Q1 | 2009

2009 MultiUnit Franchisee Mega 99

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FEATURE

Lights, Camera, Action!: For This Nonstopreneur, The Restaurant Business Is Show Biz

Economic Stimulators: Sheer Will And Smarts Help These Multi-Unit Franchisees Move Ahead In Challenging Times

History Teaches, But Do We Learn?

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What Do You Know?: Share Your Customer Intelligence With Your Team

I have a suggestion that will raise your odds of winning--and it won't cost you any money. To clarify what I mean by improving your probability of winning, let me contrast that with an example of winning by chance.

Jack Mackey

And the Answers Are...

As you may recall, in my last column I asked if the hiring managers in your organization know the answers to the 15 questions that make all the difference between success and failure in recruiting, selecting, and retaining the best employees. Here now are the answers.

Mel Kleiman

Family Style: Keeping Family And Business Growing Together

Greg Hamer, Sr. grew up working in his father's Louisiana oilfield service business. But in 1982, he began to put time and money into growing a franchise business that has since grown to 50 locations.

John Carroll

Home Field Advantage: You May Have A Built-In Exit Strategy In Your Own Backyard

When franchise sellers seek exit strategies, they most often look to strategic buyers, other franchisees, their franchisor, or financial investors such as private equity as potential buyers for their businesses.

Dean Zuccarello

Taking the Crunch Out of Crime: Reducing Retail Loss In An Economic Downturn

There may be some lag time, but experts note that every recession since the 1950s--with its rising unemployment and weakened economy--has been tied to an increase in crime, most notably property crimes and robbery.

Rollie Trayte and Gary Widman

Have Credit, Will Travel: Opportunities Abound For Multi-Unit Operators With Cash And Experience

First, let's set the record straight on what's going on. This isn't just a credit crunch crisis. It may have been triggered by credit issues, but it is much bigger than that now and won't be solved by governments throwing money at it, although that is a necessary first step. This crisis will get solved when consumer income and debt levels can support a stable level of demand, not just in the U.S., but worldwide.

Darrell Johnson

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Destined for Gymdom: Former

When Jeff Innocenti was a teenager in the Bronx, he and his brother James pretty much lived at the Gold's Gym in nearby Yonkers. "Our mother bought us our first membership and we became gym rats," says Innocenti, now 40. "Working out with weights was pretty much all we did at the time. We may as well have lived there."

Amy Zuckerman

Not Your Average Anything: Former C Student Is All Aces Today

Ella Avery-Smothers may have been a C-level student in high school, but she's far from average. This 63-year-old multi-unit owner, who operates seven Burger Kings in the Los Angeles area, pulled herself out of poverty as a child to become a player in the franchise restaurant industry. And she's just opened two El Pollo Locos, with two more under construction.

Amy Zuckerman

Smoothie Sailing: Sam Osborne Loves His Role As An Area Developer

As a student at Florida State University, the entrepreneurial spirit in Sam Osborne led him to own and operate a small personal training business. One of his clients was David Walker, who was soon to be a co-founder of Tropical Smoothie Café. Things have "worked out" well for both.

Kerry Pipes

Work in Progress: Change Comes Early And Often For This Mega-Owner

With 324 Subways in Oklahoma and Kansas, Don Rottinghaus knows his brand and his market. Must be time for something new. "I work those areas constantly," he says. He has to. Over the past 20 years, the multi-unit franchisee has built a huge chain of Subway locations in the region. And now he's taking on a new challenge, bringing a taste of Southern California sunshine to the Midwest. Over the next 5 years, Rottinghaus will develop 12 new LA Sunset Tan locations in Oklahoma and 25 in Kansas.

John Carroll

Dear Landlord: This May Be The Best Time In Years To Be A Tenant

It's hard to ignore the negative press about the economy, and it's almost impossible not to cringe at the mention of credit rates and loans. But (and there's always a but) the glass remains half full--or possibly even overflowing--for those lucky enough to be tenants in today's real estate market.

Dan Rowe

To The

For a man in the hospitality business who's traveled widely, Ted Torres didn't fall far from the tree, nor did he want to. "My father, a first-generation hotelier, was my mentor, teacher, coach, and partner," says Torres, who at 43 has been in the business for 20 years. His most far-flung project, building hotels for Hilton across Russia, never came to fruition--through no lack of willingness on his part--but it was a fabulous month-long adventure just the same.

Eddy Goldberg