Having it his way Restaurateur finds success on his own terms

Source: Jackson Citizen Patriot
Steven Hogwood worked his way up the corporate ladder and then mid-climb jumped off to start over.

The 44-year-old left the comfort of corporate life in 1995 and dove into becoming an owner/operator of his own McDonald's restaurant. He is now the owner/operator of eight restaurants in the Jackson area. The script for Hogwood's success certainly isn't conventional. "Then, a friend of mine said, 'You know what? McDonald's pays more than Burger King.' So I went to McDonald's," Hogwood said, with a laugh.

That was in 1976.

McDonald's recognized Hogwood's talents and quickly began to move him up the corporate ranks. He served as manager of operations development at its headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., became a department manager in Philadelphia and oversaw a large group of McDonald's and was assigned to South Florida where his mission was to grow business.

Hogwood speaks of each experience with the zeal of an evangelist.

"I can tell you what doesn't work when you want to motivate people," he said. "You don't throw money at people and expect that to be enough. You have to get to know the people you work with, find out who they are, what their purpose is. If you want to motivate someone you have to find a way to help him reach his potential," he said.

Hogwood realized that if he was going to help people live their dreams, he should attempt to live his own. That's when he opened his first restaurant. Today, in addition to four Jackson restaurants, Hogwood also owns the Albion and Spring Arbor stores.

"I want the people who work in those stores to know my name when I walk in. I want them to know that they work with me, not for me. I don't drive around in a Mercedes. I drive a pickup truck. I'll drive an employee from one store to another," Hogwood said.

It's that kind of hands-on management that keeps Hogwood excited about his career choice.

"I can easily have 250 to 700 employees at any given time. Each employee needs and deserves attention. It can be exhausting," he said.

Asked how he maintains the energy needed for such a task, Hogwood smiled. "You can't exhale before you inhale.I read the word of God every day. I write in a journal and I exercise. I do things to take care of myself."

And it ultimately enables him to take better care of those around him.

“People have to be held accountable, but they also have to know that you care," Hogwood said.
Source: Jackson Citizen Patriot