Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2013

2013 MVP “Most of my managers are in their 20s, so we’re the same age, which helps.” Her instincts were good, and Goldsmith has kept up a rapid growth rate, opening her other nine stores within three years. Her husband, Tim Gatto, is COO, and the pair closely mentor their 10 store managers. Red Mango founder Dan Kim has described Goldsmith as an “inspiration.” But her father is her biggest fan. Says Goldsmith, “He tells me how proud he is all the time.” ucts. She approached the franchisor, who didn’t seem taken aback by her age, she says, and opened her first unit early in the chain’s national development. “Red Mango appealed to me because I’m health-conscious like most people between 24 and 50. We’re all concerned about calories, fat-free, and gluten-free. I thought our products would be popular and the stores would thrive right now,” she says. MANAGEMENT Business philosophy/management style: My management style is to try to give as much information as I can to my team so they can do their best job. I’m open and I encourage people to feel free to bring ideas to me or to discuss anything they like. Most of my managers are in their 20s, so we’re the same age, which helps. My biggest issue is respect. I’m the boss and I expect them to respect that, just as I respect them. Greatest challenge: I used to travel all the time, but my biggest challenge now is walking away from work for a while to do family-related things. How I give my team room to innovate and experiment: We have group meetings—the 10 managers, myself, and operations manager. We bounce ideas off each other. Some are good and some are not for us, but everybody has a chance to discuss things. How close are you to operations? Pretty close. I work hand in hand with Tim on daily operations. Since I have him on board, I can now walk away from certain parts of it. What do you rely on/expect from your franchisor? Advice mostly. I can call Red Mango and ask anything I want. They support us with great prod- ucts and we have open communication. What do you need from vendors? We may have special issues on store openings and need to ask for special deliveries, and they’ve been very accommodating about that. How is social media affecting your business? Social media is striking positively for us. At a grand opening in May, a lot of young people wanted to talk to me and pick my brain, because they view me as young and successful. They’ve read about Red Mango and me since we have 10 Facebook accounts, 10 Twitter accounts, and 10 Foursquare accounts. How do you hire and fire? We check resumes on Craigslist and other hiring sites. The GM does the interviewing, and if he or she feels a candidate is hire-worthy, the operations manager interviews them. We try not to fire anyone. I wrote the Goldsmith Manual, and everybody we hire knows if they violate anything in the manual, they’re subject to termination. Fastest way into my doghouse: By disrespecting me. I don’t like lying or disrespect. BOTTOM LINE Annual revenue: Can’t tell at this point. 2013 goals: Right now, I’m steady where I am. I want to get my 10 stores perfect before I continue to open stores. Growth meter: How do you measure your growth? On customer percentages, social media responses, and customer feedback. Vision meter: Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10 years? I want to continue to be successful, whether I stay with Red Mango and work through 20-year leases or add another concept, too. I want to stay busy and involved. Are you experiencing economic growth and

Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2013 | Page 28