What a Day at Subway!

I had the amazing privilege of presenting two motivational/educational speeches at the Subway Worldwide Franchisee Convention this past Friday and Saturday. What a day at Subway!! There were 4500 people in attendance, from all around the world, including about 900 vendors to the Subway system. Subway currently has just over 33,000 stores in 90 countries!! Can you believe that? It's hard for me to even wrap my mind around! I learned a lot of interesting stuff through this opportunity (some "deep" things about me personally included), but one neat statistic was in regards to the frequency of people in North America eating out at QSR's or Quick Serve Restaurants. Did you know, that 31% of North American's are considered "heavy QSR users," meaning they eat at a QSR more than 12 times a month - TWELVE TIMES A MONTH!! But if you think about it, many who eat lunch out during the work week quickly fall into this category. Additionally about 34% are considerate "moderate" user (4-11 times per month) and 34% are considered "non/low" users in that they eat at QSR's 0-3 times per month. Which category do you fall in to? Depends on the month for me - if it is a busy travel month, I could easily be somewhere between a moderate and a heavy user. Thank you Subway for your subs under 6 grams of fat!!

The Subway system is made up of many family's, so they seemed to really relate to the family business side of Super Wash. I had a number of people approach me after the Saturday session, in particular, to tell me about their family business experience. For me, that's when we really start having fun!

And it certainly is a small world. After Friday's session, a Subway franchisee came up to me and said, "My mom and dad are franchisees of yours and I wanted to introduce myself." I had no idea who should could have been talking about because her last name did not look familiar (she's married). When she told me who her parents are, I just lit up! She has two super parents who have been a part of the Super Wash family since 1985 and we just adore them. It was a special treat to meet her at the Subway Convention.

Until next time, have a super week!
Susan

In the Beginning...

Thirty-three years ago this holiday season, my parents opened their very first self-serve car wash with no house or car to their names, just $17.42 in their checkbook and a lot of ambition to make a positive difference in both their own lives and the lives of others. Back then, we weren't "Super Wash" yet, we were "Town's Edge Car Wash". But now, these three decades later, there are over 300 Super Wash(r) car washes across this great nation and we are so very proud to have the opportunity to serve these communities.


We are a true family-owned and operated American small business. Both of my parents are still intricately involved in the business, as are my sister and my dad's younger brother. Our company is a franchise format business and we are thankful for our super franchisee partners. Of the approximately 300 Super Wash car washes in 20+ states, about half are independently owned and operated by franchisees and half are owned and/or operated by Super Wash, Inc. This is somewhat unique as many franchisors do not have large numbers of company-owned stores, let alone run them for outside investors like we do.

Our mission is to "Meet and Greet Each Customer and Make A Positive Difference in Their Day". A past survey we conducted indicated that 3 out of 4 people wash their vehicle because it makes them feel better. We are glad to be able to provide a service that helps people feel better about their day/self/vehicle investment/situation. In these trying times, we know that a positive outlook can make all the difference!

Super Wash, Inc. offers a turnkey product, meaning we do everything from helping to locate the real estate for future projects to being the general contractor for the building to installing the equipment to servicing the business for the length of the franchise contract. Over the years, we have been a part of the development of over 700 self-serve car washes coast to coast. I do not know of any other car wash based company that does everything we do (especially in the self-serve world).

So, who am I? My name is Susan, and I am the Director of Franchising for Super Wash, Inc. I am the youngest daughter of the founders and there has not been a day of my life that this company hasn't been apart of. My mom was three months pregnant with me when they were putting the roof on their very first car wash. I like to joke with people that I am here to save the world one dirty car at a time. I am passionate about people and I love the business model of franchising. I truly believe that franchising is not a dirty "F" word, especially when companies are lead by individuals who are committed to people and good/ethical business practices.

I plan to use this blog to not only speak about Super Wash(r) car washes, but also about business in general. So many individuals/companies/businesses are doing amazing and wonderful things and I think we need to focus on what's going right in the world. I hope to be able to highlight some innovative practices and also some things that just make you go "hmm?"

To learn more about Super Wash, Inc. or to find the Super Wash closest to you, please visit us at www.superwash.com.

Until next time, have a SUPER day!