Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2011 | Page 10

mufranchisee.com 8 MUFranchisee.com For this and more web-exclusive content, visit www.mufranchisee.com/q211/. conferences Online edition 10th Multi-Unit Franchising Conference A decade young and it just keeps getting better! Franchise Update Media Group’s annual Multi-Unit Franchising Conference is rolling back into the city of high stakes, Las Vegas. Make plans now to attend the conference on April 27–29, 2011 at The Venetian Las Vegas. Expect the best in the industry to be front and center at this year’s event. The sessions will be packed, the Expo Hall buzzing, and the discussions lively at the key event of the year for the multi-unit franchising business. For a look back on the 2010 conference (including the presentations) and a peek ahead to this spring’s agenda, speakers, and registration information, visit www.multiunitfranchising conference.com/. Now you can have everyday access to Multi-Unit Franchisee magazine on your computer, at home, or at work. This free online edition is feature-packed and fully searchable, printable, and downloadable. Look for the Online Edition link on mufranchisee.com/. Online Multi-Unit Community Check out our new community-based mufranchisee.com website. Your exclusive look into the world of multi-unit franchising. Your one-stop online shop to find: • Exclusive articles • Interviews • News coverage • Perspectives • Interactive networking • and more.... Franchising.com 3.0 launched! The new Franchising.com is now ready for use by franchise buyers, with new and faster ways to connect entrepreneurs with the right franchise opportunities through cutting-edge content and innovative online tools. Franchising.com is also now on Facebook at www. facebook.com/franchisingcom: click “Search” for instant access to more than 2,000 brands by industry, location, and investment level. Watch for additional new services in 2011, including a businesses for sale directory, more franchise opportunity videos, and an “Ask the Pros” question where users submit questions and franchisors compete for the spotlight by answering them. Looking for a new brand? Industry news? Browse through our Franchise Opportunities, Education Center, Resources, Franchise Newsroom, and Video Spotlight at www.franchising.com/. MUlti-Unit Franchisee Is s ue II, 2011 Big Dreams Indianapolis native Greg Willman and his friend Phil Salsbery were corporate types who didn’t know anything about restaurant franchising. But that didn’t stop them from signing on the dotted line in 1998. “We dove right in,” says Willman. “It was either the smartest or the dumbest thing we ever did—it almost put us under. We were small with no restaurant experience, but it ended up working out well and those stores all continue to do well.” Willman, who believes in “sweating the details every day,” says there is no deep, dark secret to their success. “We’re not inventing anything or doing anything overly sophisticated—we’re serving food. We’re a meat-and-potatoes, blocking-and-tackling kind of organization,” he says. “We try to be brilliant at the basics every day in