Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2012 | Page 51

MVP 2012

2012 MVP American Dream Award
For achieving remarkable success
in his new country
Why do you think you were you selected for the American
Dream Award? I could say I am living my American dream. I am thankful for living in this country. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to
be where I am right now. When we came here, we weren’t rich people. I’ve
worked so hard to get what I need, one step at a time. Through those little
achievements, I’ve learned to appreciate everything I have and all the opportunities I’ve been given. Every morning and every night before I go to sleep, I
think, “This is a blessing, be thankful for what you have.”
Give us an example of innovations you have created and used
to build your company. When I was opening my first Fantastic Sams, my
family and friends knew about it, but in central California, most people knew a
lot more about Supercuts. I knew I had to do something about branding—to
get Fantastic Sams stuck in people’s heads. So we got multiple trailers, trucks,
and little cars with graphics on them and put stickers and posters everywhere
you could put them. We got great feedback from customers, many of whom
said they just came by because they liked the name and wanted to see what
was going on.
to music while he rode and began saving for a car. When he graduated from
high school, he went to work building
out hotel franchises in Denver.
“But I wanted to do more with my
life. I wanted to own my own business
and make my parents proud and ultimately support them at some point,” says
Sarkissian, winner of Multi-Unit Franchisee magazine’s 2012 MVP American
Dream Award. As he learned about his
new country, he began to understand the
concept of franchising and how people

I follow the franchise system but sometimes I try to come up with little,
creative ways to stand out. I’m not afraid to do new things. When I try and
experience something, I learn what works and what doesn’t. One thing we’ve
done is that all our menus in our salons have gone digital. This is important
since every kid has an iPhone or iPad. When I was in high school, we had pagers. Now even little kids have cell phones, so we have to consider that we’re
in 2012 now.
As a multi-unit franchisee, how have you raised the bar within
your company? We continue to do more branding and advertising. We do
commercials at movie theaters and send out crazy stuff to random places. We
want people to know we’re here, part of the community. When a customer
walks in, we immediately treat and greet them well, offer them a beverage.
We’re trying to impress the minute they walk in, because every second we
lose, they may not come back.
What core values do you have that you feel led you to winning
the MVP Award? Working hard is most important. From what I hear, building a business is like having a newborn baby that you created. You love it and
do everything you can to get it what it needs. I didn’t just open my businesses
to create money.

“Every morning
and every night
I think, ‘This is a
blessing, be
thankful for what
you have.’”

are drawn to brands with a reputation for
good food or products and great service.
He took the plunge, taking on Best
Western and Fantastic Sams franchises
in California near his family. The grand
opening of his first salon in Turlock, Calif., was a huge affair with community
marketing and direct advertising. Surrounded by Supercuts, he and his team
started branding Fantastic Sams in the
community even before it opened by
using logo-emblazoned trailers, cars,
and trucks and blanketing the area with

PERSONAL
Key accomplishments: It means the most to me that my parents can see
my success and are proud of me.
Biggest mistake: I don’t dwell on mistakes—I think of them as learning
experiences.
Smartest mistake: Can’t think of one.
How do you spend a typical day? I start by checking the TV for breaking news and updates about what’s happening in the world. Then I read and reply to emails and call my managers to check in and see how things are going.
From there, I go over to the locations and start my day.
Work week: 7 days
Favorite fun activities: Hiking and going to the lake.
Exercise/workout: I go to the gym when I can.

Favorite tech toy: iPhone
What are you reading? The new Steve Jobs biography.
Do you have a favorite quote/advice? I have a couple related to failure. Henry Ford said something like, “Failure is the opportunity to start again
more intelligently.” The other one is, “Try and fail, don’t fail to try.”
Best advice you ever got: I get a lot of my best advice from my mom,
especially about dealing with my employees. She said, “Edwin, have people do
stuff for you because they love you, not because they fear you.”
Formative influences/events: Moving to the United States in 1996 and
getting into franchising.
How do you balance life and work? I work a lot, but I also like to
spend time with my mom and dad and sisters. Th ey live nearby but I don’t get
to see them as much as I’d like. I wish I could be with them every day.

Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s u e III, 2012



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