• American Dream
  • Edible Arrangements
  • Entrepreneurship
  • franchisee
  • New Hampshire
  • opportunity
  • Tariq Farid

As an entrepreneur, I am always interested in how others decided to take the leap and become the owner of a business. Because Edible Arrangements has so many successful franchisees, there is never a shortage of interesting stories. And I often find that more than anything, it was a decision based on a necessity.

Take Robin, for example.

Like many, Robin had always wanted to own her own business, especially a restaurant. Her degree, however, was in medical office administration and she spent a good portion of her career in the healthcare industry.

In 2004, she was running a non-profit homecare agency when funding was cut and the board of directors decided to close the company.

“At that point, I started looking into opening my own business,” Robin told me. “I was tired of relying on others for my paycheck.”

She looked at franchises in areas ranging from homecare to donuts. Then she was told about Edible Arrangements and decided to look into the opportunity.

Within a year Robin was opening her first store in Manchester, NH. Later, she had an opportunity to take over the Concord store and decided to go for it.

Robin, who has four children and three grandchildren, has lived in New Hampshire since opening her first store and she is not all work and no play. Her interests include walking, health and wellness, furniture restoration, decorating, word puzzles, reading and wine.

She also started a program a few years ago where she visits schools to talk to children about healthy eating.

“I talk a lot about the importance of eating fresh fruit and the benefits of Kale – it is a super food!” she says.

It’s already been a decade since Robin opened her first store.

“It is hard to believe that it has been 10 years,” she says.

During that time Robin has been one of our most successful franchisees and she recently renewed her original franchisee agreement, which means we will be blessed to have her as part of the Edible Arrangements family for years to come. That also means she can continue to make her own favorite treat — Berry Chocolate Bouquet with dipped bananas.

“The bananas are definitely my favorite dipped fruit!” she says.

 

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  • Colorado
  • Edible Arrangements
  • family business
  • franchise renewal
  • franchisees
  • franchising
  • Tariq Farid Entrepreneur
  • teamwork

In franchising, nothing is more important than the success of the franchisees. If our franchisees are growing and are prospering, it means that all the hard work that has gone into building Edible Arrangements has been worthwhile. It means that our products and services are delivering on their promise and making everyone’s life a little sweeter.

That’s why I am always excited to learn about franchisees renewing their franchise agreement, such as Richard, who recently renewed his agreement for the Centennial, Colorado, location.

Richard originally discovered Edible Arrangements in January of 2005 while relocating one of his Curves franchises to a much larger space. He received a postcard in the mail promoting the Edible Arrangements franchise opportunity. His wife, Stacey, tossed it in the trash. The more she thought about it, however, she decided to pull the postcard out of the trash and show it to Richard.

Richard took one look and said, “We could sell these bouquets to everybody!”

A few weeks later Richard was on his way to Connecticut for discovery day. A few months later he was back in Connecticut training with me at one of our corporate stores. By June, he was open for business.

Like many of our franchisees, the success of Richard’s Edible Arrangements franchise is a husband-wife cooperative supported by an amazing team.

Stacey, his wife of 32 years, manages the store.

“She is an AMAZING woman,” Richard said. “All I can say is that the luckiest day of my life was when I saw her for the first time. I’m very proud to be her husband.”

Then there is Hilario “Speedy” Gonzalez. “Our production ‘Superhero’ has been with us since day one,” Richard said. “He is incredibly fast! He can create seven daisy bouquets in five minutes and he is always saying, ‘No problem, piece of Kale!’”

There is Leslie Farley, who has been a part of the team for nine years. “She is our ‘go-to girl’ in the store,” Richard told me. “She can handle any situation with professionalism and grace.”

There is “driver extraordinaire” Lisa Snyder who has been with the store for six years and coordinates all aspects of deliveries from a normal day to Valentine’s Day. “I never have to lift a finger,” Richard said.

Then there are relative newcomers such as Alex Velarde and Mark Sexton.

Alex has been taking care of customer service for a year but, even more importantly, is engaged to Richard’s daughter, Stephanie.

Mark recently joined them as VP Sales of Marketing. “He has a great ‘go, go, go’ attitude and we expect him to be very successful increasing store sales,” Richard said.

Do you want to be a success? Then you can’t go wrong by following Richard’s example, whether it’s family or business.

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  • Alzheimer's Association
  • American Red Cross
  • Edible Arrangements
  • Entrepreneurship
  • franchisee
  • opportunity
  • Rhode Island
  • SPCA

Aislinn with daughter Samantha.

Today I would like to introduce you to Aislinn, an amazing woman who is truly an inspiration for many, including my very own daughters.

Aislinn’s family owned a small business, an environmental laboratory in Hyde Park, NY, and by the age of 11 she was working for her mother doing office work, cleaning lab dishes and other tasks.

At 16, Aislinn decided to start her own business and partnered with a high school friend to open the Hyde Park Dance Arts. That earned her the Johnson & Wales University’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which came with a four year scholarship to Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, where she graduated summa cum laude with an A.S. in Hotel/Restaurant Management and a B.S. in Health Care Administration, specializing in Gerontology.

After graduation, Aislinn became licensed as a Nursing Home Administrator and worked in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

It was while working at a nursing home in Massachusetts that she was introduced to Edible Arrangements® when the director of nursing for the facility purchased an arrangement for the residents. Aislinn still had an entrepreneurial spirit within her and after seeing the reaction to the arrangement, she decided to research the company.

In 2005, Aislinn purchased her first Edible Arrangements franchise. She returned to her hometown and in July opened the first Edible Arrangements in the Hudson Valley in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Two years later she opened her second Edible Arrangements location in Kingston, NY. That same year, I presented her with the highly coveted President’s Award at our annual convention. In addition, the Poughkeepsie store was awarded the company’s Northeast Region Pineapple Star Award for exceeding customer expectations and providing superior product quality. Aislinn also received the Always There Making A Difference Award in 2012 for the passionate work she has done in Ulster and Dutchess Counties.

Aislinn and her daughter, Samantha, live in Rhinebeck, NY, with their rescue dog, Honey Bear, and rescue cat, Pookie. If running a business and raising a daughter wasn’t tough enough, she is also active in the Girl Scouts, where she is a Gold Award recipient, a troop leader and also volunteers to teach troops about healthy eating, nutrition, food service and Edible Arrangements. She has also served on the Board of Directors for the local Chapter of the American Red Cross and the New Paltz Regional Chamber of Commerce. She is also an active volunteer and supporter of the Alzheimer’s Association, the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse and the SPCA.

When she does find a little spare time, she enjoys hiking, gardening, ballet and painting.

How does she do it all?

Aislinn says she is fortunate to have a dedicated group of individuals working with her. Many of her team members in the Poughkeepsie store, for example, have been with her since 2006, including Lead Designer, Marcelo, and Lead Prep Assistant, Bryan.

Aislinn encourages her team to have fun and bring happiness to the local community. She often pushes the Driver Supervisor, Josh, to entertain as the store “Banana Man” at community events. Jordan, a Fruit Expert, is also involved in the store’s social media efforts and store supervisor Kayla Welz, who started with the Poughkeepsie store in 2012, has played the role of the “Strawberry Princess” or “Fruity the Elf”.

Oh yes, her favorite arrangement is the Mango Kiwi Blossom with the Tropical Sampler add-on. However, she will never refuse a pineapple fruit truffle!

When I hear her story, I am reminded how blessed we are to have franchisees like Aislinn and many others like her as part of the Edible Arrangements family.

 

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  • college students
  • Edible Arrangements
  • Edible Arrangements canada
  • entrepreneur
  • franchisees
  • opportunity
  • WOW

There are many reasons that Edible Arrangements is a success. First, of course is the fact that our products feature fresh fruit and chocolate, that is beautifully arranged. They are both delicious and healthy! The sight of them continues to WOW people, and is part of so many of life’s special occasions! After all, why not celebrate what’s good in life?

Kari

Just as important to our success, however, is the fact that our 1,200 stores are locally owned by franchisees — small business owners that are so passionate about what they do and know their local community better than any corporate office ever could!

Edible Arrangements’ local store owners come from all walks of life. Some have come out of retirement for a new challenge, others are “corporate refugees” looking for autonomy and control over their own destinies, and some are young upstarts with entrepreneurial dreams!

Meet Karli, who falls into that last category. Only 22 years old, she will WOW you! You see, Karli has just earned an engineering degree AND has just opened her fist Edible Arrangements store in Canada!

Just four years ago, in 2010, Karli first heard of Edible Arrangements when she received a call from a friend. The Edidble Arrangements store in Halifax was trying to find extra workers for its Valentine’s Day rush. At the time, she was a college student and was happy for opportunity to pick up some part-time work.

Karli says she was immediately WOWED by Edible Arrangements!

After Valentine’s Day she became an Edible Arrangements team member at the store. Of the experience of working at Edible Arrangements, Karli remembers, “I was happy when I went into work. I was happy when I left. I loved it!”

Fast forward a few years to March of 2014. Karli had just graduated from college with a degree in engineering. Still, though, there was just something special about Edible Arrangements that she loved. She learned that a nearby store was for sale and immediately knew what she wanted to do: become a local store owner and continue with the work that she loved!

A month later she told her parents of her decision and was thrilled when they told her they supported her. About one month ago, Kari became owner of the Edible Arrangements store in New Brunswick!

She says that Ryan, owner of the store where she was first introduced to Edible Arrangements four years earlier, has served as an invaluable mentor, saying, “He has been a wonderful supporter and so helpful to me!”

Karli says she still gets to do what she loves as a small business owner, but now she focuses on “bigger picture” issues such as ensuring enough supplies are ordered, that team members are top-notch and implementing local marketing efforts.

What does she like best about owning an Edible Arrangements franchise? Introducing product to new people!

“In Canada, everyone is not as familiar with Edible Arrangements as they are in the United States,” she said. “I love that I have the opportunity to introduce the product to people for the first time–and see the joy on their faces!”

Edible Arrangements is a successful company because of smart, passionate and hard working entrepreneurs like Karli!

 

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  • 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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