Maui Wowi's Big Kahuna

The Rocky Mountain News ran a cool story about Maui Wowi the other day, but the part I like best is the photo of Maui Wowi's "Big Kahuna" Michael Haith. I've known Michael for four years or so, and I think this picture captures him pretty perfectly. Does this look like the CEO of a typical company? No! That's why I like this business--it's the anti-company.

New Maui Wowi Store Opens in Glendale CA

Maui Wowi is opening stores every few weeks somewhere in the country, so don't be surprised if, pretty soon, you hear people in your neighborhood saying "Aloha" instead of "Hey, how ya' doin'?" or "Yo! Wassup!" Here are some pix of the newly opened Maui Wowi in Glendale CA. Nicer than that dark and dreary place on every other street corner. So take a look at the future of coffee, and smoothies too. Why do coffee places like you-know-who have to take themselves sooooooooo seriously? Shouldn't it be about fun? You don't need a latte! (Well, maybe you do.) All I know is, when I go to their store, the people in line seem like they want to kill someone and the counter people (generally, not always) seem to think they work at Prada, not a coffee shop! Can you say "Attitude!" I think you'll find Maui Wowi is different.

St. Johns University Spring Fling '06

It was a gorgeous sunny Spring day -- the St. John's students in Queens lucked out for their Spring Fling '06. We served Strawberry Banana, Kiwi Lemon Lime, Mango Orange and Black Raspberry Maui Wowi's, which, as you can see from the photos, were well- received! Want to see more photos of St. John's Spring Fling? Click here. Next stop on our 2006 College Activities tour: Suffolk County Community College--Selden NY on May 1, Riverhead NY on May 2; Baruch College in Manhattan on May 4 and Five Towns College in Dix Hills on May 18.

Chillin' at Manhattanville College Quad Jam '06

One of my most fun business activities as a Maui Wowi franchisee is going to colleges to be part of various student functions. We were hired by Manhattanville College in Purchase NY to make smoothies for 500+ students. Every April, Manhattanville holds its biggest social event of the year – Quad Jam. Beginning at noon and going through midnight, Quad Jam is an all day music festival with a carnival-like atmosphere. Most of the campus and many alumni attended the event. It was raining buckets outside so the jam took place indoors. But the mood of the crowd wasn't dampened at all by the weather. The kids loved our smoothies! We'll be blending smoothies in upcoming weeks at several SUNY campuses and other colleges around the NY metro area.

Giving up the Suit

I had a meeting today with a husband and wife who are evaluating Maui Wowi, among other franchises. I always enjoy meeting people who are looking at new business opportunities. It's fascinating to see what motivates people to do something as challenging as starting a business.
They both wanted to know why I decided to go into a franchise, and why Maui Wowi. The answer to the first part is that I felt I had no choice but to be self-employed for at least a while. After 17 years at one company, I bounced around for several years from job to job to job. The truth was I needed a break and I was ready to make sacrifices to have my independence. As to why Maui Wowi? It has a spirit and attitude that I gravitated toward. I knew I could be creative in this business, and have fun. It just hit me in the gut. Ultimately that's what has to happen when you start a business...it's more than choosing the best business model of three or three dozen you evaluate. One business idea ultimately has to stand above the rest for emotional reasons, and then you have to go "all in" and make it work. You also have to realize it will take time and that the journey has to be as important to you as the destination. Why enjoy the journey? Someone I used to work with dropped dead while training for a marathon--he was about 50. The husband of a friend died suddenly of a blood clot at the age of 42. You have to want to be on the ride. A franchised business doesn't have to be forever. The cost to start it is not overwhelming. For me, this has been part of a process to regroup and change my frame of thinking--about work, about family, about my life. I have been able to do that totally. I will likely return to a more traditional form of work in a year or two, but for now I get to exercise my entrepreneurial muscles, have fun and gain a reserve of inner strength.

Our New Store in Charlotte NC

We opened a new Maui Wowi cafe in Charlotte NC a few weeks ago. There's a Maui Wowi store opening just about every other week somewhere in the country. Pretty snazzy store design, don't you think?

Major League Maui Wowi

The first location I opened as a Maui Wowi franchise owner in 2002 was Yankee Stadium. Talk about starting at the top! It was an insane experience. People who attend Yankee games are a class unto themselves. And so are the people who manage the concessions at the Stadium. It was an amazing learning experience. A few months before opening at Yankee, I was a senior vice president at a big New York publishing company. Then suddenly I'm selling frozen drinks! One day at Yankee, I had a customer who was wearing a Columbia Business School Executive MBA sweatshirt. He ordered his drink and as I was serving it to him (and collecting $8, by the way) I said, "Columbia Executive MBA, huh?" He nodded with a smug smile. Then I added the zinger, pointing to myself, "Me too. Class of 1996!" I am pretty sure I am the only Columbia MBA working concessions at Yankee stadium. The look on his face was priceless.

We're not operating at Yankee right now (a story for another day) but we opened across town at Shea Stadium, making our debut on a cold April 3 opener. It took me a long time to get the contract, but fortunately we have a great new franchisee who stepped in to run it as his first location.

The Smoothies Were Flying at Macy's Flower Show!

One of Maui Wowi's most successful business models is catering corporate events. We hooked up with the great people at Macy's New York a few years ago. They've has us come to their stores and serve smoothies during fashion shows, a recruitment fair for volunteers for the Thanksgiving Day Parade, and most recently this weekend at the opening of the annual Macy's Flower Show. We set up on top of a float on Broadway and 35th Street and made an astonishing 1500 smoothies in four hours! The line started at 10am and ended (without incident, fortunately) at 2pm when we ran out of everything! New Yorkers loved our Strawberry Banana, Orange Mango, Pina Colada and Black Raspberry smoothies. We had three Maui Wowi "smoothie slingers" working (yours truly, my wife Stacey and son Nathan) and were assisted by fantastic Macy's special events volunteers who scooped up the cups as fast as we could put them down. It was awesome! You can click here if you'd like to see the entire photo album.

Aloha and Welcome!

Aloha! I'm Mitch York, area developer for Maui Wowi in metro New York. I've been involved in Maui Wowi since 2002 when I left corporate America. In the past four years I've been in my own business, establishing operations at many locations including Yankee and Shea stadiums, plus several minor league ballparks, convention centers, sports arenas and countless events. I've also built a thriving specialty catering business providing Maui Wowi coffees and smoothies at corporate and social events. As a Maui Wowi franchisee I get to create my own reality every day. The purpose of this blog is to provide a window into Maui Wowi for those considering the franchise or their own small business. I look forward to your feedback.