November 18, 2016

Former teammates and longtime friends Alana Beard and Marissa Coleman recently embarked on an endeavor together outside of basketball. Marissa currently plays in the WNBA for the Indiana Fever and Alana just finished a championship season with the LA Sparks. Once teammates for both the Washington Mystics and the LA Sparks, they are teamed up yet again, but this time the playing field has completely changed. The two are co-owners of Mellow Mushroom, a pizza restaurant chain that serves up “fresh stone baked pizzas to-order in an eclectic, art-filled and family-friendly environment.”

Having their grand opening just three weeks ago Alana and Marissa are ready to take on the challenges of being franchisees. For Beard, franchising has always been a goal of hers. Early on, she studied the franchise industry and business models that were of interest to her. However, it was Marissa who connected her with a family friend who has over 30 years of experience in the franchising industry and from there the chance to become partners in business began.  [Read more…]