By Greg Miller © 2019

The hot and hazy days of summer had evaporated into the pages of history. Autumn’s cool crisp mornings and comfortable daytime temperatures were followed by increasingly colder temperatures of the night.

Larry and LeAnne owned a bakery and were always looking for ways to satisfy the sweet teeth of their customers and, at the same time they wanted to see growth in the bottom line of their business. So as Autumn became more firmly entrenched on the landscape of time, the couple added more varieties of biscuits, bagels and cupcakes to the menu.

When the couple introduced a new menu item, customers could get one of the tasty treats for free. “If a customer gets one of our scrumptious delights free, and they fall in love with the taste, it will be a no-brainer for them to actually purchase that item in the future,” Larry reasoned.

“Plus, the customers will feel closer to us, and we’ll gain some new friends in the process,” LeAnne agreed.

LeAnne was constantly developing new ideas for possible inclusion on the menu. “A light bulb just opened up inside my head,” she told Larry one morning. “It will revolutionize our business.”

“What do you have in mind?” Larry asked.

“We’re constantly developing ideas for new baked treats, right?” asked LeAnne.

“Certainly,” Larry agreed. “But to be honest, most of the ideas come from that pretty little head of yours.”

“Thanks, sweetheart,” LeAnne blushed. “And I’ve come up with what may be our biggest idea yet.”

“Let’s hear it!” Larry pleaded enthusiastically.

“Every time we introduce a new baked treat, we can simultaneously offer a cup of coffee or tea with a spoonful of the baked treat dissolved in the cup as a new drink flavor,” LeAnne shared. “With this new idea, we might grow so much that we will be able to begin offering franchises to other people, and they will pay us a royalty on every baked treat and flavored drink they sell.”

“Sounds like a winner to me,” Larry beamed.

“I have another idea,” smiled LeAnne. “The easier it is for someone to get a franchise, the more money we’ll make. So I propose letting all franchisees open their business with no initial fee to us. They’ll only have to secure a location, get a business license, hire a couple of employees and stock supplies with which they’ll make the baked treats and drinks.”

“That’s a great idea!” Larry exclaimed. “Lots of people can afford a franchise, which means we’ll start making more money more quickly.”

“And the quicker we can make the money, the quicker we’ll have the money in the bank! And the quicker we can go shopping!”

To contact the writer of this column about speaking engagements (in the U.S.A.), including Christian Comedy Fundraising Outreaches, Christian Creativity Seminars and/or puppet ministry, please type “Speaking Engagements” in the subject line and e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].

By Greg Miller  2018

 Greg is retired from the Elizabethton STAR Newspaper, after working there for almost 23 years. He now freelances for the paper. Contact email address is [email protected], also facebook.com/kidcool4jesus. Available for speaking engagements/other ministries. Jesus is Lord