By Jack Mackey
Create Your Own
Brand New Box!
Using innovation and technology to compete
I
f you and your franchisees are
currently making a profit, let me
remind you: There are people
who are dedicating their lives to
taking that profit away from you. (And
no, I am not talking about the government.) I am talking about innovators:
people who break with conventional
industry practices while most players
just maintain the status quo. I just had
an amazing experience with a company
called Uber, which is killing competitors with innovation.
My story starts at an out-of-town
event held at an executive’s home. When
I needed a taxi back to my
hotel, my host said, “You
should use Uber. They
are very fast and reliable.
You download their app,
sign up with your name
and your credit card information, and it uses
your smartphone’s GPS
to know exactly where
you are. Then it shows
you how many minutes
it will take for the nearest taxi to arrive.”
As soon as I confirmed
my request, I got a text, “Hi Jack, your
Uber is en route! Abdul (4.7 stars) will
pick you up in 7 minutes.” With the
app, I could watch the taxi progressing
toward me on a map. Whe