Taking the Ring for Round Two

When you have been on a roller coaster once, you know what to expect. You know where those drops, the dips and turns are, and you can even expect the big upside down flips. That’s because when you come to love roller coasters so much that you decide to go on for a second time, you already know what is going to happen. 

When you decide to tackle the roller coaster of franchising for the second time, however, this isn’t exactly the case.

Sure, it helps to have been through the process of franchising once. You know where there could be the drops, where you may encounter dips and you possibly have been through a couple upside down flips already, such as a construction roadblock or a delayed opening. But there is no way to fully know what you are in for as you buckle your seatbelt, pull down the safety lock, and start up the slow track to the first big drop.

There is no one better to ask about finding success in the first year of multi-unit ownership than those who have been through it already and keep coming back for more. We spoke with two experienced franchisees to get some tips from the pros.

1. Have a really great team.

Being able to let go of the reigns (even just a little bit) is important when opening a second unit. As your focus is more heavily placed on that second unit itself, the first one has to be in the position to perform successfully without you. A huge part of this comes from having a trustworthy managerial staff in place who you can trust to keep the ship afloat without the captain.

Andy and Caro Johnson were the first ever franchisees with Toppers Pizza*, so it is safe to say that they have a deeply-rooted passion for the brand. Instilling this love for Toppers into their team was a tactic that they found most effective when preparing to open their second location in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

“My team members are as invested in growing the brand and getting to know the community as we are.” Caro Johnson said. “The food speaks for itself, but if customers are coming in and I am the only one saying how great Toppers is, the message won’t come across. My team needs to beat the drum as well.”

2. Balance is everything.

While the day to day operations should function alone with the strong team behind that first location, you will still be overseeing its success. This needs to be equally balanced with keeping the work with the second location on pace.

Jeffrey Swackhammer Jr. has opened a handful of Wireless Zone locations across the East Coast, following in the footsteps of his father, Jeffrey Swackhammer Sr. Together, they formed one of the fastest growing franchisee teams in the system, but Jeffrey Jr. still remembers what it was like preparing to become a multi-unit owner.

“When you are operating one unit, you tend to operate in the moment. When you move to becoming a multi-unit owner, you are essentially preventing the fires before they even start. You must take the necessary preventative steps to make sure things do not fall off the rails before they even have the chance to.” Jeffrey Swackhammer Jr. said.

3. Time management.

In order to achieve this balance, you must manage your time wisely. The excitement for the new location and wanting to spend every waking moment getting it set up cannot overshadow the importance of staying involved at your first one.

“It was truly all bout time management. You do it on the basis of need, and must allow the appropriate time for these needs - whether for an operating location or your new one,” Swackhammer said. “I made sure that I was extremely regimented in terms of how I handled things and in my determination of what needed some extra time and attention on my part and what could be handled by the management staff in place.”

For Johnson, it was crucial to balance the time spent instilling the Toppers culture in the first location while also ramping up the opening for his second.

“I started off in the new store and Andy managed the first one when we were getting things started. We wanted to allow the time we felt was needed to be there with the staff of our first location and make sure that they would not only understand the culture, but understand it enough to train future employees to feel the same way,” Johnson said. “We knew this would take a lot of time management on our part to allow the appropriate time and patience needed to get things right and continue to protect the integrity of the Toppers Pizza brand.”