Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2012 | Page 36

D OM I N A T O R S
“We love being Papa Murphy’s franchisees. We find it
rewarding to build a good team of leaders.”
PERSONAL
Key accomplishments: Opening 15 stores.

Do you have a favorite quote/advice? “The product is the hero.”

Biggest mistake: If I had it to do over again, I would geographically place
our stores closer together, but I don’t consider it a big mistake.

Best advice you ever got: Be honest.

How do you spend a typical day? Working with my leadership team
on day-to-day operations.
Work week: Overseeing operations and P&L management.
Favorite fun activities: Traveling and golfing with my husband Jim.
Exercise/workout: Not enough.
Favorite tech toys: iPad.

Formative influences/events: I started my food service management
at Burger King under the owner, Ray Veronte, and worked for him for seven
years. Ray invested time in training me, was harder on me than anyone else,
and held me to a higher standard. That early foundation is what gave me the
talents and strengths to become a leader, and is a big part of what got me
where I am today.
How do you balance life and work? Papa Murphy’s is a great business model, which provides a comfortable lifestyle and opportunity to enjoy
life as well. My husband and I make it a priority to manage our business well
and still have a quality personal life apart from that.

What are you reading? Psalms.

MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy: Run our business with honesty and integrity and train
up leaders with the same vision and values.
Are you in the franchising, real estate, or customer service
business? Why? Franchising. Franchising was a great business opportunity.
As an operator, what are the two most important things you
rely on from your franchisor? First, we rely on the franchisor to provide
us with a great marketing direction to build sales and gain market share; and
second, to continue to provide a business model that is profitable and opportunities to expand.
What gets you out of bed in the morning? Our dogs. We have two
toy poodles, Jazzy and Lucky.
What’s your passion in business? Being business partners with my
husband Jim. We love being Papa Murphy’s franchisees. We find it rewarding to
build a good team of leaders.
Management method or style: Consultative.

Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the
economy? How? As our competitors have brought their price points down
we have had to be more aggressive in our pricing.
How is social media affecting your business operations? Papa
Murphy’s, as a company, is striving to implement social media in the best way
possible to benefit our brand and our guests. We have used online banners,
Facebook, text club, eClub (Papa Murphy’s online coupon club), and other
online couponing.
Personality: I have a strong personality, confident and motivated, and make
it a mission to always turn things into a positive.
How do others describe you? Goal-oriented, productive, compassionate,
and generous.
How do you hire and fire? We use multiple recruiting options, Craigslist,
Indeed, and Quest. We screen them with predictive profiles and we terminate
them after addressing performance issues that continue to be unresolved.

Greatest challenge: Recruiting managers. We have a tough time being
competitive in wages in the foodservice industry. Most foodservice managers
work more hours and have bigger restaurants and lobbies in which they serve
on site. Papa Murphy’s is an easier management position, but we can’t always
compete with benefits.
How close are you to operations? All aspects of my day-to-day activities are operationally focused.

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How do you train and retain? We use the Papa Murphy’s training program. We have used DVD training with quizzes associated with each position
that is the focus of the training. The crew member then uses a “One Bite at a
Time” brochure to monitor each position. The trainee signs off on each item as
they are being trained, and then the trainer signs off that they are proficient in
the trained item.
How do you deal with problem employees? Counsel and give them
the