Having a plan for successful growth is, in some ways, more important than what the plan actually is. A competent CEO could decide to move quickly and accelerate activity "across the board," or he could take a slower, more gradual approach and evaluate each of the necessary steps as it arrives. Either way, an informed and sensible leader will make his own plans easier to follow and implement.
In an interview with the Nation's Restaurant News, the CEO of the Umami restaurant group was asked about his approach to expanding the business and developing the brand. The company includes pizza place 800 Degrees and fast food chain Umami Burger.
The brand has opened a new location in Chicago, and the CEO, Paul Clayton, said that he believes it will eventually open hundreds of restaurants. The brand began in Los Angeles, and Clayton says the company has a "notion of urban cool" that helps distinguish it from other competitors.
"I think it is always important to understand what it takes to grow and to grow successfully, which means we need to be able to find the right sites, we have to be able to operate and we have to grow as fast as our customers give us permission to grow," he said.
Opening a new location is just one of the ways that companies expand their reach, and it works best when the organization already has a solid base to build from. In a piece for Entrepreneur from 2004, Frances McGuckin was quoted saying that physical expansion should only be undertaken after careful planning.
An executive recruiter can help your company find a CEO with the judgment to tell when it is time for an expansion.
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