Tim Murphy of Boomers Parks On How Leaders Make Difficult Decisions

An interview with Maria Angelova

Be inclusive of others when making decisions.

As a leader, some things are just unavoidable. Being faced with hard choices is one of them. Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. What’s the best way to go about this? Is there a “toolkit” or a skill set to help leaders sort out their feelings and make the best possible decisions? As part of our series about “How Leaders Make Difficult Decisions,” we had the pleasure of interviewing Tim Murphy.

As CEO of Boomers Parks since 2020, Tim Murphy has taken six family entertainment centers and two water parks, spanning West to East Coast, from bankruptcy to profitability in just a year — in the middle of a global pandemic. When Boomers acquired these parks, they were operating at a $10 million loss. Tim transformed the customer experience to give guests a Disney-like experience and added new revenue streams to generate a 180% increase in revenue in 2021. The focus throughout 2022 and 2023 is on improved profitability.

Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

I was lucky to be born into an entrepreneurial family. My father started out in construction, then built a Family Entertainment Center (FEC) called the Spirit of ’76, that my mother ran. At just 8 years old, my FEC career began by selling more ice cream and slushies than I could imagine.

I’ve been lucky enough to work with and gain experience from more than 150 brands in my career. I began franchising with Rebounders Trampoline Park and then joined the Carlyle Group, working with 150 FECs and amusement parks in Colombia and Chile. Next, Cerberus reached out and asked for my help with asset management during the pandemic.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?

I’m especially grateful for two people — my father, and Abe Gustin, the former CEO of Applebee’s.

My father is the reason I became interested in business and began working at a young age. I did whatever he asked me to — serving ice cream, collecting golf balls, and everything else! I was fortunate enough to be pushed to be independent at such a young age.

Abe Gustin shared his wisdom, taught me the ins and outs of franchising, restaurants, real estate, and so much more. He taught me how to look at prototypes differently, ensure guests get the experience they want, and take care of franchisees.

I was able to pick Abe’s brain for four years, while looking at properties in Florida. Thanks to his insight, I’m now a real estate broker in Florida. He could be a ruthless businessperson, but he was always a good man. He was kind, helpful, and open. He taught me about real estate, cross parking, retention ponds, and asked me great questions. Is this a good location for traffic? Can it make money? How do we make more profit? How do we find the best real estate? Can we figure out how to create banking relationships so franchisees can get loans?

I got to watch him make Applebess Applebee’s the number one casual dining chain in the world.

Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?

The most important thing to do during uncertain times as a leader is to be as truthful as possible. Always be honest. No one knows what will happen. I took over Boomers in the middle of a pandemic and during that time I was honest and told my employees that I didn’t know what would happen. I was transparent the entire time.

During uncertain times, you need to evaluate staffing, which unfortunately affects people. Transparency during this time doesn’t mean it makes decisions like these easy, but you need to remind people that we’re going to stay afloat and will make it out of this. I did this with a smile, even though I was dying inside. I hated the fact that we let people go because of the uncertainty it creates for them. The most important thing during this time was being honest with them and trying to ease their pain. You must be human, you are not autonomous.

We did as much as we could in person when we could. It can be difficult, but you must be honest and empathize, and as a leader, still take the time to process how this affects you personally. For myself, I exercise, I read, and I remind myself that honesty is key.

Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through challenges? What sustains your drive?

Sure, I’ve considered giving up! But I always think about my persistence to finish a marathon. If I can get through pain and anguish for hours and know how good it feels to cross the finish line, I can get through anything. Would I ever give up? No. Would it cross my mind? Sure.

It’s a fundamental thing, but it’s also a bit of fight or flight. First thought is flight, but then you remind yourself that you can still smile and push through. Compartmentalize what you can and remind yourself that you will get past this and make it to the future.

What can we do to get to the future? Rework, repaint, fix — be prepared for the day it all stops. I just tell myself, if something doesn’t work in Livermore, it may do better in Modesto.

Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader?

When I started working with Boomers, I came into the business with an expectation to turn it around. Initially, I look at all positions and question if they’re worth it — the position, the salary, etc. It’s essential to try to make a decision as quickly as possible on each position for a quick, rapid turnaround.

Certain things you can’t do on day one, but you know that you need to consider doing as soon as possible. You have to get things under control and have the right overhead in place that makes most sense. Hunt and peck — what can I do here? If I move this person, can someone else fill their position? Can I organize job duties in a way that makes sense? You won’t have the same plan on day one as you will three months down the road; things change.

I was confident I could find people to go where they needed to be. I had all of Operations report to me on day one so I could thoroughly review what they were all doing. I always want to make sure we have people that are go-getters.

As a leader, if you make a bad decision, you have the opportunity to course correct. Luckily, at Boomers, we made good decisions. The hard choices are always with people — eliminating positions, shifting positions, etc. Trust is the most important thing as a leader. Sometimes, you can’t trust the people you’re working with. If I can’t trust someone, I probably never will. If that’s the case, you need to move quickly from that person and move on.

What process or toolset can a leader use to make a choice between two difficult paths?

When making a choice between two difficult paths, the biggest thing to do is to try to take in as much information as you can, while not overanalyzing. You want to make a timely decision. If you have about 60–65% of the information you need, you can move forward and make your decision. If you make a mistake, you can always course correct, but you need to get as much information in as little time when in a difficult situation.

Most leaders want at least 90–95% of the information they think they need to make a difficult decision or choose between two paths, but I truly believe first hand that you don’t need that much. We all make mistakes — I make them every day — but I evaluate what I can do better, what I can learn and move on.

Do you have a mentor or someone you can turn to for support and advice? How does this help? When can a mentor be helpful? When is this not helpful?

In the past, my mentors have given me guidance and have let me make my own decisions. I’ve mentored people myself, college kids, team members, etc. A mentor is successful when they step back and see what needs to be done in terms of organizing a company. A mentor is someone who challenges you to question what needs to be done differently to get a different outcome.

A mentor is helpful when they challenge you to do better. At the end of the day, this is what my mentors have provided me with. A mentor can help you recognize that you may not always have something right, or it may be a headache to get through, but they help to put the right information inside of you so you can make the right decisions.

What would you say is the most critical role of a leader when faced with a difficult decision?

The most critical role of a leader when faced with a difficult decision is to make that decision quickly and move on. The longer something prolongs, it festers. Make a decision and move on. If we dwell on something to see how it plays out, it won’t help with the overall difficult decision.

If you’re dealing with people, be empathetic. I try my best to do both.

Do you ever look back at your decisions and wish you had done things differently? How can a leader remain positive and motivated despite past mistakes?

Mistakes happen. You have to understand and accept that they will. Ask yourself, what did I learn? What can I do differently? Have I forgotten things?

At one point, Boomers attempted to make a ghost kitchen. It didn’t work out, but we’ve gained new menu items from experiences like these. Most specifically, our mac and cheese!

How do I make lemonade out of lemons? If you can’t make something out of it, maybe it needs more thought. Maybe you relied too much on other people or didn’t do enough to get there. A leader can remain positive and motivated during these times by learning how to improve.

What is the best way to boost morale when the future seems uncertain? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team during uncertain times?

Be honest. Be as present as possible. Listen.

This doesn’t mean you’ll agree with what people feel. We can acknowledge that during the pandemic there were uncertain times. For example, this year, inflation has gone through the roof. What can we do? Lower prices, but find ways to drive spending in the parks. Boomers did this successfully. Talk about tactics, our vision, etc. It’s important to be honest upfront — this is what we have, this is what’s against us, but we can overcome these things and get better.

Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses or leaders make when faced with a hard decision? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?

A common mistake I’ve seen other businesses or leaders make is not being open to change. I see this a lot. They don’t see what’s going on around them and don’t adhere to it. Change is inevitable, we must embrace it.

Latching onto fads is another common mistake. I recently read an article about the Impossible Burger — everyone added it to their menus and now everyone is pulling back. I’ve been asked in our FECs, don’t you want to put more healthy food choices on the menu? We did, and no one bought them. We now focus on making what we have taste better. We’re being flexible and open to change.

Another common mistake is not paying attention to all costs. Many leaders insist on keeping certain prices or elements of their FECs in fear that their customers don’t get upset. In reality, only a small percentage is upset over change — whatever it may be. As a leader, know your costs, be able to pay your payroll, the costs of your foods, etc. Get in, get out there, and see where you truly need to price things to be profitable.

Lastly, many businesses don’t want to push customers to buy online. Boomers learned this first-hand this year. We’ve really gotten a grip on how to market to our guests. Our guests come in mostly through Google search, Facebook ads, Instagram, and TikTok. We’ve shifted our marketing efforts to not just provide the convenience of buying at the door, but encouraging guests by saying: “Buy online — it’s cheaper!” When they get to the park, they forget about the ticket spend and make more in-park purchases.

How do you market to your customers? A lot of business owners don’t know how to directly market to consumers.

Here is the primary question of our discussion. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a leader should do when making difficult decisions? Please share a story or an example for each.

1 . Speed and quickness.

• You have to deliver as quickly as possible. Once you have 60/65% of the necessary information, execute. Minimize risk — the risk of lawsuits, all employees walking out, managers walking out. Weigh them, but weigh them quickly. It’ll be a bad day when you do it, but each day after gets better and better. Seeing leaders take too long affects morale.

2 . Information — getting as much as possible.

• Once you have the information you need, 60/65% of it, you need to do things quickly. You’re going to have pressure from ownership and pressure from your team. Be honest when making these decisions. I’m going to eliminate certain positions, streamline the process. Maybe we want a park to run on four key positions, instead of the usual six. Pain is short, like ripping off a bandaid. It may hurt and sting a bit, but we will move forward. You have to get as much information on this as possible — for example: Are there legal issues? Consider these and make your decision.

3 . Know underlying impacts for the decision you’re making.

• I had to let people go during uncertain times of pandemic, but also had to keep business afloat. When we do reopen, I’ll have to hire new people. Let people go, because you can’t keep them forever or your company may not sustain.

4 . Be human.

• Smile when you can, and understand and empathize with others. Be human. We all have bad days, weeks, years! But understand what the other person is feeling. It’s important to be honest along the way — maybe the economy isn’t doing well or numbers aren’t looking great. This helps people to know what’s going on and understand more. Try to understand what this decision will do to someone’s livelihood and family. Empathize and lessen the blow because you’re human. As the person delivering the bad news, you want to get it over with, but you have to deliver it as a person. You can smile and the other person can be upset, but it will subside if you’ve been honest up to this point. I’ve noticed if I talk about bad situations as they evolve then when it gets to a point where I need to eliminate positions, I know I’ve been honest and human toward them. Maybe pay benefits up until a certain time, provide severance, etc. There are things you can do to be human.

5 . Be inclusive of others when making decisions.

• Collecting information with other department heads, managers, attorneys. Pull in all of the best information possible when making a decision. Understand that if you make a bad decision, you can course correct. Take as much information and be as inclusive as possible. I know when I need to make layoffs, close a park, etc., that I need to include the right people to assist me in making these decisions. Ask questions — you don’t need to tell people why you’re asking, but do your research. Include as many people as possible to get the best outcome possible. You are seeking input on how other people feel about this.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk then crawl. But by all means, keep moving.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

You take on different opportunities and make the most out of them. You won’t know all the answers to the questions you’ve got. Just like when we were in the pandemic, we had no answers but had to move forward. Keep trying and do the best you can do with a smile. By all means, keep moving forward. I’m not just sitting here, I’m going to keep moving forward.

How can our readers further follow your work?

Follow me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timmurphyceo/

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.

Thank you for the amazing opportunity!

About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.