Wetzel's Pretzels: Bill Phelps

Thank you for tuning into "Starting Small", a podcast about brand development, entrepreneurship, and innovation in the modern world. In this episode, I am joined by Bill Phelps, Co-Founder of Wetzel's Pretzels, an American fast food franchise, specializing in their variety of pretzel types. Growing up in Massachusetts, Bill's father was the creator of the rawhide dog bone. Being surrounded by entrepreneurship and business, Bill went on to study at Middlebury College for economics. 

Following his time in college, Bill went on to work with his father, in which he then initiated the businesses selloff to the company Nestle. Following the sell, Bill worked for Nestle from 1990-1994, where he met his now co-founder, Rick Wetzel. While on a business trip to Seattle, the two of them came across a pretzel store in a mall that had fresh pretzels, low cost of goods, but poor marketing. They came to the agreement that they could create something better, and Bill wrote their business plan on a napkin, at a restaurant that night... to open their first store by November.

Today, Bill is the current CEO of Daves Hot Chicken and Rick went on to create Blaze Pizza. The two of them remain close business partners, as Bill is a founding investor in Blaze and they share office space in Pasadena.

Make sure to check out Wetzel's Pretzels at: https://www.wetzels.com/

and Daves Hot Chicken at:  https://www.daveshotchicken.com/

 

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Support for Starting Small comes from Humanscale, the leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance ergonomic products that help create a healthier work life. All of their products, from chairs to standing desks and more, are comfortable, easy to use, and sustainable. And great for either the office or the work from home environment.

With an increase in shifting workplaces, comfort can be especially hard to find. As I run the podcast, I am in front of my desk for hours a day; from scheduling, researching, interviewing, and more. Humanscale allows me to remain productive, without the consequence of body stress to follow. 

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Thank you to this episode’s mid-break sponsor, Salomon, premium outdoor shoes, apparel, and accessories. With running outdoors being a major stress reliever for my work, I count on Salomon shoes to carry me through each and every workout. Salomon strives to create progressive gear to enable you to freely enjoy and challenge yourself in the great outdoors. Make sure to check out Salomon at Salomon.com