There are brands that follow the market, and then there are brands that seem to arrive exactly when the market is ready for them. Konala (pronounced Koe-Nah-Luh) sits firmly in the second category. Named after founders Trace and Jammie Miller’s two rescue dogs, Kona and Nala, the brand carries a…

When Magnolia Bakery first opened its doors in 1996 on a quiet street corner in New York’s West Village, nobody could have guessed it would become a globally recognized brand synonymous with mouthwatering cupcakes and legendary banana pudding. Now, nearly three decades later, Magnolia Bakery’s CEO & Chief Baking Officer…

Walk past a claw arcade on your way to a department store, and something happens. The lights catch your eye. The sounds pull at some corner of your childhood. Before you know it, you have tokens in your hand and thirty minutes have quietly disappeared. That magnetic quality is not…

Michael Jacobson did not set out to revolutionize the floral industry. He set out to help his uncle sell a flower shop. What happened next is the kind of story that makes you believe a little more in the combination of timing, curiosity, and a willingness to follow an unexpected…

Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux closed the holiday season with a nationwide giveback that was deliberately simple and intensely hands-on; cooks cooked; teammates delivered; neighbors received. Across the system, restaurants prepared and distributed more than 7,500 meals through local non-profits chosen by each location. Partners ranged from the Delaware Township Food Pantry…

Running a successful business and running a franchise system are two very different things. Many emerging franchisors discover that gap the hard way. They know their product, their operations, and their customers. What they often don’t have is a clear view into how their own team is functioning as a…