Roxie Curtis knows ham – she’s been in the business for over 25 years. A spitfire and a die-hard HoneyBaked fanatic, she tells us how she got her start with the brand and gives us some insight into her experience so far.
Happy to Be with the Best
Roxie’s days in smoked ham retail began with Heavenly Ham over two decades ago. A few years after The Honey Baked Ham Co.® acquired Heavenly Ham in 2002, she was able to buy a HoneyBaked corporate store near her home in Reston, Virginia. It wasn’t long before she realized her love for the iconic brand.
“The first thing that stuck out to me when I started with HoneyBaked was the power of our brand. There’s a reason customers are lining up out the door for this product. HoneyBaked customers are loyal to this brand. They love us.
And, not to knock Heavenly Ham – they were just smaller – but with HoneyBaked it was really, like, BOOM! There’s just tons of help from corporate, there’s support videos and business planning and management information. They really set us up for success. We have extensive resources, like what we call our ‘hub.’ I can see all the transaction history for my store, any time and any day, see how the coupons or ads are working – you can see your whole store, you can be on top of everything, not just P&L. You’ve got training materials, supplier references, everything you need and, if not, you have access to all the reps and business consultants and the corporate marketing team – everyone.
They recognize that it’s a mutual thing. When we do well, they do well; it’s to their benefit to help support us and keep us profitable and motivated. And they do.”
Living the Entrepreneurial Lifestyle
When it comes to living the life of a franchisee, Roxie says she couldn’t be happier. She’s been able to interact one-on-one with grateful customers and get more involved in her community, and she’s loving it.
“I have a beautiful life. I really do. I’m very lucky because I love what I do and I get compensated well for it. And one of the most precious things this business has given me – it has enabled me to help others.
We sponsor a food pantry through a local church, and they wrote us the most beautiful letter thanking us for what we do and telling us about how many lives we’ve affected – you just can’t put a price on that. It feels so good to be able to do that. I’m very grateful to HoneyBaked for opening up doors for us to give back and pay forward to our community.”
The Close-Knit Franchise Community
Roxie also feels thankful for the relationships she’s established and grown within the HoneyBaked franchise community since joining over a decade ago.
“The comradery I feel with other franchisees is unbelievable. We’re a close-knit group of people. I consider them my true friends. Some of my closest friends on this earth are my fellow franchisees. When we gather for meetings or conferences, it is awesome. You can feel the energy. Everyone just loves what they do. You can just feel the passion. And if there’s an emergency or if you’re having any trouble, whatever it may be, everyone jumps in to help. It’s a pretty cool thing to be a part of.”
We couldn’t have said it any better ourselves.
