FRANCHISES
|
|
All in the Family
By Taylor Mallory
Susan Black-Beth, senior vice president and director of franchising for Super Wash Inc., began working for her family's business when she was just 4 years old. By age 23, she led the transition from a licensing company to a franchise operation. Less than a decade later, she's her father's right-hand woman, managing relationships with Super Wash's 160 franchisees.
Black-Beth, mother of a 2-year-old son and the new chair of the International Franchise Association's Women Committee, talks candidly about working for Dad – and the pressure that comes with being a second-generation entrepreneur.
How did it all start?
My parents founded our company in 1976 with nothing – a small investment in the building, no house, no car, $17.42 in the bank and my sister. And my mom was pregnant with me, throwing up off the side of the roof as they were [literally] building it. She didn't even tell my father until they were finished because he would've made her stop. Over the years, we've built over 700 locations in 24 states. Today, my older sister, Jen, is chief operating officer. Mom is chairman of the board. And Dad is president and CEO. I started washing cars when I was 4. I was in charge of winding the hoses. So I feel like I've really climbed the ladder.
What is it like working for your father?
When I hit a hurdle, he is my sounding board. He's dealt with all the issues I'm facing now. There is no division between our personal and professional relationships. In one conversation, we talk about business decisions and the new word my son learned to say. But it can be difficult when he makes a decision I don't agree with. I joke that we don't talk for two weeks before Father's Day so we can enjoy it.
Will you and your sister ever take over Super Wash?
I don't know yet. But before I'd ever leave here, it would take a lot of soul searching. There's not a day of my life that this company hasn't been part of. It's a lot of pressure. There are 31 years of hard work, sacrifice and legacy – partially in my hands. There are all the stories about second generations flushing family businesses down the drain. And we're daughters in a male-dominated industry.
What's the best advice your dad's given you?
"Don't make decisions when you're too mad, too glad or too sad." I've learned to give myself time to stabilize – so that I might react differently if I give it a day. And some battles just aren't worth fighting. Every single thing that comes up doesn't need a 1,000 percent response. In our world, there are situations with franchisees where we have to walk in their shoes. For example, I'm so serious about brand loyalty, but someone wearing the wrong button on a jacket isn't worth losing an important relationship over.
What's involved in starting a Super Wash franchise?
Depending on the location and size, it costs up to $1 million to get started. But we hold franchisees' hands every step of the way. We have a staff of real estate specialists, marketers, managers, and construction and service personnel – most of whom own their own Super Wash franchises – who assist in the build-out, train your employees and offer advertising materials. And this business comes with very low overhead, just two to four employees, and no accounts receivable to deal with.
How do you motivate your employees and franchisees?
I'm an in-the-trenches leader. My sister and I owned three carwashes together for nine years. I worked in the carwashes even then. Today, I don't do the frontline work, so I need employee and franchisee feedback to understand that environment as it changes. I would never ask someone to do something I wouldn't be willing to do myself. I'm not going to ask my staff to take a red-eye flight that's $500 cheaper if it means two stopovers and sleeping in an airport, because I wouldn't do that myself.
What has been your biggest career mistake?
I take people at their word. I want to be that person who trusts everyone, but I've been burned so many times by people who didn't do what they said they were going to do. I still do it, but I try to be more aware of it and let it happen less. There does come a time when it has to be business. One franchisee lied to me and then said, "It's not personal. It's business." The heck it is. It is personal that he lied to me. That's not business. If that's business for you, that's a problem. So I give people one chance to be trusted now.
How is your Life/Work balance?
There is no such thing in my life. There are times when work dominates. I've recently had three different all-nighters and nine trips in two weeks. And sometimes my son gets sick or has a school function, and he gets first dibs on my time. And I have liberties at Super Wash that I would never have anywhere else, because my boss is my dad – and my son is his grandson. When you can look back over six months and think I did well giving my life to both, that's as close as I can get. There's just no way I can give 100 percent of myself half of each day to work and the other half to family.
