A Day In The Life Of A Great Harvest Bread Franchisee
A Day In The Life Of A Great Harvest Bread Franchisee
Franchisors, franchisees, and employees all share one thing in common: the core Great Harvest Bread values: having fun, baking phenomenal bread, working fast to help customers, creating strong and exciting bakeries, and giving generously to others.
Freedom Franchises
It’s this constant exuding of positive energy that defines the daily activities of a Great Harvest Bread franchisee, even though the actual practices of each franchise business vary. Of course every franchisee wakes up, heads to the bakery, and proceeds to bake fresh loaves of whole-grain bread for the day’s sales, but while one franchisee may also bake a few dozen batches of cookies, another may be firing up the espresso machine or cooking a huge pot of soup.
Some franchised business opportunities are just cookie-cutter imprints of the same business model over and over again, with the same paint, same design, same products, and same routine, but Great Harvest Bread doesn’t feel that that is any way to run a business, so they have instead developed what they call the freedom franchise system. The same name, recipes, and mission are passed down to every franchise as a general blueprint, but franchisees are given the freedom to expand on that basic schematic as they desire. In their own words, the goal of freedom franchising is to "create mom and pop whole-grain bakeries where mom and pop know what the heck they’re doing." And from the very beginning, Great Harvest Bread moms and pops are given a huge advantage over the competition.
How It All Began
The very first Great Harvest Bread was started in 1976, in Great Falls, Montana. It had been a few years in the making, spawned by the merging of Pete and Laura Wakeman’s love of good bread and their discovery of Montana’s vast wheat country. They had previously sold bread from a small, roadside stand, but when they discovered the beautiful wheat fields of Montana, they began to think a little bigger.
In 1978, the second location opened in Kallispell, Montana, then another in Spokane, Washington. It wasn’t long before the bakery chain, with its natural excitement, was growing faster and stronger than anyone could keep up with. It was at that point that the Wakemans decided to change hats. In 1983, Pete became CEO, opening and running the new franchise office out of Dillon, Montana and selling the original store to Pete Rysted, who still owns and operates it to this day.
Life As A Great Harvest Franchisee
From the beginning of a professional relationship with Great Harvest Bread, franchisees taking advantage of the franchise opportunity are considered a high-priority investment. Unlike many other businesses that offer new franchisees only one meager week of basic training, Great Harvest Bread requires a new franchisee be prepared for three weeks of training that take them on a road trip across the country. Seeing firsthand how a wide variety of Great Harvest Bread bakeries operate and learning about the business from expert staff at the franchising headquarters. After this intensive training, franchisees are then considered ready to move ahead with a businesses of their own.
After the new franchise owner is given enough practical training to match his passion for bread and business, the franchisor begins to help establish a new location. Finding a location, analyzing the local demographics, negotiating the lease, finding and purchasing equipment, and establishing a unique and appropriate layout for the new store are all included in the franchisor’s involvement. For the Great Harvest Bread people, backing their new franchisee, the ultimate goal of all the preparatory work is to ensure that the grand opening is one of the greatest days of his life, and one that sets the pace for rest of his days as a food franchise owner.
But the help doesn’t stop at the grand opening. After things are under way, budding franchises are visited right away, at the six-month mark, and again after 12 months have passed. The hope is not simply to start a good bakery, but keep it going.
What Franchisees Have To Say
Hearing the hype, though, may not be enough to sway more skeptical entrepreneurs to believe in the quality of Great Harvest Bread. What does have the power to convince them, however, are the words of franchisees who work on the frontlines.
Pete Rysted, owner and operator of the original Great Harvest Bread location, never expected to run a bakery, and never would have, had it not been for sorry economic conditions that cost him his previous job at about the same time that the bakery went up for sale. He says, "It was like being thrown into the deep end of the pool," but "owning this bakery has really opened up the world to me. It’s changed my life in ways I would never have thought possible."
Some franchisees appreciate not only the practical side of this business opportunity, but also its deeply ingrained ideology. Sally Weisman and Tom Amundson of Minneapolis remark, "We've worked hard to create a business that gives back to the community… What has surprised us most is how rewarding it's been to grow and partner with our employees. We have been able to share a work environment that is fun, allows us to do our own thing, and provides a balanced work life. We feel lucky to have discovered and passed along a business philosophy that allows us to nurture families, while prospering at the same time."
Franchisor and franchisee agree: Great Harvest Bread is a winner of a company, with a strong past and a bright future.
A Day In The Life Of A Great Harvest Bread Franchisee - To learn more about this author, visit Candice Clem's Website.
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There is pretty much one thing that sums up what Great Harvest Bread is about, and that one thing is great bread. Granted, that may be expected of any bakery franchise, but what Great Harvest Bread has is no ordinary appreciation of bread; Great Harvest Bread franchisees really love whole-grain bread, they adore it, and that passion spills over into the way they do everything else: with a hearty helping of generosity, a splash of compassion, and a massive dose of levity, three things that can’t be anything but genuine.
Franchisors, franchisees, and employees all share one thing in common: the core Great Harvest Bread values: having fun, baking phenomenal bread, working fast to help customers, creating strong and exciting bakeries, and giving generously to others.
Freedom Franchises
It’s this constant exuding of positive energy that defines the daily activities of a Great Harvest Bread franchisee, even though the actual practices of each franchise business vary. Of course every franchisee wakes up, heads to the bakery, and proceeds to bake fresh loaves of whole-grain bread for the day’s sales, but while one franchisee may also bake a few dozen batches of cookies, another may be firing up the espresso machine or cooking a huge pot of soup.
Some franchised business opportunities are just cookie-cutter imprints of the same business model over and over again, with the same paint, same design, same products, and same routine, but Great Harvest Bread doesn’t feel that that is any way to run a business, so they have instead developed what they call the freedom franchise system. The same name, recipes, and mission are passed down to every franchise as a general blueprint, but franchisees are given the freedom to expand on that basic schematic as they desire. In their own words, the goal of freedom franchising is to "create mom and pop whole-grain bakeries where mom and pop know what the heck they’re doing." And from the very beginning, Great Harvest Bread moms and pops are given a huge advantage over the competition.
How It All Began
The very first Great Harvest Bread was started in 1976, in Great Falls, Montana. It had been a few years in the making, spawned by the merging of Pete and Laura Wakeman’s love of good bread and their discovery of Montana’s vast wheat country. They had previously sold bread from a small, roadside stand, but when they discovered the beautiful wheat fields of Montana, they began to think a little bigger.
In 1978, the second location opened in Kallispell, Montana, then another in Spokane, Washington. It wasn’t long before the bakery chain, with its natural excitement, was growing faster and stronger than anyone could keep up with. It was at that point that the Wakemans decided to change hats. In 1983, Pete became CEO, opening and running the new franchise office out of Dillon, Montana and selling the original store to Pete Rysted, who still owns and operates it to this day.
Life As A Great Harvest Franchisee
From the beginning of a professional relationship with Great Harvest Bread, franchisees taking advantage of the franchise opportunity are considered a high-priority investment. Unlike many other businesses that offer new franchisees only one meager week of basic training, Great Harvest Bread requires a new franchisee be prepared for three weeks of training that take them on a road trip across the country. Seeing firsthand how a wide variety of Great Harvest Bread bakeries operate and learning about the business from expert staff at the franchising headquarters. After this intensive training, franchisees are then considered ready to move ahead with a businesses of their own.
After the new franchise owner is given enough practical training to match his passion for bread and business, the franchisor begins to help establish a new location. Finding a location, analyzing the local demographics, negotiating the lease, finding and purchasing equipment, and establishing a unique and appropriate layout for the new store are all included in the franchisor’s involvement. For the Great Harvest Bread people, backing their new franchisee, the ultimate goal of all the preparatory work is to ensure that the grand opening is one of the greatest days of his life, and one that sets the pace for rest of his days as a food franchise owner.
But the help doesn’t stop at the grand opening. After things are under way, budding franchises are visited right away, at the six-month mark, and again after 12 months have passed. The hope is not simply to start a good bakery, but keep it going.
What Franchisees Have To Say
Hearing the hype, though, may not be enough to sway more skeptical entrepreneurs to believe in the quality of Great Harvest Bread. What does have the power to convince them, however, are the words of franchisees who work on the frontlines.
Pete Rysted, owner and operator of the original Great Harvest Bread location, never expected to run a bakery, and never would have, had it not been for sorry economic conditions that cost him his previous job at about the same time that the bakery went up for sale. He says, "It was like being thrown into the deep end of the pool," but "owning this bakery has really opened up the world to me. It’s changed my life in ways I would never have thought possible."
Some franchisees appreciate not only the practical side of this business opportunity, but also its deeply ingrained ideology. Sally Weisman and Tom Amundson of Minneapolis remark, "We've worked hard to create a business that gives back to the community… What has surprised us most is how rewarding it's been to grow and partner with our employees. We have been able to share a work environment that is fun, allows us to do our own thing, and provides a balanced work life. We feel lucky to have discovered and passed along a business philosophy that allows us to nurture families, while prospering at the same time."
Franchisor and franchisee agree: Great Harvest Bread is a winner of a company, with a strong past and a bright future.
A Day In The Life Of A Great Harvest Bread Franchisee - To learn more about this author, visit Candice Clem's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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