Supersizing success
David Costa (MBA '17) shares his special sauce on how he grew his family's McDonald's franchise into 21 locations.
David Costa (MBA ’17) began his University of Florida journey in 2000, but it wasn’t until he returned for his MBA in 2015 that he’d leave with a degree in hand. During his freshman year at UF, Costa’s father purchased his first McDonald’s franchise restaurant after retiring from the Air Force.
Realizing that his father needed assistance running the business, Costa admirably returned home to Florida’s Panhandle and ended up completing his undergraduate degree at the University of West Florida while supporting the family business.
After Costa’s business was successfully running, he was ready to take his next step in leadership with an MBA.
“I’d always wanted to understand the business at a more macro level,” he said. “As a franchisee, I’d mainly been focused on the standards McDonald’s had set, but I wanted to expand my horizons to understand what other businesses do and bring that back to my company.”
After researching MBA opportunities, Costa was drawn to the University of Florida’s Executive MBA program. The program’s format allowed him to interact with his peers and professors in person on a regular basis, which was a key aspect Costa was looking for in his experience.
“The MBA program was impactful for me in learning how to think outside of the box and understand more points of view,” he said.
Since graduating with his MBA, Costa has been able to apply many of his class learnings to his role as Owner & Operator at Costa Enterprises. His favorite course in professional writing taught him how to communicate effectively about his business, while his courses in human dynamics and negotiation helped him hone skills in managing both people and business dealings.
“I was most excited about the classes that would give me more practical tips on how to lead people and make decisions that I could use in my day-to-day work,” he said.
While every day looks different for Costa, from visiting teams at his different restaurant locations to serving on McDonald’s national leadership board, he’s always focused on advancing his employees and giving back to the local community.
“My favorite thing about what I do is developing people,” he said. “Some people who work with us start out just trying to survive. What I want to do is help build them up so they can thrive.”
As a business owner with two decades of experience developing teams and growing the reach of his restaurants, Costa shared his top insights for building a strong business.
Stay present and engaged
Even with multiple locations and many teams across his restaurants, Costa prioritizes engagement with his employees.
“Even if you can’t be there physically, you can still be present with your team,” he said. “You have to make it clear that you’re there no matter what to help them succeed.”
Define what success looks like
Making sure everyone is on the same page about Costa Enterprises’ goals is paramount to continued success, Costa noted. Defining what execution looks like and making sure people understand their responsibilities and accountabilities helps keep people on track to accomplish what they’ve set out to do.
“We have a business plan and company goals that we share annually with everyone who works with us,” he said. “We want everyone in the company to know what those things are so that we can keep structure in place of what our company is about and [our team] can understand our company’s vision.”
Know your values
At Costa Enterprises, prioritizing people and helping the community are key to its business model because they are part of Costa’s personal values.
“Knowing who you are as a person, that helps define your company’s vision,” he explained.
For Costa Enterprises, that includes opportunities that help employees grow by earning their high school or college degree through its Choice Opportunity program or fundraising efforts that support the local community in the Costa Cares program.
“Business has to make a profit, but it’s also just as important to give back,” he said.
Be prepared
A specific lesson Costa always shares with his teams is the importance of being prepared to be successful.
“For example, our restaurants are by the beach, and many people visit during the summer,” he said. “We know the summer season will be busy, so we need to be prepared for that to serve our customers.”
Never stop learning
Costa believes in the power of continued education, no matter how much you think you know. He focuses his growing through books and leadership programs. One book he points to and recommends is The Compound Effect, which highlights the importance of consistency to build success in whatever you’re trying to accomplish.
“If you’re working hard [to accomplish something], or grinding it out as our founder says, we can get frustrated when we don’t see immediate results,” Costa said. “The book explains that those little results of our actions add up, and if you stay on the right path, that’s when you’ll see it explode. Consistency is key.”
