Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2012 | Page 38

MVP 2012
PERSONAL
Key accomplishments: B.S., business administration, University of Phoenix; MBA, University of Phoenix; National Restaurant Association (NRA), first recipient of the American Dream Award; honored at the NRA “Faces of Diversity”
(2007); Jack in the Box, Regional Franchisee of the Year (2007); Jack in the
Box, National Franchisee of the Year (2008); Multi-Unit Franchisee magazine’s
Noble Cause MVP Award (2012); involvement with the H.E.A.R.T. program,
and elected president of the board (2012).
Biggest mistake: Not starting earlier in franchising. I feel I would be a lot
farther along if I had started earlier.
Smartest mistake: Not starting earlier in franchising. Delaying my involvement with franchising afforded me the ability to attend college and earn my
MBA, an accomplishment I might not otherwise have done if I had started earlier.
How do you spend a typical day? Involved in the day-to-day operations
of the business.
Work week: 70-plus hours.
thing we do, every line of work, is about
serving people in some capacity, about
adding value to somebody’s life. At the
end of the day it is all about what you
do for other people.”
Eyvazian’s journey began in 1984, when
his parents helped him escape across the
rugged mountains of Iran on foot, only
to be arrested and jailed as he crossed
into Turkey. The young man remained
imprisoned for 40 days until he bribed

Favorite fun activities: Spending time with my family and children.
Exercise/workout: I try to work out four to five days a week, weight lifting for the most part.
Favorite tech toys: iPad
What are you reading? Great by Choice by Jim Collins.
Do you have a favorite quote/advice? “There is no substitute for
hard work.” (Thomas Edison)
Best advice you ever got: Work with your people and you will go far in
business.
Formative influences/events: My upbringing and coming to the United
States. Starting from the bottom of the company and working my way to the
top.
How do you balance life and work? Merge both personal life and work
life as closely as possible.

his way out with money his mother had
sewn into his jeans.
When Eyvazian eventually landed in
the United States, a relative took him
in and suggested a job at a Jack in the
Box in California. He says these two
events—and the birth of his children—
are the most significant in his life. He
will forever be loyal to both the country
and business that so lovingly embraced
him, says Eyvazian, who became a U.S.

citizen in 1989, the same year he joined
Jack in the Box’s corporate office.
Eyvazian started at Jack in the Box
scrubbing toilets as a janitor, ravenously
learned to speak English, and eventually
worked every job behind the counter
until, in just two short years, he became
a restaurant manager. He quickly rose
through the company to ultimately serve
as manager of guest service systems,
overseeing almost 700 restaurants. The

MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy: People are everything. If you lead your people to
success and provide them with the tools they need to succeed, you will succeed.
Are you in the franchising, real estate, or customer service
business? Why? I am in the people business. Everything we do in life deals
with people. Without people, there is no business. If you remember that, and
learn to be a part of that “people business,” you will be successful.
As an operator, what are the two most important things you
rely on from your franchisor? Support of the brand and systems of the
brand, which they have been extremely good to me on.
What gets [