Simple Management Group Newsletter- March 2023

A Message from the President A Message from the President

When you cross the yellow lease line, it's showtime! The lease line is a standard practice and much appreciated part of our company's culture. This prominent yellow stripe painted on the threshold of each store represents a COMMITMENT. The commitment is when team members cross the lease line, the company will protect them from the outside world; in return, they must be totally focused on performance. Once a team member crosses the lease line, our open culture of trust and accountability begins; outside distractions are not welcome. This is a time for you to provide exceptional customer service, and at the same time to earn a great living for yourself and your families

The Gallup Engagement Survey was recently conducted with all our employees The Gallup defines employee engagement as the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in both their work and workplace. Employee engagement is an internal gauge of your sense of significance, accomplishment, belonging, and competence on the job. We know that success is directly related to how engaged and satisfied our employees are. Our high performing employees have proved to be profitable because they attract engaged customers. These enthusiastic fans of our company become repeat customers, who recruit their family friends to our stores. Happy employees are more likely to produce happy customers, who give us more of their dollars and then tell more of their friends about us. This in turn, increases revenues, and increases profits. Great Teams backed by Great Managers produces positive outcomes. Our people are the core of our success

Thank you for your participation in the Gallup Engagement Survey and for being the best at whatever you do!

John

Thedford, CEO

"The trouble is, you think you have time."

-Buddha

GRAND OPENING ANNOUNCEMENT!

We are excited to announce the Grand Opening of La Familia Pawn and Jewelry (OR10) in Orlando, Florida with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Friday, March 10.

MARCH MARCH

MADNESS CONTEST

March Madness has started! Good Luck to Everyone!

March Madness Contest Rules

• Highest NET REVENUE weekly vs budget advances to the next round.

• Week 1 starts TODAY and ends on Saturday 4th.

o Week 2 (3/6 – 3/11)

o Week 3 (3/13 – 3/18)

o Week 4 (3/20 – 3/25)

o Championship Week (3/27 – 3/31)

• Double Elimination

o Losing stores move onto a Consolation bracket.

Prizes

• 1st Place (Main)

o SM & ASM earn $1,000 USD each!

o SLAs earn $500 each!

• 2nd Place (Main)

o SM & ASM earn $750 each!

o SLAs earn $350 each!

• 1st Place (Consolation)

o SM & ASM earn $500 each!

o SLAs earn $250 each!

Special Thanks to Eric DeAnda for putting this together and sending out all the updates!

We aim to be the best in the world at whatever we do! This month, Greg Weiss completed Diamond and Jewelry Training at HC3 and OR1.

The yellow lease line, represents a COMMITMENT: When team members cross the lease line, the company will protect them from the outside world; in return, they must be totally focused on performance.

Training Right Training Right

We aim to be the best in the world at whatever we do for our family, customers, company, and community This requires continuous learning and implementing best practices One of our core values is to promote a culture of learning so that every day we get better at what we do.

Every new team member goes through two days of formal orientation to learn about our company and how to operate in our business, followed by weekly webinar trainings and monthly classes In addition to this, all of our team members receive 40 hours of training in diamonds and jewelry with our expert jewelry educator and certified gemologist

Management Camp is our training program for all managers, all headquarter team members, and select other individuals About 15-20 people attend any given Management Camp each month Over the course of a year, every director of operations, store manager, assistant manager, and manager-in-training will attend.

Check out the new completed training room in Auburndale (HC3). Many thanks to Keith & Luis for the build-out renovation!

yellow lease line

Meet our Training Team

JACKIE GARCIA TRAINING COORDINATOR

Jackie is responsible for training content, webinars, monthly classes and new hire orientation

EXPERIENCE

Over 20 years of industry experience

HOBBIES

Jackie loves spending time with her furry babies, listening to strange mysterious stories (podcasts), the occasional skydiving and monthly 3-gun competition

FURRY FRIENDS

Allybeans, Mr John Wick, Whiskey, Motto and Bella (aka Sad Kitty)

JOSE HERNANDEZ CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT TRAINING MANAGER

Jose provides training to all our Puerto Rico and Caribbean stores. He tracks the training completed, prepares new training class material, conducts new hire training and follow up every 30 days.

EXPERIENCE

Over 30 years of experience in retail and management. Jose has worked at our company for 12 years. He began as an SLA in December 2010, was promoted to ASM for 2 years, store manager for 4 years and training manager in 2018.

HOBBIES

Jose loves spending time doing BBQ's and listening to music at home or at the beach He loves to sing, but most of all, enjoys spending time with his family

FURRY FRIENDS

Rocco, a 4 year old cat and Leah, the baby of the house a 1 year old Boston Terrier

Webinar Training Schedule

March 6 Where Everything Begins

March 13 Loan Guarantee Cards

March 20 Layaways

March 27 Phone Etiquette

JEWELRY TRAINING

HQ Assisted Jewelry Sales

Congratulations on the following Home Run Jewelry Sales BY1 $12,000 Sale with $11,305 Profit! OR2 $6000 Sale with $5000 Profit!

TP2 $4500 Sale with $2500 Profit! OR5 $3050 Sale with $2250 Profit!

The best items for HQ Assisted Jewelry Sales are:

• 1/2ct & larger, medium & higher quality diamonds

• 1ct and larger diamonds

• Designer Jewelry

• High End Watches

• Melee processed at United

Items not good for HQ jewelry sales:

• Cluster jewelry

• Low quality diamonds

• Plain gold items

MARCH BIRTHSTONE

Aquamarine & Bloodstone

2023Schedule

Mar 13 Jamaica@Portmore

Mar 20 Hollywood/WP/MI@Dunkin

Apr 10 PR@SJ3/Manati/PO1

Apr 17 Cayman

May 1 Barbados

May 15 Freeport/Nassau

May 22 Antiqua

Jun 12 TCI

Jun 19 Grenada

July 10 Dominica

July 24 MontegoBay

Aug.14 TP/HC/MT@Auburndale

Aug.21 OR/KM/St.Cloud/NSB/VS@OR1

Sept.11 Jamaica@Portmore

Sept.18 PR@SJ3/Manati/PO1

Oct.9 Barbados

Oct.16 Cayman

Oct.23 Hollywood/WP/MI@Dunkin

Nov.6 TP/HC/MT@Auburndale

Nov 13 OR/KM/St Cloud/NSB/VS@OR1

Nov 27 TCI

Dec 4 Freeport/Nassau

Aquamarine and bloodstone, March’s two birthstones, are very different when it comes to appearance, but they share a similar reputation for protecting one’s wellbeing. The aquamarine birthstone evokes the colors of the sea. From deep green-blue to light, slightly greenish blue hues, faceted aquamarines are often free from inclusions and as clear as water, symbolizing purity of spirit and soul. The name aquamarine comes from the Latin word aqua, meaning water, and marina, meaning the sea. Aquamarine was believed to give the wearer protection against foes in battle and litigation. It was also thought to make the wearer unconquerable and amiable, and to quicken the intellect. Surprisingly, Aquamarine is a blue variety Beryl, which is the same gemstone as Emerald. Aquamarine is mostly mined in Brazil, Pakistan, Africa, Colorado, and California. Aquamarine is a 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs hardness scale and is durable enough for everyday wear. The bloodstone birthstone is typically a dark-green cabochon cut gemstone that contains red spots of iron oxide, the “blood” that brings health and strength to the wearer. Bloodstone is also called heliotrope, a word from the ancient Greek that means “to turn the sun.” In fact, some believed that the sun itself would turn red if this gemstone was put into water. It is generally found embedded in rocks or in riverbeds; primary sources for this gemstone are India, Brazil, Australia, China, and the US. Bloodstone is a 6.5 to 7 on the hardness scale and should be worn with care to avoid scratching.

Say Hello to our New Hires!

Mellissa Logan SLA Mandeville, Jamaica

Samantha Sanderson SLA Mandeville, Jamaica

Ricardo Williams SLA Portmore, Jamaica

Sasha Gutierrez SLA WP1, Florida

Nicole Parra SLA ORL9, Florida

Aida Diaz SLA ORL1, Florida

Caroline Sanford SLA ORL1, Florida

Lylliette Rivera SLA ORL3, Florida

Johan Rodriguez SLA BR1, Florida

Omar Cruz SLA BY1, Puerto Rico

Nemesis Cruz SLA BY1, Puerto Rico

Abraham Diaz SLA CA2, Puerto Rico

Kenibel Grullon TLA SJ3, Puerto Rico

Kenibel Grullon TLA SJ3, Puerto Rico

Jose Ramos TLA SJ3, Puerto Rico

PROMOTIONS

Magaly Cardenales Area Manager Puerto Rico

Kimberley Headlam Acting Store Manger Montego Bay, Jamaica

Aldronie Desdunes Assistant Manager Mandeville, Jamaica

Derek Shepherd Sales Manager Freeport, Bahamas

Azer Lopez Manager Trainee South Area, Puerto Rico

Karina Nunez Assistant Manger PO2, Puerto Rico

Christopher Velez Manager Trainee North Area, Puerto Rico

1. How long have you been with the company? I have been with La Familia for 13 years, and 24 years total in the industry.

2. What’s your current role? Sales and Lending Associate at Miami 2.

3. Top 3 goals for 2023?

My personal pawn balance to be at $180K

My personal layaway balance to be at $80K Finish the year in the Top 10 Sales

4. Greatest accomplishment in your career so far? Raising my children and grandchildren while performing as the top SLA.

5. What would your coworkers be surprised to know about you? I was a midwife for 10 years, and graduated with a Midwife degree from a university in Chili.

6. What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I love going to the beach with my dogs and grandchildren. I'm currently raising three small kids, they keep me busy

Leticia Cofrancesco

Sales and Lending Professional La Familia, MI2

IN THE NEWS

$92K $92K $92K $11M $11M $11M

Puerto Rico Team reached the $11M in PLO for the first time ever! We celebrated with all our teams in PR. Peter Galarza, Edwin Lopez, Magaly Cardenales, Rosa Wedge, Joe Genovese, Javier Perez and Nelson Batista.

$94K $94K $94K

Congrats to Josh Ocampo for closing a $19K sale for BR1 store and at 92K in sales this month! Josh used Facebook Marketplace to reach a new customer who bought the ring. This was a customer who had never been to a pawn shop and was surprised by our customer service level and store standards.

Congratulations to Team Vega Baja 1 in Puerto Rico for reaching $500K in PLO for the first time! VB1 opened in May 2019 and started making positive net income within 8 months after opening.

Congrats to Heydi Mena at 94K in sales for OR7 this month!

$300K

IN THE NEWS

Happy Employee Appreciation Day to All! Have a great day!!

Your teams are the only way we WIN!! Celebrate them everyday! Thank you team Skibinski!

Alexis Areizaga from OR9 with $300K in February! $100K in PLO, $100K in layaway and $100K in SALES!!!

Big thanks to Krys from MI2 and Josue from MI1! They volunteered with the Salvation Army Family Center. Doing the most good!

Customers at KM6 had the best Valentine's Day!

KM2

IN THE NEWS

Great review for Team Oistins!

KM8 rolling out the pink carpet for great customers!

Raffle winner!!

SJ1

Team Oistins

Christian Cardona

Aloha Wallace

Jose Domingo

Nicolle Parra Villegas

Crawford Dukes

Roberto Ortiz

Jessica Roman Torress

Chyna Broderick

Jeffrey Morales

Tkeyah Burton

Karol Rodriguez

Virginia Jimenez

Tasha Thomas

Sheila Pagan

Lori McDermott

Celebrations! Celebrations!

March 1

March 2

March 3

March 4

March 5

March 5

March 6

March 6

March 7

March 10

March 10

March 11

March 12

March 14

March 14

Neftali Torres-Reyes March 15

Add

OUR MISSON

To be the largest and most profitable chain of pawn stores in the world.

OUR PURPOSE

Best at whatever we do; because our family, customers, community & company derserve it.

CORE VALUES

Great Teams

Excellence in Every Role

Green and Clean

Open Culture of Trust and Accountability

Celebrate Our Accomplishments