About Us
Too often, multi-site and remote managers do not get the development support they need to be truly effective.
Mastering Multi-Units (MMU) delivers practical training and coaching to help leaders be productive, manage overwhelm and increase their confidence in tackling performance challenges. This leads to greater consistency in performance and improved results for them, their teams and the business. Take a look at our brochure:
Agile
We’re quick to respond to the fast pace of operations and the challenges of remote management.
Committed
What we promise we deliver, keeping our commitments means everything to us.
Focused
We focus on critical issues, making a difference where it adds value to individuals.
Effective
We believe keeping it simple helps ensure execution is highly effective.
Inspired
We inspire managers to become world-class – to be the manager their team and organisation deserves!
Aspirational
How good you want to be is more important than how good you are today.
Not Another Training Company
We observe and support managers where it matters the most – on the frontline.
We understand that in the world of remote and multi-unit management, a sustained improvement in performance is only achieved through the consistent application of new and better behaviours and high-impact activities.
While workshop-style sessions have a place in the overall programme structure, we appreciate that real learning happens beyond the walls of any training workshop, back in the realities of the job. We observe and support managers where it matters the most, on the frontline as they carry out their role, helping them embed the skills and behaviours they have learnt.
It’s what we do.
Who do we work with?
MMU works with organisations of all sizes but specialises in:
- SMEs (including owner-operators).
- Large businesses that are looking for tailored solutions and/or competencies they don’t have in-house.
Our Team
A team with one driving focus. To develop managers to be the best they can be, because EVERYONE deserves to have an outstanding manager.
We all understand operations because we’ve all been there; on the frontline, working with diverse teams to make a difference and drive performance. Our practical experience and know-how, coupled with academic research and insights, helps us to take an objective and fresh perspective on the organisation and the capabilities of its managers.
Lee Sheldon
Co-Founder and Director
Lee has spent many years in frontline operations working in both single and multi-unit management positions.
View LinkedIn ProfileHis experience has helped him truly understand the responsibilities and challenges of the manager of managers’ role and taught him the importance of “it’s the frontline that delivers the bottom line”. His approach to effective multi-unit and remote management has been shaped by leading thinkers and operational practitioners. Following on from his former role as director of learning and development at SSP Group (the leading operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations across the world), Lee has gone on to support MMU’s clients by challenging their thinking and practices regarding multi-unit and remote management and by helping them to focus on the activities and behaviours which world-class managers must master.
Lee is an advocate of the Franklin Covey development programmes, having first attended many as a participant, before becoming accredited to facilitate these programmes. Lee and co-founder, Daniel Mills, are proud and delighted that MMU is a trusted partner of Franklin Covey; enthusiastically sharing their belief that people are the one true competitive advantage and that everyone deserves to have a great manager to support and develop them to deliver their best work. Lee takes the lead on facilitating signature programmes for clients, such as “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and “The 4 Essential Roles of Leadership”.
Daniel Mills
Co-Founder
Daniel is a learning and development professional with over 15 years' experience in hospitality and retail catering.
View LinkedIn ProfileHe has supported the opening of over 50 diverse food and beverage retail operations and has improved the quality of multi-unit operations through his ability to challenge and develop the operational mind-set of the multi-unit manager. His research into the challenges faced by the multi-unit population has helped MMU create learning interventions that promote operational excellence and individual growth.
Additionally, Daniel has trained and coached hundreds of people, from diverse industries and levels of managerial responsibility. Such interventions include: supporting participants to maximise their 360-degree feedback insights, develop actionable career development objectives and enhance key competencies, particularly in relation to personal productivity, performance management and leadership.
Alongside MMU Co-Founder Lee Sheldon, Daniel has a track record of facilitating numerous Franklin Covey’s content solutions for clients in multiple countries. Daniel’s preferred programmes to deliver are “The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity” and “Project Management Essentials”.
Andy Bull
Co-Founder
Andy was FMCG trained at Nestle Rowntree and Golden Wonder and has over 30 years' experience.
View LinkedIn ProfileHe has developed and implemented marketing and sales initiatives across the leisure and hospitality sectors with organisations including: Compass Group, Moto Hospitality, Butlins, Alton Towers, and recently, as VP Marketing Intelligence at SSP Group where he developed global consumer insight and customer satisfaction programmes.
Chris Muller
Professor
Professor Chris Muller has been described as “the world authority on the restaurant industry” and the “go to guy” for his expertise and knowledge in the hospitality world by The Restaurant Group Non-Executive Tony Hughes.
View LinkedIn ProfileProf Muller’s work in the field of multi-unit management is part of the DNA of MMU. He has shared his teaching and research with many of the leading restaurant companies in the UK, Europe, Asia and the US including Mitchells & Butlers, Yo! Sushi, SSP, Darden Restaurants and many others. This pioneering work informs both MMUs critical impact activities and our general approach to creating develop leadership programmes for organisations.
He is one of the founders of the European Food Service Summit, is a principal and co-founder of Gastronomical Adventures Consulting, and holds the position of courtesy professor at the Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism specialising in executive education.
Robin DiPietro
Professor
Professor Robin DiPietro is Director of the International Institute for Food Service Research and Education in the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management at the University of South Carolina.
View LinkedIn ProfileBefore her academic career began, she worked as director of training and operations at Horizon Foodservice, Inc. (a Burger King franchisee) in the development of restaurant leaders and managers. She has research interests in multi-unit chain restaurant operations and human resources issues inherent to restaurant operations including: motivation, leadership, employee retention and the staffing issues of organisations.
David Blackmore
Founder, Blackmore Business Solutions
David is a versatile, highly successful operations manager with over 28 years of diverse experience within the hospitality, retail and coaching industry.
View LinkedIn ProfileDavid’s experience includes working with industry-leading brands, such as Mitchells & Butlers and Welcome Break, where he worked with a range of respected partner brands, including Starbucks, Waitrose and KFC.
A highly motivational leader and mentor, David has a strong record of hands-on, cross-functional leadership. He effectively manages and builds teams to maximize performance, streamline processes, and deliver operational excellence. He brings deep experience in managing projects from initial design to completion while balancing stakeholder and client expectations.
David is passionate about using his expertise and wealth of knowledge to help professionals, business owners and leaders to grow in knowledge, expertise, and efficiency so they can flourish. He firmly believes everyone deserves to have a great manager, and that everyone should have the opportunity to fully unleash their potential.
David runs his own leadership and management training and development company and is a highly valued partner of MMU.
Andrew Kemsley
Founder, 10 Hospitality
We are proud to include Andrew as a partner and as an extended member of our team.
View LinkedIn ProfileThe energy and passion that he brings to every project inspire people to be the best that they can be, delivering exceptional experiences for customers and delivering outstanding results for businesses of all sizes.
Andrew Kemsley is the founder of 10 Hospitality, a training, coaching and motivation consultancy which he started after 25 years in the restaurant business. He now shares his knowledge, experience and enthusiasm for service and hospitality through the creation of bespoke training material, delivery of inspirational workshops and one-to-one coaching and mentoring.
Andrew has helped numerous entrepreneurs bring new concepts and brands to life and supported impressive start-ups such as Bird, Over Under Coffee, Farmacy and Doughnut Time and as well as industry-leading brands such Loungers, Jamie’s, Davy’s and The Restaurant Group to name a few. He now works as a consultant advising on new brands, concepts, service, team engagement and hospitality.
Kris Tiarks
US Channel Partner
Kris has spent the last 30 years in various operational roles in the quick- and full-service hospitality industry.
View LinkedIn ProfileEarly on, she learned the fundamentals of operations on the frontline as a cashier at her home town bakery. Then, joining Arby’s restaurants as a crew member, she climbed the leadership ladder to area supervisor opening 25 locations in the Minnesota market and providing multi-unit leadership for seven locations.
These experiences led her to career-growth opportunities into multi-unit restaurant management inside airports. From operational leadership roles, her path evolved to corporate director of training and director of operations excellence and openings, servicing the needs of over 7,000 food service professionals. In this role, she developed the company’s key training and development programs, including the guest service and management training programs.
Annually, Kris led an average of 60 restaurant openings, focusing on operation standards and process execution as a partner for various, industry-leading brands that include: Dunkin Donuts, Peet’s Coffee, Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Pei Wei Asian Diner, Jack-in-the-Box, and Shake Shack.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does MMU only work with multi-unit operators?
Not at all. While we specialise in multi-unit operations and remote management, we also help organisations enhance the capabilities of their wider operational team. We can adapt our style to speak with any member of your organisation, from frontline colleagues to senior board members.
In practice, this sees us broaden our support to provide training for the direct reports of managers that we work with, such as shift managers, assistant and general managers – often with a focus on driving exceptional customer experiences.
Is there a cost to find out more?
Our first meetings are always at zero cost and without obligation. Should you wish to proceed, we will provide you with a full written proposal to highlight the investment required and the anticipated timeframe for the delivery of our services.