The Challenge

At just 20 years old, I took on the ambitious task of opening my first Subway franchise, handling everything from fit-out and equipment installation to staff recruitment. A few years later, I acquired a second store that was underperforming and poorly managed, with low community trust and operational inefficiencies. The challenge was two-fold: continue to build one store from the ground up while turning around another that needed restructuring and re-establishing its reputation.

The Approach

To establish consistency and reliability, I introduced structured rostering supported by an admin role and invested in staff development through retail certification programs, I put selected key staff on a trainee retail management course, I also made sure I modified remuneration to suit their age and skill level paying above the trainee wage. This not only lifted performance but also improved retention by giving team members a formal qualification and confidence they were a respected and valuable team member.

I tightened quality and quantity control to safeguard margins within the franchise’s supply chain constraints and invested in local-level marketing — from coupon campaigns to radio and TV ads, alongside grassroots community partnerships with sporting clubs.

For the acquired store, the focus was on rebuilding trust with both employees and customers. I worked to reset service standards, retrain staff, and re-engage with the local community to restore confidence in the brand.

The Results

•Achieved ~30% average annual revenue growth, with the first store posting some of the highest gains in its region and nationally.

•Improved staff retention by introducing certifications and paying slightly above award rates.

•Re-established an underperforming store into a profitable operation trusted again by the community.

•Scaled and exited both stores after five years, delivering a 3x ROI.

Key Learning

This experience underscored the importance of having strong operational procedures and investing in people. I learned that sustainable growth comes not from forcing results but from creating systems that allow a business to thrive independently of the owner’s constant presence. The balance between rolling up your sleeves and stepping back to work on the business, not just in it, became a leadership principle I carry into every engagement today.