We are Into Cookies, Not a Cookie Cutter Franchise Business
Posted on Fri, Aug 06, 2010
Posted by Mike Ferretti on Aug 6, 2010
Sometimes I struggle answering the question “What is the freedom franchise?” I normally go to defining it by what it isn’t, 
because it is a fairly unusual concept. We aren’t McDonalds. We aren’t Subway. There are four things we require in our franchise agreement that everyone has to do but beyond that, the business is yours to run as you want and see fit. Choose your own menu. Decorate your own store. Pick your hours. Hire the crew that works for you. Make your business about who you are and what you believe. We have some things that we feel strongly about as being essential to running a successful Great Harvest (over the top customer service, taste to go out of your way for, an incredibly fresh product and a whole grain, local focus) but, truly, the important decisions are yours.
That is a mouthful and not easily explained in a sound bite world. One phrase I have always liked to describe our business model is: “We are like a mom and pop business where mom and pop know what they are doing from the start.” I like that and think it is a very good description of who we are, what we do and how we think a business should be run…but we are into cookies, not a cookie cutter franchise has a vibe to it that I like and might just make my new answer to "What is the freedom franchise?"
Anyone interested in cookies?