President and Owner of Capriotti's Sandwich Shop and Wing Zone.

I started in tech. Then I worked the counter.

I started in technology, with a B.S. in Computer Science, a math minor, and an MBA from UNLV. I worked as a software engineer, then managed large IT projects for the government. Then I became a Capriotti's franchisee myself. I worked behind the counter and in the kitchen. I made mistakes and learned what it really takes to run a store and lead a team.

We bought the company. Then I built the tech and the marketing.

In 2008, we bought Capriotti's. It had about 35 shops, and they were still on Casio cash registers, so as an owner I built the technology and the marketing as CIO and CMO. I've led it as Owner for 18 years and as President for the last 10, through its growth from a regional brand to a national one.

Capriotti's (now 165 locations), Wing Zone, and Fantasy Claw Arcade together are 200+ locations.

The company used to run through me.

I signed off on every real estate deal even though I wasn't the expert. Our meetings went in circles. We ran the company for eight years without a real system, then spent about a year trying to put one in on our own, and it slid back. What changed was a coach holding us to it every week. What those years taught me became my approach, the Tempo Way. Team, every week: measure, plan, operate. The right team with one owner on every seat, a weekly meeting that always happens, the numbers every Monday, a written Game Plan everyone knows, and written processes that AI teammates can run.

Capriotti's is past $130M in systemwide revenue, and the systems that helped grow it inspired what I coach.

Early on, I was mentored by Don Tinney, a co-founder of EOS Worldwide, and my story appears in the book Process! by Mike Paton and Lisa González. I'm not affiliated with or endorsed by EOS Worldwide, Don, or the authors; this is my own approach.

Franchising is my story, not who I coach. I coach founders, CEOs, presidents, and COOs in any industry, from a team of a few to a full leadership team. The same problems show up in a clinic, a contractor, an agency, a nonprofit, and a restaurant.