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Serial entrepreneurs Tracy and Maurice Jennings are the owners of three Jersey Mike’s Subs franchise locations in Virginia. Their shared management of several successful businesses over the past 10 years has allowed them to develop their skills in business management, marketing, and operations, helping them execute effective business growth strategies.

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Here’s a Glimpse of What You’ll Hear:

  • Tracy and Maurice Jennings discuss the challenges of their entrepreneurial journey
  • The most important elements to focus on in a multi-location business
  • Tracy and Maurice share the pandemic’s impact on their businesses
  • Tips on how to improve employee retention and loyalty

In this episode…

In this episode of the SpotOn Series, Chad Franzen is joined by Tracy and Maurice Jennings, the owners of three Jersey Mike’s Subs locations in Virginia. They discuss the ups and downs of their entrepreneurial careers, becoming franchise owners with a focus on growth, and how the pandemic has affected business operations in the restaurant industry. Tracy and Maurice go on to share their tips for maintaining employee retention and the best skills to develop when operating a multi-location business.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Sponsor for this episode

SpotOn:

Today’s episode is brought to you by SpotOn. SpotOn has transformed the merchant service industry by providing the tools and support your business deserves at a price that puts money back into your pocket!

SpotOn’s team wants to empower all of their merchants by merging payment processing with simple customer engagement tools, all in one easy-to-use platform. As a business owner, you are focused on managing your daily operations and engaging your customers. You don’t have the time, energy, or excess funds to devote to multiple complicated platforms! That’s why SpotOn is focused on helping you build long-lasting customer loyalty while saving you time and money through our all in one system.

Whether you are a merchant or a consumer, SpotOn wants to be more than an average payment processor. SpotOn aims to exceed your expectations by valuing simplicity, maintaining flexibility, and celebrating innovative collaboration. Let SpotOn help you do business the right way.

Partner with SpotOn today! Visit spoton.com today to schedule your free demo or to view SpotOn’s products. You can also call SpotOn at 877.814.4102 at any time. Let SpotOn help you make the difference with your business!

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Rise25 Co-founders, Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran, have been podcasting and advising about podcasting since 2008.

Episode Transcript

Intro 0:04

Welcome to the Top Business Leaders Show, powered by Rise 25 Media, we featured top founders, executives and business leaders from all over the world.

Chad Franzen 0:20

Chad Franzen here co-host of the show where we feature top restaurant tours, investors and business leaders. This is part of our SpotOn Series. SpotOn has the best-in-class payment platform for retail and they have a flagship solution called SpotOn Restaurant where they combine marketing software and payments all in one. They’ve served everyone from larger chains like Dairy Queen and subway to small mom-and-pop restaurants. To learn more, go to spoton.com This episode is brought to you by Rise25 We help b2b businesses to get ROI clients referrals and strategic partnerships through done for you podcasts. If you have a b2b business and want to build great relationships with clients, referral partners and thought leaders in your space. There’s no better way to do it than through podcasts and content marketing. To learn more, go to rise25.com or email us at support@rise25media.com Tracy and Maurice Jennings are serial entrepreneurs who have formed a solid strategic alliance to tap into their vast and varied core competencies, all of which are essential to the success of the business and the establishment of the Jersey Mike’s brand. They have considerable experience and expertise as successful business owners having owned and operated three very successful businesses over the past 13 years. Hey, Tracy and Maurice, how are you guys? Thanks so much for joining me today.

Tracy Jennings 1:33

We’re great. Thank you. Good.

Chad Franzen 1:35

So tell me how you guys got involved with Jersey Mike’s.

Tracy Jennings 1:39

We were franchisees of ZIPS Dry Cleaners in Norfolk, Virginia. And we were looking for something to eat and stumbled into a Jersey. That was in 2011. And so from 2011 to 2016. We were just customers. I do real estate in my other life, my husband ran the dry cleaners. And the seed was planted from the quality of the foods. And the dry cleaners was three hours away. And when 2017 came along, we knew that we were tired of driving three hours away. And we embarked on Jersey Mike’s.

Chad Franzen 2:25

Wow, very, very cool. So how many franchise locations do you have now?

Tracy Jennings 2:29

We have two and a third is in the works.

Chad Franzen 2:32

Okay. What was your Where was your first location? And what were the early days there? Like? You know, you said you had another franchise they were working with but it wasn’t in the restaurant industry. What about what was your first location and what were the early days there like

Tracy Jennings 2:45

Our first location was in Lorton, Virginia off of Ox Road. We opened up at the holidays. And that’s not the best time to open up. So it was a slow startup. But one of the things that I think that really anchored us is that Jersey Mike’s aligned with our core of giving back. And we partnered with LCAC, which is our charity partner. And that partnership has grown our business and people come to know who we are, by face. My husband’s a coach at the local school that we support. So it was a slow startup, but we are we are doing very well. They’re great!

Chad Franzen 3:33

Very nice. What do you coach?

Maurice Jennings 3:36

Basketball

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