Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2015

RECONNECT: MULTI-BRAND 50 MANAGEMENT Business philosophy: All I need from my associates is a good attitude and a belief in accountability—that and performance! franchisor? A legitimate national plan and ongoing support. Some are better at this than others. Management method or style: I support all of my associates, provide guidance, and remind them of what our long-term goals are when we are faced with short-term situations. Sometimes those on the front line can have their perspective skewed. A reminder of the view from 30,000 feet can be helpful. What I need from vendors: Products and services that are timely and effective, and No Excuses! Greatest challenge: I ﬁnd it hard to be patient sometimes. To me the vision is clear. How do others describe you? I think most of them would say I’m smart, but I’m hoping they would say I’m humble too, as I always appreciate the fact that my personal success is the result of a team operation. Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the economy? How? Yes. We are much more controlled and precise in our marketing than we used to be. The old days of throwing a lot of stuff against the wall are gone. How is social media affecting your business? It’s critical. We use it in all our operations extensively. One thing I’m looking to do better: I always strive to improve how I train leaders in my organization. How do you hire and ﬁre? I like to hire attitude and aptitude. Skills can be taught. Firing? Reluctantly and with compassion. How I give my team room to innovate and experiment: I’m always willing to take a shot on a well-thought-out strategy. If it works, we see if we can replicate it. If not, we try something else. I am ﬁne with delegating the authority that goes with the responsibility as long as we continually assess the results. From that review point, we can modify what we do next. How do you train and retain? We start by making sure they understand the long-term mission. Then we continue to educate, hold them responsible, and reward them. How close are you to operations? I oversee through daily numbers, every day, every time. I’m never far from my phone or computer. How do you deal with problem employees? Write ’em up and ride ’em out. While we give them opportunity at every stage to improve, sometimes the job we have th em in is just not the right slot and we have to let them go. What are the two most important things you rely on from your Fastest way into my doghouse: Lie to me. That will do it every time. “I have been fortunate enough to ﬁnd people who agree with my outlook and operate at high levels to be part of my team.” BOTTOM LINE Annual revenue: $4 million. we have a good relationship with our bank. 2015 goals: Open three Amazing Lash Studios. Experience with private equity, local banks, national banks, other institutions? Why/why not? Our relationship with SunTrust is awesome, others not so much. We keep them in the loop and involve them frequently in our plans. Growth meter: How do you measure your growth? By net members and net dollars. Vision meter: Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10 years? I plan to keep rocking and rolling for 5 years and hope to be relaxing in 10! How is the economy in your region affecting you, your employees, your customers? The economy comes and goes, but our operations are solid and hanging in there. Are you experiencing economic growth in your market? Yes, we are. I give a lot of that credit to our concepts and our teams. How do changes in the economy affect the way you do business? More money in consumers’ pockets is good for us. How do you forecast for your business? We always forecast growth and plan percentage increases. We don’t want concepts that don’t have a strong growth element to them. What are the best sources for capital expansion? We self-fund and 52 What are you doing to take care of your employees? We pay top dollar and provide a great work environment, training, and support. How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, minimum wage, healthcare, etc.)? We just have to keep growing and making more money to buy best-in-class performance. How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees? Well, money is always popular, but we also provide opportunities for personal growth and recognition among peers. What kind of exit strategy do you have in place? My plan is to build ’em and sell ’em! We always plan our operations around setting them up right and running them right. That makes them attractive to people who would rather step into established businesses. MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE IS S UE II, 2015 muf2_c_merrill(48,50,52).indd 52 3/16/15 12:49 PM

Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2015 | Page 54