Franchise Update Magazine Issue III, 2012 | Page 12

CEO profile:
do so did not appreciate that style of
management, so I try not to do that to
anyone I work with.

“A good
education and
exposure to
experiential
learning is
very helpful,
but nothing
replaces actual
experience.”

What is your biggest leadership challenge? Biting my tongue when someone

is clearly going down the wrong path or
not getting it done as quickly as I could.
How do you transmit your culture from
your office to front-line employees?

We have a very open culture. I am available to everyone and I will not hesitate
to jump in any place or any time I am
needed. We want people to work together
and it is never about the individual, it is
always about the group.
Where is the best place to prepare
for leadership: an MBA school or
OTJ? A good education and exposure

returning veterans. “We’ve undergone
training and are approved to help put
vets in business,” he says. “We’ve started
mobile franchising at less than half the
cost of a regular unit.”
Margiano’s objective for Foot Solutions is to have 100 units owned by
veterans over the next two years. “We
have 15 right now and we employ about
200 vets throughout our niche. We hold
job fairs and fundraisers for vets, and I
also volunteer to be an adviser to those
who need it,” he says.
Margiano’s support of his fellow vets
has not gone unnoticed. He was named
2010 Vetrepreneur of the Year by the
National Veteran-Owned Business Association, an honor bestowed annually
to a preeminent role model. He says he
is proud to help.
“These people have dedicated their
lives, often being seriously injured, and
now are finding it hard to get work.
When you’ve been in an environment
of life and death working closely with a
team, it’s hard to replace that emotion.
We want to let vets know they are not
alone during this transition, that there
are people willing to work with them
and help them.”
LEADERSHIP
What is your role as CEO? I have al-

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Franchiseupdate Iss u e III, 2 0 1 2

ways been a bootstrapper and hands-on
entrepreneur, which has driven many
of my employees and franchisees crazy.
Only in the last year have I stepped back
from day-to-day management and at levels I had no business going to. Because
I have always been a workaholic, I was
still able to work on the bigger picture
and vision of the company. Although
it was difficult to do and accept, I now
truly enjoy having a president run the
day-to-day operation and take the weight
off my back. I am getting more accomplished and staying much more focused
on the company’s growth, success, and
strategy for the changing marketplace,
which tells me I should have done this
years ago.
Describe your leadership style. I am

very interactive but want people to
get the job done in their own way and
style. I don’t want to be looking over
anyone’s shoulder or having to follow
up. I expect everyone to do what they
are supposed to.
What has inspired your leadership
style? It started when I was very young.

I worked with my dad in his garage
since I was 11. He loved to look over
my shoulder when I was working on
an engine and tell me the next thing
to do. I already knew the next thing to

to experiential learning is very helpful,
but nothing replaces actual experience
and working in a place where you are
exposed to reality and how to deal with it.
Are tough decisions best taken by
one person? How do you make tough
decisions? Ultimately someone has to

make the call. My philosophy has always
been to openly discuss issues with key
people or experts that I trust for open,
objective input. This allows me to look
at the situation a few different ways and
then decide. This is a critical part of being a successful entrepreneur.
Do you want to be liked or respected? I think everyone deep down wants

to be liked and respected, but no one
can keep everyone happy, especially
in franchising. Being fair, objective,
consistent, and sticking to your core
beliefs is critical. At the end of the
day, being respected is achievable and
should be your goal.
Advice to CEO wannabes: I am a

workaholic and love what I do, so this
is a tough one for me. Most successful people I know are passionate and
driven, which is something that I don’t
believe is teachable. Having said that,
when I look back on my own life, there
probably was more than one occasion
when my choice of work over personal