Franchising and Franchisees | Tariq Farid - Founder of Edible Arrangements ® and Entrepreneur

I’ve been writing recently about some of our newer Edible Arrangements franchisees. It’s always exciting to watch the family of franchisees grow and meet the new entrepreneurs who are pursuing their own version of the American Dream.

Equally dear to my heart, however, are those long-term franchisees who have been the foundation upon which Edible Arrangements has grown into a global icon.

I first met Rich and Pat 10 years ago. Pat had a computer science degree while Rich had a computer engineering degree. Both worked for Xerox in product development, but had been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. In May of 2005 they opened their first Edible Arrangements store in Rochester, NY. They have since opened five more locations as well as a dipped fruit shipping center.

Five years ago they moved to Minneapolis where Rich became the Managing Director of Hollander Inc., a software company servicing the Automotive Recycling industry. They manage their stores remotely with the help of a great management team back in Rochester and a set of processes and tools that have developed over the years.

Rich and Pat have four children, ranging in age from 11 to 27. Michelle, the oldest, joined the management team in 2012. Claire owns a marketing consulting company in Tampa, FL, while David is a freshman at Iowa State University and Caitlin is a sixth grader. Oh yes, they also have a 10-year-old black lab named Keira.

In their spare time, they enjoy boating, yard work and healthy eating. Rich is also a runner and just completed his first marathon.

I mention Pat and Rich because they just renewed their initial franchise agreement for another 10 years. We are blessed to have passionate franchisees like Rich and Pat as part of the Edible Arrangements family. I hope to feature more in the coming weeks.

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Yes, you can go home again!

Just ask Malcolm and Lisa, two of our newest franchisees.

They met while attending Texas A&M University and immediately realized they had a lot in common, having grown up in hometowns just 15 minutes apart. In fact, their parents actually went to high school together.

After graduation, Malcolm took a position in finance at a dietary supplement company in College Station (home of Texas A&M) while Lisa was at home raising two little boys, 4-year-old Max and 2-year-old Caleb.

While they were enjoying College Station, the outdoors, traveling and spending time together as a family, their goal was always to move the family back to the Temple, Texas, area where they were raised.

That opportunity presented itself in the shape of an Edible Arrangements® bouquet. After receiving several Edible Arrangements as gifts, they did a little research and realized that not only did Temple not have an Edible Arrangements, but it was also a perfect market!

A growing city with more than 65,000 residents, Temple is home of Scott & White Hospital, the only Level 1 trauma hospital between Austin and Dallas and home to more than 6,000 employees. The city also has a children’s hospital, a VA hospital, a private university, two large school districts and a dynamic business community.

For Malcolm and Lisa, it’s the best of all worlds — a chance to chase the American Dream of business ownership and do it while raising their family in the same area where they grew up.

Congratulations to Malcolm and Lisa. We wish you and your family the best!

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Megan and Richard represent the growing number of husband-wife teams making up the Edible Arrangements franchise community.

As I have written before, Edible Arrangements franchisees represent all walks of life and one group that I am happy to see steadily on the rise is the husband-wife team.

Take Megan and Richard, for example.

After spending seven years in the hospitality and restaurant management business, Megan went to work in the EMT field. Richard, meanwhile, was working as a paramedic for Emergency Medical Services, where he still works 17 years later.

As fate would have it, they met in 2008 while working on an ambulance together and were married two years later on 10/10/10.

In 2013, their commitment to helping others carried over into a second career as they opened their Edible Arrangements franchise.

Megan and Richard are not all work and no play, however. They also are proud parents of a little boy named Reed, who loves feeding the animals on their farm as well as working on his ABC’s and 123’s.

“He is our most precious gift,” they will tell you of Reed, who is approaching his second birthday.

With a growing family and a thriving business, they are excited about what the future holds. And we are excited to be a part of their life and able to play a role in helping them make their dreams come true.

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Who are our franchisees?

We have long-term franchisees that have owned a store (or stores!) for a decade and then signed on for 10 more years.

We have franchisees who always dreamed of being entrepreneurs and small business owners, and we made their dream come true.

Some are military veterans. Some are husband and wife teams. Some own one or two Edible Arrangements’ stores, while others own more than 10!

There are franchisees that came out of retirement after successful business careers seeking a new challenge. There are young upstarts, who always knew they wanted to be a small business owner. And there are those who got tired of the “corporate treadmill” and wanted to be fully rewarded for their work.

Linda falls into several of the categories mentioned above.

An amazing young woman with boundless energy and a very friendly, energetic and outgoing demeanor, Linda was barely in her mid-20s when she became the owner of her own small business—an Edible Arrangements store. She had enjoyed a successful career in marketing, but was disenchanted with the fact that while her work was praised and helped her employer thrive, she was still not given an opportunity for advancement. She started to become unhappy in her job.

Linda knew about Edible Arrangements from her work in marketing and had been watching us grow from the time we started franchising in 2001. Linda says that watching Edible Arrangements grow from from a small start-up into a global chain in just a few years was exciting.

Linda remembers thinking to herself: “What if I could be rewarded for the work I put into something and not have to rely on a boss or someone else to reward me?”

It was then that she decided to make the big jump, leave her job and open her own Edible Arrangements store.

That was 10 years ago! Now a long-term franchisee, a multiple store owner and still young, Linda says she doesn’t regret a thing.

“At first, I thought that I would do this for a few years and then get out,” she told me. “But I found something that I truly enjoyed and I was able to grow along with my business. I love the challenging times, and I still get to use my marketing background!”

The best thing, Linda says, is that “with my Edible Arrangements stores, I definitely get out what I put in!”

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Maurice Welton had dreams of no longer being stuck on the “corporate treadmill” when he discovered Edible Arrangements. Today he owns four successful stores with a fifth on the way!

When I first met Maurice, who now owns multiple Edible Arrangements stores, he WOWED me. Maurice is a veteran, a hard worker and a friendly, fun and charming person. He had big dreams of no longer being stuck on the “corporate treadmill” as he put it.

“I was working so hard, and successfully, but not getting anywhere. No acknowledgement, no promotion even though I was doing great work and making money for the company I worked for,” I remember him telling me.

After watching a program in which I was being interviewed in 2006, Maurice was struck by the thought that Edible Arrangements presented the opportunity for which had been looking.

“It all fit,” he told me. “I felt a connection.”

So, Maurice did some research then called the Edible Arrangements corporate office to get a better understanding of how he could become an Edible Arrangements franchise owner.

After that, he says, “I knew, this was it!”

Maurice opened his first Edible Arrangements store on May 29, 2007 in Texas.

“Everything went smoothly,” Maurice remembers. “Everything happened exactly as my corporate support contact explained it would. And I am still guided by his advice today.”

Maurice’s first store was a success. Then he opened another, and another, and another! He now owns four Edible Arrangements stores with a fifth in the works!

“I do something I love,” he says. “I like that what I sell makes people smile—who doesn’t love a dipped pineapple!”

Maurice says that Edible Arrangements has allowed him to grow, both personally and professionally. He serves on the board of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce and he is a member of numerous other chambers and organizations!

“I love being more involved with the community. Along with my businesses, I have blossomed,” he says with a grin. “That’s what Edible Arrangements has done for me.”

But what is the most important change that his experience as a small business owner with Edible Arrangements has brought him?

“Legacy. It’s not just about being able to provide for my daughter, but I will never have to put a lid on her aspirations. That means the most to me,” Maurice says.

His advice for anyone considering becoming an Edible Arrangements store owner?

“Go for it! I have no regrets!”

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Category: Franchising and Franchisees

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