Bill and Maureen owned three restaurants, Eggs & More, in a town of 125,000 people. The places opened at 5:50 AM, and closed at 8:00 PM, seven days a week. The couple each directly managed one place themselves, and they shared supervision of the third location.

Business was OK, but the third location was a drag. While some customers developed into regulars, the couple was disappointed in not developing repeat business. A review was conducted of each location. That uncovered the following results:

• Customers were greeted differently, at times with a sign saying “seat yourself” while other times were asked to wait to be seated
• At times the hostess immediately asked if the customer wanted water, coffee, or something to drink, and then filled that request
• Other times the drink order was left for the waitress to fill
• Recipes were the same, but different cooks adjusted ingredients to suit their tastes and ideas, resulting in some product variations between locations, and by shift resulting in customers receiving
• Cooking standards were different, for example poached eggs ordered medium could be runny, or cooked through depending on the cook
• Portions were inconstant depending on the kitchen staff causing some customers to feel shortchanged
• A health department cited the third location for numerous health code violations   
• In summary, the food was inconsistent especially when Bill or Maureen were on duty at a restaurant.

After the review, written standards were established and staff was trained to those standards. As a result, the health code problem was eliminated, customer satisfaction improved, and business grew 15% over the next year.    

“Metro Fitness” offered fitness programs. The business model was customers would sign up for a short term commitment, usually a series of training sessions priced between $250-$400.00.  The client would schedule times and one trainer would work with three clients at a time. The idea was to blend personal attention at a lower cost then using a personal trainer. A contract was signed, payment made in advance, and was non refundable.

“Tom” arrived for the first session. The place was busy and the receptionist said to jump on an open treadmill and someone would be with him shortly.  Tom was wearing progressive glasses that made looking down difficult. Unfortunately the treadmill he stepped on was going full tilt and within seconds he was flat on his face. The damage was some scrapes, a strained knee, stiff neck and a sore shoulder.  Fortunately the injuries were real, but not serious.  Tom departed and went home.  The next day, Tom informed Metro Fitness he would not be returning, and requested a refund.

Ricky Scruggs, owner of Centerfield Baseball Academy, teaches hitting and pitching. But he also teaches teamwork and integrity.  Consultant Steve Marr offers him tips on how to market both types of services.

The sudden death of McDonald's CEO Jim Cantalupo, and the naming of his successor within six hours, underscores that every business, large or small, must have a plan in place for the retirement or death of the leader. Ideally, a business' succession plan will allow the company to run smoothly in the event of the leader's unexpected departure. In most cases, that is far easier said than done.