Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2011 | Page 46

MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy: Positive mental attitude (PMA). Go the extra mile. Do
what is not expected.
Are you in the franchising, real estate, or customer service
business? Why? Franchising… I know my strong points and my limitations.
I found a brand that truly fits me both professionally and personally. I don’t think I
could have come up with the ideas on my own.
What gets you out of bed in the morning? My alarm clock, plus I love
what I do. I love making people happy and meeting new people. I love to talk to
people. I love showing people that Firehouse makes the best subs and has the
best culture anywhere. I love the smile that wasn’t there when they came in. That
tells me we just made their day. And it’s easy to make someone’s day—just give
them a great experience. Go above what is expected. Go the extra mile.
What’s your passion in business? Not only do I want to be wealthy financially, but also personally and emotionally. I want to make a difference in our employees’ and our customers’ lives and in our community. I don’t want just to run a
good sandwich shop. I want to touch lives, and if we make a few great subs along
the way, then great. If it’s true that you judge a person’s success by the number of
people that show up to their funeral, I want the line to go around the block.
Management method or style: I lead by service. I try to serve my employees as much as they serve our customers.
Greatest challenge: Transitioning from one or two units to four, five, and

beyond while still keeping my management style.
How close are you to operations? Daily.
Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the
economy? How? Wow, did I! I doubled my required marketing contributions and launched an aggressive radio campaign. I also went grassroots, and my
management team and I went door to door with goodie bags to tell people about
Firehouse and to form a personal relationship with those businesses.
Personality: I think that I’m a hybrid. There isn’t one that describes me. Sometimes I’m very laid back and just go with the flow. Other times, I’m on fire, going
100 miles an hour.
How do others describe you? Hopefully as a nice guy.
How do you hire and fire? Hire slowly and fire quickly. I look for people
with the same work ethic and desire to please as I have, not necessarily the same
mindset and ideology because that can bring fresh perspectives. You have to fire
with compassion because these people are possible customers and ambassadors
of your company even though they have been let go.
How do you train and retain? Constantly, to keep our crew engaged.
How do you deal with problem employees? I try to retrain and also
find out what the true issues are. There are two things that cause people to fail
to perform or conform to your company’s standards: either lack of knowledge or
lack of desire.

to Charleston, which had no Firehouse Subs. The city, which
is recovering well from the recession, has been good for his
business and his family, and Hatton has gained a reputation
for helping out in the community whenever