Tariq Farid

Fruitful Florist, Jet Life

Tariq Farid is one of the most successful modern-day franchisors. Farid was born in Pakistan in 1969 and immigrated to the United States with his family when he was just a kid. As a teenager he picked up work wherever he could, including a flower shop, Burger King, and lawn mowing. When Farid was 17, he helped his family open their own flower shop in a small city in Connecticut.

“The concept for me, even when I was working at the flower shop at 13, was that it was all about the customer. And the other thing is branding. Even when we had our flower shop I made a logo

— I tried to act as a brand,” Farid said in an interview with Business Insider.

Farid applied the same branding and customer support techniques when opening Edible Arrangements in 1999, a company that creates bouquets of fruit shaped as flowers. His innovative business realized instant success and began franchising across the country. Edible Arrangements now has 900 franchises across nine countries, reeling in more than half a billion dollars each year. In 2009, Farid was recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year by the IFA and in 2017 was inducted into their Hall of Fame.