Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue III, 2016 | Page 71

AT H L E T E S I N F R A N C H I S I N G

PERSONAL
First job: Delivering newspapers.
Formative influences/events: Father was a cheap taskmaster. He required quality work with poor tools.

Best advice you ever got: Hire the right people and be quick to let go of
the wrong ones.
What’s your passion in business? Learning and people.

Key accomplishments: Surviving in business.

How do you balance life and work? My wife makes sure I do.

Biggest current challenge: Finding the right area to open a new location.

Guilty pleasure: Chocolate.

Next big goal: Average $2 million per store.

Favorite book: The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer.

First turning point in your career: Getting my first store to profitability.

Favorite movie: “The Godfather” and “The Godfather II.”

Best business decision: Not defaulting on debts even when times got
tough.

What do most people not know about you? I am scared of heights.

Hardest lesson learned: Not hiring the right attorney to review leases.

What did you want to be when you grew up? A businessman.

Work week: 6 days.

Last vacation: Jamaica.

Exercise/workout: Circuit training 4 times a week.

Person I’d most like to have lunch with: Jesus.

Pet peeve: Messy places.

Biakabutuka says he loves the teamwork, spirit, and
camaraderie of franchising and hopes to keep building his
company by continuing to hire right and excel at offering
great customer service and quality food.
he was a running back from 1993 until
1995. Drafted by the Carolina Panthers
in 1996, he carried the ball for the NFL
team for six seasons. He was ultimately
plagued by injuries, and when football
ended for him in 2001 he knew it meant
the beginning of something new.

Optimistic and a hard worker, he found
a mentor who pointed him in the direction of franchising: Carolina Panthers
owner Jerry Richardson, a former NFL
player himself, who caught a touchdown
pass from legendary quarterback Johnny
Unitas in the 1959 NFL Championship

game. After his own, brief NFL career,
Richardson opened the first Hardee’s
franchise in 1961, and knew the kind of
success that could be found in the business. He also knew it wasn’t always easy
and advised Biakabutuka on both the
risks and rewards of franchising.

MANAGEMENT
Business philosophy: Be fair, understand the numbers, and execute the
key business drivers.

franchisor? System innovation and making decisions that keep the brand
healthy and growing.

Management method or style: Define objectives and let the team use
their own skills to get us there.

What I need from vendors: Quick response and best prices.

Greatest challenge: Finding the right people and capital to expand.
How do others describe you? Stubborn.

Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the
economy? How? I started in 2008 just when the economy was tough. I
have kept the same strategy.

One thing I’m looking to do better: Balanced life.

How is social media affecting your business? You can’t hide. Bad
news travels even faster.

How I give my team room to innovate and experiment: Empower
them with clear directives and allow them to make mistakes.

How do you train and retain? Yearly reviews and continuous coaching.
We never stop coaching.

How close are you to operations? Daily communication with my managers. Weekly visits to the stores.

How do you deal with problem employees? 1) Bring the issue to
them as an adult. 2) Write it up if the issue continues. 3) Let them go.

What are the two most important things you rely on from your

Fastest way into my doghouse: Lying and laziness.

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MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE IS S U E III, 2016



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