Matt Manning

We’re often faced with tough decisions that test our priorities, especially when it comes to balancing work and family. Is there a shift happening between expectations vs. exceptions? Case in point: Missing an NBA Playoff game for the birth of your first son.    You may remember NBA 4-time DPOY Rudy Gobert for infamously becoming the first NBA player to test positive for Covid in 2020. Monday, he once again captured the spotlight when he missed a crucial game 2 against the Denver Nuggets to be there for the birth of his first son. Some were quick to criticize the decision, calling him “selfish” and “unprofessional.” They argued that as a professional athlete, his commitment to the team should have come first, regardless of personal circumstances. I, along with many others, disagree. Gobert's decision was likely not made lightly. He understands the significance of his presence on the court, especially during a huge road game. However, in this instance, the opportunity to witness the birth of his first child outweighed the importance of any basketball game. Despite Gobert’s absence, the team was still able to stack together another win against the defending champions.   WHY IT MATTERS:  >>>Success isn’t just defined in championship rings. Success can be earned every day, simply by the quality of our relationships and experiences.   >>>It’s okay to prioritize yourself and unapologetically seek joyful moments.    >>>You just have to have the confidence that your teammates will be there to pick up the slack. Minnesota Timberwolves National Basketball Association (NBA) #worklifebalance #worthit #trust

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Joanna Fantozzi Nation's Restaurant News reports on franchising and the Federal Trade Commission. "Subway and Dickey's Barbecue Pit- Davis CA were both named in documents listing complaints about deceptive franchising practices, including hidden fees" The Federal Trade Commission has responded to an uptick in complaints from business franchisees over “unfair and deceptive practices by franchisors,” including hidden franchise fees and contract provisions, by cracking down on these illegal practices. Food and beverage franchisees comprise more than a third of all franchisees nationally across all industries, making it the country’s largest segment, according to a 2022 FRANdata report by the market research firm. The FTC released a policy statement on July 12 reminding franchisors that non-disparagement contract clauses that prohibit franchisees from speaking with government officials are illegal. Even though these contract clauses are illegal, the FTC research concludes that many franchisees are “reluctant to file reports” or even speak with the Commission anonymously for fear of retaliation by their franchisors. “The FTC is concerned that franchisees are reluctant or unwilling to voluntarily discuss or file reports about their experiences with franchisors, even if the franchisees believe a law violation has occurred,” the FTC statement released on July 12 said. In addition to that stern reminder, the FTC released new guidance explaining that franchisors cannot collect fees from franchisees unless they have been previously disclosed. In other words, hidden franchising fees or junk fees including payment processing, technology, training, marketing, and property improvement fees — are banned unless they are part of the initial franchise disclosure documents. “Franchising is a chance for Americans to build a business, but the FTC has heard concerns about how unfair franchisor practices, like a failure to fully disclose fees upfront, go unreported thanks to a fear of retaliation," FTC chair Lina M. Khan said in a statement. "Today the commission is making clear that contractual terms prohibiting franchisees from reporting potential law violations to the government are unfair, unenforceable, and illegal." The FTC also released a document of top concerns of franchisees in response to a 2023 Request for Information, which included more than 5,000 complaints from franchisees and franchisors...Clickthru to read more."  https://lnkd.in/e6qPnY_x

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Why does our company's direction change every 10 minutes, I wish my boss would make up their mind! Transformational change is incredibly difficult and leadership is faced with a constantly changing, and often conflicting landscape of priorities. Recognizing the headwinds of a retailer who primarily sold office products, the Executive Vice President over the business - to - business unit provided a master's class during my time with Staples. Joe Doody was responsible for over 20,000 associates in multiple business units including distribution, e commerce, office products, print solutions, furniture solutions, technology solutions and a fledgling but growing facilities solutions team. For well over a year, Joe made the priorities for his organization clear. The top three were going to be Facilities, Facilities and Facilities. He repeated this mantra at every opportunity and wasn't shy about communicating the mission to all of the other business units. This focus didn't mean that other things weren't going to get done, just that nothing would have a higher priority than the Facility Solutions initiative and that he would allow nothing to interfere or impede the growth of that business unit. Joe Doody didn't change his rallying cry in the face of a never ending stream of "flavors of the month" and his messaging broke down the barriers needed to unify the entire team. Ultimately the Facilities Solutions business unit became the growth engine for the company and changed an industry. His approach is a lesson I hope I've learned as I progressed through my leadership journey. Keep the team focused, provide the proper tools and most importantly, don't continually shift priorities and success can be achieved.

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Potential franchisees should very closely read and understand Section 8 of Quiznos Franchise Disclosure Document (the FDD). Here is one excerpt: "As noted above, our affiliates may receive revenue directly from sales to franchisees with vendors for required products and services. In addition, we and our affiliates have the right to receive payments from unaffiliated vendors on account of their actual or perspective dealings with you and other franchisees and to use the amounts received for any purpose we or our affiliates deem appropriate." Be careful with whom you choose to franchise. Here is an additional link to a 10-minute video from the The Wall Street Journal worth watching: https://lnkd.in/gmrzUxTf

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I talk to a lot of multiunit operators with high-volume stores... And during peak time, there are 12-15 employees in the restaurant. That's 30-40 people on payroll. If they did $2.9M - the sales volume of the closest Pepper Lunch Restaurants to me, in Irvine - that would equate to $96K-$72K per employee (assuming they're all full-timers). That's pretty good. But if you do the math, that doesn't leave much left over to pay COGS, rent, royalties, G&A, benefits, and other line items. This meme is for fun - but if you're looking to franchise that's set up to be more productive, consider Pepper Lunch's: ✅ Unfair advantage ✅ Unique service model, and ✅ Tech done well 🔥 Their induction system heats an iron plate to 500 degrees within 70 seconds. 🔥 Their proprietary cast-iron plates maintain heat at 200 degrees for up to 30 minutes. If food stays hot longer = customers enjoy us more. 🔥 Because there's no human cooking (the equipment does all of it), a staffer simply assembles the food and sends it out. Customers get their food in 2-3 minutes and staffers can work on the next item. Incredible throughput, ease of operations, and customer enjoyment. Because of these 3 facts, you only need MAX 6 people in the store. Yes, six. That's 15-20 people on payroll. At $2.9M, each employee produces $145K-$193K in revenue. That'll give you room to pay your staff more (you'll no longer be victim to the $20/hour situation); spend on marketing; invest in more stores; and build a profitable organization. I can talk about this all day. If you or someone is interested in learning more about franchising with us, DM/comment! Troy Hooper Mark J. Bailey Dana Hathaitham Jonathan Whiteside

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Love Data, the interpretation of it, with the goal to get to an end conclusion? Check this graph out.. Maybe I’m a geek, but these days; data and the digestion therof, is critical in getting to a desired end result. This app is my version of the rabbit hole on an IPhone!

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A big acquisition in the works. This will certainly broaden the reach of PFG in the southeast and continue to solidify itself as the 2nd largest foodservice distributor.

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"I'm swamped. There's a ton of stuff to do, and I'm not sure how to stay on top of it. I feel like I'm drowning." 👨‍💼 I hear it all the time from new managers--especially in successful restaurants. They feel like everything is riding on their shoulders. 📈 They've got financial goals to meet. 🚰 The three-compartment sink is leaking. 👯‍♀️ Their teams need leadership, direction, and coaching. 👩‍💼 The boss is swinging by for a visit and rolling out a new initiative. On top of everything else, these managers are trying to show up for the folks who work with them every day. How can new managers handle the overwhelming responsibilities that come along with leading a team? There's no silver bullet--no one-shot item that will take away those sensations of being overwhelmed or run ragged, but here are three things that help me keep afloat: 1. Time management pays ridiculous dividends. ⏰ I set aside a few minutes at the beginning of every day (and a few hours at the beginning of the week) to really prioritize. Here are the questions I'm asking: - What's my main focus this week? - What do I absolutely need to accomplish? - What items are mission-critical? - Who needs some extra attention today/this week? Set your priorities before someone sets them for you. This puts you in the driver's seat and lets you lead on your front foot. Set a schedule and do your dead-level best to stick to it. 2. Set boundaries. 🙅‍♀️ You can't show up for others until you show up for yourself. I talk about boundaries with managers *all* *the* *time*. My favorite phrase: white space. You need that little bit of extra cushion to be able to dip into and draw from. Here's the kicker: if you're not serious about maintaining margin, you'll always feel run down. One of the best gifts you can give your team is a leader who isn't run ragged or stressed out. When you feel it, everyone else feels it, too. Maintaining boundaries and whitespace gives you the energy to keep everything level. 3. Seek out a mentor. 🕺 Having someone to vent to–outside your organization–and bounce things off of can help keep your responsibilities in perspective. When you’re in the weeds, it’s hard to be objective. A mentor can help you get a bird’s eye view. I've got a short list of folks that I can reach out to when I need some perspective--or when I just need to get some weight off my chest. Having someone who has been through similar situations is a bonus. -- You're going to be in the weeds. You're going to have someone ask more of you than you planned during your Monday morning planning meeting. Something's going to break. Being proactive can help you from those all-too-familiar overwhelming feelings. And if you need someone to talk to--reach out! What did I miss? What do you do to keep from feeling overwhelmed when leading a team?

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Pro tip: Group Posting Strategy Odds are, you're in many local groups and that's definitely a way to connect with your local audience and score some sales in the same process. Also, odds are, you're in more than one local group and so are those folks within those groups. I may work in one area and live in another so I wanna know what's going on in both! Or I service the entire region so it's good for me to be in the know when someone needs what I offer. One faux pas I see is people copying and pasting the same content and posting it in different groups without so much as changing a single word in the post. Wanna know what this does to us readers in the group? What it does is truncates those posts together so we only see the first one and then underneath that it'll say all the other groups you cross-posted to. Not only does this waste your marketing efforts, but it looks disingenuous and like you're just checkin' something off your to-do list for the day without investing in those folks taking the time to read your content. A great way to switch it up without having to sit down and dream up original copy for each group is addressing that group name or residents in the first sentence. "Hey Alexandrites!" or "How are my Nova Parents on this first week of school?" can help keep your content 1. relevant to those reading and 2. keep it from getting smushed and lookin' like duplicate content.

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What a powerful week of intentional collaboration of skilled leaders all focused on excellence! To pick 1 word as a main takeaway.... I'll choose connection. Making a True connection clears the way for real collaboration and the chance to accomplish truly amazing things magnifies exponentially! #usfoods #chefstore #proudtobeap

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I completely agree with this article from MeasureMetrix (MMX)! Empowering our frontline leaders is key to our collective success. Restaurants with empowered leaders tend to achieve higher weekly sales, lower turnover, and better cost management, all of which positively impact the bottom line. In my own Little Caesars Pizza Restaurants, I’ve seen firsthand how excellent leaders thrive when given the autonomy to steer their own ship. This not only fosters their growth but also allows me to focus on expanding our business. Let’s continue to prioritize empowering our teams!

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Ethics - a set of moral principals | principals of conduct governing an individual or group. Let's talk about ethics in the wine & spirits business. Early on in my career I made a conscious decision that I would never let any decisions or sales sway what I believe is ethically right. I say what I believe because in our business ethics really did not matter, and in many ways they still don't. Often times I hear "oh, it's just business" when individuals or organizations toss ethics out the window. It's NOT "just business", rather it is you or your organization being comfortable with being unethical. There are a lot of distributors and suppliers in our business but the reality is the world is still a small place and your ethics will be remembered. Dishonesty is not ethical. Your reputation can be tarnished in one quick moment and when that occurs the next distributor or supplier will swoop right in behind you or in front of you. People are not stupid and see through the red tape, lies, shady business practices, etc. As a individual it is also important to recognize that a company/organization can also destroy your personal reputation/brand at the drop of a dime. Do not ever let your personal ethics be swayed by a company/organization. I am beyond thankful for the opportunities over the years to learn and grow all while maintaining my reputation. Yes at times there have been instances when I had to work harder than the individuals I worked with/for to maintain a higher standard. Do not ever let the low ethics or standards of an organization override you personally. At Handcrafted Wine & Spirits of Nebraska we hire GOOD PEOPLE with an EXTREMELY HIGH LEVEL of ethics. I am proud to represent a company that does not waver from our level of standards.

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Great perspective on a very complicated and impactful topic.

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When a punk band I mildly enjoyed in my teenage years announced one of their first East Coast dates in nearly 20 years at a dive bar a mile and a half from my house, it seemed like a great excuse to spend twenty bucks, enjoy a few PBRs, and sing along to the five songs I could remember the words to. However, when the promoter announced, with less than a week’s notice, that the show would now be at a venue 30 minutes away, in the heart of a tourist area, during the busiest holiday weekend of the summer, I had to recalibrate my desire to go. Now, instead of a nice walk, it would be a 30-minute drive plus parking (about $50 on Fourth of July Weekend) or at least $80 in Uber costs. The band wasn’t one I would’ve sought out, but it seemed like a cool opportunity to hop in the way-back machine just a few minutes from my house. As of writing, I’ve reached out to the promoter for a refund. If I don’t hear back, I’ll most likely chalk up a $20 loss and spend the evening with my family. Pretend you arrive at the end of your street. Whether you go right or left, you end up at a brewery with a quality atmosphere, quality beer, and quality staff. Everything else being the same, but the brewery to the right is a half mile closer. Where do you end up most often? For me, it’s nearly always to the right. Of course, it doesn’t normally play out this easily, yet convenience can still be a prime driver of which taproom a person chooses to visit. It certainly impacted my motivation to attend a concert (note: the concert’s new location was even at a brewery). Often, we only think about the experiential factors that influence a person’s decision to visit. Things like, does the brewery have food? What’s the beer selection like? Is the staff friendly? Do I like the vibe? Before we even get to those criteria, we pre-determine the radius of breweries we are even choosing from. Is it feasible for me to pick a taproom within 5 miles? 10? 20? 50?

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Looking for the BEST kosher beef frank for the upcoming summer season? Check out this review from Food & Wine and learn why one will always 'reign supreme'. If you don't have our Hebrew National beef franks on your menu, reach out and we'll get you connected with our chefs to help develop the right offering for your operation. Let the summer grilling season begin! #conagrafoodservice, #foodandwine, #hebrewnational, #reignsupreme #summergrillingseason

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Brand Experience Pipelines at QSR Recruiting What is a Brand Experience Pipeline? A pipeline of both active and passive QSR job seekers that have both the necessary job role, brand experience, and historical performance within that same brand. What qualifies a candidate to enter the Brand Experience Pipeline? We look for the 5 P's. 1. PERSISTENCE WITHIN THE BRAND. Three consecutive years same brand. 2.PURPOSEFUL, RESILIENT, LEADER Minimum of Three years at job role. 3. PERSISTENCE WITHIN INDUSTRY Average QSR career job tenure of at least 3 years for all QSR jobs, (5 years is more preferable). 4. PROVEN BRAND PERFORMANCE. Proven historical performance and achievement within the same brand. 5. PEOPLE & RELATIONSHIPS Strong, verified, 360° QSR references. Being in our Brand Experience Pipeline identifies you as a "Brand Champion." for clients that have job opportunities for your brand. We have found through experience that these "Brand Champions," receive job offers quickly and are usually higher than both market and current salary. If you meet the above qualifications to be in a Brand Experience Pipeline, please send your resume to: [email protected]. BTW, we always look for the BEST candidate for each opportunity regardless of historical brands, but we have found that once our clients have determined a candidate's qualifications, performance history, and culture fit, that qualifying brand experience gives that candidate additional preference and very often leads to a very quick first interview, faster interview process, and quick job offers. The post below is for the four brands that currently have the most urgent needs, but we do represent 14 Mainstream QSR Brands. Arby's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Dunkin', Popeye's, Church's Chicken, Wing Stop, Little Ceasers, Pizza Hut, Face Plant, Sonic, Freddy's and Jersey Mikes. #qsr #supercandidates #get #more #job #offers #faster

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As a leader you’re always in the hot seat. I remember when I was fairly new to being a leader, I was overwhelmed with the decisions I had to make on a constant basis. Data was thrown at me and I was expected to take it all in and then take a call that could have a huge impact. It often overwhelmed me. I went to my mentor once and asked her, what do I do? How do I keep my peace? I fear I might make a wrong decision? The advice she gave me was so profound that I hold it with me till date and helps me keep my calm to date. She just said - Kiran - keep your vision and your values close to you and you’ll always know what to do. Data should just help you see through your vision clearly. What do you do when you have to take decisions? How do you keep your calm? #keepcalm #vision #values #backtobasics #leadership

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I recently had conversations with two high-level executives at different companies--one a baby boomer and the other a Gen Xer. Both thought remote employees that are millennials or part of gen Z should be paid less than those that work in an office because they perceived that remote employees were not as productive and worked less. While I disagree with their perspective, I suspect many managers from older generations share this view. Unfortunately this mindset will continue until we see more millennials and gen z in the c-suite. #lawyer #community #remote

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