Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2015 | Page 54

BY HELEN BOND

Branching Out

NON-TRADITIONAL FRANCHISEES DELIVER THE GOODS

R

oss Harried has found that a “small”
strategy can serve up big business
success. His Maui Wowi Ka’anapali
Carts (Tiki huts on wheels) are 8 feet wide,
3 feet deep, 8 feet high and can squeeze
in most anywhere, which allows him to
provide a memorable presence at events
ranging from youth and professional sports
to concerts, graduations, dance competitions, corporate gatherings, and wherever
he’s asked to serve up his smoothies.
The mobile units are a signature of Maui

Ross Harried

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Wowi Hawaiian Coffee & Smoothies, which
also offers storefront, kiosk, food truck,
and enclosed concession trailer options
to franchisees. The lower start-up costs
of the mobile carts appealed to Harried,
who became a Maui Wowi franchisee in
February 2013. Since then, he has built
a book of repeat customers and lucrative
venue contracts in the Minneapolis area
and catapulted himself into the fourth
largest franchisee in a system with more
than 450 units in 7 countries.

Harried made his mark with Maui Wowi
by juggling—and filling—the schedules of
six Ka’anapali Carts. Bolstered by contracts
with the Minneapolis Convention Center and, most recently, a deal with Target
Center, the downtown home of the NBA’s
Minnesota Timberwolves, those carts are
booked most days of the year.
“The mobile cart was highly attractive
because the ramp-up time was so short,”
he says. “Two months into business, I was
already in the black. I was able to jumpstart my business by bringing the product
right to la