Opening a business in the midst of a pandemic may seem unthinkable to many entrepreneurs. But for Nick and Keisha Reeder, it was the perfect time to jump into a new venture. Frios Gourmet Pops of Dallas is a dessert franchise with a mobile element. Read more about the journey in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.
What the Business Does
Offers gourmet desserts around Dallas.
The business includes a location in Downtown Dallas, along with a van and cart that serve customers throughout the city.
Business Niche
Bringing happiness to customers by offering tons of flavors.
Keisha Reeder told Small Business Trends, “We carry over 60 different flavors, what surprises people is the fact that when they taste a specific pop, they are shocked by the gourmet flavor! For example, a banana pudding pop is rich and creamy just like Nana used to make. Our pops really do put a smile on people’s faces, they really do provide our community with a novel moment, a moment of happiness. We had pops as kids, but nothing came even close to the flavors of these pops!”
How the Business Got Started
After missing out on another opportunity.
Reeder explains, “We started our business after another company, one of our competitors, decided they didn’t want to work with us to help grow their business. Instead, we decided to take a chance on ourselves, and have been rolling ever since. We took our savings and investment money and decided to invest in us.”
Biggest Win
Securing a storefront in the middle of Downtown Dallas.
Reeder says, “We had been trying to get into some other local parks in the Dallas area and were having no luck. We saw that Main Street Garden was hosting a movie night and reached out to see if we could bring some pops out. The city approved us to sell on site and the pops were a huge hit, everyone came out and tried them! We did a few pop-up events for the city, where we posted up our little pop cart and tried to offer some happiness to our community during lunchtime in downtown Dallas. Then, we were invited to come back to Main Street Garden to come occupy this little storefront that wasn’t being used. It’s been a hit ever since; the park is amazing for families and visitors to the Dallas area and our pops add a little more sweetness to their day!”
Biggest Risk
Booking a larger event than they could handle.
Reeder says, “We booked a large church event that purchased close to 6,000 pops. The event expanded across 6 locations, with multiple pop stations at each location.”
At the time, the business didn’t even have a full staff. Additionally, they didn’t have a location to store many pops.
Reeder adds, “Sometimes, you can get overzealous and do things that you really shouldn’t commit too and this was one of those events. Luckily for us, we have an amazing support group of friends and family, who showed up to help us with this event. We exceeded the clients’ expectations and got to introduce our pops to a new audience. If we would have had to refund or lost that account in the beginning, then we could have damaged our reputation and lost a significant chunk or our earnings for that quarter.”
Lesson Learned
Jump in when you find an opportunity that makes you happy.
Reeder says, “Being able to put a smile on someone’s face, and add just a little bit of joy to someone else’s day is how we should always go about our day. This business allows us to do that.”
How They’d Spend an Extra $100,000
Expansion.
Reeder adds, “We are doing well and I would love to put another Frios Pop van, otherwise known as a “sweet ride”, on the street! This would help us do more giveback with local schools, and nonprofits. It would also help us to keep spreading some joy in our communities.”
Team Nickname
Pop Stars!
Reeder explains, “They shine and do everything they can to make our customers’ day a little brighter!”
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Image: Frios Gourmet Pops of Dallas, Nick and Keisha Reeder
This article, "Spotlight: Dallas Couple Takes a Chance on Frios Gourmet Pops" was first published on Small Business Trends
via https://www.aiupnow.com
Annie Pilon, Khareem Sudlow
