What Ben's boss should know

We can all learn lessons simply by observing others, especially those in charge. Even our young people, or should I say, especially our young people, can learn by observing. Such was the case recently for my college-age son, Ben.

He works as a barista at a locally owned coffee shop in a college town, and sometimes scratches his head in confusion when the owner gives a directive. I know, I know, all employees at some point question their boss’ directions. If we had a nickel for all the times employees think they have a better answer than the boss, we’d all be rich. But I had to agree with Ben on this one:

Members of the local historical society asked the owner if they could hang some photos of historical sites on the walls of the shop. And, in conjunction with that, they wanted to hold their monthly meetings there. Ben, who witnessed the exchange, said the owner came up with a top-of-head price to hang the photos on the wall: $15 each per month, he told the historical society. (And, to hear Ben tell it, the owner added a little dollop of condensation to the conversation.) No surprise here: The historical society took their photos, and their meetings, somewhere else.

The wall remains blank. Ben’s point? There’s zero demand for the wall space. Why not give it to them for free and create some goodwill as a member of the community? The owner shot himself in the foot. What could have been an opportunity to bring in more customers and be seen as a community supporter turned into a negative experience for potential customers. And even a college kid could see it. Why couldn’t the owner? It seems basic business best practices escaped him this time.

Even though he is an owner of an independent business, Ben’s boss might want to read this month’s issue of Franchise Times. It couldn’t be more packed with real business lessons from real business owners—those operating businesses day-in and day-out.

One such owner is IHOP franchisee Tyoka Jackson, famous in his own right for being an NFL defensive lineman for 11 years. During the interview with Franchise Times Executive Editor Nancy Weingartner, he talked about a number of lessons he learned from his days on the football field, and how you persevere. First of all, there are consequences for your actions. Seems like an obvious one, but we all know business owners who don’t understand that concept until it’s too late—too late to fix their business. His lessons are practical, and well-advised reading.

There’s the story of Spencer Brown, the owner and franchisor of Rent A Green Box, who kept refining the concept because of the lessons he learned along the way. He didn’t remain stuck, knowing that each problem he encountered represented a new opportunity to build a better business.

And, I can definitely tie our cover story into this thread, as well. Franchise Times co-sponsored, in conjunction with the IFA, a trade mission to Vietnam and Indonesia, led by the U.S. Commercial Service. Our own Nancy Weingartner built on her 2011 trip to India by again traveling to foreign locales with franchisor executives to learn about the countries—and what franchisors experience on the mission. The trips are designed to introduce these individuals to prospective franchise partners in the two countries.

One undertaking: Before they meet any prospective franchisees, they touch, feel and sample the country they want to expand into. It’s a pretty good lesson for anyone in business: Size up the lay of the land before you make a decision.

Large franchisors, like Applebee’s, along with smaller ones, such as Which Wich, received the same information about each city they visited. How they apply that to their own franchise will depend on them, and what their business needs are at the time, in those countries. And it doesn’t hurt that after lessons on the local culture, they were introduced to qualified candidates with money to spend.

And so, Ben’s boss, I advise you thusly: Take a page, or pages, out of the Franchise Times lesson book. We have a lot to share this month.