“So like, do they just slap their name on your shop and take some of your profits? You had to do everything else?”
The woman behind the counter grinned broadly. “Theyactually do everything, if you can believe it. I own the shop with my mom. This was always her dream, and once I looked into it, it seemed like a pretty profitable system in place here. So, you have to find your own industrial space and secure the building. But if you’re accepted as a franchisee, they come in and do everything else. They cover the cost of construction and they supply you with everything you need to open. All the equipment, all of the distribution contacts and contracts.”
“So . . . is it not really your shop then?” Sumi asked, already resigned to disappointment.If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. “I mean,” she added quickly, realizing who her words sounded.Way to be an asshole. “Like, no offense. I didn’t mean that to sound rude. But if they’re paying for everything, aren’t you just an employee?”
At that, the blonde woman barked out a laugh. “Technically yes, but you start paying it back immediately. It’s kind of like financing a house. Everyone always says ‘they bought a house’, but isn’t the bank the one who bought the house? You have to use Bloomerang’s contractor, but you hire your own shop designer and it can look however you want. The only thing allthe shops have in common is the tree. So we pay a fixed amount every month back to the parent company to pay back the cost of the initial build and set up, plus a percentage of business for the licensing. And our rent,” she added with another laugh.
Sumi slumped, her stomach sinking.There’s no way you would ever be able to afford all that.
“And it’s a fixed term, so you’re not paying back your startup loan indefinitely. If you don’t pay back within that fixed time, I believe they have the right to come in and take over. But,” she added quickly, seeing Sumi’s expression, “it’s honestlysoeasy to keep up. Basically all the franchises fulfill their online orders, so business is never, ever slow. That’s where their real money is, the brick and mortar end of it is a drop in the bucket for them. So all of those online flower orders get pushed directly to the franchise stores first, before independent stores get anything. Obviously they keep a percentage of it, butyoumake the money on every order. It would be a racket if it weren’t always busy,“ she laughed again. “Mom and I only have sixteen months of payback on our startup loan and I’ve been doubling the payments for the past year. It’s that busy.”
“What happens when you pay it back?”
“Then it’s yours. You still pay the franchise royalty every month to have the name over the door, but that’s worth it for the business you get from the website. I did this for my mom, but now it’s going to be a profitable business I can leave to my daughter.”
Sumi swiped her card as the woman wrapped her small bouquet.That’s all you want. An opportunity to do something you actually enjoy.
“Are you thinking about it? I can put you in contact with my franchise manager if you are, she’s super easy to work with. At the very least take her card. You can do your own investigation online.”
“Thank you,” she called back over her shoulder, leaving the shop a moment later with the franchise manager’s card taped to the front of her paper-wrapped bouquet. Every nerve in body seemed to be vibrating as she walked home with a bounce in her step, thrumming withpossibility.
She never would have ventured into the shop that day if she hadn’t been feeling good about herself, and she couldn’t denywhyshe was feeling on cloud nine. She never would have had that first conversation if she hadn’t been buoyed by her interactions with ChaoticConcertina.
PinksPosies&Pearls:I did something wild today. Crazy for me.
I had a conversation with someone about franchising a business.
Opening my own shop!
That’s all it was, just a conversation.
It’s not like I have the money to do anything right now.
Shockingly, teaching is not keeping me stocked in gold bars.
But just having the conversation felt good.
Like I might actually follow my dreams someday.
His response came only a few minutes later.
ChaoticConcertina:Revolutions begin with a conversation.
All of the inventions that have changed our lives probably started
with two people just having a conversation.
A conversation is a spark, Pinky.
I’m proud of you! It’s the first step to anything you want to change in your life.
Keep feeding it and let it ignite.
That had been the beginning.
Completely innocent, she regularly reminded herself as the weeks went by. They talked about plants, and what could be more innocent than plants?!
He cultivated Hoyas. Dozens of different variegations, various sizes and styles and ages. Hoyas and ficus, sending her photo of a rubber tree that seemed to be as tall as the room itself. She showed off her collection of philodendrons and monsteras, sharing a photo of her prized pink princess, feeling oddly giddy to be doing so.
