Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine Issue IV, 2012 | Page 37

D OM I N A T O R S
Eflow, Inc. in Savage, Minn., operate 15
units throughout the state, recording annual revenues of more than $8 million.
For Wolfe, the journey working with
her husband of 25 years has been a labor
of love. When the couple decided to jump
into the world of franchising with both
feet, and together, they knew exactly which
brand and business model they wanted,
and what to expect. Wolfe’s in-laws had
owned two Papa Aldo’s Pizza units, and
Jim had spent some time managing one
of the restaurants.
Papa Murphy’s traces its roots back to
1981, when the Papa Aldo’s chain was born
in Hillsboro, Ore. Papa Aldo’s Pizza would
later merge with Murphy’s Pizza, creating
the Papa Murphy’s brand in 1995. Currently, Papa Murphy’s is the largest takeand-bake pizza company in the world and
the fifth-largest pizza chain in the country,
based on number of U.S. locations.
Papa Murphy’s may be a different restaurant animal than fast food, but Wolfe is
no stranger to the sweat equity required.
She credits her first job at Burger King at

The couple hope to
have a bigger slice
of the pizza market
with the addition of
three to five more
Papa Murphy’s.
age 16, and a boss that brought out her
best, for her strong work ethic and savvy
business foundation, which also includes
service and management experience at
McDonald’s.
At Papa Murphy’s, she thrives on being in charge of operations and marketing,
while Jim, who has a corporate background
with a major insurance company, is the risktaker. Jim, she notes, is skilled in building
business relationships and focuses his expertise on the development and financial
side of the business.
The couple look for strong character in
their employees and believe that honesty

and integrity go a long way in running a
successful business with happy employees.
“We are strong in faith and our church.
That is all character and part of who we
are, and we try to carry that over into our
business,” she says. “This focus helps people
want to stay here longer, who want to do
what is right.” She points to two area supervisors who have worked for them for
9 and 10 years as one example.
Looking ahead, the couple hope to have
a bigger slice of the pizza market with the
addition of three to five more Papa Murphy’s. “We don’t want to do anything else,
and we want to do it well,” she says.
Wolfe projects that the bigger they are,
the better the financial benefits that will
ultimately allow for a comfortable retirement down the road. In the meantime, you
can bet the Wolfes, who have a 27-yearold son, will continue to balance work and
play (think travel and golf).
“I can’t imagine having it any other way,”
she says. “We love working together. We
divide our responsibilities and love being
together every day.”

BOTTOM LINE
Annual revenue: Over $8 million.

project minimal increases.

2013 goals: For our 15 stores to be leaders in the system in sales and growth.

Where do you find capital for expansion? We have used the same
lender for all of our locations, First Franchise Capital.

Growth meter: How do you measure your growth? Increased
sales and guests over previous year.
Vision meter: Where do you want to be in 5 years? 10
years? In 5 years, we want to be still building our company to have 18 to 20
locations. In 10 years, we would like to be retired.
How has the most recent economic cycle affected you, your
employees, your customers? To value our employees and our guests
more and try and “wow” the guests every time they enter our locations.
Are you experiencing economic growth/recovery in your market? We are seeing growth.
What did you change or do differently in this economy that
you plan to continue doing? New products and competitive pricing. We
have to introduce new products three to four times a year to create news about
Papa Murphy’s, as well as attract new guests. We have also had to drop our promotional pricing.

Is capital getting easier to access? Why/why not? No, restaurant
lending is still very tight and they require more down on loans.
Have you used private equity, local banks, national banks,
other institutions? Why/why not? Private equity.
What kind of exit strategy do you have in place? We are just
beginning to plan for that.
What are you doing to take care of your employees? Incentives,
raises, 401(k), tenure awards.
How are you handling rising employee costs (payroll, healthcare, etc.)? Controlling all costs to maintain profitability. We have been bidding
out all of our vendors and getting the best pricing in every category.
How do you reward/recognize top-performing employees?
Incentives, promotions, bonuses, and 5- and 10-year awards.

How do you forecast for your business in this economy? We

Multi-Unit Franchisee Is s u e IV, 2012



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