Franchising Across the World

By Pamela Gold

"I worked as the head of marketing for Cold Stone Creamery in Scottsdale, Arizona for 2½ years. I closely watched the franchisees and area developers and quickly noticed that they had great lives and seemed quite wealthy! It was a no-brainer for me to move forward with Cold Stone Creamery. I did look at other systems, but hands-down, Cold Stone Creamery won! I knew I wanted to pioneer the development of a franchise down in the Caribbean. I was looking for a franchise that would offer me the support and the systems I needed to succeed in a completely new region. I already knew the people in Corporate at Cold Stone and I knew the support from Corporate would be there for me," stated Brian Curin, Caribbean Area Developer: Cold Stone Creamery.

Have you ever considered opening up a franchise in another part of the world? We chatted with Brian Curin, Caribbean Area Developer for Cold Stone Creamery, about what it was like to pick up his life and open a business, whose product had never been tasted in the Caribbean before, in a land that was very different from where he had been living. Brian not only shared his experiences with us, but offered some very valuable advice to others considering making this huge and very exciting move.

The Right Kind of Person

Curin, who decided to open his franchise before making his big move to St. Thomas, is a true believer in the success you can experience when you make the brave and major decision to leave your homeland; "It definitely takes the right type of person to work in international franchising . You must be adventurous and have a pioneering, entrepreneurial spirit. Once you get there, it is so exciting! If you choose the right system and concept, you will be bringing a new taste to an area of the world. There is certainly tremendous opportunity in going international if you pick and choose properly. People thank us every day for bringing the Cold Stone experience to them, it brings a smile to so many faces!" exclaimed Curin.

There Will Always Be Bumps In the Road

"In terms of bumps in the road, our biggest challenge was to get the ingredients we needed to make the product fresh every day, which is what CSC is famous for. This was a must if our product was going to be of the same quality as every other CSC, so CSC Corporate and Sysco, which supplies CSC with food supplies, helped with everything! They were able to arrange for us to receive the ingredients we needed daily so that we can uphold the standards and make our products fresh daily. They did a great job of working with us," said Curin.

Although not on the mainland, St. Thomas is a U.S. territory. When planning a move to a non-U.S. territory, keep in mind that there may be more bumps in the road and complications for both you and for the business. "It wasn't too difficult to franchise in St. Thomas because we are still in a U.S. territory. I imagine there would be more particulars to deal with if we were outside of the U.S," commented Curin. Additional research is a must when planning your business far from home.

Some Tips From an Experienced Pro

Brian has some great insight and suggestions when it comes to opening a franchise on non-Mainland U.S. soil:

"Do your research! Visit the countries. Visit the Chamber of Commerce, country web sites, get reports regarding happenings, threats, disposable income in a country. Will you be able to survive? Also, you should spend serious time in the country. Don't just go there on vacation for a week. Go there and get to know the local people, etc. Make sure you want to live there and make sure the product will sell there. Are there any roadblocks? If so, can you get through them? Is it a wise decision? Make sure you ask yourself these questions," Curin explained.

If you already live outside of the U.S. and you're thinking about opening up a franchise that your country doesn't currently have, Brian said, "You will have a much smaller learning curve than if you were to move to a new country and open up a new franchise at the same time."

Choosing the Right Concept and the Best Support System

Curin advised, "Do research on the franchise system. Is there a genuine commitment level there? Cold Stone Creamery looked us in the eyes and told us that failure is not an option - We're with you all the way. They definitely locked arms with us and that's why we chose Cold Stone Creamery. Also, Cold Stone believes in winning as a team, this is the core value of the company. That is exactly what you need to succeed in a new territory."

Curin continued, "I definitely suggest looking for a concept with either an area developer or a franchisor who is fully willing to help you. You will need the help of someone who has experience or at least expertise regarding the area in which you are planning to open your franchise. As Area Developers for Cold Stone Creamery in the Caribbean, we lock arms with our franchisees and our priority is really helping franchisees become successful in what they do."

Growing Sweet Success

Success in the Caribbean has been sweet for Cold Stone Creamery and for Brian. "We know we did the right thing by bringing this new taste to the Caribbean because we're growing! By the end of the year, we'll have another location in St. Thomas and two in Puerto Rico! We're aggressively opening stores and our goal is to have 30 new stores open in Puerto Rico and 20 in the rest of the Caribbean by 2007. It's very exciting," Curin stated.