S3: Ep 6 - COO; Daniel Yeager - From Chick-fil-A to Wound Care

Power Moves Podcast

Daniel Yeager discusses his professional evolution from a leadership role at Chick-fil-A to becoming the COO of Total Family Foot Care and an

Key takeaways

• Chick-fil-A serves as a 'breeding ground' for young leaders due to its robust leadership development programs.
• Effective networking is about finding ways to add value to others rather than simply asking for favors.

Main topics

• Career Transitions
• Leadership Development

Notable quotes

Discipline is the architect of success.

Conclusion

The episode provides actionable advice on leveraging past leadership t

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) Welcome to Power Moves podcast with your hosts, Melissa Bassano and Brittany Fowler. Melissa and Brittany work for an executive career management firm, Browning Associates. They coach executives on how to manage their career, brand and network. Join them on their podcast journey, sharing special insights with former clients and guests from their network. Visit the links in the bio for more detail and enjoy the show. Speaker 3 (0:27) Daniel Yeager is a senior operations leader with more than a decade of experience in healthcare, hospitality, and real estate, driving growth, scaling infrastructure, and delivering operational excellence. He currently serves as the chief operating officer of Total Family Foot Care, one of the largest mobile podiatry practices on the West Coast, where he's leading rebranding, restructuring, and operational optimization for future scale. Previously, Daniel helped grow a mobile wound care company from 10 to over 700 employees in just five years, serving in multiple executive-level roles, including sales and operational leadership. He also spent five years in a director-level operational role at Chick-fil-A. He's also an entrepreneur, founding DJY Real Estate in January of 2024, a short-term rental business whose properties are ranked in Airbnb's top 10%. Daniel is pursuing his MBA at Howard University and holds a certificate in transformational leadership. Above all, he's committed to rebuilding high-performance systems. developing exceptional teams and creating lasting growth that transforms organizations from the Speaker 4 (1:44) inside out. Daniel, we are so excited to have you with us today on Power Moves. Thank you for joining us today. Speaker 1 (1:53) Thank you guys for having me. I really appreciate it. And I just want to thank Browning and Brittany and Melissa for you all giving me the opportunity to be on this platform. I'm super excited Speaker 4 (2:03) and Speaker 1 (2:03) I love what you guys are doing. So thank you. Speaker 4 (2:05) Why don't you tell us a little about yourself? Speaker 1 (2:08) Yeah, sure. Absolutely. And I kind of started at the beginning of my professional career. My professional career spans about 10 years, starting with Chick-fil-A back in 2016. And what started off as a second job turned into a full-time career and passion. And so Chick-fil-A, I was working in sales back when TV sales was a thing. So I was selling Dish TV, believe it or not. And it was actually hot back then. Right now, nobody buys cable, right? But back then, you can make really good money doing that. So I was doing well, and I got a second job at Chick-fil-A. I started working there at nights, and the owner offered me a leadership position. You know, the rest was history. And that's kind of where I got my business and professional passion for leadership and, you know, operations in general. And then that led me to health care. And so I started getting interested in health care towards the end of my Chick-fil-A career because I wanted to find something where my work was going towards something meaningful. Not that food and beverage isn't meaningful, but I wanted something more. And so I knew a couple of people who were in medical sales and a couple of other people in health care. And that's why I started to get interested. So I transitioned to a mobile wound care company after about five years with Chick-fil-A and served on the executive team for that company for about five years. And that that period was really amazing for me because I got my executive leadership foundation experience there. And then I also got my passion for healthcare there as well. And I was like, okay, this is where I want to be. This is the industry that I love. And so I wound up in career transition towards the end of March. And then that's how I got introduced to Browning. I know we'll go more in depth on that. And then that's how I got in the role I am today. So really, you know, the combination of food and beverage and then also the healthcare industry over the past 10 years, that's what I've been doing. And it's been a fun journey. Speaker 4 (4:12) I want to go back to Chick-fil-A for a few minutes. I want to ask you a few questions. Sure, sure. I've only actually eaten at Chick-fil-A one time and I really, right, I know, I really liked it. That's a crime. And Speaker 3 (4:25) then every Speaker 4 (4:25) time, every time my husband and I are out on the weekend, it's a Sunday and I'm like, oh, we should go to Chick-fil-A and he goes, it's Sunday. Speaker 1 (4:36) I will share with you, it is a thing. You crave Chick-fil-A on Sundays. I Speaker 4 (4:40) don't know why. I don't know why. Speaker 1 (4:43) Anywho, Speaker 4 (4:44) I heard they're a great organization to work for. So give us a little insight in their culture. Speaker 1 (4:50) Yeah. So one thing I love about Chick-fil-A, I love telling this story, is Chick-fil-A is like the breeding ground for young leaders who want to grow. And if you want to grow and if you have a disciplined work ethic, they take you in with open arms. It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter your background. And even it doesn't matter your experience. You know, I've seen people come to Chick-fil-A with no leadership experience that have grown into owners, you know, five to 10 years later. And so their program is very robust. So one thing I learned there, probably after about a couple months, you know, just working in the kitchen and getting used to the operations, is that they have an entire leadership development program for people who want to lead. And so the boss of my store, when she offered me a full-time position to, you know, transition away from sales, come solely work at Chick-fil-A and start learning how to be a manager and all those things. And they arm the Chick-fil-A owner operators with so many tools to help their team grow. And that's why Chick-fil-A is very successful because they solely focus on developing people. Yes, the operations is amazing. Yes, the food is amazing. Yes, the speed of service is amazing. But as you guys know, if you don't have the right people managing those amazing things, then what's amazing doesn't really become amazing, right? And so they pour into their people. And so I had the opportunity to work for corporate, which was a part of my development as a certified trainer. So in between my director level roles and running the various restaurants that I did, I also got to travel and help new owners open stores. And that was an incredible experience too. And so it was also very nerve wracking being 25, 26 years old and Speaker 2 (6:39) having Speaker 1 (6:40) responsibility, managing the P &L, managing costs, all those things. But it gave me that foundation of, OK, I love business and I love leadership. So once I got to the executive level, I just found that I was able to navigate things so fast, probably more than the average person because of everything I learned at. Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A is a very fast-paced environment, and it's very difficult to operate Speaker 2 (7:06) in. Speaker 1 (7:07) Very, very difficult, right? There's a reason why they get food out and it tastes so good. The operations are very difficult behind the scenes. So being a leader in those type of situations and also doing it all across the country with different types of personalities, different markets, slow markets, fast markets, it was truly the foundation for me. As a leader. And so it's much bigger than the chicken, right? And I tell people all the time, it's much bigger than the chicken. It's actually a breeding ground for people who want to grow. So if you've ever heard of their franchise progress, it's very tough. It's very tough to get in. I mean, there's thousands upon thousands of people that apply every year. Speaker 2 (7:48) And they Speaker 1 (7:49) probably only open about maybe 150 stores, maybe more than that. Just depends. So it's a... very, very competitive market. So they're picky about who they bring in because they want the people who want to grow. And so that's why Chick-fil-A is so successful. And that was the foundation for my leadership was my journey there. I'm very thankful. Speaker 3 (8:09) That's so amazing. Thank you for all of that detail. I do want to ask you how you even got into Chick-fil-A. Like, was it networking? Like, were you looking at Chick-fil-A like it was a target company? Did it happen by happenstance? I do want to... ask you that but before i have to say on record if you're someone who likes diet coke you have to get a diet coke at chick-fil-a because they're little tiny super crispy like super super crispy and their their ice cubes are these tiny little like balls i guess but my best friend cara and i shout out to cara we absolutely love going to get a diet coke and it is the best from Chick-fil-A. But anyways, back to you, Daniel. How'd you get into Chick-fil-A? Speaker 1 (8:53) Yeah. So it was really a second job. And so I was working in sales and being young, I was just hustling, right? No kids, no responsibilities. How many jobs can I do, right? And so Chick-fil-A was the place that I liked to eat, of course, like we all do. By the way, the Diet Coke is amazing. And the waffle fries are amazing too. I have to say, the Speaker 4 (9:19) one time I had them, they were pretty damn good. So good. Speaker 1 (9:23) Like the best, the best. And so I was interested and I was thinking, okay, what places can I apply to that I could work at at night? And so ironically, there was a new Chick-fil-A that was opening outside of Milwaukee, which is where I'm from. where I was living at the time. And so I put in the application and I got called in for an interview probably a couple of weeks later. And there was where I started to build a relationship with the owner. And so it became like more than just an interview because I was a salesperson. I knew how to talk to people and things like that. And so we really had a very good conversation that led to. you know, her hire me and then a month later offer me a leadership position there. And so, so I will say like the networking part of it, you know, cause my mindset was okay, what can I learn about the owner? Just cause I was in sales, right? So I wanted to build a relationship. I wanted to learn about her and like what her goals were and things like that. So because we had a good initial conversation, I think that was a good foundation to her wanting me to help lead her restaurant was that. So didn't get the job. by networking. But I definitely got some additional opportunities because of my focus on building a relationship with her, which is what networking is all about. And so I was already kind of unintentionally doing that. And then, you know, that led me to, you know, the success I had there. So that's how I got into it. It was literally, I want another job. I want to make more money. And then it turned into a whole career. Speaker 3 (11:01) So is that the recipe for success at such a young age is just, you know, you got to work hard because, you know, maybe there are some college kids listening to this that need to hear it. Speaker 1 (11:10) Yes. Discipline. If you go to my LinkedIn, you'll see it. Discipline is the architect of success. I tell people this all the time. If you don't have a disciplined work ethic, then you're not going to get anywhere. And so one of the reasons why she was like, hey, I want this guy to lead my kitchen at night is because I was outworking everybody. I was always early for work. I always stayed late when I needed to, you know. And so those type of foundational things, especially in young people, are very, very important. And I'm very thankful for the parents that I had because they instilled. That and me and my brothers at a very young age. So we didn't have a choice, right? Like my dad said, you are going to get a job, right? Like you are not going to be sitting at home as a teenager without a job. And so it was just normal for me to always want to work. And so I always give that advice to people. Have discipline, whatever you're doing, do it to the best of your ability. And you give yourself a really good chance of being successful and growing in whatever you're doing. Speaker 4 (12:13) Amazing. Now, how did you make, what made you want to make this transition from food and beverage to healthcare? I mean, that's, talk about polar opposites there. You know, it's fast food and now you're going into healthcare, which I think is exciting because you're now doing something that you're probably a little more passionate about. But what did you do to make that switch? Speaker 1 (12:38) Yeah, so that's a very good question. And I love talking about this as well. And so my plan with Chick-fil-A was to be a franchise owner, to be one of those operators. So that was one of the things my boss talked about. I said, hey, this can be your path. You know, over the next five to eight years, you could do X, Y, Z. So I had all of these things charted out. And the last step of that plan was to. go through their, what they call LDP, Leadership Development Program, which is a two-year program where you travel literally almost every week of the year, right? Like, so you drop everything and you're on the road. You can get off for like, I think Christmas. I think that's