Meet Melissa Risher | Owner/Operator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Risher and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think risk is scary, and it’s challenging, and I think that without risk the opportunity for growth is limited.

Risk has played a huge role in my life and career. One reason I almost didn’t do Crumbl was because it felt very risky. It was a new brand, there was a lot of question around it being a trendy thing that would only last a few years. And if that was the case then what?
I went back and forth with my decision for 4 months before finally committing to opening our Ahwatukee location. And the reason I finally decided to do it was because without taking the risk, how would I ever know what the outcome would be. And I would never grow in the ways God meant for me to if I didn’t say yes to the opportunity.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think what sets me apart from others, from a “boss” perspective, is the way I communicate and treat my team. I actually don’t even like them calling me boss. We are a team, and without each one of us the store doesn’t run the way it needs to for customers to have the best experience. It takes all of us. I don’t even call the crew my employees or staff; I always refer to them as my team. I am also a very involved owner/operator and maintain a presence in both of my stores frequently. I am proud of the number of long term crew we have had at both stores. We have several crew that have left for college and when they are home on breaks they want to work with us.

I got to where I am today because of different job experiences, learning from each, and taking that with me to the next opportunity. The place I learned the most was at a job with Sixth Division in 2016/2017. That work environment, and the way Brad ran his company, was a breath of fresh air. Brad challenged me to think differently, to own my position, and not ask permission for every little thing. To figure things out and present my findings/plan/idea vs asking exactly what to do and being scared to make a mistake. I try to do this with my teams as well, to an extent. I want them to own their positions. I want them to express their ideas and tell me what they figured out that could make things more efficient.

I also think that attending an emotional intelligence training in 2018 has had a huge impact in where I am today. Without that training I would have probably said no to doing Crumbl because I would have been too scared to get out of my comfort zone. Too scared to do something that would challenge me and put me in a role that I had told myself I never wanted to be in. I liked roles where I was behind the scenes helping someone else be successful. Being an owner/operator of a business put me in the front, in charge of people, responsible for the success or failure, and that scared me.

Was it easy? No, not at all. Worth it? Totally! Each job I had before doing Crumbl was for a reason. I loved some of them, tolerated others, and completely hated a couple. But I met wonderful people in each, some that I am still friends with today, And each position helped me evolve more into the person that was needed in order to have the confidence to do Crumbl.

The biggest lesson that I learned along the way was to always listen to my intuition; even when it didn’t make sense to anyone else. I have a big faith in God and I know he has guided me through each decision I have made over the years. I quit a job in 2016, with no other job lined up, and I had no fear around it because I knew after praying so much about what to do, that God was guiding me. And 6 weeks later is when I got the job at Sixth Division, which would be the job that changed me the most, aside from now Crumbl.

What I want people to know about me is that I am a regular person, who had no desire to be a business owner, and because I was willing to take a chance on an opportunity presented to me, it has changed my life in so many positive ways. It has challenged me and changed me in ways that wouldn’t have been possible had I said no. So don’t be scared if there is something out there you want to try. Do it. You will never know what the outcome can be if you don’t 🙂

And the Crumbl brand, well it feels like we are just getting started. It has been a little over 5 years since I opened our Ahwatukee location, and 4.5 years since we opened Scottsdale, and HQ continues to evolve and come up with cookies & desserts to keep us in the forefront in this industry. Not to mention, like I said previously, we have awesome branding and marketing that keeps customers coming back.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people that deserve credit and recognition for my personal success with Crumbl, as well as the Crumbl brand in general.
I would have never had this opportunity if my business partner, Mike, had never asked me to partner with him. So he is the reason this all became possible for me. I had never even heard of Crumbl when he reached out to me about opening locations in Arizona.
The managers, shift leads and crew, at both of my stores, are the reason my stores can operate. I am so grateful they choose to work at Crumbl, and come in each day and work hard and have fun doing it. Without them, there would be no Ahwatukee or Scottsdale location. They are the ones on the front lines, while I do a lot of behind the scenes stuff, making it possible for customers to enjoy our product.
Crumbl HQ does an amazing job with branding, marketing, and creating our offerings. I love not having to think about all of those different things in order to have a successful business. They make it easy for us owners to be able to execute their ideas, and their marketing is one of the best out there, in my opinion.
I have so many friends and family that have encouraged me and been supportive of this journey from day one and I am so grateful for them.
And finally, the group of other owners that I have become friends with over the years. Specifically, 5 ladies in the Phoenix Metro area. To have other people, who are in this with me, going through the frustrations, needing advice or encouragement, has been such a comfort. We rely on each other daily, in many ways, and we all have each others backs, and it truly makes all the difference in not feeling alone on the days we feel like we just can’t take anymore. Because there are a lot of moving pieces with this business, and it can be challenging some days.

Website: https://crumbl.com

Instagram: crumblcookies