply Chain & Berry Direct Jamie Davis to ensure that we had all the resources in place to actually accomplish their grand plans. 

Speaking of franchisees, ours certainly deserve special recognition. Their trust in us and their willingness to adapt to everything this year has thrown at them really blows me away. Not only did they take everything we threw at them in stride, but they went above and beyond, making major, lasting impacts on their local communities all the while.

And best of all, thanks to the tireless work of the team under Patricia Perry, Edible’s Vice President of Development, our global network of passionate and driven franchise owners continues to grow at astounding rates. As of September, we’d signed 63 new franchise agreements this year, and I know this number will pale in comparison to our end-of-year development results. 

Round of applause

Clearly, there are so many individuals I could thank for making our organization what we are today, and a single article doesn’t do them all justice. 

So, after the new year, I’ll be highlighting different members of our Edible team every month on LinkedIn. These people are the real reason why Edible is the company it is today, and they deserve my eternal gratitude and all the applause for their hard work.

You can follow along on LinkedIn by following #EdibleTeamSpotlight. 

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  • Edible Arrangements
  • entrepreneurs
  • Entrepreneurship
  • growth
  • small business

As an entrepreneur, it’s often very easy to get so caught up in the day-to-day whirlwind of business that there is little time for reflection. That’s why I so enjoyed my recent interview with Chris Beier of Inc. magazine.

The interview offered me a chance to revisit the early days of Edible Arrangements. It was a time when we were experiencing dramatic growth and I, as is not uncommon for anyone trying to build a business, was experiencing self-doubt about whether I was the right person to lead the company forward at such an important time.

Continue reading “Reflecting on a turning point for me and Edible Arrangements”

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For all of us at Edible Arrangements, change begins at home

  • Edible Arrangements
  • franchisees
  • growth
  • Tariq Farid Foundation

“Change begins at home,” as the saying goes, and that is certainly true at the Edible Arrangements headquarters in Wallingford. We recently celebrated the opening of our newest Edible Arrangements location, which can be found right in the entrance to our ever-growing corporate headquarters.

Continue reading “For all of us at Edible Arrangements, change begins at home”

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Tony DiPippa is newest member of the amazing Edible Arrangements team

  • CFO
  • Edible
  • Edible Arrangements
  • Expansion
  • finance
  • growth
  • Tony DiPippa

Tony DiPippa

As the Edible Arrangements brand grows worldwide, I continue to be impressed by the talented professionals who join our team. The latest is our new CFO, Tony DiPippa.

Tony brings a deep and diverse level of experience and expertise to Edible Arrangements, and that will be critical as we embark on a new era of significant global expansion.

Tony’s career includes a range of financial roles at Procter & Gamble followed by leadership positions in finance at Dun & Bradstreet. He also has served as VP of North American Finance for Godiva Chocolatier, playing a major role in the successful sale of the company, and was CFO at WB Mason, during a time in which the privately-held office products company grew to $1.2 billion in sales.

Most recently, he was Chief Financial Officer for mall-based retailer, Cache. Tony, who served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force, holds a BA degree with a double major in Economics and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the University of Nebraska.

These are amazing times for Edible Arrangements and we are building a team filled with amazing talent. Welcome to Edible Arrangements, Tony! We look forward to having you on the team.

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How to become a small business owner

  • business success
  • Edible Arrangements franchisees
  • growth
  • husband and wife team
  • New York
  • opportunity
  • WOW

Just over ten years ago, Rory was a Pharmaceutical Sales Trainer and his wife Hillary was a 6th grade science and math teacher. They were happy with their careers and lives, but had an entrepreneurial itch and dreamed of being small business owners.

While in the process of researching several other business opportunities, Rory happened to receive a thank you gift from a client one day — an Edible Arrangement. The impact of that gift was lasting!

As everyone knows, there’s just something special about an Edible Arrangements that really WOWS people!

For Rory and Hillary, the idea of owning a business that provides beautiful and delicious, yet healthy, treats was intriguing. They loved the thought of being in a business where they could make people happy everyday — and help make life’s special occasions even sweeter!

After a thoughtful discussion, Rory and Hillary knew that Edible Arrangements store ownership was the opportunity they had been looking for and contacted Edible Arrangements corporate offices to start the process.

They learned that Edible Arrangement franchisees benefit from a ready-made business infrastructure that has been proven successful, as well as support from the Edible Arrangements’ corporate office.

In 2005, the couple became Edible Arrangements franchisees when they opened their first store was in Plainveiw, New York, which is located on Long Island.

They hit the ground running, tailoring their store to the specific needs of their local community.

With the hard work they put in, they experienced very early success. So much so that barely a year later, they opened another store in Port Washington, New York!

Now, 10 years later, the couple has three successful Edible Arrangements stores. With a decade of small business experience under their belts, they have eagerly signed on for another decade of Edible Arrangements store ownership.

The secret to their success?

In addition to wonderful products and the benefit of support from Edible Arrangements’ corporate offices, Rory and Hillary believe that their success stems from a few simple things: they love what they do and are passionate about it, they work hard, they are attentive to their local community.

They love being involved with their local community and sponsor as many community events and charities as possible. They also maintain Kosher Certification for their stores.

One final secret to their success is that Rory and Hillary listen to and support their team! They follow the philosophy that they can empower every team member to be a manager and to satisfy their guests. Rory and Hillary promote from within whenever possible and several of their team members and managers have been with them since the day they opened their first store in July of 2005!

The Facebook page for Hillary and Rory’s Edible Arrangements stores can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Edible-Arrangements-of-Plainview-Port-Washington-and-Hicksville-NY/652195021554199 and they can be followed on Twitter at @EdibleSweetLife.

If you are interested in learning more about being a small business owner with Edible Arrangements, call us at 1-888-727-4358 or visit: https://www.ediblearrangements.com/franchiseopportunities/

 

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