Steve Lanini discusses how his participation in the Small Business Leadership Academy has benefited his McDonald’s franchises.


Small Business Leadership Academy Past Participant:

Steve Lanini
McDonald’s

Steve Lanini, McDonald's, Phoenix

 

Tell us about your business: Restaurant operations: we operate all aspects of our operations including legal, insurance, payroll, hiring, maintenance, training, marketing, customer service, energy management, recycling, public relations, site remodeling, preventative maintenance, borrowing money, overseeing contractors, pricing, and so on.

Year of participation in SBLA: 2010

What was the most important thing you learned from SBLA? Personal interaction was on the top of my list as a new way to engage our employees. The hardest part is implementing and changing the mind set. We drew from our past experiences and didn’t look outside the box. The group I was in had a very diverse background and that alone lent itself to a barrage of solutions to a particular problem. The professors also are on the cutting edge of their fields. It was a very humbling experience.

How has the SBLA alumni community been helpful to you since you went through the program? I try to keep in contact with the members of my class to draw from their expertise. Their value is incomprehensible. Knowing them and the professors gives me some tools of great value that can assist my daily operations and long-term planning. It was a great experience and long overdue for me.

Steve Lanini owns several McDonald’s franchises in the Phoenix area.

[stextbox id=”grey”]The next Small Business Leadership Academy program will begin Wednesday, August 31, 2011.

For more information about the program, including admission requirements, please visit SBLA’s website. [/stextbox]