Fire the Chief Bottle Washer!!!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
I come from years and years in the small business end of the restaurant industry, where owners tout the title, “Chef, Owner and Chief Bottle Washer.” At Aepiphanni Business Solutions, we Labels: Business Development Strategies, Business Startup, Strategic Partnerships
I think that following in my own tradition I decided that it was time for me to don the illustrious title, when I opened, fist a private catering company, then a larger, full-service catering company, to a full.-service restaurant. I am sure I schmoosched (Pennsylvania Dutch for smoshed, smashed, crammed, etc) 20 years of work life into about eight years.
Sure, I have a notch in my hat, memories and a short following, but not much else to show from it. As busy as my business was, I should have been able to sell it at a decent profit.
Well…I actually took away a great deal of knowledge. Let’s put them into a list:
I went into the business by myself. Even Frank Sinatra that “Did it My Way,” had the Rat Pack. While partnership is like a marriage, going at it alone is quite like riding a tandem bike from the back seat by yourself.
I wanted to have the best food at the lowest price! Yeah!! The Wal-Mart of the Restaurant Industry. I won’t say any more about that analogy at all. J I will say, though, it was key to offer a great product, but more important to charge appropriately.
I didn’t know myself! What? Even though I had a great skill as a chef (I say that only for presentation sake! J that did not make me a great restaurant owner. I am a great strategist – I come up with innovative systems, strategies and processes. That doesn’t make me an ACCOUNTANT!! My friend, Walter Akana, at Threshold Consulting talks about identifying strengths in his recent blog post.
I didn’t identify the resources around me that would have helped to fill some of the holes in the business, such as an ACCOUNTANT!!
I decided to save some money and be the “Chef, Owner and Chief Bottle Washer!” Well…I guess that leaves customer relations, customer service, marketing, accounting, etc. out the window.
It all comes down to this. Think about it…when you are planning your business, plan it for success. This means that you need to plan for staff, resources, key personnel, etc. You can't do it all alone. Even if you only have advisors.
are dedicated to serving the needs of small business owners. We specialize in
helping you develop strategies for your organization, and are committed to your success. If you have further questions about creating your strategy or developing your vision, please give me,
Rick Meekins, a call
at 678-697-2315, or email me at
rmeekins@aepiphanni.com.
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