Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2011 | Page 41

BOTTOM LINE
Annual revenue: Prefer not to answer.
2011 goals: To return to a growth mode.
Growth meter: How do you measure
your growth? We look at year-over-year sales
and bottom-line improvement.
Vision meter: Where do you want to
be in 5 years? Napa, California. 10 years?
Bordeaux, France.
How has the most recent economic
cycle affected you, your employees,
your customers? It has been very tough on
everyone. We have all had to do more with less
and still provide the perfect customer experience.
We’ve devoted lots of long hours and been dedicated to being the best.
Are you experiencing economic
growth/recovery in your market? Yes,
sales have been very strong this year.
What did you change or do differently in this economy that you plan to
continue doing? We are watching costs much
more closely.
How do you forecast for your business
in this economy? Right now we have moved
from month to month to a quarterly forecast.
Where do you find capital for expansion? Have not looked.
Is capital getting easier to access?
Why/why not? No. Lenders are still gun-shy
of the regulators. There is still much uncertainty.
Until the unemployment situation improves dramatically, I think we continue down a bumpy road.
Have you used private equity, local
banks, national banks, other institutions? Why/why not? We have a long and
good relationship with a national bank. We are
too small to attract private equity.
What kind of exit strategy do you have
in place? I am going to work until the very end.
What are you doing to take care of your
employees? We are still providing the same benefits that we were providing before the crash. We
have always tried to be there for our associates.
How are you handling rising employee
costs (payroll, healthcare, etc.)? At the
moment, we are absorbing those costs. This may
change when we learn the real cost of the new
federal healthcare requirements.
How do you reward/recognize topperforming employees? Trips, time off,
prizes, award ceremonies, and when appropriate,
bonuses.

Multi-Unit Franchisee Issu e III, 2011



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