Franchise Update Magazine Issue III, 2015 | Page 15

ceoprofile

Leadership
What is your role as CEO? To ensure
that Which Wich continues to grow
domestically and abroad as the superior
sandwich concept. To achieve this, I energize my staff and franchisees to maintain our commitment to offering guests
the best possible product and service by
listening to their feedback and investing
in research and development. My goal
is to ensure that Which Wich never becomes stale. I’m constantly thinking of
new ways to improve our food, service,
social impact, and overall experience—
especially for the customer.
Describe your leadership style. I trust
in all of my team members and welcome
constructive feedback from staff at all
levels. I have great respect for individuals who are confident in themselves and
their ideas. I believe in giving everyone
a chance to make their mark.
What has inspired your leadership
style? Which Wich would not have been
possible if it weren’t for others believing
in me and giving me a chance. Before the
brand was a reality, all I had was business cards and a logo that I had printed
to bring to a restaurant show. By taking
risks and absorbing feedback I was able
to launch as a viable franchise.
What is your biggest leadership challenge? My biggest personal challenge
is implementing change. I am a highly
creative person and love change, which
I believe is necessary for progress. However, I find myself walking on eggshells
when I bring up new ideas to the team.
Change scares people sometimes.
How do you transmit your culture from
your office to front-line employees?
First and foremost, our culture of positivity is instilled within every member of
Which Wich, from our corporate executives to the front-line employees, because
having a positive vibe is a quality that we
look for in our hiring process. We have
a policy where corporate staff members
wear the brand’s vibrant colors (black and
yellow) in the office, which aligns them

“I am a highly
creative person
and love change,
which I believe
is necessary for
progress. However,
I find myself
walking on
eggshells when
I bring up new
ideas to the
team. Change
scares people
sometimes.”
with the front-line employees who wear
our branded uniforms. I also make it a
priority to travel the country and actually meet our line employees, working as
brand ambassadors in all of our stores.
I host what we call “Vibe Visits,” where
I can meet hundreds of team members
and get to know them in a casual environment. I want them to know I care
about each and every person wearing
black and yellow.
Where is the best place to prepare for
leadership: an MBA school or OTJ? I
believe that formal education is important if you want to be promoted within
the workplace. An MBA validates you
as an intelligent professional and gets
your foot in the door—it’s a qualifier.
However, if you do things the textbook
way, you will get textbook results. If you
do things the entrepreneurial way, you
have the ability to achieve exponential
results—high risks lead to high reward.
While I hold an MBA, I have always
carved my own path through trial and
error. Entrepreneurs keep knocking on
doors even after getting 99 “No’s.” You
just have to find one person to say “Yes.”
Are tough decisions best taken by
one person? How do you make tough

decisions? I am extremely open to getting input from those around me to help
me process ideas before I make