Franchise Update Media 2017 Media Kit - Multi-Unit Franchisees | Page 9

M U L T I - U N I T F R A N C H I S E E M U L T I - B R A N D 5 0 ISSUE II 2016

CUSTOMER SERVICE ■ TECHNOLOGY ■ FINANCE

Multi-Unit

Franchisee

MULTI-BRAND

INSIDE :

■ OUT-SOURCERERS Mastering the art of hiring out

■ CONSOLIDATION Big franchisees are getting bigger !

■ MULTI-BRAND 50 Top operators ranked by size and brands

BY HELEN BOND

Franchisees of all sizes are increasingly The options are endless discovering that business goes better Outsourcing is a natural avenue for franchisees , in many ways mirroring the fran- with outside help . Many have found the key to bottom-line success is to chise model . And thanks to technology focus on what they do best and find the that erases geographical boundaries and right fit to outsource the rest . provides ready access to highly qualified

Former corporate controller and CPA professionals , the options for lowering Joel Karg has the know-how to tackle any operational costs and freeing up time for financial function at his multi-unit Sky building the business are more plentiful Zone franchise . He also knows enough to than ever . Outsourcing can be used to hand off time-consuming tasks to someone else . serve short- or long-term needs , to fo-

Karg and his franchise partner David Beckett have chosen

Glen Johnson to outsource the payroll , tax , human resources , information technology , and social media marketing needs of their Columbus , Ohio-based company , which operates three parks in Dayton and Pittsburgh , with a fourth under construction . Going outside for help has allowed the duo , who honed their franchise management chops as executives at Stanley Steemer , to spend less time pushing paper and more hours strategically growing their indoor trampoline park business .

“ We work hard , we don ’ t ever take our foot off the accelerator . But you have to be in tune to see if there is a better way . Am I doing the best I can ? Should I do this or have someone else do it ?” says Karg .“ We are boots-onthe-ground people , but every time we have taken a step back and handed something over it has worked out well for us .”

72 MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE ISSUE II , 2016

SEE INSIDE :

Out-Sourcerers

MASTERING THE ART OF HIRING OUT

cus on a special project or market , or to handle daily tasks to keep the office running smoothly .

And these days , the options are endless . Payroll , accounting , lead generation , social media marketing , and more can be outsourced through a third-party provider , often through the cloud ( software-as-aservice ). Franchisees also are turning to outsourcing for site selection , legal needs , sales , vendor negotiations , human resources , as well as task-oriented work such as taxes or web design . Franchisees also can rack up savings by using trusted third parties to eliminate the need to hire additional staff for such positions as bookkeeping , and by employing virtual administrative assistants , or even temporary C-level executives .

“ Outsourcing is something we are always talking and thinking about ,” says Tropical Smoothie Café franchisee Glen Johnson , president of Little Rock-based Tropical Tango . “ Even within the outsourcing companies we are currently using , we are always seeing if there is a better option .”

With 15 Tropical Smoothie Cafés in Arkansas and Oklahoma and expansion plans for Texas , he included outsourcing in his business plan from the start , contracting payroll services when he opened his first café in 2011 . As his portfolio grew , so did his outsourcing needs . Over the years he has

ISSUE II 2016

Former NFL linebacker Bryan Scott tackles franchising with Title Boxing Club

APRIL 26-29 , 2016 ■ LAS VEGAS

M U L T I - U N I T F R A N C H I S E E 2 0 1 6 M V P S A N D M U 5 0 R A N K I N G S ISSUE III 2016

BY DEBBIE SELINSKY

36 MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE ISSUE II , 2016

MULTI BRAND

Brands To Believe In Going long with Popeyes and Captain D ’ s

Numbers and research notwithstanding , veteran franchisee Brian Smith chooses his brands using his gut instincts . “ I like to go with things I believe in and know I can sell ,” says the Arkansas family man .

That ’ s why it wouldn ’ t be surprising to find the jovial Smith on any given day attired in his Mossy Oak camouflage attire

2017 Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Editorial Calendar while he chows down on seafood at Captain D ’ s or chicken at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in his hometown of Springdale , Ark . Smith is an avid outdoorsman and hunter and longtime fan of Mossy Oak camouflage clothing , so when the company began to market real estate specializing in selling farm hunting land and other rural property , he got on board in 2008 .

“ I didn ’ t even have to clean out my closet because I ’ ve always worn Mossy Oak . I had confidence in them , and I had bought and sold farms my whole career ,” Smith recalls . “ Early on , I bought a 10- acre property for $ 6,000 and sold it for $ 14,000 , which enabled me to buy my first business .” Today he has 11 Mossy Oak Properties offices spread across Missouri , Kansas , and Oklahoma .

He also threw in his lot with restaurant franchises Popeyes and Captain D ’ s because he loves the products and believes in the brands . It ’ s no accident that his first Popeyes and his first Captain D ’ s were built in his hometown of Springdale , where Smith ’ s neighbors are the Duggars of reality TV fame .

In 1990 , he and a friend were introduced to franchising when they bought a Subway . “ Our franchise number was 1252 — that ’ s how early in the game we were with them . There were only six in our state then , so we scraped the money together to buy one in Little Rock . We didn ’ t know how we ’ d

NAME : Brian Davis Smith TITLE : CEO

COMPANY : SmitCo Eateries & SmitCo D ’ s

CUSTOMER SERVICE ■ TECHNOLOGY ■ FINANCE Multi-Unit

NO . OF UNITS : 11 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen ( 2 more in development ); 1 Captain D ’ s ( plus 1 in construction and a contract for 48 more ); 11 Mossy Oak Properties ( Missouri , Kansas , Oklahoma )

Franchisee

ISSUE III 2016

2016

MVPs

CELEBRATING THIS YEAR ’ S OUTSTANDING OPERATORS

Adam Saxton , chief business officer at The Saxton Group , operator of 67 McAlister ’ s Delis

muf16-3 _ cover . indd 1

AGE : 48

FAMILY : Wife Debra ; children Bo , 20 ; Ashton , 15 ; Josie Kate , 14 ; Jon Davis , 10

YEARS IN FRANCHISING : 26 YEARS IN CURRENT POSITION : 26

INSIDE :

■ GROWTH MASTERS Advice on expansion strategies and tactics

■ MULTI-UNIT CONFERENCE REVIEW A look back at this year ’ s record-setting event

■ MU50 RANKINGS Multi-friendly brands by totals and percentages

Mark Your Calendar ! 2O17

QUARTER 1

MEGA 99 – America ’ s Largest Franchisees

APRIL 23-26 , 2017 LAS VEGAS

Multi

Unit

FRANCHISING conferencef n Employee Management : NLRB , Minimum Wage , Health Care &

Other Legalities n Creating an Infrastructure That Leads to Growth & Profits n MU Profiles ( 30 under 30 profile ); Reconnect Profiles ; Athlete Profiles n Ranking : Mega 99 List

SPECIAL DISTRIBUTION : IFA Convention & Franchise Expo South

QUARTER 2

Power Players : Top Multi-Brand Franchisees

n HR : Finding , Hiring , Developing & Retaining Great Team Members n The Keys To Selecting Additional Brands That Work For You n MU Profiles ( 30 under 30 profile ); Reconnect Profiles ; Athlete Profiles n Ranking : Multi-Brand 50 List

SPECIAL DISTRIBUTION : Multi-Unit Franchising Conference & International Franchise Expo

7 / 8 / 16 11:31 AM

QUARTER 3

MU 50 – Top Multi-Unit Franchisee Brands

n Site Selection , Real Estate & Leasing Essentials n 2017 MVP Awards n Multi-Unit Franchising Conference Review n MU Profiles ( 30 under 30 profile ); Reconnect Profiles ; Athlete Profiles n Ranking : Multi-Unit 50 List

SPECIAL DISTRIBUTION : West Coast Franchise Expo

QUARTER 4

Franchisee Dominators and their Territories

n Buying & Selling Units : Do ’ s and Don ’ ts n Loyalty Marketing Tools & Technology n MU Profiles ( 30 under 30 profiles ); Reconnect Profiles ; Athlete Profiles

SPECIAL DISTRIBUTION : Franchise Expo South

Multi-Unit Franchisees

9 franchising . com n franchiseupdatemedia . com

MediaKit 2017