We tend to both do business with and buy things from people we like. We tend to remember how people make us feel. For those reasons, and then some, Focus Property Group is fortunate to have Toral Leathers on its team. Toral is Focus Property’s Vice President of Operations. Get to know her story, and soak in her words of wisdom.
Background
It’s no wonder Toral has such a passion for business. She grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. They owned gas stations, Subway franchises, and eventually Five Guys ones as well. Her transition into the Five Guys franchise was the catalyst for lots of learning: “Opening Five Guys meant managing both the construction and the business; it took a lot of grit. There was no brand awareness in the area and corporate didn’t do any marketing, so I learned to do it all.” Toral is thankful for those experiences because she’s confident they contribute to success in her present role in operations.
Building Blocks
As a Five Guys Burger & Fries Franchise owner, Toral says the experience taught her the importance of a building-blocks-approach to opening a successful business: “I learned how to cook the burgers and fries while managing a staff of more than a 100. It was running the fry station during lunch rush that I had my a-ha moment about how to make the operation run more smoothly.” As a businessperson, Toral never assumed she knew more than her team. She appreciated each team member as an important block within their structure and believed they could learn from one another: “I’m most proud that, for as much as I taught my team how to run the operation, I was willing to learn from them.” Viewing herself as a lifelong learner, Toral believes the ancillary knowledge she gained during that time is applicable today: “Building is building,” she stated. Always open to learning, she thrives on teaching both her team members and clients: “If I teach you something that you can apply for the rest of your life, I have done my job.”
Effort
Toral’s willingness to learn is part of what makes her approachable, and both attributes translate well into her customer service. Focus Property prides itself on the customer service it provides, and the team understands that its reputation for excellent customer service anchors its success. For Toral, customer service doesn’t mean that the customer is always right: “It’s providing my best effort and my team’s best efforts to meet customers’ needs,” she explained. She wants customers to view her as a partner rather than someone they’re doing business with: “I want to be here when they have questions they don’t know how to ask.” Since she’s previously experienced hesitation to ask questions because of how people might perceive her, she works to ensure clients feel comfortable and confident. She’s attentive to clients’ understanding of what they receive—be it on the construction or real estate side. Toral learns as much as possible so that she best helps clients decide whether or not something fits their brand and business model.
Challenge
Toral appreciates a challenge, and finds that cutting through negativity is one of the most challenging parts of her role. “People get overwhelmed, but I appreciate the ones who ask for help.” Focus Property is intent on remaining positive, working as a team, and always giving 100%. “It’s challenging to work with people who don’t give it their all.” She finds ways to push through challenges: “I pull the brake a little bit. I take time to clear my head and focus on the goal.” Toral doesn’t see taking a step back as failure: “Sometimes you have to take a step back so you can take two steps forward.” Her mindset helps her highlight the positive among the negative and helps her team make progress.
Mission
Toral is on a mission to help small businesses make good decisions for their investment. She is proud to carry her mission out alongside the Focus Property team. After a business venture that didn’t go as planned and subsequent soul searching, Toral needed to make her next move: “When you’re knocked down, you sometimes forget your self worth and how much you know about business and life. When you’re given the opportunity to come work with a team like Focus Property, you take it.” Toral believes in the way Focus president, Brandy McAdams, helps everyone she works with take everything into consideration, in order to ensure a good fit, before making decisions: “Brandy treats every situation like it’s her own, and I’d never worked with anyone like that before. That’s the Focus way.”
Toral Leathers has the skills, mindset, and heart to help her clients and Focus Property succeed.
