This article was originally published here: Mohamed Abdullah – CEO of Hobbs Holdings & the Owner of the Canadian 2 For 1 Pizza in Singapore
Despite having been serving his particular brand of pizza for 17 years, eating them with friends and family is still Mohamed Abdullah’s favourite way to unwind.
What’s your story?
My journey with Canadian 2 for 1 Pizza started as a Franchisee 17 years ago. I acquired master franchise rights for the brand in the year 2021. We found that in previous years, the brand was silent in its efforts and had struggled to compete amongst the rising competition available in the market. I wanted to revive this brand and make it more youthful and energised in the eyes of our consumers. My vision is to grow the brand while reaching out to every Singaporean and expanding regionally as well.
What excites you most about your industry?
The food industry has undergone many changes during the post Covid-19 period. As consumers are more aware and educated about their food, the expectations run high.
Our challenge is to keep evolving and bringing something new to our customers. What excites me most is to reach an optimum resource utilisation for our franchise.
What drives you in business to push beyond what other people consider normal?
I intend to push the boundaries and witness the heights that this brand can achieve and grow to a sustainable international level. This drives me to push beyond ‘normal’ – the need to achieve the brand’s full potential.
‘Normal’ would entail being satisfied with what we’ve achieved all this while, but I plan to push beyond the limits.
What have been the most useful skills you have learnt and applied in your journey?
Being a QSR Franchisee and now a brand owner, the most valuable skills would include utilising resources effectively and rolling out processes that enhance and optimise the kitchen’s efficiency.
The current struggle within the industry is the rising cost of raw materials and a manpower crunch. In these circumstances, setting up the right processes during our evolution has helped us stay on track.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
The best advice I have ever received would be that “Excellence happens not by accident. It is a process.”
Who inspires you?
The person who has inspired me is Colonel Sanders, the American businessman who founded the fast food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (also known as KFC). His name and image remain the symbols of the company to this day.
What have you learnt recently that blew you away?
Recently, I’ve learned about the digital transformation of businesses and their endless opportunities and potential.
If you had your time again, what would you do differently?
If I could rewind time, I would have approached the previous brand owner much earlier and bought the business from him.
How do you unwind?
I would unwind from work by spending quality time with my family members and friends – sharing a conversation over a meal, especially our Canadian 2 For 1 pizzas, is always something I treasure.
What is a major mindset change, belief shift or ‘ah ha’ moment that you’ve experienced in relation to your business?
I find that it is still too early for me to have experienced any belief shift or major mindset change in the business. At the moment, I am grateful that the journey has begun and everything is on track for us to reach our target.
Everyone in business should read this book:
I would recommend everyone to read Brianna West’s ‘The Mountain is You’. Her book teaches you to discover a better awareness of yourself, a better appreciation of your self-worth, building resilience and more inspiring tips. Her book shares how it is not the mountain that we need to master, but ourselves.
Shameless plug for your business:
For over 27 years, Canadian 2 for 1 Pizza has been guided by a vision of “helping to make the good times better”, with a focus on great-tasting pizzas, a wide range of food selections, continuous work on diversifying their menu, and improving operations with sustainability practices. The brand prides itself on offering delicious pizzas that cater to local taste buds while ensuring value for money.
My target is to make sure that everyone in Singapore must either see, hear, eat or touch Canadian 2 for 1 Pizza at least once a day.
How can people connect with you?
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/canadian-pizza-singapore/?originalSubdomain=sg
Social Media Links?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CanadianPizzaSG/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canadianpizzasg/?hl=en
Website: https://www.canadian-pizza.com/
This interview is part of the CallumConnects series.
Mohamed Abdullah – CEO of Hobbs Holdings & the Owner of the Canadian 2 For 1 Pizza in Singapore
The EnterpriseZone Writing Team
