There is more than one path to HoneyBaked ownership. Resales, for example, are what happens when a new franchisee buys an existing HoneyBaked franchise location.
Dan Wheelock’s Path to HoneyBaked
In Green Bay, WI, Dan Wheelock happened across the HoneyBaked resale opportunity thanks to a friend who had recently purchased a HoneyBaked store a few towns over in 2017. When the same previous owner was ready to sell his Green Bay location, Dan’s friend passed along his name. “It just so happened that Phil [the previous owner] was willing to sell and we were willing to buy. It was the right situation,” Dan says.
Becoming a business owner felt like a natural next step from his sales career. “I’ve always been a closet entrepreneur.” Once Dan, and his wife Torie, signed on with the previous owner of the Green Bay store, it was time to go to Discovery Day and find out what HoneyBaked is all about. “My wife, Torie, and I just had a really good feeling after that,” Dan says. “They were so open and honest with us – and friendly.”
The Wheelocks had their grand re-opening in April, with the goal of diving right into the Easter season. Both Easter and the summer went well for Dan as he learns the ropes of our industry. “It was really good,” Dan says. “Part of that is that I inherited a good crew. They’ve been really good to me. They know what needs to get done and how to do it.”
The Power of Marketing
As part of his store’s relaunch, Dan has emphasized local marketing. Along with partnering with his fellow franchisee in Appleton, Dan has done radio ads and filmed a television commercial. Dan’s efforts have been working; the store continues to bring in new customers. “We hear quite frequently ‘I didn’t know you were in Green Bay.’”
A Look Ahead
As we get closer to the holiday season, Dan continues to increase his customer base and gain as much knowledge as he can. In fact, the previous HoneyBaked owner offers advice, answers questions and shares his records.
Rod Little’s Resale Journey
Rod Little, of the Harrisonburg, VA HoneyBaked store, learned of the opportunity by a lucky coincidence. “The store is near the route my wife goes to work; we saw it advertised.”
The timing was perfect. Rod was looking to leave the manufacturing and human resources industry and was exploring self-employment opportunities. “I wanted to do something a little bit different, and wasn’t quite ready to retire yet, and thought self-employment might be a good thing to try out.” The HoneyBaked resale opportunity came into the Littles’ life at just the right time.
Unbeatable HoneyBaked Support
Once Rod worked with the previous owner to buy the store, he started working with the corporate side of HoneyBaked to get prepared for a grand re-opening and growing the business. At Discovery Day and orientation, Rod was blown away by the level of support offered to HoneyBaked franchisees. “I’m never at a loss for support, from the standpoint of either my franchise business leader or just calling directly to the corporate office.”
The Learning Period
Rod officially re-opened the Harrisonburg store in June and has been using the summer as a learning period that will prepare him for a hectic HoneyBaked holiday season. In addition to learning from the HoneyBaked corporate team and the training program, because his path to ownership was a resale, Rod “inherited” his HoneyBaked staff who are ham pros that offer their knowledge. So far, Rod has seen lot of support from his community.
“The community has been very positive as far as the change in ownership goes,” Rod says. “The previous owner ran the business successfully for 17 years but having the continuity of staff here has just assured our customers that we’re going to continue to provide a great, quality product and great service.”
The HoneyBaked Resale Opportunity
Are you interested in the chance to buy an existing HoneyBaked franchise? If so, please reach out – and keep your eyes peeled for any locations that might have a “For Sale” sign in the window!
