Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue II, 2017 | Page 36
AT H L E T E S I N F R A N C H I S I N G
BOTTOM LINE
Annual revenue: NA.
2017 goals: Continue to grow our business in a smart fiscal manner, while
looking for new opportunities.
Growth meter: How do you measure your growth? Year over year,
and by our community involvement where we do business.
Vision meter: Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10 years?
In 5 years, I want to be able to relax and allow my son and his leadership to
expand our brands.
How is the economy in your regions affecting you, your em-
ployees, your customers? All positive at this time. With the new leader-
ship in government there is some uncertainty, but I remain positive.
What are the best sources for capital expansion? Banking, venture
capital, and outside investors.
Experience with private equity, local banks, national banks,
other institutions? Why/why not? In the restaurant business, and
particularly in the airport restaurant business, financing is a challenge. Therefore
traditional banking is very difficult to accomplish. We look for creative ways to
get things done by partnership investments and a mixture of all of the above.
What are you doing to take care of your employees? All sorts of
things, such as scholarships, savings, personal assistance, and educational op-
portunities.
Are you experiencing economic growth in your markets? Yes. How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, minimum
wage, healthcare, etc.)? We have to bite the bullet because we cannot
pass these costs on to customers.
How do changes in the economy affect the way you do busi-
ness? Minimum wage changes always affect business. Also, medical policies
affect business. How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees? We
reward monetarily, by acknowledgements with plaques, and by growth from
within.
How do you forecast for your business? Budgets versus actual, pro-
jected growth versus last year. What kind of exit strategy do you have in place? Transition to fam-
ily is the main objective.
Brewing, and Comfy Cow. His brands
dominate at Tampa International Air-
port, Miami International Airport, and
Louisville International Airport.
It’s the airport angle that has really
differentiated Tinsley in his markets.
Just last year, his company was named
subtenant in a new 8-year contract to
expand restaurant service at Louisville
International Airport. HMSHost is
the primary holder of the nearly $110
million contract. Together, the two
companies operate 11 dining venues
at the airport.
Business is business, but Tinsley
also understands the importance of
community involvement. That’s why
his organization has been actively in-
volved with the chamber of commerce
and school district in Winter Haven,
Fla., where the company is based. He
and his wife Seretha have a long and
admirable history of participation in
giving back to their communities.
At 70, Tinsley recognizes that transi-
tion is near. His son George II is actively
involved in the organization and looks
to be the company’s face of the future.
“We intend to continue growing
our company and preparing for my son
to take over,” says Tinsley. Meanwhile,
the company he started in 1984 with a
single KFC and two employees (him-
self and Seretha) is well positioned to
continue soaring in the airport mar-
ket—and beyond.
SPORTS & BUSINESS
What skills/experience from sports have carried over to oper-
ating a business? Athletics and competition taught me how to be prepared
and execute a plan of action. I learned how to turn a loss into a win and how
to deal with tough losses.
Which do you find more competitive, sports or business? Busi-
ness, because you are a leader, and sometimes you only get one shot at suc-
cess.
Why did you choose franchising as an investment option? Fran-
chising has a developed operations plan of success and multiple resources to
assist you when needed.
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How did you transition from sports to franchising? Given my
career path, it was fairly easy from the preparation standpoint. It does not hurt
to work alongside the founder of KFC for 3 years, to learn from the bottom up.
Having worked with hundreds of millionaires in the business, the blueprint was
there.
What was your greatest achievement in sports, and what has
been your biggest accomplishment as a franchisee? In sports, my
greatest honor was being inducted to five Halls of Fame and winning 3 NCAA
Championships. In franchising my biggest accomplishments include being
named Franchisee of the Year by KFC and TGI Fridays, and having the top sales
volume for TGIF 9 years in a row.