If founders, chefs and other creatives are the beating heart of the restaurant industry, then franchisees are the veins delivering their ideas to all corners of the globe. Franchising is critical to the success of the industry, allowing brands to quickly scale their big ideas using other people’s capital. And whether it’s a mom-and-pop restaurant owner with one or two franchised restaurants or a seasoned veteran whose influence in the industry is well-known, franchisees — with all their individual attributes, styles and personalities — make a huge impact on the success of a business.
In this week’s installment of Franchisee Spotlight, we spoke with husband-and-wife duo Jamie Little and Cody Selman about their restaurant franchising journey.
Little, known for her NASCAR pit reporting and for becoming the first woman to cover the Indy 500, has partnered with Selman to own and operate various brands. Over the years, they have owned Jimmy John’s and Nothing Bundt Cakes locations and are now starting over with newer concepts, Crave and Protein Bar & Kitchen.
Store count: Getting ready to open their first Crave and Protein Bar & Kitchen stores in Indianapolis, Ind.
NASCAR and franchising background
JL: I’m currently a NASCAR play-by-play reporter; I’ve been doing that for 24 years. The whole franchising idea came about when we just had our son in 2012 and we were trying to figure out a way that we could take care of our child while I’m on the road traveling. We landed on Jimmy John’s as our first one franchise, and it was great.
My husband did an awesome job doing the day-to-day, and I was the face and voice of it. So we expanded and had a couple in Las Vegas, and then in 2017 we moved to Indianapolis, and that’s where we thought of opening Nothing Bundt Cakes. We opened [the first one in Indianapolis] in 2018, and then we expanded and had three of those. We sold all of our franchises, and now we’re starting over with new concepts.
Picking the right brands
JL: We had thought about doing a different concept about four years ago. We wanted to bring something healthy to the area, so we looked into Jamba Juice. We had a call with [Jimmy McFeeters], and we really thought it was a good idea. We loved the concept, but the timing just wasn’t right in Indianapolis. Fast-forward to four years later, Jimmy sends me an email, and told me about his new company, and said, “ I think it’s right up your alley and exactly what you guys were trying to do with bringing healthier food to the area.”We met with him, tried Protein Bar & Kitchen’s food, and were sold.
Choosing growing brands
CS: We like that both were very young brands. We’ve been with really big, reputable brands, but getting to apply the knowledge that we’ve learned to an upstart brand is great because I feel like we’re light years ahead, so we’re able to help them grow the brand at the same time.
Lessons learned
CS: Knowing what kind of staff you need, what kind of management programs you need is crucial. [We like] franchise concepts that are less labor-intensive because it creates less turnover, and right now, in this labor market, it’s so easy for somebody to jump from job to job. So, if you have really good employee retention, you’re going to be a lot more successful.
JL: Getting your community behind [the business] is so helpful. Indianapolis is a very racing-centric community. So it made sense when I started going on TV and posting about the businesses, and people would come to support us. We always find an initiative to back. Every month, when there’s a birthday for a child in [our local shelter], we would donate a cake to them. We learned that community outreach and giving back is important, so we’ll do that with our new concepts.
Keys of success
CS: It’s about believing in what you’re selling. A lot of people get into franchising because they want to be their own boss and make a lot of money. Well, it’s not that easy. If you’re not able to really believe in the brand that you’re selling, then you’re not going to be able to do a great job. Also, picking the right markets. Like, growing markets tend to do better. With Indianapolis growing the way it is, we have so many people moving in from out of state that our little pocket communities are overflowing. So, we know there’s a need and desire for better-for-you food.
Juggling jobs
JL: This business is Cody’s baby. I’m in the loop, and I understand everything that’s happening. When I am in town during my off-season I like to be part of it and do deliveries and see people’s faces in reaction to what we were doing. My [reporting] career is first, but I get a lot of time in the off-season. Cody and I talk about everything from locations and ideas to people and ways of getting the brands out into the community. I also like to keep my relationship with all the local news outlets and magazines, and I even sometimes drag Cody into the studio.
Goals moving forward
CS: We signed on for three locations, and we just want to grow brand awareness. Once we do that, we can think about where the next location is going to be and grow responsibly.
JL: (For Crave) Cody just did the walk-through on our Crave location. We’re hoping to open in August. We want that healthier for you option, but Crave has an amazing cookie. We bring them home every week to share them with friends and family. We keep telling people, come to Protein Bar & Kitchen on Monday through Friday, but you can cheat on the weekends with Crave.