Lead

Part 1 of this series addressed how to improve attendance at franchisee conventions. Part 2 discussed how to maximize the benefits to your franchisees. This final article explores strategies for taking the momentum generated at your convention into your franchisee operations and using it as a recruiting tool for your next convention. As with the first two parts, we drew on the results of an online survey conducted by Speak!, Ingage Consulting, and Franchise Business Review, which drew responses from nearly 200 franchisors.

Hosting a top-quality, exciting conference can do many things for your organization. For starters, it inspires your current franchisees, sparking and renewing enthusiasm for the business and for the relationship between the franchisees and franchisor...

Applying metrics to the "people" side of franchising

As franchisors, it's your primary responsibility to make operational decisions based on the franchise system as a whole. Being a strategist comes with responsibilities, such as determining the level of your organizational health, monitoring channels of potential threats, and developing action plans that tackle and solve applicable problems and solutions. Sounds somewhat erudite, doesn't it? Based on this thinking, selecting the right franchisee sounds like the least of a franchisor's worries. Wrong. Actually, it's what will make the rest of the workload that much lighter.

The power of personality
As CEO of a firm that creates behavioral metrics and benchmarks, I'm constantly conducting research into the behavioral patterns of successful people...

A strong leader needs to define their vision for success, effectively document it, and communicate it over and over again.
We have two jobs: 1) providing the tools, systems, and products for our current stores to succeed; and 2) spreading the Cartridge World message so more entrepreneurs join our franchise. Motivated entrepreneurs who seek a path to fulfill their financial goals and are able to communicate the value of a product and service will succeed.
We are reinvigorating both our current business support systems and franchise development efforts with the help of focused internal and external people power. We have partnered with a very strong franchise development organization to jump-start this process.

8 workplace values that drive success
Defining, communicating, and living specific values create the culture of an organization...

Sam Ballas waxes eloquently--and passionately--about East Coast Wings & Grill, the company he acquired in 2001. As CEO, he preaches the product's quality and the menu's diversity, lauds the devoted team of professionals he's assembled in the corporate office, and talks about his careful system growth strategy that emphasizes quality over quantity. But he sums up the brand best when he says, "We get it. Franchisees first, then corporate success will follow."
Ballas grew up in a Greek immigrant family that operated restaurants. "By the time you were 12 years old, you were shoved into a restaurant busing tables or running a cash register," he recalls. But he also was learning how businesses operate. His parents wanted him to go to college and have a better life than they had...

When I joined Arby's as president in May 2010, I was eager to once again work with the roast-beef sandwich leader and pioneer, where I served as vice president of product marketing and strategic planning in the early 1990s. This time I had a much greater task at hand. Through the collaborative effort of a new leadership team, we succeeded in restoring the confidence of our franchisees and their employees and reinvigorating our menu. With eight consecutive quarters of same-store sales increases, we are laying the foundation to start growing the brand again.
Part 1 of this series (Franchise Update, Q4 2012) explored the strategic steps taken to bounce back from four years of slumping sales and profits. In Part 2, I discuss how Arby's refranchising strategy contributed...

Ralph Askar is building a successful brand... again

Just as history has a way of repeating itself, Ralph Askar has a way of leaving his mark on organizations. He's doing it again with Instant Imprints.
In his more than 25 years in franchising, the former civil engineer from Chicago has been one of the most successful area franchisees and international master licensees for Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) and The UPS Store, working to build the brands in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia. He's also been on both sides of the fence, as franchisee and franchisor. At MBE, he was a corporate executive, serving as vice president and as president and CEO for the brand in Canada. In 2005, under his leadership, MBE rebranded as The UPS Store and went on to enjoy significant growth as a franchise...

"Change is hard, but it doesn't have to be painful."

Like most U.S. business sectors, the smoothie industry was hit hard during the recession. To remain competitive in a growing market we needed to start 2012 with new initiatives to ensure we were a key player. As president and CEO, I can tell you that reinvigorating a brand is tough. To successfully implement changes and set up your franchise for long-term growth, it's vital to be accessible to your employees, honestly analyze every aspect of your company, and set realistic goals.
Analyze the situation. Evaluate your company's strengths and weaknesses and focus on leveraging what you do best. Figure out what sets you apart from the competition and capitalize on that...

This past August marked a milestone for Randy Shacka and for Two Men and a Truck: Shacka not only became the first non-family president of the Michigan-based franchisor, he also did it at the only company he's ever worked for--and at just 33.
"I started out in 2001 as an intern in the marketing department while attending Michigan State University. I was an engineering student with no background in moving or franchising," he says. Then he "fell in love" with the company, the brand, and the founding family members, especially the brand's attention to detail and its unwavering customer service model.
A year later he moved to Florida to open a Two Men and a Truck franchise in Seminole County. "I was two classes short of obtaining a degree in engineering sciences at the time and I came from a conservative home, so my parents weren't particularly thrilled with my decision," he says today...

Doug Pendergast makes no bones about it when he says one of his goals for Krystal Burger is to focus the brand on being better, not bigger.
"We're excited to take this established brand that has a great history and make it even more relevant for existing and new customers," says the president and CEO who's been on the job only since last April. Following the recent acquisition of Krystal by Argonne Capital Group, Pendergast says this relationship will help refresh and reinvigorate the brand. "I hope we can look back in five years and see what a turning point 2012 was," he says.
Pendergast, who holds an MBA from Harvard, first dipped his toe in the waters of franchising in 2001 with AFC Enterprises, where he was vice president of corporate strategy...

In July 2011, Atlanta-based private equity firm, Roark Capital Group, purchased Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc. The industry and media came abuzz about the future of Arby's--and if and how the brand would bounce back from four years of slumping sales and profits that were compounded by the economic downturn in 2008.
What wasn't public knowledge was the behind-the-scenes work that had been taking place for more than a year to restore the company's profitability and growth. Not even the second-largest quick service sandwich chain in the U.S., with more than 3,600 restaurants, can expect to sign franchise agreements based on brand recognition alone.
We recognized that many stores in the system, including corporate stores, needed a facelift to keep up with the competition...

Multi-unit franchisees tell their stories in new video series

Burton W. Folsom uncovered something revolutionary about capitalism in 19th century America. And in his books, he debunks commonly held views about the role of capitalism in the social developments of the Industrial Revolution and the Gilded Age.
Nowhere does Folsom make his case more clearly than in his 1998 book, Empire Builders: How Michigan Entrepreneurs Helped Make America Great. In this book, he wrote about a number of great business leaders who made their state and nation into a great economic power by the end of the 1800s.
What does any of this have to do with franchising? Plenty. Folsom's understanding of the critical importance of entrepreneurs and how they affect their cultures helped frame the development of EmpireBuilders...

Part 1: Generating maximum attendance

This is the first of a three-part series on how to optimize your franchisee conventions. In this first part, we examine how to get more franchisees to attend your convention. In the second, we will address how to get the maximum benefit from your conventions. Finally, in the third part, we will look at how you can extend the life of your conventions and ensure you derive the maximum benefit from them.
No singular event is as powerful as your convention in terms of communicating with your franchisees. It is the single most effective form of franchisor-franchisee communication. According to Katrina Mitchell, CEO of Speak!, "A key investment for most franchise systems is their annual franchise convention...

Ray Margiano Takes One Step Back to Move Several Ahead

A year ago, Ray Margiano, an admitted lifelong "workaholic," had an epiphany. Having successfully created and grown Foot Solutions to global prominence and 173 units in 16 countries, Margiano decided to do what many high-powered executives never dare. He took a step back from the day-to-day operation of his multi-million-dollar businesses.
"Many entrepreneurs find their ideas get too big to manage or they don't have the skill set to manage. That's not an issue for me. However, I've always been a visionary, an idea person, and I found that the more immersed I became in day-to-day details--doing things other people could do--the less time I was spending on the concepts," he says...

After 30 years in franchising, there is one lesson that I've learned personally and shared professionally. It goes like this: It's one thing to know your business. It's another to know your customer. If you can master both of these things, you will be extraordinarily successful as a result.
That is true across our service brands at The Dwyer Group. And it's true in my role as chairwoman and CEO as well. When I assumed these roles in 2007, some people could not imagine a woman in a "male's role." But instead of focusing on other people's reservations, I concentrated on a perspective we could all agree upon:
I am the target customer. I am the woman of the house, the person who typically schedules the majority of some 2 million service and repair calls our service brands make each year...

Teamwork and collaboration drive Bob Johnston at Melting Pot Brands

Building on nostalgia and innovation to "revolutionize" fast casual

As president and chief executive of Bennigan's Franchising Company, I have the honor of being at the helm of a renaissance. In Part 1 of this series (Franchise Update, Q2), I talked about our quest to restore the integrity of an iconic brand. Through a strategic analysis and overhaul of our training, operations, design, marketing, real estate, and supply chain, Bennigan's has differentiated itself and created a legendary brand experience for every guest, every meal, every day. Looking forward to what's next, how do we continue this renaissance beyond our four walls? How do we continue to stay true to the nostalgia of our brand while introducing new, forward-thinking concepts that are going to help our franchise partners succeed and grow, and keep winning new guests every day?

Creating a new box
At Bennigan's, we aren't thinking outside of the box, we are creating a new box...

As a hospital administrator, Allen Hager had personally seen the anguish that families faced when searching for safe, appropriate, quality home care services for their family members returning home.
"There was a gap between the transition of care that was needed and given in the hospital and care that was needed when the patient transitioned back home," says the 54-year old founder and CEO of Right at Home. His desire to create a healthcare resource to fill this gap led him to launch the in-home senior care and assistance company in 1995, based in Omaha.
That "can do" attitude has been a part of Hager's makeup for a long time. The West Virginia native's first career following college was in state government. It's where he first was exposed to healthcare and social programs...

Rick Silva developed a passion and understanding for business early in life. The son of Cuban immigrants, he watched his mom and dad start their own small business from scratch in Miami. He learned about customers, competition, inventory, procedures and processes. Most of all, he learned about hard work and dedication.
"Watching my parents run that business taught me a real passion for operating a business and being successful," says the 46-year-old Silva--key characteristics that are aiding his tenure as president and CEO of Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, which includes more than 800 Checkers and Rally's restaurants in the U.S.
Silva has been at the helm of Checkers since early 2007. That's when he was lured away from his management position at Burger King by the leadership style and philosophies of the private equity group that had just purchased Checkers...

It's a familiar scenario: a successful concept is born from a family-owned restaurant where everybody knows your name and embodies a particular culture.
But success can ruin everything. The business can grow or get acquired or go public. Suddenly, the original team members are a number to human resources and the culture is reduced to rules and regulations.
That could have happened when Quaker Steak & Lube expanded beyond its original location in a former gasoline station. Its culture of delivering fun could have been compromised. Yet, research shows 53 percent of our guests still come for the fun atmosphere. Guests say they "feel good" when leaving.
Quaker Steak & Lube is different not only because of the cars, décor, great food, and best wings...

Everyone loves a good comeback story, and I am honored and humbled to be at the helm of a classic turnaround tale.
Norman Brinker, the casual dining innovator and icon behind Bennigan's, was a wonderful friend and mentor in the business. Thirty-five years ago, he and a team of hard-working executives, many of whom grew within the business and later became CEOs of concepts we know today, built a successful brand with great integrity. When I took over as chief executive of Bennigan's Franchising Company in May 2011, I had nothing but respect for this beloved brand and the franchisees who invested their money and talents into it.
Like many casual-themed brands, Bennigan's became a victim of brand drift over time, moving away from the core elements that made it famous in the late 1980s...