After Dreaming of Entrepreneurship for Years, These Brother and Sister Franchisees Found It in Paris Baguette

Entrepreneurship has always been a dream for Chaitanya Inampudi and her brother Venkata. Coming from a modest background in India, the siblings, along with their spouses, pursued education and work with that dream in the back of their minds. Now it’s becoming a reality as the family works together to bring Paris Baguette* to Indian Land, South Carolina. 

Their journey into entrepreneurship was one of perseverance. After completing their education, Chaitanya pursued a career in banking while her husband, Prakash, specialized in data architecture. Meanwhile, Venkata ventured into the automotive industry while his wife, Kalpana, went into pharmaceuticals.

As the years passed, the siblings continued to harbor ambitions of business ownership, but the timing never seemed quite right. It wasn’t until early last year that they began to seriously explore their options. While considering various franchise opportunities, Paris Baguette stood out as something truly special. 

1851 Franchise spoke to Chaitanya about the team’s journey in franchising and their plans for the future. 

1851 Franchise: Frame your personal story for us. What did you do before franchising, and how did you decide franchising made sense for you?

Chaitanya: We just come from a very modest background in India. All four of us studied there and came here for our Masters and work. We’ve always dreamed of entrepreneurship. I did my MBA in Finance in India. Currently, I work in investment banking and my husband, Prakash, is an expert data architect who builds technology platforms for retail and insurance businesses. My brother Venkata also has an MBA from Emory and he works as an analytics consultant in the automotive industry. His wife Kalpana works as a statistical programming manager for a pharmaceutical company. So all of us have a heavy math and finance background. We always wanted to do something of our own. But it takes a lot of time for two families to come together in terms of the timing and financial readiness and to collect some experience in the corporate world. Early last year we started exploring our opportunities to see what we would be excited about. We explored a bunch of franchises and some of those were interesting, but nothing like Paris Baguette. Ultimately, the goal is to bring a business mindset and culture into the family. 

1851: What was your perception of franchising prior to becoming a franchisee, and what do you want people to know about franchising now that you are in it?

Chaitanya: Initially we also thought about a few ideas where we could start on our own. The perception about franchising was, “Oh, they're going to charge you a lot on the royalty and marketing and everything, so why put in so much hard work and pay them?” But in the process of exploring these ideas, we came to understand  that there is no template if I come up with a concept. It's going to be a lot harder to come up with our own template and get it all rolling. So for that reason, we started thinking about it differently. We decided that it's fine if we end up paying a little bit because the successful franchisors are there for a reason. They mastered something which got them out there into the market and they achieved something in the market. 

1851: What made you pick this brand? What excites you most about this company?

Venkata: We did some homework before we zeroed in on Paris Baguette. We went to several stores and found that it is not only a food lover’s paradise but also a visual feast with delightful experience that caters to all demographics alike. The ambience and commitment to quality truly sets it apart offering a promising and profitable gateway to budding entrepreneurs. Besides, their parent company is pretty strong financially and in terms of the market they have commanded for years. 

1851: What do you hope to achieve with your business? What are your plans for growth? 

Venkata: None of us have any experience in this. So with our first store, we would like to learn as much as possible. There's so many steps in the process, so we are just targeting success with the first store, right now. We do have expansion plans for the future, though. 

1851: What is the one thing about your story you want us to know?

Venkata: Dreams have no expiration date. We’ve been thinking about business ownership for a long time, and it’s been about persistence. 

1851: What advice do you have for other people thinking about becoming a franchise owner?

Venkata: If you find your passion in it, you should go ahead and do it. But it's not easy. You have to put in the hard work, too. So it's not enough to find that lucrative, it's also something that needs to come with passion and commitment to hard work for a significant amount of time.  

ABOUT PARIS BAGUETTE: 

Paris Baguette is a bakery café franchise with more than 4,000 units across the globe. The global brand first franchised in the U.S. in 2015 and has since established over 160 locations in markets across the country, making them one of the premier franchise opportunities in their category. Paris Baguette’s primary mission, executed every day by their expert staff of bakers, cakers and baristas, is to provide guests with a warm, welcoming bakery café experience that creates joy for all. To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://ownaparisbaguette.com/.