Susan Gladden Email & Phone Number

The Sweet Spot Workshops empowers aspiring cake decorators in Los Angeles to transform their cakes, cupcakes, and cookies into beautiful creations. Our decorating classes cater to all skill levels, from beginners seeking foundational techniques to enthusiasts looking to refine their artistry. In addition to public workshops, The Sweet Spot Workshops designs custom experiences for private events and corporate team building.

Woodland Hills, California, Us

In 2022, I was promoted into this Senior Director role after successfully advocating for a business transformation and rebuilding strategy that led to a significant brand revitalization and sales boost. I am currently tasked with developing and executing strategies to enhance the brand experience for guests, franchise owners, headquarters staff, and vendors. I supervise a team of 4 direct reports, and I report directly to the CEO. Key Contributions: - Negotiated partnership with Acai vendor that led to complete program rebranding and franchise-wide contest, and earned 92% recommendation rate from franchisees.- Contributed to 15% uplift in average unit revenue by driving key average unit volume-increasing programs, including successful Acai Bowls & Frozen Yogurt Cakes program. - Enhanced in-store customer experience by managing creative agency in designing, testing, and rolling-out new in-store 3D Cake Signage and in-store POP. - Built frozen yogurt cake menu with 8 new yogurt-based recipes and 40+ cake designs, and developed related physical and digital marketing elements. - Improved franchisee product knowledge and brand standard adherence by developing comprehensive, easy-to-follow operations manual that simplified in-store employee cake education.- Streamlined franchisee onboarding experience and optimized platforms to support addition of 35+ new franchisees per year.- Conducted best practice seminars and interactive workshops that significantly improved franchisee engagement.

Woodland Hills, California, Us

During this time frame, I led efforts to drive cost reductions and improvements in supply chain efficiency and drove vendor relations, franchisee education, and brand messaging updates. I also identified growth opportunities based on market trends, and maximized franchisee engagement. Key Contributions:- Generated 25% increase in sales by spearheading major rebranding initiative and creative vision transformation for Frozen Yogurt Cake Program, and significantly raised product awareness among 250+ franchisees. - Planned and executed 20-city cake workshop tour to educate 250+ franchise owners and team members and earned recognition from 100% of survey respondents who found workshop to be valuable. - Conducted tests on new marketing materials to assess performance and hosted best practice sharing meetings to improve marketing material effectiveness. - Managed creation of decorator cards, info pages, videos, job aids, and other training materials to promote frozen yogurt cakes, and increased franchisee program adoption. - Boosted online sales conversions by introducing new digital marketing strategies, including video library of 40+ stories, into frozen yogurt cake marketing program.

Woodland Hills, California, Us

In this role, I drove Franchisee hiring, training, and professional development, set performance expectations, established consistent brand messaging, and analyzed franchisee feedback to address challenges and maximize franchisee satisfaction.Key Contributions: - Acted as primary liaison between headquarters, vendors, and franchisees, resolved individual and systemic issues, and contributed to 95% franchisee needs fulfillment rate and reduction in vendor-related challenges.- Created new processes and education platforms that ensured effective franchisee education and led to improvement in franchisee onboarding satisfaction. - Developed and executed large-scale communication programs for franchise owners, including digital learning programs, webinars, and daily email updates, which drove significant uptick in webinar attendance rates.

Woodland Hills, California, Us

I managed 70+ franchisee accounts, and acted as liaison between franchisees and headquarters leadership team while serving in this role. Key Contributions:- Communicated daily with accounts to assess challenges, resolve concerns, and gather feedback, which led to boost in resolution efficiency and increase in positive feedback from franchisees. - Played key role in successfully launching new stores in close collaboration with Real Estate & Development team.

Woodland Hills, California, Us

I began my run with Menchie's working as a Marketing Associate, driving efforts to boost store traffic, elevate brand awareness, and increase overall sales.Key Contributions:- Generated increase in repeat customers by playing pivotal role in launch of Menchie's loyalty program, including devising program rules, orchestrating roll-out, and addressing franchisee questions.

Us

In this early career role, I negotiated giveaway and product placement deals with Telepictures Legal, marketing firms, and public relations agencies for The Ellen DeGeneres Show. I managed multiple deals concurrently, based on show themes and audience preferences. Key Contributions:- Secured giveaway approval from executives, negotiated terms of agreements, and coordinated all related logistics.- Collaborated with Warner Bros. Studio Facilities on prize fulfillment, and ensured onsite or home delivery of products.