Franchise Update Magazine Issue II, 2011 | Page 11

of a Start-Up
Gerson’s Got a
Brand New Brand!

I

Grow Market Lead

By KEITH GERSON

Laying the groundwork for
a new franchise concept

t was my first week as COO of Sopra
Brands. My job was to oversee the company’s existing franchise brands (no small
task), and to oversee the development
and implementation of a brand-new frozen
yogurt franchise from its inception—in a
crowded category, during a full-blown recession, for an opening date that was already
months behind schedule.
I’ve spent decades in the franchise business,
holding responsibilities for everything from
branding, marketing, training, operations,
franchise development, and more. And Sopra
is no stranger to franchising. They own several
successful established franchise companies,
but these were established chains that were
acquired and had existing teams, products,
and systems with programs already in place.
So in preparing for the launch of a new
brand, I wasn’t interested in reinventing the
wheel. I embarked on a scavenger hunt to find
everything I could in print and on the Internet.
What I found was limited, highly theoretical,
and not very helpful. I was hungry for a practical view of what was really involved. I like a
good challenge.
My experience was the genesis for this column. Each quarter I’ll share what are nearly
real-time revelations, successes, failures, challenges, and insights I’m gaining from overseeing a new franchise start-up called EarthFruits
Yogurt. I hope my transparency can help others learn what it takes to build a successful,
world-class franchise system starting from
that very first “Aha!” moment.

More than a great idea

It’s been said that Albert Einstein had more
than 1,000 patents to his name, yet only a small
percentage ever found their way to commercial success. Did we have a great premise that
could find a marketplace?
It was Randy Larsen—a successful businessman with a franchisor and franchisee
(including Subway) background, and the
founder, vice chair and president of MonaVie Asia Pacific, a billion-dollar exotic fruit
health drink company—who first thought of
the idea of EarthFruits Yogurt. He was importing exotic “superfruits” from the Amazon
Rainforest and converting them into powerful, nutritious fruit juices high in antioxidants.
With so many wonderful, healthy, and flavorful
fruits yet to be discovered by North Americans, why not introduce them in the form of
a delicious, healthy yogurt, into a category
experiencing unprecedented rebirth? But was
this idea enough to attract franchisees and, in
turn, customers who would come back often
and spread the word?
1) Developing the plan People who write
business plans get more done. The best of
class happen to be available for free at www.
gazelles.com. These tools are focused on helping you develop a clear outline for growth,
and they follow Verne Harnish’s Mastering
the Rockefeller Habits book and DVD. These
best-in-class tools have helped us develop
a focused company with a clear outline for
growth. They include a free Rockefeller Habits Checklist that can lead you to an aligned,
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