From Pakistan to Papa Johns: Franchisee's American Journey includes more than 200 Units

Name: Nadeem Saleem Bajwa
Title: CEO
Company: Bajco Group
No. of units: 207 Papa Johns
Age: 54
Family: Wife, 3 daughters
Years in franchising: 22
Years in current position: 22

Nadeem Bajwa overcame tragedy early in his life and applied a growth mindset to become an American success story while developing into one of the largest operators with Papa Johns.

A Pakistan native, Bajwa was 10 years old when his father died. The loss placed a tremendous emotional and financial burden on the entire family. Although Bajwa didn't have the grades to become a doctor as some of his siblings eventually did, he believed he had the skills to become a successful businessman.

He moved to the U.S. in 1991 and got his first exposure to the business world by working at a pizza restaurant. He handled routine tasks, such as washing dishes, mopping floors, and making deliveries. That first job gave him a sense of what life could be like in a new country.

"It was quite challenging, but I enjoyed it after everything I had been through. It was a huge culture shock for me at the time, but I was able to see firsthand how America is the land of opportunity," he says.

Bajwa served as general manager and district manager for Papa Johns before opening his first franchise location in 2002. In addition to surrounding himself with a strong team, he credits the simplicity of the franchise model as a key to scaling his business. Today, Bajwa operates more than 200 Papa Johns stores with the goal of more than doubling that total in the future. He's on his way. His newest signed agreement with the pizza brand includes a commitment to open an additional 50 stores over the next five years.

"I am always looking ahead and setting goals," he says. "For me, the fun starts when you expand into multiple units, and you can see what you are building for yourself and others in the future."

PERSONAL

First job: My first job came in 1991 when I was 22 years old. I was a dishwasher and pizza delivery driver in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Formative influences/events: My father suddenly passed away when I was in the fifth grade. He was the vanguard of the family, a man of vision and compassion. It was obviously devastating to me and my family. His passing placed a huge burden on my mother.

Key accomplishments: I co-founded and developed one of the most efficient restaurant management operations in the Papa Johns system with more than 200 units. I founded call centers, a tech company, and a construction business.

Biggest current challenge: Being able to balance quality and affordability for our customers. We want to provide an outstanding product with great ingredients while also doing so at an affordable price.

Next big goal: Reaching 500-plus Papa Johns locations.

First turning point in your career: When I opened my first Papa Johns location in 2002.

Best business decision: Becoming a Papa Johns franchisee. It has been a blessing, especially as an immigrant. The Papa Johns family is so welcoming and provides tremendous support for their franchisees. I never expected to own more than 12 stores, and I currently operate more than 200.

Hardest lesson learned: I was too focused on marketing when I opened my first location without preparing enough operationally. We did not provide great service, and I lost most of the crew as a result. I worked very hard to make it successful but learned you have to balance a lot when starting a new business.

Work week: Monday through Friday, which includes a couple of days for travel. I try to spend the weekend with my family and networking.

Exercise/workout: My goal is to get 10,000 steps a day.

Best advice you ever got: Manage your time well. Surround yourself with people who have the desire to win and groom them into your future leaders.

What's your passion in business? Growing my business. I thrive when being associated with talented, hard-working people and developing them into great leaders.

How do you balance life and work? Unfortunately, it is not as balanced as I would like it to be between family and business. I am blessed to have a great partner/wife and kids who understand that we are making this sacrifice for something great.

Guilty pleasure: Traveling and relaxing with family. We enjoy traveling internationally, especially to Pakistan and Istanbul, Turkey.

Favorite book: I actually prefer listening to audiobooks. I will read up on politics or restaurant industry news.

Favorite movie: "Training Day." Denzel Washington is my favorite actor.

What do most people not know about you? I like being a bit nervous although I try not to show it. I feel a little bit of anxiety is not a bad thing. It keeps me focused.

Pet peeve: I feel I am focused on growth and constantly thinking ahead. I am of the mindset that I want things done yesterday. I don't react well when people are not punctual or don't plan and execute things in a timely manner.

What did you want to be when you grew up? I was never the best student growing up, and I knew I couldn't become a doctor like several other members of my family. I thought I could eventually become a successful businessman, so that is where I focused my efforts.

Last vacation: Last year I went on a trip to Pakistan and Dubai.

Person you'd most like to have lunch with: My mother, who still lives in Pakistan. She used to visit us once a year but can no longer travel. I miss her, and she has done so much for our family. I owe a lot of my success to her. Any minute I can spend with her, I try to do so.

MANAGEMENT

Business philosophy: Without growth, it is just a full-time job. You need to enjoy what you do.

Management method or style: Visionary. You can't just plan for your career and future. You have to surround yourself with great people and keep them in mind to be successful.

Greatest challenge: To develop a team over a long period of time. It is exciting. and I enjoy it. I often say that we are not in the pizza business but rather the people business.

How do others describe you? Disciplined and persistent. I set my mind on certain goals, and I continue to work until I achieve them.

Have you ever been in a mentor-mentee relationship? What did you learn? Not formally. However, I believe in constant learning and evolving through the process. The easiest way to learn is through people who have done it before.

One thing you're looking to do better: Managing time with my family.

How you give your team room to innovate and experiment: I keep communication open and never stop them from bringing forth ideas to me.

How close are you to operations? As close as I can be. Without a good grip on operations, you can never be able to solve problems even if operational leadership is well placed to manage day-to-day. To grow, it is paramount to have an accurate pulse of current operations.

What are the two most important things you rely on from your franchisor? Have a relationship built on trust and respect. In addition to having an established business model in place, any good franchisor should be open to feedback and collaboration. Franchisees should be able to bring solutions to improve profitable growth.

What you need from vendors: To have a relationship in which we work like partners. Instead of just being a supplier, we should know our success is linked to each other, and we are working for our mutual betterment.

Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the economy? How? Yes. First-party data is key to targeting different customer segments as needed. Papa Johns has heavily invested in technology, so we can target different customers through an easy-to-use internal portal.

How is social media affecting your business? Social media is a very powerful tool and definitely impacts all aspects of our lives. For a business, it is a great way to quickly communicate with our customers. But it can impact negatively if not managed well. You must be careful to not use messaging or topics that would strike a negative tone with your customers.

How do you hire and fire? Attitudes often determine if someone will be successful in a given role. A positive attitude is an asset, and a negative one can be a destructive liability.

How do you train and retain? It often starts with a good franchisor's model, which includes training platforms. Teach people why the model is effective and efficient.

How do you deal with problem employees? By listening. I try to be flexible as long it doesn't negatively impact an organization's discipline. I believe in giving people a second chance.

Fastest way into your doghouse: Losing focus from the main goal. We have the best product if we make it the right way. I can get upset if people lose track of the importance of providing a great product with great service to the customer.

BOTTOM LINE

2024 goals: Build more Papa Johns stores than committed to get ahead and continue our revenue growth. I recently signed an agreement to open an additional 50 stores over the next five years.

Growth meter: How do you measure your growth? Through sales, transactions, margins, development and acquisitions, and human resources.

Vision meter: Where do you want to be in five years? 10 years? I would like to double the size of my organization.

Do you have brands in different segments? Why/why not? I only operate Papa Johns franchises currently. I have looked at some others in the QSR space but have not felt comfortable with any other brand yet. Outside of QSR franchises, I own businesses in real estate, business process outsourcing (BPO), information and communication technology (ICT), and construction.

How is the economy in your region(s) affecting you, your employees, your customers? I have a presence in all regions across North America. Some areas have their own unique advantages and challenges that we have learned to deal with. This is why our local strategy is different in each market.

Are you experiencing economic growth in your market? We have seen a lot of construction and growth in certain markets, like Jacksonville, Phoenix, and Indiana.

How do changes in the economy affect the way you do business? Pressure on the consumer's wallet does definitely add pressure on our margins. We offer a better product than any other pizza franchise, but we need to make sure the consumers can afford it.

How do you forecast for your business? We forecast for both the long and short term. In addition to looking at yearly or multi-year strategies, we are also examining goals over shorter periods of time, such as a monthly or quarterly basis or a seasonal promotion.

What are the best sources for capital expansion? I believe using equity and debt is the fastest way to grow.

Experience with private equity, local banks, national banks, other institutions? Why/why not? I have never worked with private equity. I am concerned about too much involvement or pressure on return. I use traditional lenders whom we have been working with from the beginning.

What are you doing to take care of your employees? In addition to competitive compensation and benefits, we always try to make the job fun and exciting for them. In order to have longevity, your team must feel they are contributing, proud of the work they do, and that they belong there.

How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, minimum wage, healthcare, etc.)? With efficiency and automation. Papa Johns as a franchisor does a great job of bringing efficiencies to the table for its franchisees.

What laws and regulations are affecting your business, and how are you dealing with them? Any laws that raise the cost of running the business impact us. It isn't easy, but we figure out how to adjust. We've been profitable whether the minimum wage was $4.25 an hour or $15 an hour.

How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees? Often through bonuses and raises. We also offer opportunities for their growth. We like to promote from within. I like having others in the business grow with me through the years.

What kind of exit strategy do you have in place? Right now, I am only focused on growth strategy. I am focused on building the organization by keeping in mind that individuals don't last, but an organization can only survive if it is built with a strong foundation. This is the reason one of my main focuses is to develop leaders for tomorrow who can continue to grow the organization even after I am gone.