Don’t let fear hold you back. Rita’s personal business coaches will guide you every step of the way
For a lot of people, starting your own business is a dream that never comes to fruition. Why? Mostly fear, says Jamie Snyder, a franchise consultant who has been with Rita’s for 26 years. Fear that they don’t know what they’re doing, that they won’t be able to turn to anyone for advice. Joining a franchise like ours can eliminate that uncertainty.
“I think that the most important element buyers need to understand about joining Rita’s franchise system is that they’ll always have somebody that’s in there with them, that can help them and guide them where they need to go,” says Snyder. “That adds a certain comfort level to a lot of people, knowing that, ‘Hey, I have this one person that I can call, and they’re going to get me the answers that I need.’”
Your 1st year in business
There’s a popular saying in the franchising world: You’ll be in business for yourself, but not by yourself. That’s certainly the case with Rita’s Italian Ice, and it’s especially true during that first challenging year of running your own business.
Snyder’s role is to help oversee Business Development Coaches as well as franchisees in their first year with the Rita’s system to make sure they establish a solid foundation and get off to a good start.
What might that entail?
“We want to give them advice,” Snyder says, “and consult with them through all the twists and turns that they might run into on a day-to-day operation. We want to help them open up their business, and then we want to help them expand their business.
“If it’s a franchisee buying an existing store, then I spend my time helping them improve their business practices so that helps them, in turn, improve the bottom line.”
Rita’s marketing tips that drive business
The Business Development Coaches help new franchisees with strategic planning and problem solving, paying particular attention to the challenges that crop up in daily operations. As for marketing, it’s all about community engagement, especially in territories that are new to Rita’s.
Efforts include:
Loyalty programs. Business coaches help franchisees learn to use templates and access mailing lists for things like Birthday Clubs and fundraisers, and how to engage on different platforms like Twitter for those customers who opt in.
Samples, samples, samples. Franchisees will go out with their coaches for a “Rita’s on the Road” event, where they load up a truck or a mobile unit with samples of product and hand them all out free at various community gatherings — craft fairs, football games, movie theaters. People who try our delicious Italian Ices and Frozen Custard are usually eager to seek out the store and become customers.
In-store events. Franchisees will also learn how to do a coupon drop to bring in customers. A Happy Hour special can drive sales during slower dayparts. If a franchisee wants to discount a particular item, their business coach can help them calculate the profit margin to determine the best pricing.
“They can say, ‘Okay, if you want to do a Happy Hour special and you want to discount something, then this is still what you’re going to make on that.’ We just want to make sure that they don’t ever discount to the point where they don’t make any money,” says Snyder. “Our business coaches teach them that fine line of, ‘Let’s discount it a little bit to bring people in but not so much that it costs you money to do it.’”
Snyder emphasizes that she’s there for franchisees every step of the way for that first year before handing them off to a Business Development Coach. “But even then, I’m definitely always going to be there.”
Learn more about the Rita’s opportunity
If you’d like to learn more about the Rita’s franchise opportunity, we’d love to hear from you. Please fill out the form on this page to access our Franchise Information Center, where you can find detailed financial results, a breakdown of startup costs and in-depth Q&As with Rita’s franchisees. You can also discover more about our brand by exploring our research pages.
