Longtrepreneur continues to bring the best-in-class tech and business leaders to get their take on long-term thinking in the world of Commerce, Technology and Entrepreneurship.
This week’s “Take the L” series guest is a personality who needs no introduction: Paul Goddard – CEO of Pizza Pizza
Here is the conversation in an interview format between Yawar Abbas(Longtrepreneur) and Paul Goddard(CEO Pizza Pizza)
Yawar: What’s your morning routine?
Paul Goddard: I kick off my morning with exercise and drop off one of my son at school. Afterwards, I head to my office and check in with my assistant and my senior team first.. We go through various projects and I get updates on business units inside the company.
I typically divide my day in two: First, I touch base with members of my exec team . Second, I usually walk around and speak to whomever is in the office that day and then have discussions with various internal and external teams. I also enjoy chatting with our Pizza Pizza franchisees that own their businesses across Canada.
Yawar: You mentioned your kids. How does being a father shape your decision-making as a leader and father?
Paul Goddard: That’s an interesting thought. It does have an impact on your decision-making. I became a father in 2004 when I had my first child and had my second one at the end of 2009. My two kids are five years apart. I learn from my kids. I try to set a good example for my kids and for my team at Pizza Pizza.
My kids and our young employees have a unique and fresh way of looking at the world, which does help me to be a better father and also leader. Being helpful, responsible and accountable to my kids, employees, and franchisees goes a long way.
Yawar: Which is the ‘perfect fit’ pizza on the Pizza Pizza menu for kids?
Paul Goddard: Most kids like pepperoni or cheese pizza, even though there are so many pizza topping choices, like grilled chicken, or healthy vegetable toppings.
Yawar: Who amongst your parents had more sway over you growing up?
Paul Goddard: Both my parents had sway over me. Even though they are both different from one another, growing up, they were equally influential.
My parents encouraged me to try new things and keep learning and having new experiences. My parents treated me and my siblings equally and respected our opinions.
Our parents took us seriously and did not talk down to us, which helped us grow our confidence and independence. They both had science backgrounds.
Yawar: Were you and your siblings given a lot more autonomy at an age when parents don’t give that to their kids?
Paul Goddard: We always stuck together as a family. Our parents helped us become independent thinkers, and to be curious.
Yawar: How often do you go to bed without worrying about running Pizza Pizza?
Paul Goddard: Running a business or organization, there are always worries about issues we need to solve. But, putting on my engineering hat, makes solving problems, together with my team, a fun and stimulating challenge.
Our business continues to grow nicely, and I am grateful to have an exceptional team that helps me run a good business. I also prioritize; I can shut off my brain at night and sleep well.
When I wake up in the morning, I take personal time before diving into my business day.
Yawar: Many companies are tilting towards the “crowdsourcing” model to procure ideas, products and services. Does Pizza Pizza have any plans, or has the company already delved into such undertakings?
Paul Goddard: We have dabbled with external marketing agencies that have done some work for Pizza Pizza. But we continue to generate most of our ideas, products and services in-house.
We have in-house marketing and IT (Information Technology) teams, that work closely together , along with our operations team and other key business units.
We have also partnered with some external innovative technology companies.
Yawar: Who should people contact to buy a Pizza Pizza franchise?
Paul Goddard: We have a big franchising business unit with coast-to-coast service. Now, we’ve also expanded to Mexico with a partner there.
In Canada, anyone can visit our website and contact us via email, social, or phone. We are available through all of these channels. We do manage the process centrally, initially. However, we will involve our regional franchise development teams as we progress with a prospect.
Yawar: What’s the one quality you admire about Naman Budhdeo?
Paul Goddard: There’s a long list of the qualities I admire about Naman. One quality which I genuinely admire about Naman is his ability to think big and his ability to execute the big vision.
Yawar: How has your wife shaped you into the person and leader you are today?
Paul Goddard: My wife is essentially another “one-person board” for me, in addition to our official public company board. I am always learning a great deal from her and the insights she has. We both did our MBAs together at London Business School many years ago.
She’s very intuitive and sees things in her unique way. Many times, she helps me see problems in ways which I never thought of, which makes us a very complementary duo.“
Yawar: Who’s the person in your life that you make the first call to when in doubt?
Paul Goddard: It does depend on the situation. But other than my wife, I would often make the call to my father.
Yawar: What skills did you hone while working at Just Energy?
Paul Goddard: I managed a team of 30 regional sales leaders that managed an aggregate of 800 independent contractor commission sales professionals, which was a demanding environment because my task was to keep the salespeople motivated and performing.
Yawar: Are Americans better salespeople than the Canadian sales teams? Or are we as good?
Paul Goddard: No. As Canadians, we do punch above our weight and hold our own.
Yawar: Does Pizza Pizza make startup investments that align with the company’s long-term focus and short-term goals? Or has the company steered clear?
Paul Goddard: We primarily focus on core business. I make any investments through a separate entity personally. Pizza Pizza does partner with innovative companies which are long-term disruptors and innovators.
Yawar: What’s your favourite pizza?
Paul Goddard: My pizza taste changes a lot. I am a fan of pepperoni pizza. However, I like a lot of meat and heat on my pizza. By meat – I mean salami, chicken or any other protein. By heat, I mean red peppers, banana peppers and chilli flakes.
Yawar: Which 3 entrepreneurial traits does Pizza Pizza look for when selecting a franchisee?
Paul Goddard:
- Passion: Does the potential franchisee have the drive and passion for the business?
- Self-confidence: A franchisee entrepreneur must be self-reliant to lean on themselves and not rely too much on external validation.
- Innovator: We like to work with innovative franchisee entrepreneurs who are creative problem-solvers.
Yawar: What do you want to be your legacy?
Paul Goddard: I identified a lot with a book by Ron Garan – a NASA astronaut, in which he suggested that perhaps it’s not so important to be known for the things you do or the recognition you achieve.
Instead, be known for your positive inertia in the world. I want to positively impact those around me and the world and leave the world in a better place. I am not after recognition or notoriety. If people see positive change in the world and come to know that I was behind it, I would be okay with that.
Yawar: In what other entrepreneurial endeavours did you partake?
Paul Goddard: During my career, I have been a part of Resident of Ontario Watt Exchange, an online electricity futures exchange (2001-2002), and created Wholesale Energy Group (2006-7) for marketing B2B natural gas.
Yawar: Which 3 people do you want to nominate for the Take the L interview series with me on Longtrepreneur?
Paul Goddard: Oh Boy! There are so many people that I admire. The three that come to my mind at this moment are:
- Haley McDonough – Entrepreneur, Co-Founder of Twenty-Two Twelve
- Tom Dixon – President & CEO at Easy Energy
- Brennan Mulcahy – Former CEO(Just Energy) CEO/Founder at The Chill Brothers
Paul Goddard: I would like to learn how you came up with the idea of Longtrepreneur.
Yawar Abbas: Absolutely! I have been on my entrepreneurial journey for the last 6 years now. I’ve had many failures and small successes along the way. I thought entrepreneurship was a long-term perseverance endeavour; hence, I came up with the idea of Longtrepreneur.
The story of Longtrepreneur is that I started my digital media publication startup with a $20 domain, which I bought from GoDaddy and used a simple theme from WordPress to launch the website. One thing led to another. I built a website in 4 hours and launched it. That’s my story of Longtrepreneur.
You don’t need lots of money to start. It helps to be scrappy, you have to be willing to learn new things and tools.
