What does it mean to be a next-generation business owner?
As a McDonald’s franchisee, Kyle Webb, CFO of Webb Family Enterprises, operates 16 McDonald’s in the Southern California area and understands the impact of a multi-generational career opportunity that helps families build and manage wealth — something that many in the black community have the goal of building.
“The value in being the next-generation owner of a business is amazing,” Webb says, “The example my father provided for me was amazing. I can’t tell you how blessed I am to have a father who every day tells me he loves me and supports me, and who lets me be myself at work.”
This support is something that allows Webb to handle what he needs to in terms of his career and building upon the legacy his parents have worked to build as well as his own legacy. The importance of having a supportive family is something that gives people confidence to just be comfortable with who they are and the decisions they make on a daily basis. That confidence motivates Webb to grow and continue learning about business through the perspective of his family’s experience running restaurants.
“My dad would schedule conference calls for the way to school so I could experience what it was like to conduct a meeting and to have conversations with important people,” he says. However, the most important lesson he learned from those conference calls was that business people are just people. They have more access and resources than others do, but through his first-hand experience through the guidance of his father, Webb learned that “we are people, we have first and last names and we get to engage in these things, too.”
Webb believes bridging the gaps to access and opportunity for others in the community helps pass on these lessons to more young potential entrepreneurs and business owners — and that’s invaluable.
“McDonald’s does a lot to get in touch with the community,” Webb says, “They’ve gone out of their way to have a black-owned supplier network and a franchisee network that mimics the makeup of the U.S. as a whole.” He values that the brand had African American franchisees and diversity consultants even before it was popular in the 1970s. For his family, working alongside a company that supports people of color and provides opportunity was extremely important.
Webb also values that the brand’s hiring practices are geared toward groups that don’t have jobs but would like them. He especially loves being able to provide job opportunities for 16-year-olds.
“The average college student graduates at 23 or 24,” he says, “So you can work with me for eight years.”
By the time they’re in their early-to-mid 20s, these employees can have a sense of job commitment, customer service skills and some management experience. Being able to provide young people with skills that can translate to any career and the opportunity to mentor them is another aspect of being a next-generation owner that Webb values and hopes to pass on to future generations.
“My dad started as an assistant manager in a restaurant that he now owns,” Webb says. “He moved up from assistant manager to regional manager in charge of Los Angeles in 12 years.” That advancement is virtually unheard of but it’s the kind of opportunity that can be found in the jobs that many ignore or pass over.
“We love giving back so people can achieve their wildest dreams,” he says, “Whether that’s becoming a McDonald’s franchisee or getting your doctorate … We want to be able to support people on their journey, whatever that might be.”
Although not everyone has access to the same business opportunity within their own family, Webb’s mindset of passing on knowledge and opportunity to those who come after can benefit the whole community if we work together.
This post is brought to you in collaboration with McDonald's.
