Fromtheeditor’sdesk
BY KERRY PIPES
The People Factor
T
his issue of Franchise Update focuses on what, I think, is the most important
component of franchise development and overall system success: people. I
know that sounds obvious, but hear me out.
The most successful franchise brands operating today work hard to have the best
people, from the top of its org chart to its franchisees to its front-line employees.
The executives at corporate get it, the franchisees get it, and the full- and part-time
employees at the store level get it. When great people are united at great brands, they
can do great things. Think about how passion creates more passion. It’s contagious.
When the brass at the top exude that kind of excitement, prospects and franchisees
sense it and it rubs off on them. And when customers see this kind of passion and
dedication from franchisees and front-line employees, it creates raving fans.
So it’s imperative for all team members to be
united across your brand. You need intelligent,
hard-working, dedicated team members who
attract the same. This should be factored into
the way you recruit, the way you train, and the
way you offer continued and ongoing support
to your franchisees—and to their employees and
yours. It’s a formula guaranteed to produce results such as increased sales, improved bottom
lines, and greater loyalty from both employees
and customers.
We receive dozens of press releases in our office every day. Consider this story
from a press release that recently came across my desk.
For more than two decades, Barry Robinson, vice president of a supermarket chain
in Hahira, Georgia, left his office and crossed the street to eat at Huddle House,
one of his favorite restaurants. For years, Robinson had an entrepreneurial dream
to open his own Huddle House. He loved the brand so much that this spring he finally decided to go from customer to franchisee. Even though he lacked restaurant
experience, Robinson had both enthusiasm and passion for the brand – and knew it
had great people behind it who could train and support him.
“I knew Huddle House had the syst