Few leaders in the print and franchise world have the breadth of experience that Kevin Cushing brings to the table. From running one of the nation’s largest Hardee’s franchisee organizations to leading global print franchise networks like AlphaGraphics and Allegra, Cushing has built a reputation for scaling businesses by aligning people, purpose, and performance. Today, as the Founder of Breakthroughs LLC and a Certified EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) Implementer, he continues to help entrepreneurial businesses in print and beyond find clarity, strengthen their operations, and achieve sustainable growth.
What core leadership principles have guided you through the changes in the industry?
Many of the principles I used are similar to the principles I help leadership teams develop today as an EOS Implementer.
“Big Windshield, Small Rear View Mirror”
Don’t get burdened or inflated by yesterday’s wins, losses, or mistakes. Use the rear-view mirror to educate and inform your thinking but don’t obsess over it. The windshield to the future is the vision you have created as a team and shared throughout the entire organization. The concept also supports “fail fast” in that the long-term successful players in the printing industry have learned to innovate, adapt and evolve. If you fear failure more than you crave progress, your business erodes a little everyday.
“Think of your workplace as a gymnasium.”
The first 19 years of my career were in the fast food business. I was president of a company that had 81 Hardee’s Restaurants in seven states. Much of our growth came from taking over distressed locations and turning them around. Our owner and my mentor was a true visionary and had an iron stomach for risk. He taught us to think of our restaurants as much more than a hamburger place but rather a gymnasium where our employees (from all kinds of backgrounds and education) could learn to exercise and improve their skills, habits, attitude, and knowledge for their long-term benefit as well as ours.
“Purpose wasn’t just a slogan—it was the lens through which we made decisions, and the financial results followed.”
“Be Worthy of Trust.”
One of the core values at Alliance Franchise Brands is “Ethical & Trustworthy.” That’s not a throwaway line. It literally means “be worthy of one’s trust” and that requires deliberate thought and action. As a franchisor, if people don’t trust you, you have an uphill battle on your hands.
“You can’t scale if everyone has their own way of doing something.”
Identify those drivers in your business that if they are taken from “good” to “great” can have a lasting and sustainable impact. In the printing industry, how do you take yourself out of the commodity “red ocean”? Are you bringing value added expertise or always in “bid” mode? How fast do you respond to inquiries? That’s a high impact lever because the first to respond prevails a high percentage of the time. How do you “bulletproof” your best accounts from the competition? Do you conduct meaningful reviews with your clients on a routine basis? Do your clients know a number of your people, as studies have shown that cements relationships and loyalties?
What makes the franchise model uniquely suited—or uniquely challenged—in today’s print and communications marketplace?
Actually, both. The best franchise concepts expand what an individual business owner can do on their own through scale in purchasing power, R&D, marketing and operating systems to name a few. From my perspective the scale of the better franchisors also supports having more options to expand your business during your ownership as well as greater options when the time comes for the owner to exit the business. They cast a wider net of bringing more owners into the industry without industry specific backgrounds but plenty of entrepreneurial acumen and help them gain the industry knowledge they need quickly.
A brand builder and a brand killer is consistency or lack thereof. Consistency is threatened when an organization has not clearly defined who they are and who they are not which is something that EOS supports very well. In addition, lowering the bar on who they accept as franchise owners threatens the power of the brand.
How are you helping entrepreneurial print businesses build stronger operational foundations and align their teams for long-term success?
I’ve had great experiences helping teams in this industry run on EOS by focusing on strengthening the Six Key Components of the business.
- Vision: Getting crystal clear on where you are going and how you plan to get there.
- People: Ensure that everyone on the team shares the same Core Values and that you have the right structure in place to drive execution of the vision. (Right People, Right Seat). I think this area is one where teams make the most progress in the first year.
- Data: What are the handful or two sets of numbers that act as leading indicators if you are on track to meet your goals? Driving scorecards from the sales team through shipping and receiving instills ownership and accountability.
- Issues: Addressing opportunities as well as things that stand in your way of success and solving them forever for the good of the organization.
- Process: Simplifying, documenting and implementing the core processes that allow you to conduct all major activities the right way every time.
- Traction: Instilling a disciplined routine and driving execution through effective weekly and quarterly meetings designed to ensure achievement and accountability.
“Growth doesn’t happen without engaged, accountable teams.”
Can you share an example where aligning a business with a clear purpose directly impacted performance and growth?
The Gallup Organization shares that employees are less engaged than ever. They feel disconnected. “Purpose leads to Profits” is something I believe strongly and is very consistent with EOS. If a team member knows where their company is going and why, if they feel that they are a part of a team that is aligned and has each other’s back and if they understand their role and how their work ties to the greater good, they become more engaged. Engaged team members care and they stay! Less turnover means you have more experience applied to the work. You have less costly turnover and so on.
What advice would you give print leaders who want to break through plateaus and create sustainable growth in a competitive environment?
EOS can be very transformative in the right environment. Even without EOS, leaders need to build clarity, alignment and accountability deep within their organizations to create sustainable growth. Getting the Right People in the Right Seats is paramount. When you have family members in the business, which many franchise and print companies do, it’s doubly important. No one gets a free pass just because they are members of the family. My mantra is “Do Great Work and Laugh A Lot” and I’ve found that the highest performing team members crave accountability and clear expectations and can have a lot of fun along the way.
