THE DOMINO’S EFFECT
When you love a brand so much you just keep finding fresh new challenges. That’s how Stuart Preston notched up 25 years with Domino’s.
Stuart Preston has been with the pizza firm 25 years.
It’s not just Domino’s chief Don Meij who started his stellar career as a pizza delivery driver. Stuart Preston is celebrating 25 years at Domino’s and reveals his career so far has spanned many roles, from delivery driver to franchisee to head office support.
“I started back in 1994 as a delivery driver when Domino’s was known as Silvio’s Pizza. I was in year 11 at high school. It gave me extra money, I got my Ps, and I thought this was an easy job – delivering pizza listening to music.”
25 YEARS AT DOMINO’S
When the franchisee he was working for started expanding, it was the first step in a whole new career. Stuart grabbed the opportunity offered to take on a job as manager-in-training.
“The only way my dad would let me leave school was if I had a full-time job,” he says.
The boy from Newcastle had his first main role as store manager. By 2000 he was already an area manager handling seven Sydney stores, then he took on a national compliance role. Before long it was clear to Stuart his immediate future lay in tackling the challenges of being a franchisee.
“There were so many good stores, so in 2002 I bought my very first store in Toronto, New South Wales. Then I grew to eight stores in the Newcastle and Hunter region.
“As an area manager you are still in the stores but you are working for someone. I really wanted to be my own boss and push myself instead of being told what to do every day. I backed myself.
“Being a franchisee there are so many moving parts: the technology, financials, marketing, promotions.”
Technology has been crucial for Domino’s and just in the back office Stuart has seen the business develop from book-based admin to fax, emails and now it’s all cloud based.
Stuart bought and sold his franchises, and was then tempted back into head office as national operations manager.
“What I bring to the role is knowledge of the business. I understand from a franchisee’s standpoint what they are going through emotionally and in business.”
TOP TIPS FOR FRANCHISEES
So what have his 25 years at Domino’s and his time as a franchisee taught him?
HOW TO BOOST PROFITABILITY
“The main drivers for business are food, labour and mileage. As a franchisee you have to control the costs. Employees don’t see the workers comp, rent, payroll tax, gas and electricity that you pay out of an order. If you teach managers that, it can flow on to other team members.”
Financial transparency is crucial, Stuart says.
“You’ve got to show your numbers to your team. It’s a guiding principle.”
He believes there are real benefits to introducing a bonus scheme.
“Lots of franchisees pay managers a good wage but don’t have a bonus structure. I had weekly bonuses motivating staff and this makes them more money focused.”
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT FRANCHISE
“Franchising has so many brands out there now, if I was looking to buy, I would do heaps and heaps of research. I would look at the competitors, two or three, and speak to franchisees in the business who are a really good sounding board.”
WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A GOOD FRANCHISEE
“If you like going home at the end of your shift at 5 pm, don’t be a franchisee. You can’t be a time-watcher. It doesn’t work.
“You go through hard times and face tough competition but you never give up. Being a franchisee gives you a lot of great rewards, that’s why I love the business.”