2017 MVP AWARDS
“ The people who think this is a ‘ set it and forget it ’ way to make a living are in for a lot of surprises .”
like great ideas , but happen accidentally .”
York ’ s stamp on the brand comes naturally . He grew up working weekends , summers , and holidays for his father ’ s upscale catering company in Manhattan and credits his franchisor for being willing to listen to the idea designed to cut overhead and boost margins .
“ You know the saying ‘ Necessity is the mother of invention ?’ Necessity is also the mother of innovation ,” says York . “ I had made a substantial investment in the franchise and it wasn ’ t doing for me what I wanted it to , so I had to find a way to
PERSONAL
Formative influences / events : My father owned an upscale catering company in Manhattan from 1954 to 1975 , where I worked weekends , summers , and holidays .
Key accomplishments : Creating the catering model for Maui Wowi ; earning an MBA from Columbia , paid for by my employer at the time ; leaving the corporate world after 24 years ; wrote a book about franchising called Franchise : Freedom or Fantasy — How to Know If a Franchise Is Right for You After Your Corporate Career . I wrote the book because I hadn ’ t really thought through my own decision very well . I was rebounding from a few really hard years at the end of my corporate career . I was really terrified to look for another corporate job , and I turned to franchising as sort of a last resort . It worked out well for me , but I knew lots of people who weren ’ t suited for running their own businesses who got into franchising as a way of avoiding getting a job .
Work week : Any 60 hours of my choice .
What are you reading ? With the Old Breed : At Peleliu and Okinawa by E . B . Sledge , a memoir of a World War II Marine .
Best advice you ever got : If you can ’ t make the right decision , make the decision right . ( Michael Haith , former CEO of Maui Wowi )
What ’ s your passion in business ? Selling and increasing revenue year to year .
mold it to my needs . I can ’ t imagine too many other franchisors allowing me to do what I did in terms of specifying new equipment , new operating procedures , and more flexibility overall . I have shared my knowledge with dozens of other franchise owners on a one-to-one basis , and
MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy : It ’ s only smoothies . While I ’ m very serious about the business , and we strive for excellence , out of nearly 500-plus catering jobs a year , a small number — maybe 1 percent — have problems . I tell my staff that we ’ ll make it right , but remember , “ It ’ s only smoothies ” ( or coffee ), not life and death .
Management method or style : Benevolent dictator .
Greatest challenge : “ Just when I thought I was out , they pull me back in .” Permanent delegation is very hard . In a small business the owner is never really out of it .
How do others describe you ? I don ’ t know and I don ’ t want to know .
How do you hire and fire , train and retain ? We look for people who can be independent and handle a lot of responsibility . Sometimes we push them beyond what they ’ re ready for , but we rarely have to fire anyone .
I helped train new franchise owners in some of what I have learned through catering Maui Wowi smoothies and coffee .”
York says success in franchising is all up to the owner . “ A lot of people think owning a franchise doesn ’ t make you an entrepreneur . I couldn ’ t disagree with that more ,” he says . “ A franchise is no guarantee of success , even the most wellestablished ones . The franchisee has to think and act like an innovator and business owner no matter what the franchise is . That ’ s one of the reasons franchises aren ’ t for everyone . The people who think this is a ‘ set it and forget it ’ way to make a living are in for a lot of surprises , and not the good kind .”
BOTTOM LINE
Annual revenue : NA .
2017 goals : Grow 15 percent a year .
Growth meter : How do you measure growth ? I look at three things most often : prior year ’ s sales , new accounts opened , and in-bound lead flow . About 65 percent of our accounts are repeat clients , so we work hard to stay in contact throughout the year . We also pay a lot of attention to opening new accounts on a continual basis . Along those same lines , we track our lead flow to make sure our search engine optimization is working well .
Vision meter : Where do you want to be in 5 years ? 10 years ? Spending more time with my wife , children , and granddaughter ( and maybe other grandchildren ). Continue to visit Paris once every 5 years .
What are you doing to take care of your employees ? Full-time employees are covered by excellent health insurance and get all the smoothies and coffee they want .
What kind of exit strategy do you have in place ? I hope to sell the business in the next 5 years .
50 MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE ISSUE III , 2017