A Fresh Spin on Healthy Cuisine

Cooper's Journey in Opening a Franchise in Fargo

t's always interesting to hear about entrepreneurs' and business peoples' origin stories and what their "ah ha!" moment was. For Cooper Wahlo, it was a combination of two things: a love for health and fitness, and a podcast.

Wahlo and his family moved to the United States from Côte d’Ivoire, Africa, when he was just three months old, and eventually settled in Woodbury, MN. Fast forward to college, Wahlo formed a passion for exercise and the human body and played football for NDSU while earning a degree in exercise science.

It was when he was listening to a podcast one day that Wahlo first heard about Mahana Fresh. "I’m a big workout guy; I love to stay healthy and clean and they fit my lifestyle of healthy living and healthy eating, and at the time, there were no fast, quick, and healthy [eating out] options," he said. "I was in a very interesting time in my life and in 2019, I was looking to do something on a bigger scale."

Fast forward to February 2020, Wahlo was at the gym one day and received an email from the podcast he was listening to called "Bigger Pockets Business," a business podcast. "I never get emails from podcasts so I felt like this was the universe telling me to listen," he said. "I knew Mahana was a great fit for me because I had my wife try the food as well as my kids and they all loved it. It’s a quick healthy fast option, which was unique at the time."

Wahlo was also impressed by the franchise's business model and the fact that they were able to open two new locations during the 2020 pandemic, which alone was impressive since many franchises and businesses were scaling back.

Everything on the Mahana Fresh menu is gluten-free, including the dessert!

Building a Mahana bowl is as easy as choosing a base, with options like basmati rice, macaroni noodles, and more, then selecting your veggies, with delicious options like sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, and more, then choosing your protein, with savory options like BBQ chicken or even vegetarian options, and finally finishing with a wide selection of sweet and savory sauces and addons to make it your own personalized treat. Don't forget to top it off with their delicious sweet teas!

Although the pandemic posed challenges in getting started, especially in finding the right bank that believed in the business model, as well as the construction process, Wahlo was committed to bringing a Mahana Fresh to Fargo, which would be the first in the entire Midwest region—the next closest location was Idaho Falls, ID!

"The great thing about a franchise is they can guide you through that process, so, operationally, you’re not having to worry about what you need when it comes to the business side of things," he said. "One thing that was definitely a shocker was equipment and supplies, which arrived a lot earlier than expected." Wahlo and his Mahana team were trying to order things as early as possible, thinking that they would have delays given supply chain issues were plaguing businesses everywhere during this time, but that was not the case for them.

Prior to Mahana Fresh, Wahlo had never been in the food industry so everything has been an exciting learning experience, filled with new opportunities to better understand the food and restaurant market and how to connect with the FargoMoorhead community. "One thing that’s been very interesting to learn is understanding food cost and labor cost and how to make the numbers work," he said. "It’s also been fun getting to meet a lot of great people in the community and pick their minds on being an entrepreneur/ restauranteur."

Another aspect of the business that Wahlo has found very interesting is how much marketing is needed to get people to understand where you are, who you are, and what you do. "I also didn’t realize how saturated the food market is," he noted. "The fact that we are 100% gluten-free down to our dessert is something that I think helps Mahana Fresh stand out." The big thing Wahlo is aiming to rganizations today are increasingly aware of the everchanging cybersecurity landscape. However, despite billions of dollars being spent worldwide to fend off cyber threats, cybercriminals still manage to break through even the strongest security defenses.

They exploit vulnerabilities with one primary target in mind: employees. Cybercriminals see employees as the weakest link in an organization’s cybersecurity perimeter. The good news is that you can address this vulnerability through proper training and bolster your organization’s security.

Strengthening employee security awareness is of utmost importance in protecting your business. Read on to learn why employees are prime targets for cybercriminals and explore the significant impact of improving their security awareness. By recognizing vulnerabilities, we can take an active role in mitigating risks and empowering your workforce to defend against cyberattacks.

The Vulnerabilities Within

Is your organization dealing with any of the following?

Lack of awareness

One of the key reasons employees fall prey to cybercriminals is their limited knowledge of common cybersecurity threats, techniques, and best practices. Cybercriminals can launch phishing attacks, malware infections, and social engineering ploys by exploiting this knowledge gap among your employees.

Privileged access

Employees often hold privileged access to critical systems, sensitive data, or administrative privileges that cybercriminals crave. By compromising your employees’ accounts, cybercriminals can gain unauthorized access to valuable assets and wreak havoc within your organization.

Social engineering tactics

Cybercriminals are masters of manipulation. They often use social engineering tactics to deceive employees into disclosing sensitive information, sharing login credentials, or unintentionally compromising security measures. These tactics can exploit human emotions, trust, and curiosity, and make your employees involuntary accomplices in cybercrime.

Bring your own device (BYOD) trend

The rising trend of BYOD can expose your organization to additional risks. Employees accessing business information and systems from personal devices that often lack the robust security controls of company-issued devices create vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit.

Remote/hybrid work challenges

The shift towards remote and hybrid work arrangements introduces new security challenges for businesses like yours. Unsecured home networks, shared devices, and distractions can divert employee focus from cybersecurity best practices, increasing their susceptibility to attacks.

Best practices for creating an engaging employee security training program

To strengthen your organization’s security, implement an engaging employee security training program using these best practices:

Assess cybersecurity needs

Understand the specific cybersecurity risks and requirements your organization faces. Identify areas where employees may be particularly vulnerable.

Define clear objectives

Set concrete goals for your training program by outlining the desired outcomes and essential skills employees should acquire.

Develop engaging content

Create interactive and easily digestible training materials for your employees. Use real-life examples and scenarios to make the content relatable and memorable.

Tailor targeted content

Customize the training to address your organization’s unique challenges and risks. Make it relevant to employees’ roles and responsibilities.

Deliver consistent, continuous training

Establish a regular training schedule to reinforce cybersecurity awareness and foster a culture of ongoing learning. Keep your employees up to date with the latest threats and preventive measures.

Measure effectiveness and gather feedback

Continuously evaluate your training program’s effectiveness through assessments and feedback. Use the data to refine and improve the program.

Promote a cybersecurity culture

Encourage employees to take an active role in cybersecurity by promoting open communication, incident reporting, and shared responsibility for protecting company assets.

Collaborate for success

Ready to empower your employees as cybercrime fighters? Contact NorthStar Technology Group today and let’s create a robust security awareness training program that engages your team and strengthens your organization’s defenses against evolving cyber threats.

Investing in employee security awareness can transform your workforce into a formidable line of defense. With it, you can safeguard your business from cybercriminals and ensure a more resilient future.

By Geneva Nodland | Geneva Nodland