So Many Without Food

For purchases made in the month of May, Super Wash will donate $1.00 for every "Super Wash" automatic car wash and $1.50 of every 4-token package to local food pantries. We recognized a great need that we hope to be able to help fill in some small way, and what we have learned along the way has been very powerful. Did you know there are many families, kids particularly, right here in this country who go extended periods of time without eating? I learned that summer is one of the highest demand periods for Food Pantries because kids are not in school where they would otherwise have gotten state-funded lunch. As a kid growing up in a small farming community in western Illinois, I always cheered for snow days in the winter, even if we had to make them up later on. Do you know who doesn't root for a snow day? Kids who will not eat that day because they are not in school. Many of these kids do not have sufficient nutrition over weekends for this very same reason.

We have been so fortunate to talk with the wonderful volunteers who keep these Food Pantries running. What wonderful work they are doing! I got shivers the day we heard, "You have just answered a prayer for us." We are so grateful to be able to help local families in the communities we serve.

Please consider making a donation to your local Food Pantry - no matter the time of year. Food is great, cash is always welcome (in many communities, they use the cash to buy vouchers to the local grocery stores so families can buy perishable items the Food Pantry can't readily provide) and volunteered time is a very valuable commodity. These are tough times for many Americans. Let's commit to making a positive difference this May, and always! Until next time, have a super week!

Renewed Energy

Our annual Franchisee Homecoming was a success! Our theme was "Renewed Energy" and from the comments we have received back, our franchisees definitely left with renewed energy. How great it feels to be able to offer this kind of opportunity to our franchise partners!

There are times when all of us lose steam, when our "Passion Buckets" are empty. There is no harm in losing steam every once in awhile, but there is harm in not re-energizing when the time comes. When you're feeling low on spunk, do like we did at our franchisee meeting last week, surround yourself with people who have positive energy and believe in you. They will help fill your Passion Bucket right back up.

Have a super week!

Franchisee Homecoming - A Labor of Love

WoW! Our Corporate staff is caught up in the whirlwind of getting ready for our franchisees to be back at our headquarters tomorrow and Friday. For me, our annual Homecoming is a bit like preparing to welcome a new baby. The few days before "D-Day" are all anxiety-filled, you're exhausted, running around frantically making last minute preparations. Then, D-Day arrives and it's uncomfortable. You just want everything to go well, and according to plan. There is pain, there is excitement, there is more exhaustion, there is complete bliss when it's all over. Then, you go home and nurture this new baby and somewhere along the line you forget all the mania, the exhaustion and the pain and only remember the bliss. In the end, you sign up to do it all over again!!

I will make an admission that I am really looking forward to Friday afternoon. Not because it will be all over, but because it will be at that time that we can hopefully look back on our labor of love and bask in the glow of a job well done. Our programming is very interactive this year so I am anxious to see what our franchisees think. Additionally, almost half of our attendees are first time Homecoming attendees, so that will add a super dynamic to the group.

Wish us luck, cause this baby's comin', whether we're ready or not!! Thankfully, I'm pretty sure we're all set! Have a super week!!

Francheesor

It is very important for all of us to continuously expand our vocabulary. This week I learned a new word, "Francheesor". I was at a non-franchise industry event and the person I was talking was asking me about the different parties involved in franchising. After you say, "Franchisee" and "Franchisor" so many times, it apparently combines real nicely into "Francheesor". I thought this was hi-larious, but did manage to not embarass myself by laughing outright. I am wondering if I can use "francheesor" when I give speeches about franchisee/franchisor relationships??

Now that UFOC is defunct, I think francheesor should take over as the funnest word in franchising!

Until next time, have a super weekend!

"Girlfriend Kidnapped By Ninjas..."

My sister-in-law and I took our niece to Chicago last weekend to see Beauty and the Beast in celebration of her big 5th birthday. As we were walking from the theater to Elephant and Castle for dinner, we saw numerous homeless people with signs out panhandling. One sign really caught my attention - "Girlfriend Kidnapped By Ninjas. Need $ for Kung-fu Lessons!" When the going gets tough, the tough get creative!! I love it!

Make a pact with yourself to take one challenge that comes up next week and look at it through completely new filters. Call a trusted friend and run the scenario by them. Oftentimes we are just to close to the problem to see the creative solution. Gather as much input from as many varied sources as you feel appropriate, and then get creative. There is almost always a different way (and often better way) to do things than the one we're accustomed to. If you get stuck, take a break and join a kung-fu class so at the very least you'll be able to save a loved one from ninjas!

Have a super weekend!

The Personal Touch

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned my husband and his buddies would be watching NCAA basketball here at our house. Friday night is pizza night and the guys decided to order from a local pizza place, mostly because there was a buy 1 pizza, get 1 free special going on. I had taken the kids to a friend's house for a play date so I didn't get to experience the pizza, but I did get to interact with the pizza shop owner a few days later. I work from home most days and was surprised, to say the least, when the name of the pizza place came up on our caller ID. I was even more surprised after the call. You see, the owner of the pizza restaurant saw from his records that we were new customers and just wanted to call and see how we liked our pizza and if we were happy with the service they provided. The whole call took 30 seconds, but let me tell you, it left a very lasting impression! As a customer, I sincerely appreciate the owner/manager calling me to thank me for my business. There is a lesson in here for all of us, personally and in business; in this age of technology and social media the personal touch still matters - a lot!!

The personal touch is the reason Bob and Mary decided 25+ years ago to staff their Super Wash car washes. We are always striving to make a positive difference, and we greatly appreciate the efforts of our 700+ Super Wash managers and attendants who help us offer the personal touch.

For those celebrating Easter this weekend, enjoy the holiday!! For all, enjoy the first weekend of April - it's hard to believe it is here already!

Until next time, be SUPER!

Franchises: Where Traditions and Memories are Made

Today is my oldest son's 4th birthday. At 6:00 AM this morning I was out the door to our local Dunkin' Donuts(R) to buy him a big jelly donut, which we ultimately stuck a large "4" candle in for him to blow out at breakfast. What a super way to start out your birthday, right?? This tradition originally started out as an "oops" because I hadn't gotten a cake or cupcakes made for his birthday and I needed something quick to put a candle in. He loves DD jelly donuts so off I went. And here we are now continuing that "oops tradition, treasuring those memories made with Dunkin' Donuts.

It seems like franchising sometimes get a bad rap, mostly by folks who may not truly understand the importance of the franchisor/franchisee relationship, but as I was cruising to DD this morning I reflected on how many wonderful traditions and memories my family has built at franchised businesses. In addition to Dunkin' Donuts for your birthday: 1) Each kids' 1st birthday was celebrated with just them, me and their dad at McDonald's(R). Their first Happy Meal(R) was a big occasion for us since my husband was a McDonald's "Employee of the Year" back in his youth. 2)We had a wonderful party at Chuck E. Cheese's(R) this past weekend. Andrew and his cousin, Izy (who was celebrating her 5th birthday), smiled the whole time. They had a blast, and so did we. The Chuck E. Cheese's staff was so accomodating and cheerful and truly made the party relaxed and enjoyable instead of chaotic. I will never forget acting like a kid for a few minutes myself and challenging my dad to a couple of games of Ski-ball. Not that it's important, but I won. I am sure this will be the first of many Chuck E. Cheese's parties. 3)Me, and lots of kids, treasure the memory of washing the family vehicle at a Super Wash(R) car wash with dad on the weekend. To this day, thirty some years after I started hangin' out at the car wash with my mom and dad, when I am in a self-serve bay at a Super Wash I am totally at ease. It's just me, the water and the dirt. It feels so good when I am done washing my car and I can see what I accomplished. Thanks mom and dad.

Franchises: where traditions and memories are made. Thank you to all of the men and women out there who reached for the dream of owning your own business and did so through franchising. My family and I will do our best to keep making traditions and memories at your businesses - I'm sure many other families will to!

Happy Birthday, Andrew! You are my heart.

Until next week, have a SUPER weekend!!