After 39 years of business, I'm still learning. I go through this every year -identifying new strategies that are extremely important.

Every time I come across learning items of interest, I'll send distribution voice mail to the appropriate group in the organization.

In 1974, we began franchising. We didn't have any big thought process except that, 'OK, franchising will help us get to our goal of 32 stores and help us run stores farther away from home.'

Higher unemployment generally bodes well for franchising. People are looking for a new opportunity, and people who have jobs are a little less confident they'll always have a job.

If I do a poetry reading I want people to walk out and say they feel better for having been there - not because you've done a comedy performance but because you're talking about your father dying or having young children, things that touch your soul.

I have a lot of good role models in my family for things off the court - like my older sister, who's a lawyer. I don't like writing papers, but she's helped me a lot. It's nice to have an art and business background because they tie together perfectly.

If I want to tuck my son into bed and read him a story, but that means I have to take a red-eye to get to a concert - which I would never think of doing otherwise - that's just the way it is. Even if I can't hit the note that night, I got to tuck my child in!

What makes it all worth-while is what I've been able to do for my parents. They were poor and worked all their lives. Like all boys in London, I dreamed of winning the football pool and doing for them. Well, this is better than any football pool. Now they don't have to work. I've given them a nice home and a car. It's a good feeling.