348. Telling the subway guy how to become a General Manager fast

After a spirited day at a children's birthday party, I stumbled into an enlightening conversation with a Subway employee about the trials and triumphs of new business ownership. This episode is a treasure trove of insights into how a simple chat over sandwiches can reveal the unsung heroics behind a smooth business transition. If you've ever wondered about the secret sauce that makes employee-owner relationships thrive, you're in for a treat. We unpack the critical role of communication and how small, supportive gestures can transform workplace dynamics for the better.

Join us as we share personal stories from the front lines of owning a gym, drawing parallels that span industries and illuminate core business truths. Learn how you can become an invaluable asset to your boss by offering insights that go beyond the surface, ensuring the business runs like a well-oiled machine. This episode is all about cultivating a culture of trust and collaboration, where employees and owners align their visions and work towards shared success. Listen to real-life anecdotes and practical advice that can help you become the go-to person in any workplace, setting the stage for a thriving and supportive work environment.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:32

All right, well, good evening it was. If my voice sounds a little hoarse, I've been at a kid's birthday party all day and it's been a good Saturday. But I wanted to at least share, like how to treat an owner If your business ever sells, if there's ever a new owner, or like you have a new boss, like how to treat them well and what they're hoping someone will do for them. And here's the crazy thing. So I went to Subway tonight they're just finished making our sandwiches or whatever and it was just me and the guy like the sandwich artist, if you will, and I was asking him like you know, how does he like the food place? I always think of the new renovations, because everything is like renovated and like new construction. And he mentioned, like, mentioned, like oh, no, it's all good. Asked like hey, what do you think of the owner? Like what do you like about what they do or what's another owner could do different? He's like, oh man, no, they're cool.

Speaker 1: 1:21

We actually just switched owners, like two weeks ago. Like oh, no, kidding, how's that been? He's like, oh, she's pretty good, she's coming in a good amount. She doesn't really know as much as I thought she would, but she seems cool. She's coming in, probably won't be in as much later. And so I was just telling him like hey, man, like you won't believe this, I actually bought a gym like a year ago. He's like oh, no, wait, you bought a gym. Like yeah, I bought a gym. Uh, and it's crazy.

Speaker 1: 1:43

Something I wish some of my staff did is it sounds crazy, but like they're a business owner's mind, they're thinking about you know how you get paid like payroll. They're thinking about how you get paid like payroll. They're making sure you have the right equipment. They're making sure that the right customers are coming in and you're getting enough sales. They're making sure that Cisco is coming in, because I know you guys use Cisco for your food delivery. Cisco delivers everyone's food and I've seen them supply the store. And so the owner is worrying about big stuff and stuff that the staff assume is just going to work and they're making sure and confirming it's working.

Speaker 1: 2:19

But like it's the little things that happen on site that managers and owners love to know and so like here's an example if you told the owner like hey, just you know, owner, uh, this person's hung usually hung over. So like let's not put them on the saturday morning shift. Or like we have three refrigerators but these two are the only ones that work and this one, like, is busted and only works half the time, so like don't ever we need to replace it. And like, like you don't need to be a snitch, you don't need to be a tattletale, but like stuff that happens in person on site, like those are the things owners just are not aware of if they were not there. And so be that like, don't be an informant, but be like that go-to, trusted person.

Speaker 1: 3:01

Owners are always looking for the future general manager, someone they can sell the store to. They're looking for who they can trust and rely on for the in-person happenings. And so be that person. And you seem like a cool guy. You never got to talk, um, you know, keep that kind of stuff up.

Speaker 1: 3:16

I think it would do really well and owners appreciate it. They don't. They don't view you as a tattletale. If you're helping them run their business better, like, they will never get mad at you for that. If you are a tattletale, okay that's a problem, but just show the owner that you care about what they want and be on their side. Help them do their thing better and they'll take care of you. You'll be surprised what ownership will do to protect their most loyal staff.

Speaker 1: 3:44

Oh, cool man. Thanks, I appreciate that. Oh, by the way, I threw in some cookies into your meal, sorry about the way. Good talking to you. Have a nice night. Oh, thank you, I appreciate that. So all I have to say, um, pretend you start a new job. Owners are trying to figure out how you guys work, what you expect, what equipment is reliable, unreliable, what schedules, what cadence, what's the vibe of the business, and they're always looking for folks that are willing to like step up and over, communicate with them. Not tattletales, not snitches. It's someone who cares more about the owner than fitting in with their peer group. So that's something that I shared with a subway employee tonight. Just got home. Time to call it. That's where we're going. Let's rock and roll.