It’s All in the Family: How These Sibling Franchisees Turned Ice Cream Into a Business Opportunity

In 2015 – at 24 and 26 years old – my brother, Mike, and I weren’t sure what our futures would hold. We were looking for a fun, rewarding experience that would let us work as a team, embrace our millennial spirit, while still giving us the chance to influence our own future.

When our friend, a Baskin-Robbins franchisee and fellow millennial started sharing the brand’s new products and promotions for his Baskin-Robbins shops on social media, we started thinking about owning our own ice cream shop, just like him. We watched him go from owning one to three locations in just two short years. We asked him about his experience being part of a franchised business vs a start-up company. He shared the benefits of joining an established system – the one-on-one support, systematic operations, easy-to-use store planning tools, and strong brand recognition, among many others.

After learning more, we knew franchising with Baskin-Robbins was something that we needed to pursue. With support from our family, we bought an existing Baskin-Robbins store in Bonney Lake, Washington earlier this year. For now, we are working to re-engage guests by spreading the word about new ownership, as well as making smaller but impactful changes to the exterior of the store.

Although we’re first time business owners, Baskin-Robbins corporate team has provided us a great education on running a business while keeping us accountable and movitated. We are grateful that Baskin-Robbins took a chance on us, and promise to make the brand, and its guests, proud.

– Will Hundven, Baskin-Robbins Franchisee