I didn't build Auntie Anne's alone. That would have been impossible. From the very beginning, we had a team around us that was exceptional. Our company was successful because of the dedicated people who worked for us.

Auntie Anne's is a modern-day business miracle that never should have happened.

I had been very close to Anne Bancroft when we worked together in The Miracle Worker.

I never went to college. But the structure I grew up with was planted so deep that when it came to doing business, I knew how to be disciplined, create teamwork, and persevere. It set me up to be an entrepreneur and a successful franchiser.

To overcome adverse circumstances, you have to learn to overcome your own hang-ups, values, and idiosyncrasies in order to value other people, cultures, and ideas.

My philosophy is: Life is hard, but God is good. Try not to confuse the two.