Honeygrow: Stirring Up the Perfect Expansion Strategy

Honeygrow, a healthy food chain, has seen steady growth since opening its first location in Philadelphia in 2012. Justin Rosenberg, founder and chief executive officer of honeygrow, is assessing the advantages and disadvantages of an expansion strategy and wondering how he should lean into social media more to aid and develop his brand story further.

This case is intended for students at the undergraduate or graduate levels. It is best used as part of a marketing strategy course or as part of a course or module on marketing, direct marketing, or branding. It can also be used in an entrepreneurial law course. It is primarily concerned with direct marketing tactics via social media and addresses strategies for business growth through expansion. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<br><br><ul><li>Analyze a company’s key success factors and challenges—such as geographic saturation—to determine whether the business is suitable for expansion through wholly owned subsidiaries and/or a franchise model.</li><li>Analyze a firm’s resources to identify its competitive advantage.</li><li>Assess the relationship between the franchisor and franchisee, and highlight the elements that make such a relationship successful.</li><li>Discuss the importance of management commitment, customer-centricity, leadership, and knowledge to a successful business venture.</li><li>Analyze social media as a form of marketing and customer acquisition.</li><li>Evaluate which forms of business entity would be most suitable for an enterprise by considering each form’s management, control, funding, liability, and tax implications.</li><li>Identify the sources of funding available to entrepreneurs/founders.</li><li>Discuss the challenges founders face in taking their ideas from a business plan to reality.</li><li>Identify the pros and cons of franchising.</li></ul>

• digital marketing
• entrepreneurship
• franchise model
• marketing strategy
• business expansion
• fast casual
• social media
• brand story
• business growth
• competitive advantage
• customer acquisition
• management commitment
• leadership
• geographic saturation
• wholly owned subsidiaries
• franchisor franchisee
• customer-centricity
• business venture
• funding sources
• business entity