How “Going Viral” Can Propel Your Franchise with Kevin Hsu of Pokeworks

Author: Josh F. Brown
08/06/2019

Kevin Hsu, CMO and co-founder of Pokéworks, is an innovative leader with years of sales and marketing experience. Kevin oversees the marketing activities and social media innovation of Pokeworks. In 2016, Pokéworks introduced the sushi burrito to the world through a viral video, establishing the brand as pioneers in the industry and sparking a social media phenomenon with Hsu heading up the brand’s digital presence. Prior to Pokeworks, Kevin served as VP of Sales and Marketing for technology firms for over 10+ years.

Key Takeaways:

[0:18] Today’s episode of Franchise Euphoria is brought to you by IndyFranchiseLaw.com, a leading resource in the franchise space. Head over to IndyFranchiseLaw.com learn more!

[0:59] Josh introduces today’s guest, Kevin Hsu, the CMO and co-founder of Pokeworks.

[2:22] Josh welcomes Kevin to Franchise Euphoria.

[3:01] Kevin takes a moment to explain the concept of Pokeworks, which is a fast-casual restaurant that serves Hawaiian-inspired cuisine.

[5:21] Kevin describes the buildout of a Pokeworks location which consists of roughly 1000-1500 square feet.

[6:12] Pokeworks began in 2015 out of what Kevin calls a sanitary garage to test out their product.

[13:13] While franchising wasn’t in their initial plan, people started reaching out about potentially opening a location in their market as the concept spread.

[15:55] When Pokeworks first started, the originators felt that having nine co-founders would help diversify their markets having them located in various places across the country.

[18:57] Although Pokeworks has experienced quick growth, Kevin explains that most of the co-founders are still involved in the day-to-day processes to help meet the demand for their expansion.

[20:37] The ideal Pokeworks is someone who has demonstrated past business success but is also someone who is passionate about their future.

[24:27] If you want to learn more about Pokeworks, you can visit their website at www.Pokeworks.com.

[24:58] Thanks for listening, and please, reach out to Josh anytime through email at josh@franchiseeuphoria.com. If you enjoyed this interview, please leave us a review on iTunes.

Mentioned in This Episode:

josh@franchiseeuphoria.com

www.franchiseeuphoria.com

www.indyfranchiselaw.com

www.pokeworks.com/franchise
www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1529355410702264

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Josh Brown

Hi! I’m Josh Brown, franchise attorney and creator of the Franchise Euphoria podcast. I’m just your average guy who loves to golf, eat hibachi, and immerse myself in the ever-expanding franchise world.

My goal is to navigate entrepreneurs and all people interested in the current events of franchises through all the hottest topics and most popular tools for success. Going on four years now, Franchise Euphoria is hotter than ever and ready to help you plan and execute a pathway to success.

Josh Brown

Great and applicable information from professionals in the franchise world that are doing it every day. I’ve listened to 3 episodes: Gutter Brothers, Woofies, and Cycle Bar. Enjoyed all and looking forward to hearing more.

Highly recommend. Great guests. Filled with tons of helpful information.

Josh and his wide variety of knowledgeable guests are truly rockstars! They deliver quality (and free!) franchise knowledge and advice in each and every episode. The great advice they provide, combined with the engaging way they deliver it had me hooked from the very first listen. Thanks for putting out such a stellar show Josh - keep up the great work!

This podcast provides the advice necessary to start building, growing, and scaling your business TODAY! The host asks probing questions of his guests that add value to the listeners in an immediately implementable way!

What do you get when you combine business savvy, legal expertice and a great personality? You get the ultimate podcast for franchise owners. Josh Brown brings it all togehter perfectly with Franchise Euphoria. Not only does he possess all of the skills and abiliites above, but he has great guests, asks awesome questions and created the ideal podcast for this niche. If you have a franchise, or are considering it, subscibe to this show and consume all of the content!

Started listening to Josh's podcast after the wife and I decided to buy a franchise and I quickly went through about 200 episodes on 1.5x & 2x, before signing on to purchase a franchise. Josh's info was an invaluable part of our decision to buy, and after listening to so many episodes, I felt like I knew and trusted him on a personal level, so it was a no-brainer to enlist his services when it came time to review the franchise agreement. Josh was super easy to talk to and very empathetic to our needs, and being first time business owners, we needed all the empathy we could get. Josh helped us negotiate a great deal with the franchisor and we were very happy with his services. Great podcast, great guy, great service to anyone involved in the franchise world!

Very interesting discussion. I found the information valuable.

I've just completed the legal process of franchising my business and have now begun selling franchises. Just found this podcast and it's an incredible resource! Great content and Josh is a very engaging host. Highly recommend for franchisors and franchisees.