Author: Tariq Farid

The Edible Arrangements® 7th annual international convention concluded last week in Orlando and I could not be more pleased as to how it went. I am always amazed at the energy and enthusiasm radiating from all the franchisees, vendors, corporate staff –well, from everyone. It’s electric. This year’s convention was truly inclusive in that our franchisees led the roundtable discussions and spearheaded the conversation. Over the years we learned that franchisees find it much more valuable when they hear from their peers and pick up tips from them on preparing for the holidays, unique marketing and public relations ideas, hiring and so much more. I cannot tell you how impressed I am every year to hear from our franchisees and what they are doing in their businesses and communities.

This year the theme was ‘Be Our Guest’ because it is our franchisees, the ambassadors of the Edible Arrangements brand, who truly strive to treat every person like a guest in their home. Our franchisees are your neighbors and friends in your communities who work hard every day to make sure that you –our guest –receives the highest quality, freshly made fruit arrangements or fruit treats such as our incredible smoothies, fruit salads and dipped fruit every single day. Their passion for what they do is what has made Edible Arrangements so successful and helps make your visit into the wonderful world of Edible Arrangements so memorable. I truly feel blessed to be in the presence of so many dedicated individuals and humbled by the work they do to ensure Edible Arrangements meets your expectations every time.

One of the most pleasurable events for me at the convention is the awards ceremony where we recognize some of our outstanding franchisees. It gets harder and harder every year deciding which franchisees deserve to be recognized for their outstanding achievements in many critical areas. There are so many franchisees who are extraordinary and who deserve recognition. I wish I could recognize them all at the convention as they are all deserving of such accolades. But each year there are a special few who really exemplify and embody the Edible Arrangements spirit, who go above and beyond to deliver an unforgettable Edible Arrangements experience for their guests.

Today I want to publically congratulate the franchisee who I personally chose to receive the President’s award, an award given to a franchisee who is an indefatigable evangelist of the brand on a daily basis. Maurice Welton, who owns four stores in Texas (McAllen, Harlingen, Brownsville and Weslaco) is truly a patriot and unrelenting advocate for Edible Arrangements. Maurice is a man who pulled himself up by his bootstraps by his sheer will and determination and is now building his own Edible Arrangements enterprise. He honorably served his country in the U.S. Army from 1997-2003, and after Katrina forced him and so many others to rethink their plans, Maurice moved to Texas where he opened his first Edible Arrangements store in McAllen in 2007.

Maurice Welton

His positive attitude is infectious and he is an amazing role model for his staff and other franchisees. With Maurice, the glass isn’t only half full, it’s overflowing every single day. I’ve never met a more proud, personable, positive man. He truly makes me smile every time I speak with him and brightens the day for so many in his community. It was such an honor and privilege for me to personally hand Maurice the President’s Award at the convention. I anticipate so many great things in the future from Maurice and I know he will continue making immeasurable contributions to his community. Congratulations Maurice -you deserve it! Keep up the hard work and keep on smiling!

In my next few blog entries I will be highlighting a few more of our incredible franchisees who received an award at the convention. I hope you will find their stories inspiring and pick up a few tips of your own that you can use in your business or in everyday life.

 

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Well, I’m on my way to the 7th Annual Edible Arrangements Convention in Orlando, Florida. This is my favorite event of the year as it is the one time a majority of our franchisees get together to plan for the future and learn new ideas for Wowing our millions of guests around the world. And for me, I simply enjoy seeing and spending time with our franchisees, including our international master franchisees from China, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Italy and other countries, as their passion and excitement re-energizes me year after year.

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, I believe it is critical for any organization to hold an annual gathering where all its employees, vendors, franchisees (if you are a franchisor like Edible Arrangements) or anyone connected with your business or cause can meet face-to-face in one place. Sure, some may argue that with the technology today including videoconferencing that the need for in-person gatherings has been diminished. However, I have to disagree. I believe that to really connect, or reconnect, with someone you need to look that person in the eye to truly feel engaged. It’s just more personable. Also, you can learn so much more by listening to and bouncing ideas off of a wider variety of people that only an in-person group setting can provide. Don’t get me wrong, videoconferencing has its place and is very useful in day-to-day long distance interactions, but nothing beats the ability to be able to shake someone’s hand, give them a pat on the back and to simply spend some quality time together.

However, it does take a lot of hard work to hold a successful convention or large scale gathering, but it is well worth it. I have to thank our amazing Edible Arrangements staff and franchisees for their dedication in making each convention better than the last, and for spending the time to decide on a meaningful theme for which all of us can rally around and work towards. The theme for our convention this year is ‘Be Our Guest’ because at Edible Arrangements we are committed to treating our customers (our guests), employees, and vendors as you would treat a guest in your home. All businesses need to take a step back to objectively analyze the service it provides, and take a long look into their DNA and culture to figure out what it is and does that is special. Our convention forces all of us, employees and franchisees, to really look into what Edible Arrangements stands for and strives to be. It also enables us to make sure we are doing all we can to Wow our guests every single time and truly welcome them into the wonderful world of Edible Arrangements.

Next week after I return I’ll let you know some of the new initiatives we discussed at the convention, and let you know if we were truly successful in making our franchisees and vendors feel like guests in our homes.

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The American Opportunity- Part 2

This is a continuation of the blog entry I made yesterday on July 12 where I mentioned my discussion with hundreds of young adults at a conference in Washington, DC. In this entry I want to briefly mention some of the suggestions I made to our young adults on what they may want to consider doing to take advantage of the opportunities that only America can offer.

As I told the students it’s important to set a goal, work as hard as you can and focus your energy on achieving it. In my opinion, you are never too young to set goals. Some people may say a fourteen or fifteen year old is too immature to set goals, but I would argue for setting goals as early as possible. You are never too young to realize what inspires you as it is this inspiration that helps define your goals. I knew I wanted to be a businessman when I was very young and opened my first business, a flower shop in East Haven, when I was seventeen and still in high school. In a few years I owned and operated 4 flower shops with the help of my family, started a computer business and started Edible Arrangements.

Also, two of Edible Arrangements most successful franchisees, brothers Ibrahim and Hashim Choudhry, knew they wanted to be businessmen when they were teenagers. So they obtained a job as Edible Arrangements field trainers, learned all they could and a few years later opened their first Edible Arrangements store in Claremont, California. They now have four stores and have become among the leaders in sales nationwide. The key for them, and me when I was a teenager, was to approach work and every job task no matter how menial on the surface it may appear to be with a mindset of learning.

Edible Arrangements franchisees Hashim and Ibrahim Choudhry

When working always look at how you can learn no matter what you are doing. I’ve said this many times, but one of my best and most rewarding jobs was working at McDonald’s when I was sixteen years old. I started out with what many thought was the lowest job on the totem pole, but I didn’t see it that way. I approached that job as a learning opportunity and gave it all I had. My superiors noticed my passion for what I was doing and quickly promoted me to other positions which I tackled with the same goal of learning. I came to appreciate the importance of learning when working and to taking pride in what you are doing. If you do, people will notice and the knowledge gained will be useful to you in the future.

It’s also important to be optimistic and not afraid to take risks. Don’t paralyze yourself with worry about making mistakes, especially at a young age. Some of the biggest technologies and inventions would never have happened if a culture of fear permeated the country. Young people must continue to push boundaries, risk failure and take chances. However, you must act with intelligent passion, not with reckless abandon, but with a well-thought out, focused purpose. Also, focus your energy on thinking and planning what you want to achieve. Don’t waste all your energy on the latest video game or gadget. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have fun or enjoy recreation, but set reasonable limits on play so you have the energy to focus on your goals.

Finally, I thought it was important to remind our young adults to be thankful for what we have here in America. All of us have the responsibility to build on what our predecessors have already contributed to this great country, and we must appreciate, respect and honor them. Ask yourself how you can contribute and honor a society that gave you so much -so much opportunity. The sacrifices our forbearers made have allowed us to enjoy the freedoms, the quality of life and opportunities we have today. Don’t take it for granted and assume what we have will always be here. The American opportunity is still available for those willing to grasp it. Set goals, work hard with focus an intelligent passion, learn from every opportunity and the American dream can be yours.

 

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The American Opportunity -Part 1

On Monday I was honored to be a guest speaker at a leadership conference for young adults, students ages 16-24, in Washington, D.C. Many of the attendees were children of families who immigrated to the United States, like me. The theme of my discussion, and one of the goals of the conference, was providing guidance and advice on what it takes, what skills are required, to be successful entrepreneurs, and good leaders.

Student Faraz Mirza and Tariq Farid

This is an area I am very passionate about. I strongly believe that we are blessed to be living in America and our onlylimitations are the constraints we put on ourselves. It was important for me to explain to the audience that it’s not just about checking off a list of acquired skills that will make you successful, rather it’s more about identifying what it is you want to do and work with intelligent passion to make it happen. It’s important that young adults recognize the opportunity that is open to them by being in the United States. It’s really the American opportunity that leads to the American Dream. In my discussion I felt it was important to tell the audience my own personal story and that of my family.

In 1906, my maternal great-grandfather emigrated from what was then known as British India to the United States. He, like many others, came to America because of the opportunity for work in rebuilding San Francisco after the great earthquake of 1906. When he returned home he entranced his family and many others with stories about the generosity of the people and the tremendous opportunities available in America. Even after the partition of India in 1947, which lead to the formation of the sovereign states of Pakistan and the Republic of India, when family members were forced into refugee camps, my grandfather’s stories about the greatness of and opportunities in America kept their hopes and dreams alive.

Likewise, the dream of my grandparents and that of their children was to go to America and build a new life. For them and countless others, America symbolized hope, opportunity and the ability to achieve anything with hard work. Ever since she was a little girl, my mother planned to come to America. She knew one day she would get here as America was the best and only place to raise her children and give them the chance to live their dreams. My mother was so proud on that day of August 14, 1981 when she arrived in America to experience firsthand everything she heard in her grandfather’s stories. From that very first day my mother taught my siblings and me the importance of taking advantage of what is here, setting goals and focusing on them with laser-like precision, being optimistic and honoring those that came before us.

I tell this story as the America of today still provides hope, opportunity and fulfillment of dreams for millions of people. Don’t let all the negativity and naysayers try to convince you otherwise. This land of opportunity has not been diminished. However, it’s how you take advantage of this opportunity that matters. In my next blog entry I will discuss what I told the students about how to take advantage of the opportunities that only America can offer.

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A Teacher’s Gift

The past few weeks across America many students were celebrating with their families graduation from or promotion to the next grade in school. It’s a time for new beginnings, excitement of what’s yet to come and accomplishment of obtaining, and in some instances continuing, an education. It should also be a time of reflection, to think back and appreciate the teachers who are major contributors in our growth, and who may have inspired and guided us through some of the most challenging years in our lives. So many people can say without hesitation that there was one teacher in particular that had a tremendous influence on them. I was blessed to have such a teacher in my life, someone who I am convinced was an angel sent to provide me with the foundation from which I was able to build my confidence and a fulfilling life in America.

On August 14, 1981, my family and I emigrated from Pakistan to the United States. I was 12 years old and about to enter 6th grade at Forest Elementary School in West Haven, CT. Sixth grade is tough for anyone, especially for someone who was unfamiliar with the culture and customs of America and didn’t speak very much English. Add to that I, like all other sixth graders, was at an age where I was very impressionable and eager to start asserting my own personality and opinions. Nevertheless, I was just so excited to be here and was looking forward to my first day at school. As you can imagine, on that first day, I felt lost, confused and eager to fit in and be accepted. Luckily, there was the kindest teacher at my school who helped shaped my perception of others, build my confidence and set me on my way being the person I am today.

Ms. Beckwith, my 6th grade teacher, was the type of teacher that cared about everyone and always went out of her way to help. The passion she had for teaching and the wellbeing of her students, and people in general, was infectious. She went above and beyond to teach me proper English, the importance of proper pronunciation and ensure that I had the necessary skills to succeed in this country. I remember she let me borrow a machine that would help me pronounce words. I would spend hours at home every night running these cards through the machine listening to the machine repeat words such as “tire,” “car” and hundreds of others so that I can learn and speak the language correctly. My mother became enamored with this machine as well and would sit there with me learning the words at the same time. Ms. Beckwith would spend extra time afterschool tutoring me, making sure I was keeping up with my studies and helping me navigate my way through the social landscape that is the 6th grade.

Flash forward 31 years. As the founder and President of Edible Arrangements International, Teacher’s Appreciation Week and National Teacher’s Day are two important occasions for the company. Although almost every day I think about Ms. Beckwith and the influence she had on my life, I never made the effort to find her and personally thank her for all that she did for me. I was driving to the office the day before Teacher’s Appreciation Week, which was May 6 this year, and finally decided I needed to locate her and let her know the impact she had on my life. The problem was I didn’t know where she was living, if she was still teaching, if she was married with a different last name, or if she would even remember me. After all –it has been 31 years. With the help of a wonderful woman from the Superintendent of School’s office in CT, we were able to locate Mrs. Warner (formerly Ms. Beckwith), who was still teaching 6th grade but at a different school in Connecticut –Norton Elementary School in Cheshire.

I decided to surprise her at the 6th grade “promotion” ceremonies on June 18. To say I was nervous was an understatement. However, I just wanted her and all her students to know that she was the one who forever defined for me that the nature of people is good, showed me that a teacher is a special person who must be cherished and appreciated, and convinced me that a teacher’s role in society is unparalleled. It was a special day, an emotional day, that I will never forget. Luckily she remembered me and I was able to thank her in person.

Tariq Farid and Carol Warner

So, as the summer begins, take a few minutes to reflect on your own past experiences and think about that teacher, or teachers, that had an influence on your life, like Mrs. Warner had on mine. If you are still in school, take a moment to thank those special teachers in your life and let them know they are appreciated. If you are no longer in school, pause for a few minutes to send a thank you note to that teacher who influenced you. I’m forever indebted to Mrs. Warner. Thank you Mrs. Warner for all that you did for me, and continue to do for hundreds of other students. Rest assured that you are loved, appreciated and respected by many.

 

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