Multi-Unit Master

Jason Pace
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Management

Multi-Unit Master is a podcast for owner-operators and C-level leaders running multi-unit consumer businesses — the people making critical decisions while carrying the day-to-day of operations. Each episode is a real conversation with operators and operators’ experts on culture, growth, systems, and staying sane at scale. You leave with clear takeaways and a practical toolkit you can use on Monday — not theory. Hosted by Jason Pace. Exclusive presenting sponsor: ContinuServe.

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    Pennies in the Couch – Part 1

    Karen Blacik is a CPA and fractional CFO who works with restaurant and retail operators on profitability. In Pennies in the Couch – Part 1, host Jason Pace talks with Karen about the first and biggest place to look: labor. Karen explains why a cost that looks small at one store becomes real money across every location and every month. She walks through building a minimum labor model and flexing it hour by hour, why sales per labor hour tells you more than a labor percentage, whether your first and last hours of the day actually pay for the people on the clock, and why overtime and training labor deserve their own lines on the general ledger. She also covers getting labor numbers during the week instead of waiting for the month-end P&L. Key takeaways: 1. Watch the multiplier — a small per-store cost adds up across every unit and all twelve months. 2. Start from a minimum labor model, then flex hour by hour. 3. Look past labor percentage; use sales per labor hour with the model. 4. Check whether opening and closing hours cover the labor you’re paying for. 5. Get labor numbers mid-week, not only at month-end. 6. Separate overtime and training labor on the general ledger. This episode’s tool: the Labor Cost Savings Calculator on the episode page. Episode page: https://multiunitmaster.com/episodes/3/ Thank you to ContinuServe, the exclusive sponsor of Multi-Unit Master. Built for the pace of possibility. Learn more at continuserve.com.

    Pennies in the Couch – Part 1

  2. Oct 14

    Building Infrastructure for Independence – Part 2

    Louis “Dusty” Profumo spent 18 years as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Church’s Texas Chicken, after a 23-year career in public accounting. In Building Infrastructure for Independence – Part 2, host Jason Pace continues his conversation with Dusty, who explains how the CFO role changes as a multi-unit business grows: from hands-on work with restaurant operations at 20 units, to lender relationships, systems, and growth capital at around 200, to time with analysts at a public company. Dusty and Jason cover the systems a 20–30 unit operator needs, how an owner’s growth goals should shape a CFO hire, debt versus equity for growth, and why customer satisfaction is the first metric to watch. “Growing too fast. That’s clearly my number one.” Key takeaways: 1. Growing too fast is the number one mistake. Before you grow, ask: “Do we have the people and systems to support the growth that we’re planning?” 2. Customer satisfaction is the leading indicator. If new units trail existing ones, “you shouldn’t add another restaurant until you fix the problem in the one you just opened.” 3. The weekly P&L matters, but only if it reconciles to your monthly close. 4. People are the job. “The whole people relationships and managing all those personal relationships was by far the most important measurement of success.” This episode’s download: the Daily, Weekly, Monthly Reporting Checklist — what to track daily, review weekly, and include in your monthly close, with scaling notes for 5-unit to 50-unit operators. Get it at multiunitmaster.com/episode1b. This wraps up our two-part series with Dusty. If you missed Part One, on building infrastructure and outsourcing, start there. Presented by ContinuServe. Full disclosure: Jason Pace has been an advisor and customer of ContinuServe, never an employee. Learn more at continuserve.com. Episode page: https://multiunitmaster.com/episodes/2/

    Building Infrastructure for Independence – Part 2

  3. Sep 22

    Building Infrastructure for Independence - Part 1

    Louis “Dusty” Profumo spent 18 years as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Church’s Texas Chicken, overseeing finance, investor relations, risk, IT, and supply-chain board work across a large QSR system. Before Church’s, he was CFO of Avado Brands and of Randstad North America, and earlier spent 23 years at KPMG (11 as an audit partner in Atlanta). He holds undergraduate and MBA degrees from Cornell. Today he serves on multi-unit franchise boards and advisory roles, including American Franchise Capital. In this episode of Multi-Unit Master, Dusty talks with host Jason Pace about building the infrastructure multi-unit operators need for independence — the finance, systems, and operating discipline behind a brand that can scale without the founder living in every location. Presented by ContinuServe. Full disclosure: Jason Pace has been an advisor and customer of ContinuServe, never an employee. Learn more at continuserve.com. Episode page: https://multiunitmaster.com/episodes/1/

    Building Infrastructure for Independence - Part 1

  4. Sep 22

    Why this show exists — a short manifesto

    The inaugural episode of Multi-Unit Master — a short host intro on why the show exists, who it’s for, and how the conversations and live events will work. For busy multi-unit operators who need clarity on the go, not another podcast to add to the pile. If you run dozens or hundreds of employees across multiple locations, you don’t have time to stop and smell the coffee. Multi-unit ops can be nuts — long hours, multiple concepts, a back office that never sleeps, and everyone wanting a piece of you. Multi-Unit Master is a long-running conversation with operators and experts about creating a culture, growing the business, and staying sane — in the time it takes to drive to the next location. Every few weeks: a new episode packed with stories and ideas. Most episodes ship with a cheat sheet, checklist, or flowchart. A couple of times a month: live events with experts and operators like you. Host Jason Pace spent a decade in multi-unit operations — from Walmart to scaling a national concept from scratch — and now runs an advisory and technology firm. The show is about the guests and the conversations. ContinuServe presents the podcast (finance, HR, and technology for multi-unit and mid-market companies). Full disclosure: Jason has been an advisor and customer of ContinuServe, never an employee. Learn more at continuserve.com. You don’t need another podcast. You need clarity. Everything lives at multiunitmaster.com.

    Why this show exists — a short manifesto
  • 1 Trailer
    3 Episodes

Trailer

About

Multi-Unit Master is a podcast for owner-operators and C-level leaders running multi-unit consumer businesses — the people making critical decisions while carrying the day-to-day of operations. Each episode is a real conversation with operators and operators’ experts on culture, growth, systems, and staying sane at scale. You leave with clear takeaways and a practical toolkit you can use on Monday — not theory. Hosted by Jason Pace. Exclusive presenting sponsor: ContinuServe.

Information

  • Creator
    Jason Pace
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Pace Innovation 2026
  • Show Website
    Multi-Unit Master