Ray Titus is the CEO of United Franchise Group and its affiliated companies. Ray has elevated franchising from a career to a calling. His philosophies on growth, positive attitude, and family, influence the core values that have driven success within the brands he has developed from conception to international expansion. Tune if to hear his keys to success and how they apply to you.

Here are a few highlights from this episode:

What is your philosophy on communication?

“That’s a great question. It’s really the heart of everything that we do here at United Franchise Group is communicating with franchise owners communicating with the vendors and suppliers their customers. Our franchisees, have to support their customers . . .

. . . the key is to ask questions and to find out where the other person stands. This means uncovering areas that you can compromise on.”

How to you continue to focus on getting better and pushing boundaries?

“I‘ve become a lifelong learner. This means you’re always looking to improve and asking ‘what’s the next thing?’ . . .

. . .Right now we’re doing a thing on AI, and how it’s changing the food industry and franchising and taking advantage of AI before it takes advantage of us. This learning and becoming a lifelong learner has changed my life, Zack. It made me always look to improve, always consider the positive side of things, and always look for you know those 3-4 things out of a book that would make me better, or help my company, or help my employees.“

As an author, what books would you recommend to someone who is running a business?

1. Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish

2. The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon

“I’m a big believer not only in lifelong learning but in staying focused on the positives and all the good things that are happening. If you focus on the good things, then you don’t have as many bad things.“