Interview With Frios Gourmet Pops Franchise Owner

Blake Daniel, Franchise Owner with Frios Gourmet Pops

Blake Daniel, a Frios Gourmet Pops franchise owner based in the Fort Worth/Tyler, Texas area, started franchising with the company in fall 2020. Check out the interview below, where Daniel weighs in on how being in business for yourself compares to a corporate job, the work/life balance of being a franchise owner, and the rewards of being a Happiness Hustler.

What did you do before franchising with Frios Gourmet Pops?

I had been the supervisor of a hospitality team. We took reservations for high-end hotels. Before that, I was an account manager. Before that, I’ve been many things. That’s kind of the reason I went into franchising. There were many layoffs, and I’d applied for jobs before where I walked out of the interview, feeling like I had it, then it went to a young college graduate. I had to find something to do on my own. I got on the computer, and I found Frios. The franchise coordinator called me back within about 15 minutes. She was super-high energy and happened to own a franchise not five miles from me. So I went down, tried a pop, and just fell in love with it.

What’s a typical day or week look like when you’re busy?

There’s not a typical day for us over here. There are a lot of festivals in East Texas. In all the little communities, you’ll have something like a strawberry festival or tomato festival. There are a lot of those going on over the weekends. Earlier days of the week are slower, so we’ll go park somewhere like a doctor’s office, or somewhere that will treat their employees to a pop for customer appreciation. Sometimes we can just set up alongside the street, and people will stop on the way home from school. We just try to market it all.

What is the work/life balance like with Frios?

It’s pretty heavy work, but we’re still so much in a startup place. Last year, it was 50-60 hours a week. But my wife and I are in this business together, and we’re very fortunate. Mondays are pretty slow, so most of the time we’ll take Monday off, and occasionally take a weekend off. It’s just you – but you’re your own boss, so if you need time off, you take time off. And you can always hire employees, which is the plan next year.

Has the franchise met your expectations and been an overall positive experience?

To me, it’s been 100% a positive experience. Having been part of a good franchising system, I can see where we’re going with it, and it’s always progressing forward. The franchise team will call us up and ask our opinion on things, and you may not always get what you want, but you can tell they’re listening to the franchisees and trying to meet the majority’s expectations.

Why do you think popsicles is a great industry to be in?

It’s mostly natural ingredients and natural sugars. Compared with lots of ice cream bars, they’re pretty low on calories, and people like that. Our strawberry mango pop, which is my favorite, is made with real mangoes and real strawberries. People look at the ingredients, and there’s not much to it – it’s a straight-up fruit pop, and it’s good. And for the franchisee, this is a nice, low-overhead business. It’s a really lean business with a good margin.

Do you have any advice for future Frios franchise owners?

If you’ve ever wanted to be in business for yourself, this is one of the most fun businesses you can run with daily rewards. If you’re driving through the neighborhood, it’s so much fun to watch some kids start jumping up and down. And even the adults – when they bite into a pop and you see the look on their face, you know that it’s not an ordinary pop. That smile is our reward. You know they call us Happiness Hustlers? It’s a pretty good analogy, because we’re dishing out happiness.

Learn More about Franchising with Frios!

If Frios Gourmet Pops sounds like the franchising opportunity for you, learn more about the brand and concept by visiting our research pages here. To start a conversation with our franchise team about investing in the Frios Gourmet Pops franchise opportunity, fill out our form here and we’ll be in touch!