FEATURE
EXECUTIVE DECISION ARE YOU READY TO ADD C-LEVEL MANAGEMENT?
Y
ou likely still remember what it was like just running one single store. You were there every day, day in and day out. You knew every inch of the building, every employee, every operation. You set the culture, the processes, the SOPs, the behaviors. You might have been known as the friendly, familyowned collision repair center. But what happens when your time is suddenly split between two stores? That’s the question Leroy Rush, business development manager at Sherwin-Williams, asks nearly all of his MSO clients. And what happens if it’s split between three stores, or 10, or 20? Suddenly, after spending six months opening a new store, you visit one of your other locations and realize, things aren’t the same. Processes aren’t being followed, there’s high variation between locations, and there’s not a chain of command influencing each employee’s actions—even with great managers.
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THE MSO PROJECT | SEPTEMBER 2020
“There’s a reality that can’t be ignored: it diminishes your influence and impact,” Rush says. “Imagine if you have 20 locations. There could be stores that haven't seen you for 30 or 45 days. You could have employees that have not yet met you. There’s zero influence over behavior and culture.” Luckily, there’s a position so simple, yet critical, that, if effectively utilized, can solve those problems: an operations manager or COO. There really is no reason to needlessly stress yourself out and spend every day spinning your wheels, Rush says. And, no, adding a C-level title won’t make you lose the personal feel of your business; it will actually free up your time to allow you to spend more time working on that culture and brand. “As you become a multi-store operator, it changes. The friendly local family collision repair center becomes two, becomes three. It becomes a corporation,” he says. “The need to modify the way you approach multiple store operations changes. You don’t have to lose that family feel; that’s a culture thing. This is about operations, to sustain multiple locations.”
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By Anna Zeck
