That due diligence is necessary for finding franchisees who will keep the brand consistent. But there’s a difference between consistency and stagnancy. Especially in an economic climate like this, you need to constantly innovate and improve your brand. Those ideas will often come from franchisees.
“I think too many people have too closed a mind: ‘There’s only one way of doing things,’” Travis says. “If you recognize that it’s about steady, gradual improvement and that ideas come from people who really know the business — I mean, let’s face it, franchisees know the business day-to-day better than I do because they’re out in stores, they’re dealing with our guests, the guests tell them things, they’re getting feedback. So I think if you have an open-minded approach, you’ll come up with the right solution.”
Still, not every idea gets a green light. There’s a disciplined thought process between feedback and the right solution.
“I always put it through a sift,” Travis says. “Does it help us make more money? Does it help all franchisees rather than just a few?”
When you have franchisees focused on the right values and you listen to their input, you have a recipe for success.
“It’s listening to the challenges and the points of view that come from our franchisees that’s key,” Travis says. “If you do that, it’s a bit like a team. It’s a two-way dialogue. If you are working together, you can go out there and you can attack whatever economic problems are out there.”
