Franchise Update Magazine Issue II, 2011 | Page 15

CEO profile:
How do you make tough decisions? I

try not to react, but instead to respond
to situations, giving thought to all possible outcomes. Because our organization functions under a “no surprise”
rule of full disclosure, it allows me to
digest challenges as they arise.
Do you want to be liked or respected?

Both… but who doesn’t?
Advice to CEO wannabes: Surround

yourself with ment ors, remain tenacious,
and never be afraid to ask for what you
want. Set new personal and business
goals every year that stretch you and
enable the business to grow. Find a peer
group to be a sounding board and offer
encouragement.
Management
Management style? Hire right. Share

and reinforce the vision clearly. Empower.
What does your management team
look like? My senior leadership team

is composed of seven individuals representing the operational facets of our
organization. They understand my vision
for the future and are strong, unified, and
committed to our franchisees and staff
in a way that continues to inspire me.
How does your management team
help you lead? They work diligently

to achieve our organizational goals and
are adept at taking the ball and running
with it. Knowing that I have the right
people in the right seats on the bus allows me to drive without pulling over
to adjust seatbelts.
Favorite management gurus, books?

My favorite books include Good to Great
by Jim Collins, The Breakthrough Company by Keith McFarland, Making Ideas
Happen by Scott Belsky, and The Ultimate
Question by Fred Reichheld.
What makes you say, “Yes, now that’s
why I do what I do!” One example is our

annual Caregiver of the Year program.
The stories our clients submit bring

“Hire right.
Share and
reinforce the
vision clearly.
Empower.”
me to tears, because each is a personal
account of how a BrightStar caregiver
went above and beyond to make a difference in the life of somebody’s loved
one. We fly six regional finalists to our
Annual Franchisee Conference, where
they are recognized in front of our franchise family. Each finalist receives $500,
and one is awarded a $5,000 BrightStar
Care Scholarship. Knowing that our
caregivers are having such a positive
impact on their clients and that we can
make such an impact on the caregivers’
lives makes me proud to do what I do.
Personal
What time do you like to be at your
desk? I like to see my boys off to school,

but I strive to be there by 7:30 or 8 a.m.
Exercise in the morning? Wine with
lunch? My husband and I work out three

mornings per week before heading into
the office. We’re on a high-protein, lowcarbohydrate diet, so no wine at lunch.
However, I try to reward myself with
a glass in the evening now and then.
Socialize with your team after work/
outside the office? I like to celebrate

company milestones with my senior
leadership staff. For major accomplishments, I treat them to a weekend with
our families.
Last two books read: Scott Klososky’s

Velocity Manifesto and Ram Charan’s
Boards that Deliver.
What technology do you take on the
road? I always take my Sony Vaio lap-

top, my iPad, and my iPhone.

How do you relax, balance life and
work? It’s a challenge, especially because

I’m wired to work and am pretty driven.
Favorite vacation destination(s): We
love traveling as a family. It’s our rejuvenation time after working so hard.
We love traveling to Turks and Caicos and had a wonderful time taking a
cruise last year.
Favorite occasions to send employees notes: I like to personally sign an-

niversary cards for all of my employees.
Bottom Line
What are your long-term goals for
BrightStar? We will launch a total of eight

franchise brands, a technology company,
and a franchise consulting company. We’re
going to launch our second franchise brand
within the next 12 months, and then add
one new franchise brand approximately
every 18 months through 2019. We’ll
launch our technology company to take
on third-party clients in 2012, and our
franchise consulting company in late 2011.
We are building toward a system-wide
revenue potential of $2 billion by 2014,
and $4 billion to $6 billion by 2019, with
12 to 20 percent year-over-year growth
through 2030.
How has the economy changed your
goals? The downturn in the economy

pushed us to institute new programs
to accelerate sales results for our franchisees, enable access to capital for our
franchisees, and drive accountability at
the corporate level to support franchisee unit economics. Last, we knew we
needed our franchisees focused on the
mission and not worried about job security, so we made a decision not to lay
off any employees, regardless of economic pressures. Instead we increased
healthcare benefits and added an accountability program with a short-term
bonus opportunity tied to corporate,
departmental, and individual results.
Where can capital be found these
days? In July 2010, BrightStar became

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