Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2014 | Page 44

REC ON NECT: M U LT I - B RA N D 50
PERSONAL
First job: On a Sealtest milk truck as a kid; high school teacher as a
professional.
Formative influences/events: Working in sales and marketing with Ford
Motor Company, and studying with Dr. Deming there.

slowed me down.
Favorite tech toys: iPad.
What are you reading? The Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace.

Key accomplishments: Developed the training program for all of Ford’s
sales and marketing new hires.

Do you have a favorite quote? “It’s not what you don’t know that
makes you foolish, it’s what you know that ain’t so.” (Unknown)

Biggest mistake: Leaving college to work in construction.

Best advice you ever got: Trust your instincts.

Smartest mistake: Leaving college to work in construction because it taught
me that I needed to go back to college.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? There’s always something to
get done, and there’s always something I need to know.

Decision I wish I could do over: Too many to list, but I haven’t repeated
too many of them.

What’s your passion in business? I really enjoy making or building something from scratch. A new location, a new incentive, or a new way to look at
something.

Work week: Seven days. Both of my business are open, and so am I.
How do you spend a typical day? Check email, return email and phone
calls, review previous day’s sales, open mail, and process bills. Talk to my
area supervisor on the restaurants. Visit one or two Supercuts locations, or as
required to perform repairs.

How do you balance life and work? Because I work out of the house,
and because I share three corporations with my wife Joanne, the two seem to
go together. It is getting harder and harder to separate the two, but I’m not
complaining.

Favorite fun activities: Playing golf, working on golf clubs, and watching
my son’s high school baseball games.

Last vacation: Week of the 4th of July spent at my brother’s lake house.

Exercise/workout: Not much lately. Two knee operations have

Person I’d most like to have lunch with: Alive: Donald Trump; deceased:
Ben Hogan.

MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy: Treat your employees like family, and treat your
customers like guests.
Management method or style: Low profile. Empower the managers to
act like owners. Trust but verify.
Greatest challenge: To find and retain excellent locations for both concepts.
How do others describe you? Probably as a nice guy.
One thing I’m looking to do better: Do that life/work balance, and to
be better organized.
How I give my team room to innovate and experiment: Together, we identify opportunities, but the staff is assigned the task to develop
an actionable idea to address the subject. I will sometimes provide suggestions
or ideas.
How close are you to operations? With Five Guys I am very close,
with Supercuts, Joanne handles most of the operations stuff and I do the physical stuff.

Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the
economy? How? Not really. We have been focusing on doing the basic
things perfectly to keep customers at the front of our priority list.
How is social media affecting your business? Good question, wish
I had a good answer. We participate so as not to be left out, but I’m not sure
what it does for us, and I won’t quit just in case it’s doing more than I think.
How do you hire and fire? We do both with an eye on improving our
operations. We try to hire future managers, and we fire people who won’t or
can’t contribute to our improvement.
How do you train and retain? I was attracted to both concepts because
of the training that is provided and/or required. Everyone is offered training to
improve their skills and knowledge of the business, and we retain because we
provide a pleasant and professional work environment with growth and development opportunities.

What are the two most important things you rely on from
your franchisor? In the early days I relied on their recommended structure
and construction recommendations. Now, I rely on their second-party observations and sometimes on providing best practices from other operators.
What I need from vendors: Choices and the lowest prices possible.

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How do you deal with problem employees? We (usually the
manager or direct supervisor) address the issues or behaviors with the employee, develop an action plan for improvement along with a timetable for
resolution, and then follow up consistent with the timetable. Everything is
documented as well.
Fastest way into my doghouse: Disrespect a customer or co-worker.

MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE IS S UE II, 2014