Question: Today's Business World-Cold Stone Creamery® Do you love ice cream? Donald and Susan Sutherland's passion for ice cream led them to open Cold Stone Creamery® in Tempe, Arizona, in 1988. The Sutherlands make their ice cream daily, using only the finest ingredients. But what makes Cold Stone Creamery® unique is how the ice cream is prepared. As customers watch, their desired mix-ins are blended with the ice cream on a frozen granite stone and served in a fresh-baked waffle cone. The success of Cold Stone Creamery® motivated the Sutherlands to begin franchising their concept in 1995. With nearly 1,400 franchise stores in operation in 2007 and many more in development, Cold Stone Creamery® was ranked #12 in Entrepreneur Magazine's 2007 100 Fastest Growing Franchises (Entrepreneur.com). In exchange for an initial investment, Cold Store Creamery® franchisees receive step-bystep guidance in choosing a site, negotiating the lease, transforming the store, and, most important, learning how to create the best ice cream creations at the Cold Store Creamery® Ice Cream University
Critical Thinking
1. What other kinds of support and training might be provided to a franchisee?
2. If you were going to start a business with someone else, how would you choose your partner?