Former Customers Turned Husband and Wife

Dream Dinners Franchisees

Introduction to Dream DinnersMike and Becky Sims, Dream Dinners franchisees out of Vancouver, Wash., were first exposed to the Dream Dinners franchise concept before the birth of their child, Zachary. While attending an event where the soon-to-be parents learned about new parent essentials, they were introduced to Dream Dinners and saw how it could save busy parents time.

“Since my husband was not the best at meal planning or cooking, what Dream Dinners had to offer seemed like it was just what he was looking for —a way for him to get an edible, healthy dinner on the table amidst the chaos of our new bundle of joy,” Becky said. “Later that same night we looked up Dream Dinners online and booked our first appointment – five days before we had our son!“

As soon as the new parents assembled and enjoyed their first round of dinners, they became hooked as repeat customers. Mike and Becky hadn’t considered becoming Dream Dinners franchisees until they were informed that the owner of the Dream Dinners franchise location that they frequented was looking to sell their store.

“What interested us in owning a franchise was the fact that we were tired of working for corporate America,” Becky said. “With a new child at home, and myself being laid off from my corporate America job when I was five months pregnant, owning our own business sounded like a great opportunity to do something that would let us spend time together as a family.”

New Parents Become Dream Dinners Customers

In May of 2009, the couple purchased the Dream Dinners franchise location from the previous owner. At the time, it was dead last among all Dream Dinners franchises in sales, so the couple knew they had to turn their franchise around.

However, the co-franchisees’ luck took a turn for the worse just after purchasing their store. Just one month after purchasing their Dream Dinners franchise, Mike was let go from his company in a large business downsize. Their hard times didn’t end there. Just around the same time, two of the couple’s greyhounds passed away tragically and both Becky’s grandmother and Mike’s father fell ill and soon thereafter passed away.

“I had the weight of the earth on my shoulders,” Mike recalled. “Life at the time was dim, but we had to pull together as a family and make this work, which we did. From there on, we went ‘all in’ on this business.”

Current Customers Turned Dream Dinners Franchisees

The couple started by devising a marketing plan to bring new customers in. Although this was one of the hardest aspects of running a business, Mike noted, selling their concept to families was their main strategy. Being former Dream Dinnerscustomers, Mike and Becky clearly understood the needs and desires of their customers.

“I knew firsthand what Dream Dinners had to offer the guest; I was one,” Becky said. “I realized that the person I was trying to sell to was someone like me! “

After focusing their time on building their client base, Mike and Becky were able to define their distinct roles in the business. Becky is the face of the business; she describes herself as a “social butterfly.” She manages sales and networking for the franchise, assisting in guest assembly sessions, private parties and store events. She also oversees the staff – from training to hiring and firing. Mike is the behind-the-scenes guy. He takes care of payroll, bookkeeping, taxes, employment advertising, email campaigns, bills and other finance work. Their distinct roles in the business help their franchise thrive.

Turning Their Franchise Around

Although they were hit with a series of tragedies early on, Becky and Mike have successfully turned their franchise around. With a lot of hard work, they have transformed their franchise from last in sales among all Dream Dinners franchises to being in the top 15 Dream Dinners franchise locations.

Both Mike and Becky find it important to use their business as a way to give back, so their Dream Dinners franchise does a lot of community service. Their franchise location has donated meals to families in struggling situations; participated in fundraisers for schools, food banks and hospitals; donated food to teachers and even sponsored local hockey and baseball teams. Mike and Becky not only feel as if they are helping bring their community’s families together, but they themselves are becoming a closer-knit family in the process.

“Our goal as Dream Dinners franchisees is to help families spend more time at home with their families eating healthy, homemade dinners,” Becky said. “This goal in turn has the same effect for the business owners; I have all holidays off, we work around school hours, and I am able to spend more time at home with my son and husband.”

Dream Dinners Franchisees Bringing Families and Communities Together

Mike and Becky both feel grateful to have been blessed with the opportunity to join the Dream Dinners franchise family. For more information on how you can purchase a Dream Dinners franchise for sale bring a new one to your community, visit the Dream Dinners franchise information page today.

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