Page 105 - Everything I Know About Business I Learned

Standards

Arches, Fred wrote: “YOU MUST BE A PERFECTIONIST!
There are hundreds and hundreds of details to be watched.
There isn’t any compromising. Either (A) the details are watched
and our volume grows, or (B) you are not particular, not fussy,
and do not have pride or liking for the business. In which case
you will be an also-ran. If you fall into the ‘B’ category, this is
not the business for you.”

Capturing the Meaning of Standards
While serving as a director of operations for my franchisee, the
corporation decided to put together a film (in 16-millimeter for-
mat, no less) about the organizations—including ours—that
consistently produced “A” stores, featuring interviews with
those who followed best practices. The moderator asked one of
my supervisors, who had been quiet most of the time, what he
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thought the key to our success was. The camera focused in on
him, he reflected for a moment or so, and then blurted out: “We
are never satisfied.” Little did he realize the wisdom of his com-
ment. To this day, I believe that phrase is a key to any organi-
zation’s ultimate achievements, and helped to epitomize the
culture of the relentless pursuit of excellence I was learning.

Strengthening the Brand
Standards made the brand enticing not only to consumers but also
to prospective owner/operators who wanted to see return on
investment. “What goes with the standard is trust,” said Ron Bai-
ley, a New York operator. “If you have a trusted brand, it does-
n’t matter where you are, you know that you’re going to get the
same product in the South Bronx that you’re going to get on Long
Island.” As Ron pointed out, the owner/operators commit to fol-
lowing the standards by signing the licensing agreement, and rec-