Meet David Rose, a HoneyBaked franchisee operating his store out of Wilmington, NC. Check out his history with HoneyBaked, his plans to expand his business and the work-life balance HoneyBaked has provided him over the years.
History with HoneyBaked
David Rose has been a part of the HoneyBaked franchise system since 1997, but his path to HoneyBaked had a few twists and turns. In fact, David was a franchise owner of both a Hickory Hams and Heavenly Ham before those companies were absorbed by The Honey Baked Ham Co. “To my knowledge,” David says, “I’m the only HoneyBaked franchisee who has owned a Hickory, a Heavenly and a HoneyBaked.”
The return on investment of owning a HoneyBaked has changed David’s – and his entire family’s – life. “I love having an ownership opportunity here, in my community; it’s very meaningful to me and my family,” David says. “HoneyBaked was an investment that allowed me to have ownership, to invest in my kids’ educations, to invest in retirement accounts.”
Thanks to HoneyBaked’s leadership model, David was able to operate his store with the help of a store manager as he continued to work in his corporate IT career. But after retiring last year, David is ready to dive in and grow his HoneyBaked business.
“Now that I’ve been able to leave my other career, and I’m spending more time on HoneyBaked, I’m really enjoying rolling up my sleeves and becoming a more active owner. And along with that, it’s given me the desire to grow,” David says. “I really would like to grow with HoneyBaked in multiple locations. I want to grow in the business that I have, and invest in different lines of HoneyBaked business, like catering and the business gifting sales area.”
Inaugural Development Summit
In order to learn more about taking his HoneyBaked business to the next level, David attended our inaugural Development Summit. “I would say it’s an excellent opportunity to learn more about the direction of HoneyBaked and ways that we as franchisees can continue to grow with the brand.”
The Development Summit allows the corporate HoneyBaked team to share new development opportunities with franchisees and the franchise focus areas for the year ahead. “It was very positive. They were very transparent about available markets and ways they could offer assistance,” David says. “More than anything, I think being a part of the discussion about the direction of HoneyBaked and what their intentions are was very helpful.”
Work-Life Balance
Since the beginning of his HoneyBaked journey, David has appreciated the work-life balance that is made possible by owning a HoneyBaked franchise. “It doesn’t have the requirements of a full-service restaurant,” David says. “And the HoneyBaked franchise has a strong support mechanism and doesn’t require you to be a day-to-day active owner, plus the work-life balance that it provides.”
So, what does David do with the free time his HoneyBaked business allows him? “I love boating. My entire family and I love being on the water and boating. That’s probably our number one hobby,” David says. He also notes that, in addition to life on the water, his kids have all been bitten by David’s entrepreneurship bug and own businesses themselves.
Join David at the next Development Summit! Reach out for more information about the HoneyBaked franchise opportunity.
