Step into the world of franchise success and discover the power of communication and collaboration with Eye On Franchising. In this captivating episode, we delve into the importance of effective communication among franchisees and the exceptional benefits of joining the Flour Power franchise. Prepare to be inspired as we explore the fascinating journey of Sarah Moritz, the president of Flour Power, and Michael Mabry, the managing director of One Life Brands. Brace yourself for an exciting conversation that shatters the stereotype of mundane businesses, showcasing the fun and exhilarating opportunities within the franchise world. Sarah's unconventional path into the baking industry, influenced by Michael, will leave you in awe. Join us as we unlock the secrets to success in the franchise industry, highlighting the tremendous potential of Flour Power and its unique approach to cooking studios. Discover how Flour Power is revolutionizing the culinary experience with its range of activities, including cooking classes, birthday parties, camps, and adult sip and stir events. Be captivated by Sarah's journey and her remarkable ability to lead the brand with authenticity and humility. Uncover the process of becoming a franchisee and witness the genuine commitment of Flour Power to finding the perfect match. With a focus on collaboration and community impact, Flour Power stands out as a dominant player in the cooking studio segment, leaving a lasting impression on franchisees, families, and communities. Don't miss this opportunity to gain invaluable insights and discover the power of communication and collaboration in the world of franchising. Tune in to Eye On Franchising and embark on a journey that will forever change your perception of the franchise industry. - Introduction to Eye on Franchising and guests Sarah Moritz and Michael Mabry - Contrasting perception of boring businesses - Sarah's unconventional path into the baking industry - Showcasing the potential for fun and exciting franchise businesses - Speaker's experience in the business industry and their desire to have a positive impact - The positive impact of the Flour Power brand on franchisees, families, and communities - Flour Power's potential as a dominant player in the cooking studio segment - Flour Power's concept and range of experiences offered - Typical franchisees of a Flour Power studio and factors contributing to their success - Variety of activities and events offered at a cooking studio - Process of becoming a franchisee of Flour Power - Importance of putting franchisees first in the business model - Training process for franchisees in the Flour Power brand - Importance of marketing and PR in promoting and growing the business - Rebranding process to attract a broader audience - Importance of collaboration and communication within the franchise --- Have you heard the news? We are officially on YouTube. Come check out a few videos have have and give me a follow! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwoAdrkPZmveJt5AQRDk8WA --- Lance Graulich Franchise Consulting Services from ION Franchising Eye On Franchising
Step into the world of franchise success and discover the power of communication and collaboration with Eye On Franchising. In this captivating episode, we delve into the importance of effective communication among franchisees and the exceptional benefits of joining the Flour Power franchise. Prepare to be inspired as we explore the fascinating journey of Sarah Moritz, the president of Flour Power, and Michael Mabry, the managing director of One Life Brands. Brace yourself for an exciting conversation that shatters the stereotype of mundane businesses, showcasing the fun and exhilarating opportunities within the franchise world. Sarah's unconventional path into the baking industry, influenced by Michael, will leave you in awe. Join us as we unlock the secrets to success in the franchise industry, highlighting the tremendous potential of Flour Power and its unique approach to cooking studios. Discover how Flour Power is revolutionizing the culinary experience with its range of activities, including cooking classes, birthday parties, camps, and adult sip and stir events. Be captivated by Sarah's journey and her remarkable ability to lead the brand with authenticity and humility. Uncover the process of becoming a franchisee and witness the genuine commitment of Flour Power to finding the perfect match. With a focus on collaboration and community impact, Flour Power stands out as a dominant player in the cooking studio segment, leaving a lasting impression on franchisees, families, and communities. Don't miss this opportunity to gain invaluable insights and discover the power of communication and collaboration in the world of franchising.
Tune in to Eye On Franchising and embark on a journey that will forever change your perception of the franchise industry.
- Introduction to Eye on Franchising and guests Sarah Moritz and Michael Mabry
- Contrasting perception of boring businesses
- Sarah's unconventional path into the baking industry
- Showcasing the potential for fun and exciting franchise businesses
- Speaker's experience in the business industry and their desire to have a positive impact
- The positive impact of the Flour Power brand on franchisees, families, and communities
- Flour Power's potential as a dominant player in the cooking studio segment
- Flour Power's concept and range of experiences offered
- Typical franchisees of a Flour Power studio and factors contributing to their success
- Variety of activities and events offered at a cooking studio
- Process of becoming a franchisee of Flour Power
- Importance of putting franchisees first in the business model
- Training process for franchisees in the Flour Power brand
- Importance of marketing and PR in promoting and growing the business
- Rebranding process to attract a broader audience
- Importance of collaboration and communication within the franchise
---
Have you heard the news? We are officially on YouTube. Come check out a few videos have have and give me a follow!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwoAdrkPZmveJt5AQRDk8WA
---
Franchise Consulting Services from ION Franchising
Sarah 00:00:00
Lance Graulich 00:00:02 Welcome to Eye on Franchising. Are you looking for business opportunities? Well, you are in the right place. We represent over 650 franchises and business opportunities. We will help you find your perfect franchise for free. We even have a free assessment on our website that will help us determine what the best businesses for you based on your investment level mindset, skill set and life experiences. This is eye on Franchising, where we share our vision for your franchise future. I'm your host, Lance Graulich. Each week we will speak to fascinating folks from the world of franchising, franchisors and founders, franchise funders and franchisees. Are you looking to find your perfect franchise? Or perhaps you are an independent business owner looking to grow and scale your business by setting up a franchise. Either way, our team can help you Eye on Franchising, where you will learn the A to Z's of franchise. Hello everyone and welcome back to another fabulous episode of Eye on Franchising. I am your host, Lance Graulich. So as I talk to people every single day, practically seven days a week about franchises, a lot of people are seeing stuff about the boring, unsexy, awful sounding businesses, plumbing, for example, that they wouldn't necessarily do. Well, guess what? What if I can show you and the two guests I have today can show you a recipe for fun. I said it fun. Well, welcome. Today I got my friend Sarah Maritz who is the president of Flower Power and we're going to talk to her in a second as well as Michael Mabry and Michael's the managing director of One Life Brands. We're going to talk to them right now. So welcome to the show, Michael and Sarah.
Sarah 00:02:01 Thank you, Leah. Thank you. Happy to be here.
Lance Graulich 00:02:04 Thank you for both being here. Sarah, you first. Ladies first. How'd you get into the world of baking? And.
Sarah 00:02:16 A very, had a very unconventional path here and a lot of it has to do with a guy that's also on the call with us today. Michael. So, previously, before I joined Flower Power, I was with an It startup that was called Pegasus Technology Solutions. And when, it was myself and three other gentlemen and we started out, when I showed up on the scene, we had a PO box and a bank account and we knew that we had about nine months runway. And if we didn't sell anything in that nine months, if things did not turn out, we were all going to be looking for new jobs and, I thought, why not? This just sounds fun. So, we jumped out in that and then about four years down the road, we were clocking in about 26 million. Yeah, it was a fun adventure. It, as you know, can be really, interesting, industry to be in. it is broad, it is vast, it is demanding, it, ah, is unrelenting and the whole world runs on it. Right. So I really got, my first introduction, into not only business management, right. but to the nth degree, from all. So I was with them, for about seven and a half years. And, Michael, we were eating breakfast one day. We actually, do CrossFit together. that's how we met, I think. Lance, you're also familiar with this little sport, I think, from what and so we were eating breakfast one morning, and you said, hey, why don't you go check out a brand for me? And I thought, okay, well, this is weird, because we had formed more of a business relationship in the terms of I would bounce ideas off of Michael. Right. He was a actually, he knows my husband. he actually met my husband before I met my husband. which was at a CrossFit box, by the way. So CrossFit's really done a lot for me, but, he told me, go check out a brand. And so I started to look into it. And, for me, it's really important that what I do actually has a positive impact on the world in some small way. I'm one of those I'm a dreamer. I want to leave it a little bit better than when I found it. Right. in the second grade, my dad asked me, what do you want to be when you grow up? And I replied, a helper. So far, so good. so I love it. Yeah. So I really enjoy, watching small things grow in its most simplistic, explanation. Right. I'm not a corporate kind of person. I, love the idea of jumping into something that wants to experience the level of growth that I'd like to deliver. I'm not real big in the lifestyle brands again, or the corporate ladder. Nothing wrong with those things. It's just not for
Sarah 00:04:52 me. I am more of I think I have more of that entrepreneurial spirit. I was raised by a father that he owned his own HBAC business. So you talk about not sexy businesses. That was one of them. God love him. Yeah. He crawled in her houses where, I mean, the bottom of it's about an inch from his nose. And he had really fun spider visitors and snakes. And then he'd have to be in hot addicts in July. And oh, by the way, I'm from Arkansas, so the man's a saint, really? because when you're hot, people scream really loud. And he came running.
Michael 00:05:33 I love it.
Sarah 00:05:36 I don't think I know I got that from him. And I really wanted to be a part of that and have something that, again, positively impacts a community. There's really nothing like AC to make your day. but yeah, the more, I dove into flower power and did my research, the more I discovered just what this brand does for people. Does for not only the franchisees, but families and communities. So that's how I got here.
Lance Graulich 00:06:01 Well, we'll get back to you on that. Michael, let's hear about you. How'd you get into the world of franchising and Flour Power. Give us those highlights.
Michael 00:06:09 Sure.
Sarah 00:06:10 Restaurant.
Michael 00:06:11 guy. My whole life I've been fortunate enough to, work on the corporate side of restaurants. then, worked on the franchise side of restaurants, then worked in startups, then became a franchisee. then was, on the founding team of a couple of brands. So the franchising, really got into my blood in the mid 1990s. I didn't know anything about it, and I was a corporate guy working for, Brinker International. And I had a boss, his name is John Miller, and he was just the, CEO of Denny's. Now he's chairman. and he said, hey man, do you want to, become the director of franchise operations? And I said yes. I had no idea what it was. again, didn't even know what franchising was.
Lance Graulich 00:07:07 Every smart person says yes first and figures it out later.
Michael 00:07:11 That's exactly, ah, I was over promoted. but he saw something. and that's why I started to learn. So I've been this corporate guy for years, and they said march, I marched, they said sit down, I sat down. But then all of a sudden, I got into franchising. And I got to meet these entrepreneurs, who had the same, passion and the same drive and the same, uh, love of what they were doing as I did. But they just thought a little bit differently. they went about their days a little bit differently. And I actually fell in love with the franchisee before I fell in love with franchising. I liked the idea of, how they attacked their, businesses. And again, fast forward, up until a couple of years ago, my business partner and I, Robert Maynard, we joined forces, and he had a dream. and his dream was to identify, franchise or franchise capable businesses, that either were founder, driven, and they reached a certain point and couldn't grow anymore, with the founder, or the founder was aging out, or it was a good opportunity for us. So we started to, look at different brands. And Flower Power was the first brand, so we acquired that actually in August, of last year. So coming up on one year. And when I looked at it and looked at, the founder of that business, and looked at what that business has done, and then looked at the competition, looked at the landscape, looked, at, really what the runway was, I felt and still feel, that Flower Power. Just from a name standpoint, it's a catchy, fun, great name.
Lance Graulich 00:09:19 And Michael, by the way, let's share with everybody exactly what flower Power is F-L-O-U-R in case you haven't figured that out by now.
Michael 00:09:28 That's correct. FL O-U-R power. And started to think, why can't this brand has the bones to really be the, dominant piece or the dominant player, in the cooking studio, segment? Because there's really not one. But more importantly, I have two passions in life people and food. And it satisfied both of those passions. so as we started to look for a leader, as Sarah mentioned, I'd known her for years and watched her grow up in her, current, business, watched her get married, watched her get her MBA. Her questions, over the five or six years, that we were friends and we'd share business practices with one another, her questions over the years started to mature. her, ability, to look behind, whatever issues that she may have been facing, started to widen. So when this opportunity arose, I thought, I think I know someone. And that's why I presented it to. And she had a great, sales tactic to sell, was everyone should write this down, right? So I said, Sarah, I, really want you to look at this brand, Flower Power. At the time, it was Flower Power, kids Cooking Studio, and tell me what your thoughts on it. So she did. She came back. I said, I really want to talk to you about you leading this brand, you being the president and the voice and the face of this brand. And here's what's her selling point. And I'm going to quote, Are you sure? I don't cook and I don't have kids? but quite frankly, that answer is why she's the right person. Because, she's introspective, love it, she's humble, and she's, the absolute perfect person, to lead this brand.
Lance Graulich 00:11:39 So let's define, first of all, how big is a Flour Power location studio, and what exactly are you cooking, who's the audience, et cetera.
Sarah 00:11:51 Yeah, so our studios are usually anywhere from about 1600, about 2100. Our studios, with the exception of three, are two kitchen studios. They're residential kitchens. They're not commercial kitchens. Right. So it is truly learning and learning, to cook, having that culinary experience at home versus in a restaurant. Right. So we are casual, we are fun. That's what we lead with. Right. And, uh, yeah, they are all in traditional shopping center locations. we don't have any nontraditional locations, anchors, that kind of thing. So, yeah, uh, I think I mentioned earlier, we have 15 active locations. We'll have 17 by the end of the year. Yeah. And again, I, like to say we offer culinary experiences. People usually are like, what do you mean by that? Right. again, we are brick and mortar. It's important to note that. Right. We do have our own signature kitchens. there are some other business concepts out there where they will use various, locations. Right. That's not us. We want to control the environment. We have a vision, right? So we want to control that. And, we're not just classes, so we have birthday parties, camps, family nights. We have adult sip and stirs and everything in between. So we have custom holiday events. So it is a wide range and it is for people of all ages. And that's the important part to really hone in on, is it's not just children.
Lance Graulich 00:13:17 I was just going to get to that because that was the big transition when you guys took over Michael. it was not just for kids anymore. You saw a broader reach because there's a lot of people that don't know how to cook. Obviously, as a kid, you got to be able to reach the stove and safety first and all that. But there's tons of adults. You said it earlier, Michael.
Sarah 00:13:41
Lance Graulich 00:13:43 Sarah how to cook.
Sarah 00:13:44 Well.
Michael 00:13:49 It'S not that Robert and I, we knew there was more there, and I would be lying if I had told you that we had all the ideas that are now in play, but we knew more was there. But when Sarah, got on a plane and flew to Charlote to meet with Robert, she brought a deck with her. So she had done her study on the brand, as she is a great student. And really, at that initial interview, laid out, what we're doing today, there's been some fine tuning along the way. But if we were to go back and look at that first deck that she put together when she came and interviewed with Robert for the position, it's, about 90% of what's being done today.
Lance Graulich 00:14:43 what is the investment, the franchise investment to get into a flower power all in. What is that range? What is that average? Obviously, it depends on construction costs and what real estate you acquire. Most of these, I'm sure, if not all, are just leased spaces.
Sarah 00:15:00 Correct.
Lance Graulich 00:15:00 What is that number?
Sarah 00:15:02 Yeah. Which will find the FDDs. It's anywhere from 200,000 to 400,000. All in mhm. Got it.
Lance Graulich 00:15:08 And who is the typical franchisee that you're looking for? I mean, if you're going to look at your top performers today, I know you've only been in since last August, but looking at your current top performers and what you project to be future top performers, who are those people that are doing this?
Sarah 00:15:27 Yeah, I mean, what we have found, regardless of the background, it seems to be because there's a wide variety there. again, my 1st 90 days with a company, I got on a plane. and I actually went to every, I visited every single location, every single owner. Right. And I learned a lot very quickly. And it was that there was zero commonality in their background. It doesn't seem to have any real bearing on their interest. Two major things really came into play that stood out. One is there are people that like to be involved in their community. They love that. They like that piece of it. They want to be an active player. Right. So we don't just say that lightly. It's very real. And then the second thing is that either they or they had a friend, or somehow they found out about a child that had an experience, a positive experience in a flour power studio, and they saw the change in the child. And so that is a big one. Right. So, one of our top franchisees you want to talk about top franchisees? One of our top franchisees and operations, sales, whole nine yards. one of his children, was actually experiencing being bullied, right. Was in soccer. Wasn't so great at soccer. But when it comes to a kitchen environment, everybody's on an equal playing field. Right. So, you don't have to be good at sports. You don't have to be good at playing an instrument. Be the smartest kid in the class. Right. Cooking is for everybody. So it really resonated, and it really started to help his child. And so that is really the two biggest things, is they either have a child or know a child that had a positive impact in the fly of our studio, or they want to be actively involved in the community. It's usually a combination of both. Love it.
Lance Graulich 00:17:08 What are the hours of operation of a typical studio?
Sarah 00:17:12 Sure. Currently, I mean, they're open anywhere from as early as 830 in the morning, to as late as 830 at night, depending on what they're offering. Usually early morning. You get more preschool. Right. If you have something during the middle of the day, again, depending on the time of year and the day that it is usually, like, on an average work week, that's more of your adults coming in because they're not in school. Right. You have corporate events, and then in your evenings, you have either classes for kids, you have kids night out, depending on the day where they come in. They make two dishes, they have activities that they do, or you've got camps that can last all day long. Right. And of course, we have some adult sip and stir events, and those are at night.
Lance Graulich 00:17:54 What was that event? The sip and serve.
Sarah 00:17:56 it's an adult sip and stir.
Lance Graulich 00:17:59 Sip and stir. Okay.
Sarah 00:18:00 Yes. Sip and stir. Yeah.
Lance Graulich 00:18:02 Because we are I was drinking a martini and making a quiche. Is that what I was doing then?
Sarah 00:18:05 Exactly. We can make all of those dreams come true. But yes, that is exactly what we do. Yeah.
Lance Graulich 00:18:11 So, uh, we could spend so much time talking about the food, because that's, of course, my passion as well. But simply put, for the listeners, how complicated does this get? I would imagine it's as simple as cookies to as complicated as well, I'm not sure how complicated. So you share that with me.
Sarah 00:18:30 Sure. So, it can't be too complicated or I can't join. so it's important to note that all of our experiences are they do range. Right. But it is not a hardcore cooking school. Right. So we do have more challenging recipes. We can make more things from scratch, depending on kind of where you are. We meet you where you are. Right. So there is no level of talent required to come in our studios. And depending on your age and experience level, we have offerings that are more advanced than others. We do have a master chef. it is more advanced if you're more comfortable with that. Right. But for the most part, it is casual recipes. and again, it is all over the board. And that's intentional because as humans, we like a wide variety. Right. And we have various preferences and food allergies and things of that nature that we cater to. But we have over 1800 recipes, in our database. Right. So if you name it, we probably have it. And yeah, as far as the complexity, I mean, of course, when you have a two and a half year old walk in, you usually aren't going to give them a knife. Right. so their thing is a lot of stirring, maybe crack an egg, depending on where they are. so we can absolutely customize it. But it is not a hardcore school. No, it's not.
Lance Graulich 00:19:46 Got it. So let's talk about the process. So, I'm a franchise broker. I deliver somebody to you as a prospect. Take me through the process. Obviously, they could find you on your website as well. You have a great looking website. What is that process like? Obviously, franchise selection is a two way street. how long is the process? give us, everything you go through. I'm assuming there's some sort of validation where you get to speak to existing happy franchisees throughout the process as well.
Sarah 00:20:17 Sure. Yeah. So I've been talking for a while, Michael. Did you want to tackle that one?
Michael 00:20:21 Sure.
Sarah 00:20:21 Okay.
Michael 00:20:22 And it's a good question. because as we mentioned, we acquired the brand in August of last year. We were dark on franchise sales from August until March, intentionally, while Sarah and her team and I failed to mention her, team, Julia, Chelsea and Sherry, who are phenomenal, at what they do, and we'll talk about them here in a little. so in March, when we kicked off, the idea was taking the learnings that Sarah had mentioned, having, someone, that either they know a child or they have a child that has been, positively affected, by flower power and then the sense of community. So the process is, not different than any other franchise process. You got to have interest. and once you have interest, really, it's more for us. Right now, this is Franchising 101, and I'm going to use the term fit. Because while the brand is a decade plus old and we've got some great, stable, growing franchisees, whoever the first person we sign on will be Sarah's first to sign on, under this regime. So it's really, so I would say we're a little hypersensitive to that on making sure that, we are bringing on the right franchisee to complement our current franchisees. So the back and forth, of the get to know you is just that it is a two way street. the potential franchisee has, to have those desires that we've already talked about, but on our side, it's really looking. Why are they looking? And then, more importantly, why? Flour power? I, think it was last week, sarah and I were fortunate enough to talk to a couple that were interested. And there seems to be this great, synergy, when there's husband and wife or partner and partner, because it's kind of a ying and a yang, right? The reason they're usually together is because they complement one another. So whenever, our current franchisees, and then as we're taking calls with potential franchisees, whenever there's some type of partner and or spouse, that are there together, that seems to fulfill, the entire picture. So as they go through that process, it's a lot of conversation because again, we're just a year into it. Just been, offering franchises since March. So we would be lying if we would say, hey, we got it all figured out. But here's what we do know. we do know that, franchisees are first, and I learned that, years ago. And Sarah's heard me preach this. And her team has heard me preach this. At the end of the day, I feel the brands work for the franchisees. And here's what I mean by that. It's such, an odd business
Michael 00:23:34 model where, I sell you Lance a franchise. You give me money for said franchise, I do my pre opening obligations, I get you open, and then you pay me a royalty fee so that you can go to work every day and, operate the brand through our intellectual property and our training and all of those things. Well, the reality is, if you're a franchise company such as Flour Power, when the team members get their paychecks, when Sarah gets her paycheck, when Julie gets her paycheck, it's the franchisees royalties.
Sarah 00:24:20 That are paying that paycheck.
Michael 00:24:23 It's not me, it's not Robert, it's not One Life, it's the franchisees. So we have to have a servant mentality. we have to, really be cognizant of, where the money's coming from. We have to have people that, are willing to want to serve and resonate with that. So all that goes to the process to make sure that whoever we're talking to is going to be able to grow with us, because there will be some bumps in the road. There'll be some turns. Now, the good news is, unlike, I'm sure, businesses you've done in the past, Lance, we actually did all the pre work first before I've done shoot. then aim. this one we actually aimed first. We spent the time, we spent the money. More importantly, Sarah spent the time. And I, feel that Flour Power with Sarah's team, with the curriculum that they've built, with the vision that they have, it is as close to ready to launch as anything I've ever seen.
Lance Graulich 00:25:34 Yeah. Good. When I joined Wingstop, it was not really ready to expand. Food, uh, cost was out of control. Revenue was not there. Sounds like you guys are far ahead of where I was when I started with Wingstop. So I applaud you. I mean, look, to use another expression, done beats perfect. You'll never be perfect getting any brand, uh, absolutely perfect. It doesn't happen. It's always a work in progress. And it sounds like, look, if I'm going to bring people to you, they're going to be happy with a culture like yours. That's obvious. So I applaud you guys for that. Let's segue into training so we have the appropriate franchisee. Now. How are you going to train them? What's different? What's so special about it? What's that? Process, time, commitment, all that good stuff.
Sarah 00:26:23 Yeah, sure. So first off, anytime we have a branded item, I call it, uh, we have a Flower powerized document. And so we have a beautiful Flower powerized document. It's a noodle, it's really cute. Ghost little thing, spaghetti. And it shows you that you're about to walk through and who you're going to walk through it with and time frame. Right. So it's all branded. Really nice. So it's just like, hey, I understand you're here. You might be a little nervous. Along with your excitement, here's an idea of what you can expect. Right? So we'll start there and then we start to introduce to the right team. So when it comes to training somebody like we'll take me, for example. You asked me to walk into a classroom and run it a year ago. I'm going to look at you like you have four hits. Right? Because so much of this is culinary instruction, I don't have a very strong background in that, as Michael has alluded to earlier. So, two main people that are going to get you there, one, this, um, is where the really fun part where I get to introduce my team. But one, you're going to meet a woman by the name of Sherry Rigazo. So she's been with the brand now for 14 years. So that woman has seen everything. she knows where, as we say, all the bodies are buried. Right. And, she knows all there is to know about Flower Power and how to get you ready and confident in that kitchen, right? So first off, you're going to meet her and she's really going to walk you through that process. And she has an entire checklist for you to follow as well. In addition to the overview, you're also going to meet a woman by the name of chef, Chelsea Gum. So she's another member, of our leadership team. So she has 18 years of culinary instruction experience. So she is actually a chef by trade, but for the younger humans. So she spent a lot of time with her own children, in high school, teaching high school students and building out that program and curriculum. So she really understands the equal parts of culinary arts as far as, here's what you're going to do to instruct others, and then here's the actual art of instructing. So she took those two things, married them together. And so between those two people and the extensive amount of training that we're going to give you as far as actually on site, you're going to be well covered. So those are the two main people concerning other aspects of your business. A little thing called marketing and PR, where people actually know about you and understand
Sarah 00:28:28 that you're here, you're on the scene, and you have a studio and you're open for business. You're going to meet a woman by the name of Julia Gibson. So she's been with the brand now, uh, since December. So, Julia is our VP of Branding Strategies, and she is absolutely brilliant at what she does. she's a 30 year vet. She's worked for all types of companies, including franchises. She did work for 711. And, she is one of those that is a, um, I would say, not a generalist, but she has extensive knowledge in multiple areas. Right? So I think in general, sometimes it, you know, I'm wide, I don't go deep. But she is excellent at asking the right questions to get the new franchisees to think in the right ways of how to make sure the message of their business is getting in the hands of the right people. So she's great at it. A little background about Julia and why she's so passionate for all of our Flower Power franchisees that she actually purchased, a cooking, summer camp of her own. She purchased it, the summer before we purchased, before she came on board with us. So she has done this before herself. And she loves it. But yeah, uh, she's, uh, incredible when it comes to having a heart for this and making sure that the franchisees, any incoming ones, right, are marketing this in the correct way. So you're going to meet a dream team, essentially, is what you're going to meet. And I'm very proud of all of them.
Lance Graulich 00:29:54 It. Sounds fantastic. Let's elaborate a little bit more on the marketing piece, because, look, franchising is all about the support and it's all about the marketing. I think you certainly laid out an amazing case on the support side and the whole new staff and the investment you guys are making in your franchisees. Talk about marketing. I mean, how do you stand out? I don't know that there's much competition, but talk a little bit about your goals with the marketing and how you help franchisees ramp up quickly.
Sarah 00:30:27 Sure. So I can't talk about marketing without referring to our recent rebrand. Right. So, as we alluded to earlier, it used to be called the title of the company was Flour Power Kids Cooking Studios. It is now Flower Power Cooking Studios because we are for people of all ages, right? And by the way, we did have offerings for all people, but we're a little more clear in our purpose now with the rebrand. we had a logo that dare, I say Kitty, kind of not as mature as the one that we have today. Right. So we certainly didn't make it to where it's a sophisticated stuffy type, logo. It still has vibrant colors. You still see lowercase f and P. It's still a fun font. San Serif right. So it's nothing that is, overly strict. But, we made sure that we gave it a fresh new look and feel so that people felt comfortable of all ages coming into our studios and understood that we are a casual, fun cooking studio. So first we started with the rebrand, right? To make sure that people had the right idea of who we are. And then we re-introduced ourselves to the world, right? We had a major press release that went out, made it clear what our vision is, what our mission is for all people. And then we slowly, dare I say painfully at times, started to rebrand every single digital asset and print asset that we have for all of our franchisees. So that became absolutely, first and foremost, so that anything that they had currently, they were leading with the new branding, right. So that they could help to expand their own consumer base in their markets. So that people understood we are not just solely for children. Because they were already getting questions from adults of, hey, this looks really fun. I want to do it. Can I go do it? It's like, well, you might want to do it in somebody more of your own, age, or it could be a little weird, but, yes, we do have offerings for you. But it made it more clear to that, right? So it was important for us for them to be able to lead with that. And so, providing all digital assets, we provide a monthly social media calendar so that they have all the content. So if they literally just want to take that customize it to their own location and post it out. We provide all of that for them and all of the digital assets behind it. Right. And then we have a couple of software tools that we gain some of our foot traffic analytics. Julia pulls those reports and says, hey, just so you know, in your particular, you might have an upper hand in XYZ
Sarah 00:32:41 because of your demographics, because of who's around you, because of where they're going and where they came from after they left your studio or came to your studio. Right. She's helping to provide these type of insights to them so they can help to tweak their marketing methods as they need. Helping to identify every school district, any local college, home school, any type of nonprofit that's in the area. So she's really making sure that they have fully fleshed out every single opportunity they have to contact somebody in their area that might be interested in attending a flower power studio. So I don't want to go into the weeds of it too much, but we partner closely with a marketing firm called The Power Group. They are a Dallas based firm. they are women owned, women led and run. They have done a phenomenal job of reaching out to our franchisees one by one by one, getting their story and pitching that story right to media outlets. So we now have about a dozen articles, uh, where they have been featured. Right. Carolina Speaks was our most recent one for our Fort Mills, u South Carolina franchisee. They've been in news segments. We had one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, uh, that was on Pittsburgh talk. And she was able to do a demo in the middle of the day where all eyes are mom eyes are on it. Right. With her and her daughter. So, uh, we do everything that we can to pour into the franchisees to get them the most opportunities possible. So does that help to answer the question a little clarity?
Lance Graulich 00:34:12 Absolutely. I know the listeners are understanding very clearly listening to how you listen to your franchisees, how you listened on your initial tour of all the locations, how you're getting their testimonials, essentially getting them on the news, getting them out there for the community, because there's nothing better to spread the word of what you're doing. and I absolutely love it. One of the things that a lot of listeners that aren't even sure if a franchise is right for them, they sometimes miss out on all this collaboration. There's so much collaboration between successful franchisees where they get to share their best practices. And from what I understand from you guys, u you have quite a few franchisees that are now multi unit franchisees or going to be multi unit franchisees. Talk a little bit about that.
Sarah 00:35:07 Sure. Yeah. So first, I want to touch on something you mentioned earlier, and you said collaboration within the Frank, because that is one of the big advantages to joining a franchise is you are essentially joining a team, um, so that you can share ideas and best practices in a business model that is identical. You may be in different markets, but what you're executing is the same. And so one of the things that we found very important was to, increase the communication between the franchisees. When we first showed up on the scene, they had never had, an event where they all met each other face to face. That had never occurred. And I was a little floored by that, right. Because in my prior role, it's all about relationships. Relationships are king. Right? And I had just gone on a studio visit where I had heard one say, well, I'm really strong in finance, but I'm really terrible in marketing. Another one. Go. Well, I'm really great in marketing, but I'm really terrible at finance. I'm like, hey, very simplistic example, but it's like and you two have never talked to each other? Not one time. How? Right. So I made sure, first off, that everybody got a list of here's every location, every person's name and their contact information. Call them, right? we struck up a newsletter that we send out every two weeks. No matter what, come hell or high water, it goes out the door. And we make sure that they're all on the same page. And we encourage the collaboration not only with us, but within the team as well. Right. So love it. Constantly being transparent there. We create a franchise advisory council, and we split everyone into teams, and we're asking them, hey, meet monthly, and then I'll meet with you quarterly and take everything back. But it got them all on a call together. We hosted our first conference. So I just want to touch on that a little bit to really explain just the amount of importance that we put on this. Because it's all about helping each other, right? It's not just about the franchise. Ah, on a white horse and saving somebody, right? We can't do that. Right. We're human, too. Right. It's one at a time. But if you can help each other, that's a synergistic effect, right? So we just really honed in on that and made sure that, ah, we beat that drum.
Lance Graulich 00:37:07 I love it.
Sarah 00:37:08 So I'll move forward on that. But my goodness, I forgot about what was the other question?
Lance Graulich 00:37:13 No, you've answered all of it. You've answered all of it. look, you guys have given a ton of great information. I think the brand you guys have done it. All right? And, another new launching pad, so to speak, to the new flower power. Final, uh thoughts from both of you. Final thoughts, tips, words of wisdom. Michael, why don't you go first? We'll give Michael the first word and Sarah the last word on this.
Michael 00:37:40 Yeah. Good. First off, again, thank you for having us know. franchising is really, a special segment in any industry because as Sarah touched on, over the years, I've seen and have been a part of successful franchises and I've seen and been a part of, unfortunately, not so successful franchises. And what's the difference, between the two you think of? I'm going to say people. Well, it is people, but more importantly, it's the access to those people and that collaboration. And that's why we feel it's just direly important, for, all of our franchisees to be in communication with one another. Because at the end of the day, um, Sarah could hang up from this call and go, you know what, I don't want to do this anymore. I'm going to go be a president of another franchise. Franchisees can't do that. Franchisees, they've signed leases, they've signed franchise agreements. they have usually leveraged some type of, investment, whether it's on their home or a banknote. They're in it. They are in it. If there's someone out there that's thinking, do I want to be a franchisee? Is this for me? I've got this. Itch I just challenge you to make sure that the franchise you choose in the franchise, or no matter the industry or the segment, that they share your beliefs and your characteristics, and they truly do, are in it for you to win, not for them to win. And there's a lot of great examples out there. We're just one of them. there's a lot of other great examples out there, but for me, that is the key. Ensuring that whoever's interested in franchising do your homework. Don't just ask the basic questions, how much money can I make? How many days a week am I going to work? Am I going to be able to have a good Lifespot? You have to just assume yes on all those and really peel back the layers a little bit more and find out what that particular franchise was about, what ownership's about, and how they ended up, where they are today.
Lance Graulich 00:40:06 Awesome. Wonderful. Sarah, final thoughts, final words of wisdom.
Sarah 00:40:10 Yeah, sure. So one of the things we didn't really get to touch on was just the meaning and the purpose, behind the brand. so, so many people go, you're a cooking studio franchise that's unique, that's different. Why you? Why not your typical burger, taco, breakfast brunch spot franchise chicken. Um, why cooking studio? And the big piece of our why is, one, our mission is to make cooking your love language. And our vision is to change the perception of what it means to cook and prepare a meal together. The reason why cooking, you can do other things to bring people together. One, it is, quite frankly, it is a universal love language. Right. When it comes to kids, right. There's a 1% chance your kid's going to go play. for any type of a professional sport, there's 100% chance they are going to eat for the rest of their life. Right. So we certainly think that these skills, uh, and life lessons are important, but more so than that, we really believe in the act of cooking and its benefits to people. Right. Uh, it increases feelings of well being. It decreases decreases depression, anxiety, stress. So we not only think Flower Power is a great way to positively impact people physically, because what's on your plate matters, which is our catchphrase. but it's also because it provides the social and the mental, aspects of it and improvement that we've seen time and time again for people that engage with, uhour studio. So just want to make sure that people really understand the why behind what we're doing, not just what we do. Because, in my opinion, that's the most important part.
Lance Graulich 00:41:48 I love it. Sarah that's a perfect way to end it. Sarah and Michael flour Power is the franchise. Thank you both for being here. This was awesome.
Sarah 00:41:57 Thank you. I appreciate it.
Lance Graulich 00:41:58 Lance my pleasure. Thank you very much for listening today. Please, like, follow and subscribe. This is Lance Growlick. Until next time.