How to Grow your Franchise in the Latino Market Symposium The first ever Hispanic Franchise Summit event was held at the YUM! Brands offices in Plano Story by: Joseph Treviño
Miriam L. Brewer, CFE Senior Director of Education & Diversity, International Franchise Association, speaks during the Summit.
Photos by: Jason Gilmore
The king in action. Guillermo Perales, President of Sun Holding, which runs over 400 restaurants in four states, talking with Latino Leaders Publisher, Jorge Ferráez, during a live interview.
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N AN UNPRECEDENTED EVENT, several organizations and brands organized the 2015 Latino Franchising Summit. The seminal event, hosted by Yum! Brands at their corporate center in Plano, Texas, brought together not only several key marques, franchisors, franchisees, but also attracted international business people, including groups and individuals from Mexico. The first summit of its kind was organized by Latino Leaders Magazine on October 1st. Yum!, Boston’s, the International Franchise Association, Franchising and Siempre Tax were partners in organizing the event.
Lessons from the Franchise world
The event attracted keynote speakers of the powerhouse level of Eduardo Díaz, President and CEO of EYM Group, which runs franchise restaurants in several states, including Burger King and Denny’s brands. Franchisees like Luis Veras (Pizza Hut), Travis Edmonson, Director of Business Development of Pollo Campero and Laura Contreras, CEO of Siempre Tax, spoke about the intricacies of working in the franchise mien. Attendees listened attentively during the “Recipe for a successful franchise in the Latino market,” which included speakers like Earsa R. Jackson of Partner, Strasburger & Price and Chair of the International Franchise Association Diversity Board. The panel also included Jesus Araiza, Managing Director of De Leon Group and David French, Senior Vice President of Business Banking, Franchisee Lending Regions Bank.
The King
In the franchising world, there are some Latinos who have done some noteworthy work, while others are beginning their careers in these exciting but often 56 • December 2015 / January 2016
Poster of the seminal event, 2015 Latino Franchising Summit, on October 1, 2015, at YUM! Brands offices in Plano, TX.
challenging ventures. Yet if there is a recognized royalty in this area, the crown king would have to be Guillermo Perales. Sun Holding, Perales’ Dallas-based firm, runs over 400 restaurants in four states. They include brands like Burger King, Golden Corral, Popeyes, Denny’s and Arby’s. Originally from Mexico, Perales started Sun Holding in 1997. In interviews, he has said that he chose to begin in franchising because “I thought that paying a royalty for using a name for a brand was better than starting my own concept,” he said. He added during the summit: “The failure rate of your own restaurant or your own venture, it’s harder to stay or sustain yourself. At the end we don’t have to create. As long as we follow certain rules and assist them. We just have to be very good at that. It seemed like the easiest model.” The key to starting a franchise is knowing what to do, Perales said to the group. Attend conferences, meet other franchisees and learn about the right brand for you, he added, as well as getting the Small Business Administration to help you. “Getting the information, the right bank, that’s the easy part. Getting the SBA to commit, that’s got to be the hard part.”