Auntie Anne’s founder offers girls life advice

Times wins 8th consecutive Newspaper of Year title

June 24, 2015

Our Mistake

June 24, 2015

Auntie Anne’s Founder Anne Beiler found her purpose at age 39, a bit late by some estimates, but right on time for the now 66-year-old. It came like a light out of darkness and shaped her into a successful businesswoman who now travels the country sharing the story of her beloved pretzel store, as she did last Tuesday as part of the Louisiana Girls Leadership Academy closing ceremonies at Nicholls State University.

The idea to create a simple, delicious pretzel came as she took her place behind a booth at the Downingtown Farmers Market in Pennsylvania in 1988.

Beiler, who grew up an Amish Mennonite on a small farm in Lancaster Country, lost her second daughter, Angie, at just 19 months old to a farm tractor accident, had been abused by a pastor she sought guidance from and moved to Texas as an escape, only to return home penniless and unemployed within a few short years. Her marriage suffered through all the heartache and she and her husband, Jonas, entered counseling in an effort to strengthen their relationship.

Slowly but surely, the grief subsided and Jonas recognized the life-changing effects counseling could offer. He sought to provide the service free of charge to others and his wife began selling the now-iconic pretzels at the farmers market to earn some money to support his dream.

With a $6,000 loan from her father-in-law, Beiler bought the necessary kitchen equipment and before long, customers were clamoring for the famous snack food. Business, she said, grew at a mind-boggling rate and by 1992, she opened her 100th store in Media, Pennsylvania. The road to that success however, was riddled with challenges for the small-town girl with only a middle school education.

With zero business knowledge, intimidation quickly set in. It took “stepping outside of the box” for Beiler to believe that she was capable and that

her work ethic, instilled early on as a child on the farm, had given her the tools necessary to conduct business honestly in a corporate world often riddled with those willing to get ahead at any cost.

“When we focus on what we have, over time, we realize what we have is much greater than what we don’t have,” she explained of the moment she understood her purpose was to provide jobs for others and create an exceptional product. “Through it all, I loved my husband, I loved God and at the end of the day, I made a pretzel. Through Auntie Anne’s, I found my purpose.”

Today, the company, now owned by Georgia-based franchisor and operator FOCUS Brands, boasts more than 1,700 franchises in 44 states and 23 countries. All the success, something Beiler called a “21st century miracle,” would not have been possible without a solid work ethic and a sense of community, two things that are still encouraged within the company.

“I feel very blessed by my family in ways that go far beyond what I can describe to you today,” she said. “In the early days of Auntie Anne’s, all of us had to find our way through the twists and the turns of a growing franchise business that none of us had any experience in before. There were plenty of challenges and obstacles that we overcame together as a family, but together, we were successful.

“My family understood the power of purpose and the purpose of Auntie Anne’s and they were loyal to it,” Beiler said. “I grew up in a culture and community where you take each other at their word. It was all about trust and I wanted Auntie Anne’s to be that kind of company.”