Branca was named a 2016 Franchisee of the Year by the IFA for his “ outstanding achievements and accomplishments .”
D O M I N A T O R S
Reconnect
Branca was named a 2016 Franchisee of the Year by the IFA for his “ outstanding achievements and accomplishments .”
this period came just last year , when he was part of a successful effort in California to pass Assembly Bill 525 , a significant pro-franchisee law .
“ It took four years and a great group of franchise business owners , representatives from the CFA and IFA , lawyers , and consultants , but we were able to amend California ’ s franchise law and the result was a more level and certain playing field for franchisees and franchisors at common friction points ,” he says . Franchisees in the state now have protections that allow them to monetize the equity they have invested in their brands in terminations , sales , and transfers . The successful initiative was , Branca says , an example of dedicated franchise forces working together to create better solutions for all parties . “ There were outside groups trying hard to insert their hostile interests into our bill after we painstakingly negotiated it , but we , franchisors and franchisees , stuck together and received a unanimous vote to pass the California legislature .”
Outside his Dunkin ’ interests , Branca is involved in numerous investment deals and partnerships , including his investment in NRD Partners , the franchise investment group formed and led by his friend Aziz Hashim , whom he followed as chair of the MUFC . “ The opportunity is to play a role in the growth of other organizations by providing funds , direction , and leadership ,” he says . And there ’ s more .
Branca says he and his brothers-in-law “ accidentally ” got into the manufacturing business . “ We entered into stainless steel manufacturing when a vendor company near us went out of business . My partner who runs our construction company , Matt Doyle , was just trying to save costs but turned it into a thriving enterprise with some great team members ,” he says . By
Business philosophy : Always be learning . Show up . Say yes . Network relentlessly .
Management method or style : Be consistent . Give praise . Make connections . You will need them . Connect others when they need it ; they won ’ t forget it .
Greatest challenge : Uninformed , misinformed , and even some malevolent government regulators .
How do others describe you ? Impatient . One thing I ’ m looking to do better : Hire more great , talented people .
How I give my team room to innovate and experiment : We allow them to own certain community relations and guest loyalty-building initiatives in their own neighborhoods . For example , we routinely sponsor large , popular ethnic , civic , or church-based festivals , parades , fundraisers , and tournaments . We encourage our team members who are members of those communities to be the public face of our brand and take leadership positions in those events . That elevates their personal status in those communities and involves them in community-building , giving back , and helping those in need , which is often its own reward . It instills a sense of pride to be part of the team and helping others .
How close are you to operations ? Not as close as I had been in the past , given our growing non – Dunkin ’ Donuts businesses . I also spend a lot of time interacting with our franchisor ’ s management team on various initiatives and committees .
What are the two most important things you rely on from your franchisor ? Product innovation and gatekeeping on encroachment . Perhaps more than those two are protecting our highly collaborative franchisee-franchisor relationship .
What I need from vendors : A recognition that we have probably already
MANAGEMENT
made some investigation into what they are pitching , and that we may need a pretty big reason to stop doing business with an existing vendor that has served us well .
Have you changed your marketing strategy in response to the economy ? How ? Yes . We have engaged in deeper research and entered the CPG ( grocery ) business . Two of my family partners , Greg Califano and Flavio Raposo , also got some specialized marketing and motivational training and have actually lit our managers and crew on fi re to increase top-line sales in this really tough climate . They are rock stars .
How is social media affecting your business ? It is a huge opportunity and has done very well for Dunkin ’ Donuts . It allows us to send deeper , longer messages , as we did with the Gronk / Big Papi iced coffee campaign . That engaged consumers in a way that no one really has before . Their YouTube serial videos and songs last year were the second most-viewed on the planet in their debut week — and won two CLIO awards for our brand ’ s ad team . They were brilliant .
How do you hire and fire ? Right now hiring is diffi cult because there is a disappearing workforce . We sometimes can ’ t fi re .
How do you train and retain ? Patiently . Dunkin ’ Brands offers us tools we use to supplement the experienced personal touch of our long-term team members .
How do you deal with problem employees ? Ideally very quickly , but the tight labor market makes it diffi cult to do that . A growing problem is the new regulation that intentionally pits employees against their employers and encourages discord and litigation . We constantly manage our relationships to strengthen them from outside interference .
Fastest way into my doghouse : Waste my time . It is a non-renewable resource .
40 MULTI-UNIT FRANCHISEE ISSUE IV , 2016