Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2016 | Page 40

MULTI

BRAND

build it out, but I have a philosophy that
I use all the brains I have and borrow as
much as I can, so we finally got it open,”
Smith says. “I see being a franchisee as
owning part of a consumer’s mind. It’s a
path to quick growth.”
At one point, Smith and his partner
owned 12 Subways. They sold them off
gradually, wrapping up in 2002, and signing an area development agreement with
Popeyes.
Again, his gut had come into play. “When
we opened a Subway in Monticello, Arkansas, there was a Popeyes next door. The first
time I ate there, I knew right then that I
could sell this. The food was phenomenal.
It’s addictive,” says Smith.
Smith came upon his second restaurant
brand by virtue of a member of the Captain
D’s sales franchise team who “kept bugging”
him about it. “I got so tired of her calling
that I said I’d have a look at the brand. We
didn’t have one close by so we went out
in February 2015 to meet the Captain D’s
folks in Nashville,” he recalls.
“I’d not had their food in years, but
I went down based on our research, in-

“My philosophy has
always been,
‘I can see this
community without
our brand, but
could never see the
brand without the
community.’”
cluding the fact that Captain D’s has been
around since 1969 and we wanted to go
with an established franchise for a second
restaurant brand,” he says. “I learned that
Phil Greifeld had re-invented the brand
in a way that was absolutely amazing. We
loved the new grilled platform and the
batter-dipped fish. Great product, great
new building look, great leadership—and I
was blown away by the quality of the food
for the price and amount of food.”
Having come near the end of his current Popeyes contract (he’ll be finished with

new builds in about 18 months), Smith said
he knew Captain D’s was a great way to
“dilute risk, grow in some of the markets
we’re already in, and generate revenue.”
His first Captain D’s opened in Arkansas
in December 2015, and another is under
construction. Smith’s contract calls for a
total of 50 Captain D’s restaurants by 2026.
In between acquiring and building
Popeyes and Captain D’s franchises, Smith
and his company became involved with
Mossy Oak. The commission-based franchise requires little overhead and is a great,
well-known brand, he says. “My thought
was that the worse the world becomes, the
more people will want to go into the country and buy their own piece of heaven on
earth. Mossy Oak has done a great job of
leveraging a brand to grow a new business
model. We love it.”
That love is evident in Smith’s enjoyment
of his farm in Missouri: a retreat where he
and his family regularly host hunting and
fishing weekends. The real estate business
fits in just fine with Popeyes and Captain
D’s, where the Smith family eats regularly.
“We’re our own best customers,” he says.

PERSONAL
First job: Golf course greenskeeper for three summers when I was 17, 18,
and 19.

What’s your passion in business? Finding great up-and-coming brands
and growing them in new markets.

Formative influences/events: A very easy question: Without a doubt, it
was meeting the Lord on March 13, 1997, and becoming a believer in Jesus
Christ.

How do you balance life and work? I have a farm in Southwest Missouri that is my place of refuge. I carry my family and friends there for special
times like Christmas and Thanksgiving and many other events and fun times.
We hunt and fish on the farms there. We actually just had our annual rabbit
hunt where we harvested 80 rabbits. We had many friends and business associates come for the three-day hunt. Each time I leave the farm, I tell my farm
manager Steven, “I am just trying to get back here.”

Key accomplishments: 1994 Subway Franchisee of the Year and being
recently elected to the President’s Advisory Council for Captain D’s.
Biggest current challenge: Land and construction costs without a doubt.
Next big goal: To grow the Captain D’s brand in a big way: 50 new restaurants by 2026.
First turning point in your career: When I sold our Subways in the early
2000s to pursue the Popeyes development in Northwest Arkansas.
Best business decision: Selling the Subways to pursue a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen development.
Hardest lesson learned: That the Krystal Burger brand didn’t work in
Northwest Arkansas.
Work week: Each day starts with quiet time and K-Love satellite music when
I am at home. On Tuesday morning all the numbers for the previous week are
in, and I analyze them before an Above Store Leader conference call at 9 a.m.
I hold construction call meetings at some point each week. I am involved in my
local church on Sundays so I am there when I am in town. The rest is a moving
target since my world revolves around growth and operations.
Exercise/workout: Monday-Friday workouts at Planet Fitness.
Best advice you ever got: To slow down and enjoy life.

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Guilty pleasure: Lying in my bed at night stuffing my face with candy right
before going to sleep.
Favorite book: The Bible.
Favorite movie: “Smokey and the Bandit” or “Scarface.”
What do most people not know about you? I have this fear of
spiders and I will not stay in what I call “rat holes” that could have spiders
crawling around.
Pet peev e: Smudges on windows and door glass.
What did you want to be when you grew up? I wasn’t really sure
to be quite honest.
Last vacation: Moon Palace resort in Cancun, Mexico, in July 2015 with my
family.
Person I’d most like to have lunch with: Mark Cuban of TV’s “Shark
Tank” fame.

MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE IS S UE II, 2016

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