Author: David Novak

David’s passion is to make the world a better place by developing leaders at all ages through David Novak Leadership, his family’s Lift-a-Life Foundation, Lead4Change, Global Game Changers and The Novak Leadership Institute at the University of Missouri.

Novak has been recognized as “2012 CEO of the Year” by Chief Executive magazine, one of the world’s “30 Best CEOs” by Barron’s, one of the “Top People in Business” by FORTUNE and one of the “100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World” by Harvard Business Review…

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Podcast

Jack Nicklaus, Golf Legend, Businessman & Philanthropist | Part 2


Listen to Part 1 >>

No name is more synonymous with greatness in the sport of golf than the name Jack Nicklaus, and no single person has changed the face of the sport more than Jack Nicklaus – the player, the designer, the philanthropist, and the good-will ambassador. Jack was named “Golfer of the Century” or “Golfer of the Millennium” by almost every major golf publication in the world. He was also named Individual Male Athlete of the Century by Sports Illustrated, and one of the 10 Greatest Athletes of the Century by ESPN.
Jack’s competitive career spanned five decades, and his legend has been built with 120 professional tournament victories worldwide and a record 18 professional major-championship titles (six Masters, five PGA Championships, four U.S. Opens, three British Opens). He is one of only five golfers who have won all four of golf’s modern majors, an achievement often referred to as the career “Grand Slam.” Jack remains the only player to have completed the career Grand Slam on both the regular and senior tours.
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Podcast

Charlie Scharf, Chairman & CEO, BNY Mellon


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Charles W. Scharf was appointed Chief Executive Officer and a Director of BNY Mellon in July 2017 and became Chairman of the Board of Directors effective January 1, 2018.
Charlie was most recently Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Visa Inc. from October 2012 through December 2016, where he was recognized for transforming the firm into a technology-driven digital commerce company.
Before joining Visa, Charlie was a managing director of One Equity Partners, the private investment arm of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Previously, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Retail Financial Services, one of JP Morgan Chase’s six lines of business, from 2004 to 2011, and as Chief Executive Officer of the retail division of Bank One Corp. from 2002 to 2004.
Charlie also served as CFO of Bank One Corp. from 2000 to 2002, CFO of the Global Corporate and Investment Bank division at Citigroup from 1999 to 2000, and CFO of Salomon Smith Barney and its predecessor company from 1995 to 1999.
Charlie is on the Board of Directors of Microsoft Corporation. He is also a member of the Business Council, on the Board of Trustees for Johns Hopkins University and is Chairman of the New York City Ballet. Charlie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA degree from New York University.

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From Podcast Action Journal
Being good at business is all about stepping back and looking at an issue from different vantage points.
One of the greatest skills you can have as a leader is being able to come into work and think differently about something than how you thought about it yesterday. This means rethinking why decisions were made and whether they are still valid today.
(9:41-12:23)
In your opinion, what does it mean to look at issues from different vantage points?
Are there in current processes in your organization that might need to be thought about from a different vantage point?
When you become a leader, you have different responsibilities. Everyone is looking at you. They want to know how you feel about issues; they’re looking to see whether you’re in a good mood or a bad mood; whether you’re paying attention in the meeting; how you respond to certain questions.
That’s an enormous sense of responsibility that you carry. And it carries not just through the organization, but through the external community, including clients, shareholders, and potential employees. So, you always have to make sure that you’re sending the right message.
(29:41-33:10)
In what other ways do leaders affect an organization?
As a leader, how much importance do you place on sending the right message?
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Podcast

Greg Creed, CEO of Yum! Brands


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Greg Creed is Chief Executive Officer of Yum! Brands, one of the world’s largest restaurant companies with more than 45,000 restaurants in over 140 countries and territories with 1.5 million associates. Its restaurant brands – KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell – are global leaders of the chicken, pizza and Mexican-style food categories.
Under Creed’s leadership, Yum! Brands successfully completed the separation of Yum! China as an independent and powerful growth company. Creed has more than 40 years of extensive experience in marketing and operations with leading packaged goods and restaurant brands. He is responsible for leading the Company’s overarching strategies, structure, people development and culture that will drive sales and profitability at all of its businesses worldwide.
Creed has held various roles with the Company including President and CEO of Taco Bell and Chief Operating Officer for Yum! Brands. He also spent seven years in leadership positions in the Company’s successful Australia business, including Chief Marketing Officer for KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell Australia. Before joining the Company, Creed spent 17 years at Unilever in various leadership roles in Sydney, London and New York.
Creed is Chairman of the Yum! Brands Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors of the Whirlpool Corporation. He is also a member of The Business Council and the American Society of Corporate Executives (ASCE). He previously served on the Board of IGT (2010-2015) and the UCLA Board of Visitors (2012-2016). He earned a business degree from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia, was named the 2014 QUT Alumnus of the Year and currently serves as President of the QUT Foundation.

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From Podcast Action Journal
As a leader, it crucial that you understand your customers, and that your team members deliver a great customer experience.
The customer experience will never exceed the team member experience. If you don’t look after your team members, how can you expect them to deliver a superior customer experience?
(18:59-21:04)
How can you ensure your team members feel supported?
Are there other ingredients necessary to create a great customer experience?
It’s important for leaders to create a culture of inclusiveness. Everyone should feel included regardless of color, race, creed, religion, belief, or sexual orientation. Greg feels it’s his role to create a culture where everyone can be their true selves and where everyone has a voice. Diversity is the way to reach the next level of culture and talent.
(41:29-43:06)
Does your organization have a culture of inclusiveness?
How does diversity add value to an organization or team?
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Podcast

Jessica Kim, Co-Founder & CEO of ianacare


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Jessica Kim is the co-founder/CEO of ianacare on a mission to equip, educate, and empower family caregivers to navigate long-term care for loved ones. Her drive to create solutions for the millions of people navigating this complex journey comes from her own experience of caring for her mom who fought a seven-year battle with pancreatic cancer. At the age of 19, she started Jessica’s Wonders, a baked goods company, out of her college dorm room. She raised $1M in funding her senior year (with braces) and grew it to national distribution. She then went to work at Kraft Foods in brand management. In 2008, Jessica founded BabbaCo to invest in the future of parenting by helping families spend quality time together through subscription activity boxes. BabbaCo was acquired in 2014 by Barefoot Books, where she served as President for two years before becoming an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at CRV (Charles River Ventures). Jessica was honored as Crain’s Top 40 under 40 and currently serves as a Venture Partner at Praxis Labs, the inaugural EIR at Brown University, and an advisor to several startups. Jessica graduated from Brown University and received her MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She lives in Boston with her three young children and husband, Peter, where they are actively involved in their Highrock church community.

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From Podcast Action Journal
Jessica gives the following advice to new entrepreneurs:
When it comes to your vision, you don’t need to have a background or a ton of experience. Sometimes all you need is someone who knows a bit more than you. We often think it must be a famous expert to move forward, but that’s not the case.
It’s also important to find people who believe in your vision just as much as you do.
(10:25-12:18)

What advice would you recommend to new entrepreneurs?
How important is it to have others who believe in your vision?

When it comes to conversations about women, or any kind of minority group, in leadership, every single person involved needs to be invited to the table. Many times in women’s leadership discussions, women are only speaking to other women. That is not how culture is changed.
There are men and women involved, and the conversation needs to happen between both groups, working together to come up with solutions and listening to each other’s input. Assumptions are made when you don’t know the other side.
(33:12-34:19)

Do you agree with Jessica’s opinion about minorities in leadership?

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Blog Lead Yourself

The one skill that helps you get ahead regardless of your degree

Repost from CNBC Make It!

Making the decision to invest in an MBA can be a tough one. It takes time and money and can ultimately help move you forward in your career. MBAs and degrees are often the price of admission for certain jobs. But will an MBA guarantee your success as a leader?

Personally, I don’t think an MBA is enough or is even required. I know that you can be successful without getting an MBA because I don’t have one.

However, I do believe there is one skill that can help you get ahead regardless of your degree: being an avid learner.

I believe being an avid learner differentiates good leaders from great ones, whether you have an MBA or not. I got promoted time and time again without one. Let me share an example with you.

When I was the head of marketing at Pepsi-Cola Company, I wanted to become chief operating officer — even though I had ZERO operations experience. I knew the chairman saw me as a fantastic marketer, but he was leery about me becoming a general manager. I also knew I needed to demonstrate operations ability before I would get promoted to a division president. This is why I sought the COO job. I went in knowing my biggest asset would be having the ability to learn from others and then use my power to help solve the biggest issues and exploit the biggest opportunities.

Given the confidence I gained through the years because I was an avid learner, I decided to ask the CEO for this job. I had a good working relationship with the CEO and I knew I wasn’t the obvious choice, so I made him a deal: Test me in this role, and if I don’t succeed, you can put me back in marketing or fire me. The CEO took a chance on me, and I knew it was time to become an avid learner of operations!

Being an avid learner made all the difference in my success as COO. As soon as I started, I knew I needed help, so I met with the people who really knew what they were doing. I met with route salesmen and asked them questions and listened to what they had to say. I went on sales calls and asked customers questions. I interviewed the workers in the bottling plant too, and all the asking and listening helped me discover the things that mattered and what fundamental processes needed to be changed.

Because I was an avid learner, I was able to pinpoint and solve some longstanding issues, develop operations processes that made significant improvements, and we started making money.

My demonstrated success as COO led to me being promoted to president of KFC — but the learning didn’t stop then.

At KFC, two books greatly influenced me: Walk the Talk by Eric Harvey and Steve Ventura taught me about the importance of doing what I say. Nuts! by Kevin and Jackie Freiberg explains how Southwest Airlines built a powerful culture and gave me a ton of ideas for building a great culture at KFC and later Yum! Brands.

Today, I’m still passionate about avid learning, and I practice it by hosting a podcast with successful leaders from around the world. Their wisdom and knowledge inspire me and teach me things like how adversity can become your advantage.

Learning from other successful leaders, reading books and seeking out people who are experts are three ways to practice avid learning, but these aren’t your only options. There are countless ways you can learn new skills and information.

I recently hosted a podcast with Jimmy Dunne, senior managing principal at Sandler, O’Neill + Partners, who understands the importance of avid learning. He practices avid learning by reading a ton and watching documentaries about people like Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela. He’s interested in learning from anyone who’s particularly successful at anything, whether it’s a professional golfer, professional basketball player, or a surgeon.

Dunne shared this wisdom about the importance of avid learning, no matter where you are in your career: “As you get older, you tend to play it closer to shore. And that’s not where the fun is. The fun is a situation that you’re not that sure about, but you’re willing to work really hard to learn a lot about it and maybe make a few mistakes, but really delve into it and not be afraid of it… You gotta be fearless and get offshore.”

I’m a firm believer in the power of avid learning and how it can help you advance in your career because it helped me become the leader I am today.

As Anthony J. D’Angelo said: “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.”

Don’t miss: Winning jockey Donna Barton Brothers shares 3 traits that led to her success

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Podcast

Charles Novak, Retired Surveyor & Author of Home is Everywhere

Today’s guest is Charles Novak, father of David Novak Leadership CEO David Novak. Charles was born in Haddam, Kansas, in 1929. He joined the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey as a young man and traveled the United States for much of his life measuring unmapped land. During his time on the road with the USCGS, Charles met his wife Jean and they had three children. He retired from the Survey in 1985 but continued work in a position with the U.S. Boundary Commission. He has made his home in more than sixty places across the U.S. and now lives permanently in Scottsdale, Arizona.

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From Podcast Action Journal
According to Charles, the best leaders are organized and get along with others.
At one point in his career, Charles led a team of 25 people. His philosophy about leadership was that you should treat everyone well. When you reward those who work hard, it inspires them to do a better job.
(8:55-9:45)

What is your leadership philosophy?
In what ways do you reward those who work hard?

Charles says the way to grow in your career is to keep learning. If you aren’t constantly learning, you won’t be able to stay at the top.
(10:58-11:20)

How are you learning to be a better leader?
What areas or topics should leaders focus their learning on?

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Podcast

Paul Sarvadi, Chairman & CEO of Insperity

Paul Sarvadi, Chairman & CEO of Insperity, a leader in full-service human resource outsourcing services. When Sarvadi co­-founded Insperity, he focused on building a business plan that focused on people and values rather than cold, hard economics. By believing that one’s business is only as strong as their human capital, Paul was able to grow Insperity into a multibillion-dollar company. In his debut book, Take Care of Your People: The Enlightened CEO’s Guide to Business Success, you will learn how to establish a strong human capital strategy that exudes your company’s values and propels business success. Backed by Paul’s over thirty years of experience in corporate management and aiding the struggles of small- to medium-sized businesses, Take Care of Your People is the perfect resource for any CEO or executive who wants improve their business outcomes through their most valuable resource: their people.
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You can buy Paul’s book,

Take Care of Your People: The Enlightened CEO’s Guide to Business Success

at Amazon.com today!
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From Podcast Action Journal
Paul experienced a tremendous blow early in his business career. There’s an emotional and psychological effect when you go through failure like that; it really tests your mettle. How do you respond? Can you get up off the ground? Do you still have confidence in yourself?
When your confidence is shaken, you have to figure out where you go from there. Paul learned to rely on his faith and believe in himself.
(5:58-8:24)

Have you ever experienced a big failure?
How did you respond?

When Paul was younger he had a lot of rough edges. Sometimes he was too quick to speak or didn’t give others the opportunity to give input.
Now he realizes that the best ideas come from the people in frontline roles. If asked, they will share all kinds of ideas to improve your business.
(20:20-22:00)

What mistakes did you make early on in your career?
Why do you think frontline workers have so many good ideas?

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Podcast

Eric Foss, Chairman, President and CEO of Aramark


[bctt tweet=”“It doesn’t matter what business you’re in…you’re in the people business.””]
Today’s guest is Eric Foss, Chairman, President and CEO of Aramark, a Fortune 200 global leader in food, facilities and uniform services.   The company employs 270,000 people and provides award-winning services wherever people work, learn, play and recover in 19 countries worldwide.  Since Foss was named President and CEO in 2012, Aramark has recorded consistent growth in sales, new business and adjusted net income and operating margins.  He also lead the company’s successful return to the New York Stock Exchange in December 2013.  Under Foss’ leadership, Aramark has been recognized among the “Most Admired Companies” by FORTUNE and the “Worlds Most Ethical Companies” by the Ethisphere Institute.  Foss was elected Chairman of the Aramark Board of Directors in 2015.
Prior to joining Aramark, Foss served as Chairman and CEO of Pepsi Bottling Group.  Throughout his career, Foss has established a strong track record of generating profitable growth through integrated strategies and consistent execution.  He has led global teams to successfully build leading brands through a ‘front line first’ mindset.  Foss serves on the Board of Directors of Aramark, Cigna and Catalyst.  He is a member of the Business Roundtable, the Wall Street Journal CEO Council and the American Heart Association CEO Roundtable.

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From Podcast Action Journal
Eric moved through the ranks at PepsiCo despite not having an MBA. He was never intimidated by others with the qualification. He is a big believer that in order to stay sharp and grow, you have to keep learning.
You also have to commit to self-renewal and staying intellectually curious. Eric says, “think and act like a teenager.” To keep growing, it’s important to go where the action is.
(7:11-9:34)

Which is more important to be a good leader, an MBA or experience on the frontline?
How do you continue to seek growth and self-renewal?

If you want to grow in your career, you’ll have to demonstrate that you are capable to handle more responsibility. Eric says one of the best ways to do this is by developing a point of view about your general manager’s agenda. Know his or her goals and find a way to contribute to that. Build a skill set that grows the top line. Anyone can broaden their value contribution.
(12:42-14:17)

What is your point of view regarding your leader’s agenda?

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David Novak Leadership in the News

David Novak talks about his father’s life and how it impacted his

Listen as David Novak shares with Terry Meiners on how his dad has impacted his life and his leadership.

Listen to “David Novak talks about his father’s life and how it impacted his” on Spreaker.

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David Novak Leadership in the News

David Novak on Leadership in Action

David Novak, the Founder and CEO of David Novak Leadership, joins hosts Anne Greenhalgh and Jeff Klein on Leadership in Action…

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Podcast

Becky Frankiewicz, President of ManpowerGroup North America


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Today’s guest is Becky Frankiewicz. Becky is the President of ManpowerGroup North America, a world leader in innovative workforce solutions.
Before joining ManpowerGroup, Becky led one of PepsiCo’s largest subsidiaries, Quaker Foods North America. She brings a depth of consumer knowledge to her commitment to building a work ready talent supply to meet the increasing job demand across America. It’s her firm belief that helping people find meaningful and sustainable work benefits individuals, families and communities.
Becky is passionate about advancing women in leadership, developing skills to advance our workforce and advocating for conscious inclusion. She believes enabling all people to participate in the workplace and achieve their potential is not just an ethical imperative, it’s good for business.
Becky was named by Fast Company as one of the most creative people in the industry, anticipating and adapting to fast changing consumer demands.

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From Podcast Action Journal
Becky recalls a significant failure in her career. She was working with someone she respected to launch a new product. Becky thought they should do it in a specific way, but her colleague didn’t agree. Becky relented, and later a competitor launched the product her way with great success.
Becky knew she was right but second-guessed herself. Despite the failure, she is grateful that it happened when she was young. She learned that the next time she needed to fight harder.
(21:12-23:00)

Have you ever experienced a failure? What did you learn?
If your colleague disagreed with you, how would you respond?

Becky has the following thoughts on recognition:
Feedback is a gift, something we have lost in Corporate America.
Becky says, “If I am not giving you feedback, then I am not investing in you. If I’m not getting feedback, people aren’t invested in me.”
(39:02-40-14)

What is the best piece of constructive feedback you’ve ever received?

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Podcast

Eric Wood, Retired Captain of the Buffalo Bills

Eric Wood is a former NFL player for the Buffalo Bills from 2009-2018. He was a first round draft pick in 2009 and started 120 games for the Bills. Eric was a 3 time captain and was named to the 2015 Pro Bowl. He was also the Bills nomination for the Walter Peyton Man of the Year award in 2015 and 2016. Eric suffered a career ending neck injury during the 2017 season and now lives in Louisville with his wife, Leslie, and two kids, Grace and Garrett.
Eric attended the University of Louisville from 2004-2008 and received a degree in political science. He was a two time captain on the football team, 3 time…
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From Podcast Action Journal
Eric lives by this important life principle: a generous person will prosper, but he who refreshes others will be refreshed. Eric says you can’t control much in life, but you can control how generous you are.
(3:26-4:05)

What life principles guide you?
Do you value generosity in leaders?

Good leaders know how to be demanding without being demeaning, and care but will be firm when the need arises. Leaders must hold people accountable, though it’s important not to put people in a position that causes them to lose confidence. You want to empower your team.
(23:03-25:37)

How do you hold people accountable?
Hardwiring is equally as important as Heartwiring. How can you maintain both in your leadership?

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Blog Lead Others Lead Yourself

Three Leadership Skills Elected Officials Should Master

On January 3, at least 109 newly elected members of Congress will assume office in Washington. The looming question is whether the divisive climate in politics will change one iota.
 
I imagine you might doubt the ability of our government to solve any problems the way things are going today.  You know as well as I do that the political parties are deeply divided on core issues like health care and immigration.  If our elected officials keep doing things the same way, nothing will change.  Albert Einstein hit the nail on the head when he said, “You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it.”  Now is the time for self-examination and self-reflection to launch the changes that will drive transformation in our country.
 
I believe our elected officials have the power to make positive changes for our country if they are willing to work together.
 
Mastering these three leadership skills will enable them to solve big problems and make our country better.
 
Overcome confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is alive and well among our elected officials and American citizens. Confirmation bias occurs when you seek to confirm what you believe, so much so that you miss anything that doesn’t align with your beliefs.  The stereotypes assigned to political groups, such as bleeding hearts or ultra-conservative , lead you to overlook or ignore those who don’t fit into that stereotype.  It takes self-awareness to recognize your confirmation bias, and then discipline to actively look for examples that go against your beliefs.  Checking confirmation bias at the door, and looking for ways to connect across parties, can lead to positive outcomes.
 
Engage in productive conflict. Conflict is not going away in politics, but it can be handled in a productive way. Our country faces big challenges with healthcare, immigration, and the deficit, just to name a few. I believe working together toward a common goal, like solving these challenges, doesn’t require common beliefs, but it does require an open mind.   Productive conflict is all about finding better solutions and working together as a team with an open mind. The best decisions come when you bring all possible points of view to the table.  Imagine an environment where it is possible to raise and discuss points of view and issues without offending or alienating one another and having a clear and honest discussion of all perspectives.  Listening to understand, rather than to defend your position, is key to engaging in productive conflict. Alignment is possible if our elected officials truly seek to understand different points of view and then partner together to find the best solutions for our country.
 
Adopt a powerful positive mindset to solve stubborn problems. How you think matters. If you don’t have the right mindset, you will never make big things happen and distrust will close the door on unencumbered free thinking that leads to the best solutions. It starts with identifying your mindset – is it negative or positive?  Because your thoughts impact your actions, and how you act is contagious, it’s important for our elected officials to adopt a powerful positive mindset.  The negativity we see today catches like wildfire, and our elected officials can lead the change here.  Choosing to believe that change is possible, that opposing political parties can work together, and trusting in positive intentions can ignite fresh solutions to the stubborn problems our country faces.
 
I believe there is hope for our country and what we need is great leaders stepping up to collaborate and find the common ground that will bring us the best solutions.  I believe there is hope for our country and what we need is great leaders stepping up to collaborate and find the common ground that will bring us the best solutions.  To give them the tools to do this, I urge all elected officials in the U.S. at the federal, state, and local level the opportunity to take a leadership program.  The training I offer all about overcoming confirmation bias, engaging in productive conflict, adopting a positive mindset, and taking people with you, would be especially beneficial to our elected officials and of course all aspiring leaders.
 
By David Novak – December 14, 2018 on Chief Executive
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Podcast

Paul Varga, Chairman and CEO at Brown-Forman

Paul Varga is Chairman and CEO of Brown-Forman, one of largest American owned spirits and wine companies with iconic brands like Jack Daniel’s, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester and many more. Under Paul’s leadership the company has experienced a 12% compound annual growth rate. Paul is dedicated to leadership development and currently serves on the board of directors for the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Brown-Forman and Macy’s.

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From Podcast PowerNotes
Paul says the emergence of social media has made marketing much easier. It’s important to be persistent. Sometimes it takes a while for an idea to take off, but you should never be afraid to try something new.
How has social media influenced your industry?
Is there a new idea you’ve been hesitant to try? Why?
Paul has a passion for developing others. He likes to challenge his team members and push them outside of their comfort zone. Sometimes this requires coaching and fostering their excitement about unfamiliar opportunities. Paul enjoys helping people navigate the uncertainty of a new role, and it’s always exciting to watch them succeed.
How has someone’s leadership or coaching influenced you in your career?
What aspects of leadership do you most enjoy?
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Podcast

Bill Conaty, Former Sr. Vice President of HR at GE

Bill Conaty, former Senior Vice President of Human Resources at General Electric. Bill served alongside leaders like Jack Welch and Larry Bossidy and was responsible for developing the legendary HR practices that made GE one of the most admired companies in the world. Bill is recognized as a world leader in the area of human resources. He is the author of “The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers”. He is a currently a senior advisory partner at Clayton, Dubilier and Rice. He serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees at Bryant University and has served on the Advisory Board of Cornell University’s Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies. As a world leader in human resources, Bill is a highly sought-after speaker and featured guest on CNBC’s Squawk Box.
[bctt tweet=”“To be a good functional leader.. you’ve gotta take issues off the CEO’s desk, not leave them on.””]

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From Podcast Action Journal
According to Bill, it’s good to give constructive feedback daily. Don’t wait for the annual appraisal. Giving people feedback allows them to know where they stand. It also builds candor and trust.
(39:30-42:25)

How can you incorporate more feedback into your leadership style?
What is one thing you need to improve on?

Bill recommends using differentiation when recognizing people. Treating everyone the same creates mediocrity.
(38:05-39:01)

How are you rewarding your best people?

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Mike Kulp, President & CEO of KBP Foods

Today’s guest is Mike Kulp, President and CEO of KBP Foods. Mike bought into his first franchise restaurant at the age of 21. Today at age 37, Mike operates more than 600 restaurants across 23 states. His entrepreneurial spirit and vision has helped him become a leader in the world of franchising.
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