Let’s step away from stock, bonds and real estate this week. Is owning a franchise a good investment? How much can you earn? How much money does it take to open a franchise? What’s the time commitment? Who SHOULD be a franchisee and who is the WRONG person? We speak today with Eric Ersher, CEO of Zoup!, a soup, salad and sandwich franchise with 75 locations across the northern half of the United States and Canada.
Plus, the Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas is back with advice on dress codes. Does dress code matter any more at work? You’ll be surprised by the opinion of our HR pro. Finally, we review the movie Dope, which was HUGE at the Sundance Film Festival this year. Do Joe & OG agree with the early ovations? We’ll fill you in.
Thanks to SoFi and MagnifyMoney for sponsoring our podcast!
SHOW NOTES
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<4:48> Headlines
<> Eric Ersher from Zoup! – Is Buying a Franchise A Good Investment?
For more information on franchising with Zoup!: ZoupFranchise.com
Interested in just finding locations? Here’s the Zoup! Website
<14:25> What’s Evil In HR – Vacations for New Employees
Check out Suzanne Lucas’ Site: Evil HR Lady
The article we discuss today: Why It’s Time To Change Your Company’s Dress Code (Business.com)
<> End Show/Movies
Joe reviews Dope.
Just wanted to say interesting interview with the Zoup CEO, we have one very near the office in Chicago and everytime I have gone it has met or exceeded expectations, I don’t plan on buying into a restaurant for many of the reasons you mentioned, but I really enjoy the product, thanks.
Follow up question, how do you avoid becoming a seasonal place to go eg people eat soup when it’s cold, very similar to people eat ice cream when it’s warm or is that a misnomer on my part? Let me know Joe or Eric! Thank you.
Actually, it is a bit of a misnomer. People love soup and they love it year round. Soup, salad and sandwiches are what people want for lunch, so in addition to offering 12 hand-crafted varieties of soup that rotate each day from our collection of hundreds of award-winning recipes, Zoup! also offers fresh, made-to-order salads and sandwiches. With our TryTwo! Combo, customers can pair their favorite soup, salad or sandwich, or they can enjoy two of their favorite soups with our Double Up! Combo.
That said, sales do tend to dip in the summer, and we mitigate that by offering limited-time-only menu items. We have two varieties of gazpacho (cold soup), and a special sandwich and salad that are only available May through August. We also run a punch card promotion in the summer that rewards loyal customers with a free TryTwo! Combo.
Thank you,
Eric Ersher