The Great Franchisee: Helen Kim, Paris Baguette, Las Vegas

Helen Kim comes from a family of entrepreneurs. When she first immigrated to the United States from Brazil, Kim’s family started multiple businesses in the retail and restaurant industries, fueling her passion for business ownership. Now, Kim is starting her own business as one of the newest franchisees with Paris Baguette*, the 85-plus-unit bakery & café franchise

After attending baking school and working as a baker at a 5-star resort, Kim discovered the franchise opportunity with Paris Baguette, which she says has been her favorite bakery since childhood. A close family friend and three-unit Paris Baguette owner introduced Kim to the opportunity.  Now, she is acquiring an existing location in Las Vegas and plans to open three to six additional locations within the next three years. Kim has also signed on as the area developer for the brand in Las Vegas.

1851 Franchise: Tell us your story – what did you do before franchising?

Helen Kim: My parents are immigrants from South Korea.They immigrated to Brazil, which is where I was raised until I finished middle school. When we moved to the United States, we settled in California, which is where I’ve lived my whole life until seven years ago when my children and I moved to Las Vegas.

I come from a long line of entrepreneurs, so you could say it’s in my blood. My family has owned businesses in the retail and restaurant industries, and I worked after school in highschool and on the weekends, and it really fueled my passion for building something of my own. After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, I continued to work in the retail sector until I got married. After that, I stayed at home with my four children. But when they got older, I started showing a lot of interest in baking. It was a totally different path from what I anticipated for myself, but I decided to pursue private baking lessons at the California Baking School and honestly, I fell in love with it. That’s when I knew I wanted to get my hands on a professional kitchen.

Seven years ago, we moved our family to Las Vegas, where I became a baker at Aria Resort and Casino, a 5-star retreat in the middle of the city. Since then, I’ve dreamt of opening a bakery of my own.

1851: How did you initially find out about franchising and what was your perception of franchising before becoming a franchise owner?

Kim: I actually have a very close family friend, Hyung Kook Choi, who owns three Paris Baguettes in California, which is how I initially found out about the franchising opportunity. He spent some time talking with me about franchising and showed me the ins and outs of the brand, which is how I decided this was the right path for myself and my family.

1851: How did you decide you wanted to be a franchisee?

Kim: I’ve known for quite some time that I wanted to own a bakery. But I knew if I did it on my own, there would be a lot of trial and error, despite my family’s extensive background in business ownership. There would probably be two or three years of relatively no income if I opened up on my own, so franchising seemed like the best option. After speaking with my family friend, I knew that Paris Baguette was a successful franchise with a great business model that I could thrive with. 

1851: How did you perform your research?

Kim: I did a lot of my own research throughout the pandemic. I wanted to make sure that the brand would succeed throughout the unpredictable turmoil of the past year. But throughout my time searching online and going to multiple Paris Baguettes, all I saw was a popular brand that kept growing and came out of the pandemic stronger.

1851: Why did you pick Paris Baguette? What excited you most about the potential?

Kim: I really believe in Paris Baguette’s brand. Whenever I come back home to California, my first stop is Paris Baguette because of the quality of the products sold there. I haven’t found that same quality in any other bakery. Every time I visit a Paris Baguette location, there’s a lot of traffic, which allows me to feel comfortable with a brand that I don’t see failing. When I spoke to the corporate team, chief development officer Mark Mele in particular, I felt it was the best fit. Mele was always available to answer every question I had, no matter how little, and was extremely understanding and hands-on. That's why I not only acquired the Las Vegas location in Spring Mountain but signed on as the area developer for Paris Baguette in Las Vegas as well.

The potential with Paris Baguette is endless. I think this is going to be a great adventure, and I can’t wait to get started. One of my first initiatives when I take over full ownership and start expanding is to become the go-to bakery for celebratory cakes. I plan on dropping off business cards and sample cakes to as many businesses and venues as possible so when they’re booking events, I’m on the top of their lists to recommend. 

I also plan on making the future locations more of a neighborhood bakery. As a seven-year resident of the city, I know that locals don’t want to travel all the way to the strip to get their baked goods. I want Paris Baguette to become a household name and the go-to bakery for residents and tourists in Las Vegas.

1851: What are your dreams with the business? What does the future look like?

Kim: I plan on bringing the best tasting pastries and cakes to Las Vegas. After I acquire the Spring Mountain location, I plan on bringing at least three more locations. I think the market would handle at least six locations if the brand takes off in Las Vegas like I’m anticipating it will.

We’re already looking at real estate for our second location, which will ideally open in the next 8-10 months, and the following two will open in 2022 and 2023. Once I have full ownership of the Spring Mountain location, my dream is to grow the business to $2 million in sales a year. I plan on being extremely hands-on with the business to ensure that dream comes true. My four children will also be involved because I want to teach them about business and be a part of my growth, which I hope to pass on to them in the future.

I love everything that Paris Baguette has to offer, but I’m really excited to focus on the new menu and items that corporate plans on rolling out.

1851: What advice would you have for others looking at buying a franchise?

Kim: My first thought is don’t be my competition. Just kidding. In all seriousness, my biggest piece of advice would be to ask every question you have. A lot of people say that no question is a dumb question, and that is the absolute truth when you get into franchising. Make sure that you feel comfortable with the corporate team because they’ll be a large part of your success as well. You should also talk with other franchisees to learn about their experiences. 

1851: What do you do in your personal time?

Kim: Well, I actually told my kids that in the next five years I’m planning to get married. As a wife and mother they were extremely shocked, but I then explained that I’m marrying into the Paris Baguette family. That’s how much I plan to devote myself to my business. I know that I need to work harder than I ever have before to make every dream I have with business ownership come true. So I don’t think I’ll have much personal time in the near future. One thing is for sure though, I’ll never give up my daily yoga.

ABOUT PARIS BAGUETTE: 

Paris Baguette is a bakery & café franchise with more than 4,000 units across the globe. The brand first arrived in the U.S. in 2005 and has since established nearly 90 locations in markets across the country, making it one of the premier franchise opportunities in its category. Paris Baguette’s primary mission, executed every day by its expert staff of bakers, cakers and baristas, is to share moments of joy with customers and help customers share moments of joy with their friends and family by providing world-class cakes, pastries, coffees, breads and other French-inspired bakery & café fare. For more information, please visit https://us.parisbaguettefamily.com/.