Jim Mizes, SiteZeus / Blaze Pizza

Show Notes

• 1:22 – Jim’s career story: How he went from working at his father’s pharmacy, to getting an accounting degree, to becoming a fast-casual restaurant pioneer.
• 5:41 – What is the key to reaching ambitious location growth goals?
• 6:25 – The analogy of how progressively raising a child compares to growing a restaurant business from 4 locations to 400 locations.
• 7:04 – How Jim landed a promotion at Taco Bell after optimizing one of the industry’s first value menu strategies that lead to a 60% growth in sales.
• 8:23 – When Jim realized he belonged in the operational side of business.
• 10:07 – Jim’s advice to anyone searching for their talent by uncovering their “zone of genius.”
• 11:41 – The secret to building a team that supports restaurant success and growth.
• 13:29 – Jim relates the level of employee-customer engagement to dogs and cats. How can your store become a “dog store”?
• 15:04 – The ratio of art and science when scouting new locations then vs. now.
• 17:10 – What is the key to a third-party delivery company “winning” in the industry?
• 18:43 – Which parts of scaling a business concerned Jim the most?
• 20:42 – What separates the good from the great franchisees and operators?
• 21:28 – Jim mentions the key factor that will helps brands of all sizes grow smoothly.
• 22:38 – You should be able to update your resume every 6 months – if you cannot add new skills at least once a year, there may be a problem.
• 23:40 – Quick fire questions