Are you between the ages of 18-35 with a great idea for a business but not sure how to get it off the ground? Do you know someone who is?
This week the International Franchise Association (IFA) Education Fund launched a new program called NextGen – A New Generation in Franchising. As someone who became an entrepreneur at an early age and used the franchise model to expand my business, there was no doubt that I would help sponsor this new program. I know there is no shortage of great ideas among young entrepreneurs, just a shortage of resources to pursue and develop those ideas.
This program will introduce young entrepreneurs and students to the world of franchising and share the franchise business model as they’ve never seen it before.
Fifty prizes will be awarded for the best, most innovative business and marketing concepts for new franchise businesses or existing franchise brands.
Prizes include a travel voucher and complimentary registration for the IFA Annual Convention, which will be held February 15-18, 2015 in Las Vegas, and an opportunity to participate in the first NextGen in Franchising Summit, a two-day educational and networking program at the convention.
At the summit, contest winners will have a chance to engage directly with leading franchisor, franchisee and supplier members of the IFA as well as other young entrepreneurs, students and participants in the NextGen in Franchising Summit.
Additional cash prizes and scholarships will be awarded from the pool of 50 contest winners.
For more information and to enter the competition, visit nextgenfranchising.org. Here’s your chance to prove that when it comes to building a successful business, you can do it, too!
If you have been following my blog, you know that I have a soft spot in my heart for the men and women of our armed forces. The sacrifice they make on a daily basis is truly inspirational.
It’s the reason that I have gladly contributed to the International Franchise Association’sVetFran program and we started our own Hero’s Welcome program. Many of our top franchisees are former members of the military who have taken advantage of these programs to become business owners, and I want to make sure that many more have the chance to follow in their footsteps.
Now I am very pleased to announce that we will soon be opening our first Edible Arrangements location on a military base, thanks to the exhaustive efforts of franchisees Laverna and Martinez Alexander. The Alexanders will be opening at Fort Bragg in North Carolina in November. Fittingly, that is the month we celebrate both Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving.
This will be Laverna’s second Edible Arrangements store and the first for Martinez.
The story of how Laverna became a franchisee, however, is filled with twists and turns and, as she says, a little miracle.
She first became interested in Edible Arrangements in 2008 shortly after she had become a manager at a local jewelers. Laverna stopped by an Edible Arrangements store in Fayetteville, NC, to pick up an arrangement and, she says, “the moment I walked into that store I was moved.”
Laverna says she can’t explain why, but she couldn’t quit thinking about the store. So a few days later she decided to research the company and after discovering it was a franchise, she filled out our short online informational form. Within a few days she found herself on the phone talking to someone from Edible Arrangements named Moussa.
“I was so surprised to get such a quick response,” she said. “We laughed and talked, he asked me a few questions and then told me I was just the kind of person Edible Arrangements was looking for to own stores. I told him I was just fooling around with the idea because I had just started a new job.”
The calls and conversations continued every few weeks. Then, in September of 2008, Laverna was informed that the jeweler was going into liquidation and would be closing before the end of the year.
“What a blow,” she said.
Moussa, on the other hand, told her that it was a great opportunity to come out and visit Connecticut.
“He called me every week,” she said. “I finally told him, ‘let me close this store and maybe I will come early next year.’ ”
Laverna says she was exhausted after the store closed in December, but decided to sign up for a real estate course.
“I thought I would just try it for a while,” she said. “Moussa kept calling weekly to check on me and I was seeing Edible Arrangements everywhere, but I just kept blowing it off.”
Then, in the middle of her real estate courses, Laverna suddenly became ill and had to have emergency surgery. A few weeks later, as she was recovering, her mother told her that another Edible Arrangements was opening across town near Raeford.
“I was shocked,” Laverna remembers. “I stopped and thought to myself, ‘God is trying to tell me something.’ So I prayed, ‘God if this is what you want me to do, then give me the courage and conviction to do it, and I will start and not stop until it is done.’ ”
As soon as she had recovered, Laverna flew to our corporate offices where she toured the office and met some great people.
“I left there knowing this was what I was going to do,” she said. “I started my loan paperwork on June 1, it was approved June 30, and I signed my franchise agreement July 14.”
She opened her first store in February of 2010.
“It has not always been easy,” she admits, “but I am now in the beginning phases of opening my second Edible Arrangements and the first on any military installation ever! I am thrilled. Look at God! Thank you for the opportunity!”
Thank YOU Laverna, for providing yet another example of what makes the Edible Arrangements family so inspiring.
New franchisees Michelle and Arnold Antone with their family represent the true spirit of the American entrepreneur.
I wrote last week about how the Edible Arrangements® franchise community is a mosaic of global diversity, with franchisees representing nearly all walks of life.
That certainly applies to two of our newest franchisees, Michelle and Arnold Antone, who will soon be opening their first store in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Michelle, who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, held a federal position as a Deputy CEO, Chief Financial Officer for over 13 years before leaving to become an Edible Arrangements franchisee. Arnold, an electrician by trade, is retired from the federal service.
But that’s not what makes their story so interesting.
Michelle is a Native American and a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Arnold is a member of the Navajo tribe. They have been married for 21 years and own a ranch on the dramatic South Dakota landscape where rodeo is a big part of their life. In fact, Arnold is a competitive team roper and their oldest son, 19-year-old Drew, is a sophomore in college on a full rodeo scholarship! They also have two children still at home, Houston (13) and Devyn (12).
The closest Edible Arrangements to Rapid City is 100 miles away, so Michelle and Arnold are very excited to bring Edible Arrangements to their community.
And we are very excited to have them a part of ours.
Gale, one of our newest franchisees, and her husband John are entrepreneurs at heart.
From its beginning, America has been referred to as a melting pot, where people of different races, religions and cultures are welcomed with the hopes of freedom, new opportunities and a better way of life.
I like to think of franchising the same way. The Edible Arrangements® franchise community truly is a mosaic of global diversity, with franchisees representing nearly all walks of life seeking the American Dream. And one of my true pleasures has been getting to know each of them and their backgrounds.
Over the next few weeks I want to share some of their stories as an inspiration to others.
Gale is one of our newest franchisees and will soon be opening her first Edible Arrangements in Benton, Michigan. She and her husband, John, are newly married with a blended family of six children and seven grandchildren. They live in Michigan, near the cities of St. Joseph and Benton Harbor.
Gale is not a newcomer to business ownership. Since 1995 she has owned six metal recycling facilities throughout Michigan and Indiana with her ex-husband and sons.
“I have played many roles in the businesses,” she told me. “Bookkeeping, payroll, customer service, running equipment. You name it, and at one time or another I’ve had to step up and fill in. I know the dedication it takes to own and run a business.”
Over the years she began stepping away from the companies to allow her boys to take over her duties as she looked for a new challenge.
‘I love a fast-paced atmosphere,” she said. “I am very much a busy body.”
Gale’s love of crafts, decorating and flower arranging combined with her entrepreneurial spirit led her to Edible Arrangements. And encouragement from her new husband, John, made her decision easier.
A Senior Residential Appraiser with the Appraisal Institute, John has been a self-employed real estate appraiser for the past 35 years.
“He, too, knows the dedication it takes to own your own business,” Gale said. “He loves what he does, and he has been encouraging me to do something that I would love.”
Both are also very active in their church and their community.
“We love to serve others,” Gale said. “We feel that this business venture could be the perfect opportunity for us.”
I agree. Welcome to the Edible Arrangement family, Gale and John.
This week the International Franchise Association (IFA) Education Fund launched a new program called NextGen – A New Generation in Franchising. As someone who became an entrepreneur at an early age and used the franchise model to expand my business, there was no doubt that I would help sponsor this new program. I know there is no shortage of great ideas among young entrepreneurs, just a shortage of resources to pursue and develop those ideas.
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