It's All About the Soup

                                                                           Send in the Clowns

     After returning from NYC, I hired a business attorney to read the UFOC (Uniform Franchise Offering Circular) and the franchise contract.  The UFOC is the disclosure document which is to include all pertinent info that should protect the potential franchisees from buying a bad franchise.  Having said that, it ain't necessarily so.  We did our due diligence to the best of our ability, as did the other franchisees.  (More on due diligence later)

     I also worked with the Business Development Center at UCCS, SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) for expert business counseling, wrote a business plan, financial projections, and applied for a SBA loan.  Everyone I met was excited about the franchise coming to Colorado Springs and wanted to try the legendary soup.

     We signed the contract and began searching for the right location.  Anticipation grew with the plans;  I was interviewed on the local news and in two newspapers.

     A location became available downtown and our attorney reviewed the lease.  Once signed, strangers would stop by, peek inside and ask,  "Is it soup, yet?"  When the build-out of our location was near completion, it was time to train at Corporate's facility in Piscataway, N.J.  

     The room was set up with two rows of banquet tables with three chairs per table.  The director of training began with an overview of our training and then introduced SoupMan's P. R. guy.  We were given lessons in public relations and had to chant catch phrases like "it's all about the soup" and " a gourmet meal in a cup".  We practiced answering questions in mock interviews, using our catch phrases as often as possible.

     We trained on our Point of Sales registers, made smoothies, salads, and sandwiches--which we ate at lunch with more soup, each one equally delicious.  On the last day of our training, we were quized on everything we had learned that week.  SoupMan's Executive Vice President was present after the testing and that gnawing feeling of doom returned.

     Back home, we commuted to Boulder to work in Colorado's first SoupMan location to get in-store experience.  The store appeared to be quite successful and we served a lot of soup and paninis.

     The week prior to our scheduled opening, we worked late into the night fixing last minute glitches in the build-out.  The day finally arrived.  The media and a member of the Colorado Springs Council were present at our grand opening.  People lined up for the soup... after all... "it was all about the soup".

                                                                                                       to be continued...