Lisa Strain never thought that she would run a $ 10 million business one day. In the 1980s, she was 22 years old and was working as a secretary in the then guardian company of Captain D, who was a quick-service seafood restaurant ((#272 rank 2025 franchise at 500). In fact, back, she knew more about what she is Was not Want to do anything. “I had two things that I was not going to do,” she tells entrepreneur With a laugh. “I was not going to be a teacher, and I was not going to be a secretary. And, of course, I went to work as a secretary.”
In 1994, her husband bought 10 Captain D restaurants in Dallas -Surf Worth area. This decision was not his, he said, but he supported it by picking up two young boys, one of which was on the autism spectrum. “I focused on my children,” says Starness. “I really didn’t think about it My thing.”
Related: Consideration of franchise ownership? Start now to find your personal list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.
“I have got this opportunity, and I need to work it.”
The following year changed, when her husband suffered a heart attack and could no longer join the business. Suddenly, Starnes was in charge of the struggling portfolio of 10 restaurants, who had already lost money in their first year. “She was a dream, and I got a job,” she says.
Starnes believe that she was shy and inexperienced. But he quickly started hosting the weekly manager meetings, trying to learn as much as possible from his more experienced team. He spent the nights on his kitchen table, which, calculating the cost of food, for the number of servings in a batch of choleslav. “It was not beautiful,” she says. “As a matter of fact, some of them were ugly. But I thought, I’ve got this opportunity, and I need to work it,
The early days tested his resolve. Within two years, the business had lost $ 700,000, which forced Starness to take a painful decision, including closing four underperforming stores. Advisors asked her to file or sell for bankruptcy. A outside advisor also suggested that she sells her car and hiccups back in Texas. Instead, he pushed forward. She says, “What I respond to the joke is that I was not enough to leave.” “The real answer is that I knew how rare this opportunity was, and I had to give it everything that I had.”
“I had to give everything that I had.”
By 1998, Starnes had paid a loan of $ 700,000. From there, his restaurants stabilized and started growing. He was opening a new store in 2008, opening a new store, in the midst of the Great Recession. She survived the epidemic, relying on her long -lasting employees. Many of his managers have been with him for more than 20 years, and some are for more than 30. “When the time is great, we are all great and earning money. When we are struggling, we are all struggling together,” says Starness.
His restaurant has consistently improved Captain D’s corporate average, including a total revenue of $ 10 million – which he calls “unfair hospitals”. Employees regularly go beyond expectations, such as helping elderly guests in restaurants. Starnes says that a couple also gave a store manager ticket in appreciating a Dallas Cowboy Thanksgiving Day Game.
Related: ‘Send a man next time’: How an entrepreneur and his daughters built a $ 2.5 million franchise in a male-dominated area
“I’m glad I didn’t hear.”
Today, Starnes Dalas-Fort conducts seven Captain D location in Worth and is preparing to open its first new store in 15 years-a modern endcap in Arlington, Texas with a walk-out drive-through door opening in October 2025. “” The past is terrible because it brings you here, but I want to be a part of the future as well. “
Turning back, Starnes is grateful that he ignored the advice to walk away. “I am glad I didn’t hear; if I had, I would never have this opportunity.” He has a direct advice for any person who is working with a professional and personal turmoil: “You are more capable than as you feel. If you keep your head down, work hard and focus your attention, you can make it. If I can do it, anyone can do it.”
Lisa Strain never thought that she would run a $ 10 million business one day. In the 1980s, she was 22 years old and was working as a secretary in the then guardian company of Captain D, who was a quick-service seafood restaurant ((#272 rank 2025 franchise at 500). In fact, back, she knew more about what she is Was not Want to do anything. “I had two things that I was not going to do,” she tells entrepreneur With a laugh. “I was not going to be a teacher, and I was not going to be a secretary. And, of course, I went to work as a secretary.”
In 1994, her husband bought 10 Captain D restaurants in Dallas -Surf Worth area. This decision was not his, he said, but he supported it by picking up two young boys, one of which was on the autism spectrum. “I focused on my children,” says Starness. “I really didn’t think about it My thing.”
Related: Consideration of franchise ownership? Start now to find your personal list of franchises that match your lifestyle, interests and budget.
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