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!!

The Business of Basketball

What a wonderful time of year! The snow is finally just about permanently gone here in the midwest, we will have a smattering of 60 and 70 degree days, the flowers are starting to burst through the soil, we get to be silly and celebrate St. Patrick's Day and we get to be very serious and watch basketball!! Starting tomorrow afternoon, there will be anywhere from 3 - 10 (at most times) grown men lounging around our living room soaking in basketball on three t.v.'s. Yes, that's right, it's a mini-version of Buffalo Wild Wings right here at home! If only we could have a flat-screen installed above the toilet in the first floor bathroom I think we would be golden!! I absolutely love that my husband and his buddies get together every year to watch these games. It's a wonderful opportunity for comraderie, stress-release and just good old fashioned conversation. By "conversation" I mean, "DRIVE TO THE HOOP!" "You Idiots, you won't win if you can't score!" That sort of good old fashioned conversation. One of my favorite stand-up comedians, Rob Riggle, does a whole bit about how he can spend 45 minutes on the phone with his best friend and not find out a single thing about his friend's life - not how his kid is doing, if his mom's still sick, nothing. I am quite certain that is happening all around the country this week as friends gather to take in the basketball action. I say, "Cheers! Go to it!"

The NCAA tourney is for all intents and purposes, survival of the fittest. A lot like life, and a whole lot like business. Isn't it true that in business the weak don't often survive? You have to want to win, and you have to want to win more than the other team (competition) does. You have to be willing to scrap, throw yourself into the bleachers and sprint when you are out of breath. There will be times of upset where a "Cinderella" team makes a run for the title, but ultimately, they will have to have flawless execution and determination in spades in order to pull off the victory.

When it all gets a little overwhelming, ask yourself: Do I want it? Do I want it more than everyone else? Am I willing to take the game-winning three and shoulder the responsibility of victory and defeat? If the answer is yes, then trench in and be the fittest Cinderella out there.

Until next time, have a super week!
Susan