July 23, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

Shaping a business is all about decisions. For example, choosing vendors to source ingredients through, practices upheld in your restaurants, standards for upholding customer service, developing systems to make your restaurant run efficiently, marketing, and so on.

In building Pizza Fusion, we put the emphasis of our business model on doing what was right for the environment and the health of our customers. We sourced organic ingredients and built the foundation of the restaurant upon environmental sustainability and treating our employees well. Believe it or not, we put profitability last. I realize this is typically unheard of, but it was what we believed whole-heartedly in and was the initial motivation for starting our restaurant in the first place. We wanted to run a business that was based on quality of life; that we felt proud to be affiliated with and was re...Read More

July 9, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (2)

I strongly believe marketing to be one of the most crucial pieces of any business. No matter how good your product is, no one will buy it if they don't know you exist. Strategically marketing your company so that consumers can connect with your brand will create interest in your business and fuel demand for your restaurants. While budgets may differ and some restaurants might not be able to afford top-tier efforts, there are many cost-effective options that can make a world of difference.

When we started franchising in February of 2007 with one restaurant, we didn't have much of a budget to play with. So we investigated public relations as viable solution. Media placements secured through public relations are free, unlike advertising, ...Read More

June 23, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

Well, at least I know three of you are reading this! Don’t worry, I have my blog on the world still being flat coming out next week.

I promised I wouldn’t use this opportunity to get up on my soapbox, but when we’ve trimmed our gas and electric usage by over 40 percent, our accountant ran home and changed his light bulbs. To each there own though, I understand. Until then we’ll discuss one of the most important topics in franchising... location, location, location!

It’s common knowledge that the location of a business can dramatically impact the success (or failure) of an establishment. Besides the obvious, like nearest cross streets, business–vs.-residential mix, and traffic direction through an area, there is a lot to be said about the demographics that an area possesses. Modern techno...Read More

June 19, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (3)

Societal trends have steered business practices for hundreds of years. When consumers express interest, businesses respond to the call. So it's no big surprise to see companies try to grab hold of the marketing value of the "green" movement. Unfortunately, it creates consumer skepticism and, as a result, true green brands lose their credibility because of others' bandwagon approach.

As a socially conscious company, you should put your money where your mouth is. After all, reality is the dividing line between those walking the walk and those talking the talk. So tell the world about what you are doing that distinguishes your green practices from the wannabes. Stating the truth about what you're doing for the better good of society will enable you to earn the loyalty of the socially conscious community. 

Tell your green story without th...Read More

June 16, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (0)

I speak from personal experience when I stress the importance of having a good quality of life in the workplace. FACT OF LIFE: Unless you've won the lottery, we all must spend eight hours a day, five days a week, 52 weeks a year, and, on average, about 40 years of our lives earning our residency on this planet. That makes for an awful lot of time spent burning the grindstone. 

The Pizza Fusion gang recently ran a marathon in San Diego, where they helped raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.