Berekk Blackwell is president of Daily Jam, a popular fast-casual brunch franchise that is growing fast out of Phoenix, AZ. Berekk is also VP of Due North Holdings, which operates and franchises retail brands across multiple industries. He was previously part of the Blackwell family-run Kahala Restaurant Franchising group, which oversaw brands including Cold Stone Creamery, Pinkberry, and Baja Fresh.
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!
[1:00] Josh introduces today’s guest Berekk Blackwell, the president of Daily Jam, a Phoenix-based brunch franchise.
[2:03] Josh welcomes Berekk to Franchise Euphoria.
[2:25] Berekk takes a moment to go over his background in the franchising industry which spans over several well-known brands including Cold Stone Creamery, Krispy Kreme, Blimpie Subs, and more.
[3:42] During his time working for Cold Stone, he had the opportunity to live in Japan for a couple years and gained an appreciation for such a unique foreign culture.
[5:37] Berekk highlights some of the differences between the American and Japanese versions of the franchise brands he worked with.
[6:56] While Berekk took on this international opportunity to gain experience, he ultimately decided he wanted to return to the US and get involved with an emerging brand.
[8:03] Daily Jam is a fast-casual breakfast and lunch concept that prides themselves on providing a full-service experience while highlighting some creative dishes.
[9:28] Daily Jam was previously known as “N Counter” but they decided to make a name change for easier expansion nationwide.
[11:10] With their rebrand, they did a variety of promotions from press releases to social media content. Additionally, they paired some special promotions including free coffee and smoothies for the whole first weekend of their rebrand.
[13:38] Daily Jam’s expansion strategy is to grow by recruiting passion-driven individuals and find true partners for the business.
[15:29] While Daily Jam hopes to open about eight locations in the Arizona area, they have also been looking at expansion in Las Vegas, Texas, Florida, and parts of the Midwest.
[17:08] Berekk suggests that one of the biggest mistakes a franchisee can make is not viewing their franchisor as part of their team.
[18:25] What Berekk is really focusing on this time around with growing this new franchise concept is being sure they bring in the right people to their franchise system.
[21:20] If you want to learn more about opportunities with Daily Jam, you can email Hello@MyDailyJam.com or visit either www.MyDailyJam.com or www.DailyJamFranchising.com.
[21:53] 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:
