candy Bouquet

Transcription

1 CANDY BOUQUET

2 Candy Bouquet Sweet treats into franch 2

3 CB FOOD & DRINK s flower hise fortune Sometimes it is the simple ideas that bloom into business gold. For Margaret McEntire, the combination of flowers and chocolate proved to be just that. Creating unique gift bouquets made not with petals, but from beautifully arranged candy and chocolates, McEntire turned her basement business into a franchise empire. For more than 22 years, Candy Bouquet has been an extraordinarily successful franchise and has more than 550 locations across the globe. This issue, The Canadian Business Journal explores why this simple idea is such a great investment.

4 4 SECTION Company Candy Bouquets are gift arrangements Accolades abound sent for occasions. I had a dream that flowers McEntire now has Candy Bouquet franchisees and candy could somehow roll together. all over the world and has won numerous awards Florists had been toying with the idea 30 years and accolades over the years for her franchise before I got to it, says McEntire. You would model. Most recently, in January of 2011, Candy see bouquets with a box of chocolates tied Bouquet was awarded the No.1 Top Franchise on the front. I think that basically I just got Deal in the Low Cost Category by Entrepreneur the idea perfected. McEntire started her first Magazine s Franchise 500 issue. business out of her home with a mere $1,000. It is no surprise that Candy Bouquet is the Through successes and failures and a lot of world s largest candy franchise, likely because hard work, McEntire realized the business had of the simple structure and ease of starting the incredible potential as a franchise. business. A Candy Bouquet franchise has a relatively low startup cost, allowing more people to

5 JUNE 2011 The Canadian Business Journal 5 rockmann s Chocolate is a private label manufacturer of premium chocolates. Located in Delta, BC, Canada, we are dedicated to our founders principles of quality, reliability, service and tradition. All natural, premium, no preservatives, no trans fats, no artificial colours or flavours are hallmarks of our lovingly crafted brand, Truffini. Only the best goes into our and your products. To see our full line of products, please visit Congratulations to for their continued success! 7863 Progress Way, Delta, BC, Canada v4g 1a3 t: F: E: info@brockmannchocolate.com enter into business for themselves. There are no ness, arrange the bouquets, design their store- high franchise and royalty fees, allowing those with front, and other useful additions. an entrepreneurial spirit rather than $1 million in startup capital to start a Candy Bouquet franchise. It s an easy thing to do because you can do Every new franchisee attends a weeklong training conference which outlines the basics of business that someone needs to know. This in- it from your home, says McEntire, who has fran- cludes such things as inventory control, product chisees operating Candy Bouquet s from both pricing, marketing and advertising, accounting their homes, as well as in highly visible retail pretty much any aspect of business an owner areas such as malls or hospitals. There are no may need to know, wrapped up neatly into a well- royalty fees to pay, simply a small monthly asso- organized one week course. ciation fee. In exchange for this, Candy Bouquet s valued franchisees are given the support they Future forecast need and advice on how to manage their busi- Candy Bouquet is an easy model to roll out on

6 6 SECTION Company a global scale, and the standard introduction package for franchisees is now operational in other business environments as well. It is something that will work worldwide and I don t think there are a lot of franchisees that can do that, says McEntire. The entire world loves candy and they love flowers. We are teaching in three different countries this week; we have a class in Saudi Arabia right now. Further global expansion is definitely something McEntire has her eye on. China and India are two markets we would like to break into, she says. Given the easily translation of the brand into multiple markets, it seems entirely likely. During the recent economic downturn, small nice businesses such gift or flower shops were particularly hard hit. It was tough on every franchise company you can think of, says McEntire of the recession. Fortunately, Candy Bouquet has a strong brand, a resilient business model, and a smart, strategic leader at the helm that helped to carry it through. Fortunately I am an extremely conservative person and I don t have bank loans against the

7 JUNE 2011 The Canadian Business Journal 7 business. We had some cash and held on to it and we survived it, but I did have some stores that we lost. These were small candy stores and we saw a lot of these types of businesses go under at that time. Fortunately we have a lot of home-based businesses, and that saved a lot of my franchisees. Candy Bouquet has been in business a long time, and has proven time and again to be a business worth an investment. As for McEntire, what is her philosophy for running a business? Quoting Winston Churchill s famous five word speech, Never, never, never give up, she says this is a secret to success. I think that is such a key, especially in any kind of small business. People say you have to give something five years and that is so true. Candy Bouquet is a perfect example of how that sentiment rings resoundingly true. CB

8 AS SEEN IN THE JUNE 2011 ISSUE OF THE CANADIAN BUSINESS JOURNAL