Cover story
Tell us about the first day of trading, in your very first restaurant – how was that? Amazing! But not intimidating… McDonald’s training is such that you can walk in on day one and know where everything is, and how to do the job! I was on a nine-month training programme and by the end of it, you know where everything is in the store and how to make the whole menu. You know how all the systems work, where things are that you access on the intranet, you just know where it all is. Anywhere else on day one, you’d be overwhelmed, but with McDonald’s, you walk in and feel: “Yeah, I got this!” So you can immediately just jump on the line, do the work, stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your people and work on a shift because it’s not new to you! That’s where the superpower of the
training comes in. When somebody comes to you with a problem, either you can solve it with the business knowledge and people
skills you’ve got, or have gained in training, or, now that you’re part of a network, you can say: “I know who or where I can get the answer to that!” It’s easy to take for granted when you’re in the training itself, but it’s those tools, that training actually sets you up for faster success on the other side.
Are you involved in the local community? Steve, the neighbouring franchisee I mentioned earlier, and I have invested in a programme called Game On that provides activities once a week for school-aged kids. It gives them somewhere to go and something to do during the summer months. There’s football, there’s DJ classes, cooking and all kinds of stuff! And other initiatives that get young
people active – funding access to skate parks and roller skating, gym passes for kids … Steve and I are really, really proud of it. For us, it’s one of the most exciting kind
of community projects we’re involved in. I’m a big believer that our businesses
won’t succeed unless the community become our customers. We’re relying on them and grateful to them for coming in and spending their money. And community makes up our crew, we employ them as well. But it’s a two- way street! I’m very grateful to the local community, that they come in and support the business. I think it’s right that we give back, and that’s what we do.
Do you have any advice for anybody thinking of looking into franchising? If you want to invest in a business and step back, rather than be hands on then McDonald’s is not right for you. The idea that franchising is the route to some sort of passive income is a myth. But if you are, however, ambitious, love working with people and managing a team, then 100% it could be the right thing for you to do. As for any advice, mine would be:
“Creating opportunities for people, that’s the greatest form of joy”
“Research, research, research.” And then when you’re done researching, research some more! Then ask questions, because you’re committing a huge part of your life, and success or failure rests on you taking it seriously, so enter with your eyes open – and make the most of it! For me, franchising is a perfect balance
for those looking for something that’s their own, but maybe don’t want to start completely from scratch. Because running a business this way allows you to tap into a proven business model.
Any exciting plans for the future? I have four stores and my personal ambition is to acquire more – to create more opportunity for my teams. The high point so far has been promoting my people – sometimes several in one day! So to be able to do that again drives me forward. When everybody benefits, that’s the greatest form of joy. You see that as being your legacy; really having an impact locally. It’s what interests and excites me and, where people helped me achieve my goals, I can pay it forward and help others realise theirs. It’s a social contract we make when we accept help from other people – you pass it on to others. The only life worth living is one where you help other people. That’s what gets me out of bed in the morning.
12 | The Franchise Magazine 2026
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