to solidify your infrastructure over time .
With pizza restaurants in Indianapolis , Cincinnati , and Cleveland , Simon ’ s organizational chart includes two vice presidents and six supervisors . Each vice president oversees three supervisors . Each supervisor is in charge of seven stores .
When developed correctly , multi-unit processes should be able to be replicated anywhere , by anyone . The amount of operational control an established manager or supervisor is given is more complicated , based on geography and the complexity of the business . Conducting a proper gap analysis can help a franchisee determine infrastructure needs from the outset .
The timing for adding management personnel also depends on the complexity of your concept . For many concepts , that point arrives at three units . “ Going from one to three is the hardest jump you will ever have in the franchise world ,” says Simon . “ It is where all the processes come into play . You can ’ t be there yourself to do them and that is where the replication comes in .” ( And the delegating .)
Water , water , everywhere As the largest Watermill Express franchisee , Ken Talmage , chairman and owner of Monterey Water Co ., is well-versed on perfecting an infrastructure to manage his 106 drive-up kiosks . Spread across 300 miles of California ’ s Central Valley , the kiosks offer pure drinking water and ice to thirsty customers .
Talmage has spent more than two decades growing his business by creating an efficient route system to keep his customers supplied — and satisfied . To achieve this , technicians must service each location nearly every day , so locating his kiosks for maximum efficiency is paramount .
“ When I look at expansion , I don ’ t look at expanding one or two units ,” he says . “ I look at where I am going to build another 10 units and make another route .” Each route consists of nine to 12 locations , depending on their geographic distribution . His field technicians are overseen by duty supervisors from offices in Fresno and Manteca , more than 100 miles apart .
Training for technicians is critical
Ken Talmage
Building
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in making it all work at this scale , says Talmage . New hires are schooled on the job , spending time with up to three of the company ’ s best technicians over the course of two months . When trainees are handed over to a duty supervisor , they must pass a rigorous test before being allowed to go out on their own .
Talmage , whose background includes naval intelligence , international management consulting , and private banking , runs a tight management ship . The company has just 25 employees , bolstered
by constant real-time data from 50 sensors located inside each unit . This allows for both quality control and the ability to troubleshoot quickly . GPS tracking systems installed in each of the service vehicles enable supervisors to keep track of each technician in the field .
Watermill , the nation ’ s largest driveup drinking water and ice business , has its own high standards Talmage must maintain , but it ’ s smart hiring and a focus on a customer culture that has kept his company expanding through the years . His marketing coordinator and duty supervisors all started with the company in entry-level promotions jobs .
“ We have so many standards internally that we can become focused only on our internal processes ,” says Talmage . “ What you need is to be focused on the customer . By virtue of the fact that people coming through our system started in promotions , we are always thinking about the customer .”
Learn from the best Hiring right is imperative , particularly for franchises such as Title Boxing Club , where the front-line employees work so directly with members . Every club may appear the same , but the environment the trainers create at the club level is what makes the brand so successful , says Heaps .
Soaking up the know-how of successful franchisees both inside and outside your system can help accelerate your learning curve by showing you how to use their best practices to train , incentivize , and retain employees . For Heaps , this wake-up call occurred two years ago when he hit the road to observe some of the brand ’ s best-performing clubs . The trip was an epiphany that came just as his business expanded and his sister started a family and reduced the time she spent in the clubs .
“ We watched and took notes on everything ,” he says . “ That changed everything for us by learning from other successful franchisees and not just being stuck in our ways . We made ourselves grow by learning and using the knowledge of other franchisees .”
The result was a major shift in how he managed his own managers . A daily checklist evolved from “ Here ’ s what I did today ” into more productive follow-up checklists designed specifically for each position . For example , a new hire onboarding checklist details everything required to be a successful team member .
Heaps now uses a job-specific organizational chart that outlines the roles of the regional manager , club managers , head trainers , and marketing coordinator . Each manager fills out a monthly report that highlights goals , training , completed staff evaluations , and other information , such as the results of a club walkthrough . Sales team members use a daily followup schedule to help them stay organized and diligent .
64 MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE ISSUE I , 2017