Multi-Unit Franchisee Insight - Talking About The Best Business Decisions

We talk to successful multi-unit operators constantly here at Franchise Update. These busy on-the-go people share great insight and wisdom with us through our profile stories in Multi-Unit Franchisee magazine. Here, from our archives, are some responses from some franchisees we have interviewed.

What has been your best business decision?
My best business decisions always revolve around hiring the right people to assist with our growth.

What's the hardest lesson you have learned?
Experience costs money. This was something John Dan would tell us. One example early on was after opening our first location. We had great sales but weren't making money. Finally, I'd had enough and went to John Dan for guidance. He looked at me and said, "I've been waiting for you to ask." As you can imagine, I was puzzled. So we went through the P&Ls and it felt like we improved overnight. Once we finished our meeting I said to him, "If you would have said all of this sooner, we wouldn't have lost money." He said, "Experience costs money." That phrase stuck with me. Every time something happened and we spent too much money, that's what he would say. I can also promise we didn't make the same mistake twice.
Jake Alleman, multi-unit franchisee of Another Broken Egg Café and Chicken Salad Chick

What has been your best business decision?
Getting involved in The Joint Chiropractic brand.

What's the hardest lesson you have learned?
Not everyone is going to like the way you do things.
Robb Quinlan, multi-unit franchisee of The Joint Chiropractic

What has been your best business decision?
I took the risk and moved from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles to open our first Planet Fitness.

What's the hardest lesson you have learned?
It was challenging for me to delegate responsibilities as a new manager. I quickly learned that delegating is a necessary skill in order to operate efficiently, especially when trying to grow a business.
Joe Bernatowicz, multi-unit franchisee of Planet Fitness and ZIPS Dry Cleaners