Last summer, YouTube star and Virginity Rocks mastermind Danny Duncan took a minority stake in 16 Handles. That turned out to be a pretty good business decision for both parties.
One year after bringing on Duncan as its Chief Creative Officer, 16 Handles sales have grown by “double digits,” according to a release from the company. Emboldened by its upward trend, the froyo brand has broken ground in 12 new locations. One of the upcoming stores is located in Duncan’s hometown of Englewood, Florida.
Duncan joined forces with 16 Handles about one year after he visited one of the chain’s locations in New York City. He connected with froyo franchisee Neil Hershman, who acquired 16 Handles from its founders. Before long, Duncan came on as a minority owner. Only a few months later, 16 Handles began construction on its Englewood expansion.
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As he becomes a 16 Handles franchisee himself, Duncan is embracing his role as the brand’s Chief Creative Officer. He debuted a 16 Handles froyo truck as part of a prank video he shared with his 7.2 million subscribers last February. Around that time, 16 Handles celebrated Valentine’s Day by teaming up with Duncan’s Ketnipz brand for an amicable “Palentine’s” promotion.
While Duncan’s contributions have certainly generated awareness for 16 Handles (the video embedded above has more than 3.7 million YouTube views to date), several factors have spurred the brand’s growth over the past year. A third of its stores have been remodeled, and its menu offerings have been expanded through partnerships with Dō Cookie Dough and Oatly.
“We are excited about the interest and growth for 16 Handles, both from our customers and with our franchise development pipeline,” Hershman said in a statement. “As a franchisee-managed franchisor, we were able to put over a decade of in-store practical experience into redesigning the perfect frozen dessert shop. Every day we get to invest in technologies and build the training systems we dreamed of as operators, it’s just so fun!”
Duncan’s stake in the froyo industry is just one of several business interests for the 31-year-old creator and entrepreneur. His other ventures in Englewood include a putt-putt course announced last year. He has also targeted athletic consumers with a brand called Good Sport, and he’s available in chia pet form.
