After seven years in Giddings, TX, my family sold our property, giving us enough money to purchase our first franchise hotel in Round Rock, TX – a Red Roof.
My parents were, obviously, not fluent in English, so I was the one who handled the deal, signed the purchase and sales agreements, and negotiated with the brand. Mind you, I was 19 or 20 years old at the time.
I can still remember, I went to Columbus, OH, for mandatory management training but never got my certificate because there were two classes – one for housekeeping and the other for maintenance. Those classes were offsite, and ridesharing wasn’t around back then, so I had to use a cab to get there.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough money to get there and back, so I skipped those classes. Graduation consisted of a class of maybe 15 people. As names are being called, I got pulled to the side where I was told, “Unfortunately, we won’t be able to give you the certificate because you didn’t complete the classes.”
I thought about signing with a competing brand, but because of the new leadership at Red Roof a few years later, I decided to stay with them.
Because of the relationships I built with certain folks at Red Roof, I got more involved in the brand. Maybe they saw things in me others didn’t and gave me the opportunity to be on their Franchise Advisory Council without a management license.
That was one of the happiest moments in my life. I felt like I actually achieved something – like I was part of something big.
I’m always mindful of that situation when dealing with guests. The guest experience is built on relationships. Being hospitable. Treating them like family. I understand people have expectations, and I try to meet those expectations whenever possible.
Around the same time, I joined Red Roof’s Franchise Advisory Council, there was another property for sale in Dallas, TX. I really wanted to purchase it, but my dad didn’t like it because it had an extra corridor of approximately 160 units.
While you’ll never be able to please everyone, doing the best you can with the best of intentions – and with extraordinary relationships – will lead you in the right direction.
In the end, I signed the PSA and moved the money without my dad’s knowledge. When it was too late, I told him what I did. To my surprise, he was actually proud of me.
He told me he felt like I had done my due diligence, which I did. Within two years, we were able to sell that property for a huge return on investment to augment our growth.
Thanks to immense support from my family – including my younger brother, Sunny – I went from being a broke immigrant teenager, to building relationships with the right people, taking risks, and running the family business. I feel like all my past experiences have molded me into the people-person I am today.
Maybe you want to get your certificate but don’t have the money for a ride. Maybe you’re not sure who to connect with, but you put yourself out there to network for a chance of getting facetime with the right people. Or maybe you’re not sure what the right move is when it comes to what’s best for your business or guests, but you take a risk based on what you believe is the right thing to do.
While you’ll never be able to please everyone, doing the best you can with the best of intentions – and with extraordinary relationships – will lead you in the right direction.
