Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I want to thank everyone for their support and friendship throughout the past year. I look forward to earning your business and your loyalty in 2010, and I wish you all the best over the holidays. Thanks for being a part of turning this job into something I love to do with you each and every day.

Blessings,

DJ

Am I Taking You Home?

“Lack of loyalty is one of the major causes of failure in every walk of life.” Napoleon Hill, author.

We all want our customers to say that we are their go to place. We want our customers to identify us as theirs. Not someplace they go to, but their place they go to. How do we do it? What are the steps necessary to build that kind of loyalty? What things can we be doing to position ourselves as THE place for them to be….that kind of loyalty in this economy is priceless. Developing a dedicated customer base can make all the difference for survival in this economy.

It is not nuclear physics – it is common sense. It is the simplest lesson that our parents tried drumming into our heads when we were little. “Treat others as you would like to be treated.” That’s it. It’s that simple. If we can instill the Golden Rule into our employees’ heads we will have the race won. I want you to think of the places that you call yours….be it a bar, a gym, a coffee shop, a bookstore, whatever it is….think about it – why are they YOURS? I go to a ton of coffee shops each month (a great place to get stuff done between appointments). Many of them look the same, smell the same, sound the same and sell the same things. But only a couple of them do I consider MY coffeehouse. What is the difference? The differences are subtle but extremely significant.

The biggest difference is that at MY coffeehouses, the employees don’t treat me like an interruption but rather as a welcomed guest. It is amazing to me the impact being looked in the eye has on my perception of service, warmth and quality. Learn my name or my drink and it goes one step further…..we all want to be recognized. It makes a huge difference in the perception of a place. At one of MY old coffeehouses I was Triple Tall Americano Guy for a year, and it made a total difference in how I felt about that coffee shop – I loved it….they knew who I was even if they didn’t know my name.

What does this mean to you? I am sure you are saying “great I am glad you felt special, but what is in this for me?” Do you have “regulars?” What are their names? What percentage of them can you tell me their names, jobs or marital status? Even better, what percentage can your staff identify by name? Every wonder why Norm always went to Cheers? Wouldn’t you love to go to a place that every time you walked in you were greeted with a chorus of hellos?

“Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.

Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name.

You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.”

Its corny, and its probably stuck in your head now, but think about it. Those lyrics give us the simple directions on how to make our place your place.

Why do I want to have regulars? Why do I want my customers to identify my place as their place? Having regulars is like buying an annuity. You can bank on the returns they will provide. It may only be a cup of coffee or a cup of soup, but those dollars add up. The marketing value of having customers identify you as theirs is priceless as they tell their friends (and their wallets) about how great your place is.

Are your customers taking you home with them? Are you their go-to-place? A great place to start becoming their place is to begin by teaching your employees to look them in the eye and to learn their names. Sometimes it is the simplest things that make all the difference in how we are perceived.

Are You TWEET-Worthy?

“I don’t want to be left behind. In fact, I want to be here before the action starts.” Kerry Packer, Australian media magnate.

I have to admit, I resisted the urge to join the Tweeting community. I just couldn’t see how anyone could be that interested in what someone else was thinking, saying or doing. I looked at it solely in terms of me. I mean what would I put out? Sold some great green beans today…..some foam containers too! I would have people abandoning Twitter immediately. What good could this latest innovation be?

When I started looking at it from a business perspective, I started to see how Twitter can be a very dynamic tool for marketing. How so? Let’s look at it for a bit.

Twitter is voluntary. The only people receiving your Twitter updates are receiving them because they want to. (Hint: an interested target audience) Therefore, Twitter is non-invasive and not unwelcomed. They are inviting you in for a visit.

Twitter is cheap. Damn near free. Imagine your ROI on that investment. You probably already have a computer. Signing up for Twitter is free. Posting something on Twitter is free. Did I mention that this is free and goes only to an interested target audience?

Twitter is easy. Type and send. You do it already – it’s called email, texting, or chatting. Even techno-dinosaurs can do it. Hmmm a free and easy to use medium that gets your name or message out in front of a relevant target audience? I can see why no one likes this tool.

Have I made a believer out of you yet? No? That is probably because you are saying “what could I possibly have to say that is worth tweeting about?” I can think of a zillion things that I think you should communicate to your most loyal and invested audiences. Todays Special. Today’s Entertainment. Today’s Deal. Today’s Soup. Today’s Featured Dessert. Today’s Featured Appetizer. Your Early Bird Special. Your Breakfast Special. Your Mission Statement. Positive Customer Comments. Testimonials. A Message From The Owner. It is limitless.

How about Tweeting about an hour before lunch what today’s sandwich of the day is? Plant the seed. The seed isn’t costing you anything. It is going to fans of your restaurant. It is a marketer’s dream tool. Why aren’t you on Twitter yet?

Turtles and Hares; Apples to Oranges

“You compare the tortoise to the hare.” Ancient proverb

A disturbing trend that I am seeing in the industry is spread sheet buying. Big surprise hearing that a salesman thinks that trend is disturbing huh? Although I have my selfish reasons, the real reason I find this trend to be a bad one has more to do with your business than with mine. What? Saving money is a bad trend for business owners? I guess I better explain myself here.

For clarification purposes I would like to say that not all spread sheet buying is bad for business. Comparing prices on the same items is smart business. Comparing prices on Heinz ketchup bottles is not where I find the issues. Comparing prices on IBP choice ribeyes isn’t where I have the problem either. That is just smart shopping. We do it all the time in all facets of our lives. That is a wonderful function of living in a free market society. This kind of comparison and competition is what makes our economy great.

Where I run into issues with spread sheet buying is when consumers and vendors compromise quality for price. What is the real cost of the goods you are purchasing? Is it a good price or a good value? While the two categories are not mutually exclusive, the overlap is not as vast as one might think. Many consumers have the attitude that green beans are green beans. News flash – green beans are not always just green beans. This is the trap that many consumers fall into on a regular basis.

When an organization makes price the primary impetus behind purchasing, it consciously or unconsciously communicates a number of things to its vendors. The primary being that quality does not make a difference – all that matters is price. Think about what is wrapped up in that message. Cut a corner or compromise product integrity, I don’t care just get it in here at the cheapest price. What are the longer term ramifications of that attitude? Quality slips. Drastically. Attitude dips. Drastically. When quality and service (the byproduct of attitude) drop it isn’t long before customer counts drop too. Who wins in that scenario? It’s not you, that’s for sure. You may win in the short run, but we aren’t in business for the short run, we are in business for the long run – at least I’m not, are you?

Quality aside, what other reasons are there for variations in prices for similar items? This is another spot where the value equation comes into play. What else are you buying with that case? On time delivery? Order accuracy? Credit terms? Industry experience? Vendor support with recipe and menu ideas? A partner in your business or a transactional vendor? These intangibles are all part of the price that you pay when you make a value exchange with a vendor. You can’t forget that when you are making your buying decisions, often times there is a whole lot more than just the product being delivered involved in the prices you pay for your goods. What is important to you? What else are you giving up when you pay that price?

I love competition and I love the free market economy. I hate short sightedness. Let’s make an investment in your business together.

When life gives you lemons....

“The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” Benjamin Disraeli, former British Prime Minister.

Believe it or not, this is a great time to be in business for yourself. I know that banks aren’t lending and that foot traffic is down, but I still believe that this is still a good time to be in business on your own. You probably think I am nuts, but let me at least tell you why I think so.

Big corporations have had their own way for the past 50 years or so, but everywhere we look those big companies are in trouble. Ford, GM, AIG, Bennigan’s, and many others are facing financial woes that put them at a distinct disadvantage. They are all in a defensive, self protecting mode of operations. They are all doing everything they can to protect their share price and to keep their investors happy right now. Rarely are they making decisions and positioning themselves for success in the future. This economic situation has created the greatest opportunity for small business in the past 100 years. You have the opportunity to topple, or at least outsell and outserve, the giant of your choice. While they’re busy cutting everything, guarding “shareholder value,” and their employees are guarding their desk and their job, NO ONE is guarding their customers (AKA: the lifeblood of their (and your) business). Is that cool, or what?

Now is the time to seize the opportunity and strike. Now is the time to take a time out and really assess your business. What can you be doing different today? How can you change your operational paradigm and focus on meeting and exceeding your customer’s needs and desires. All of the big companies and many of the small ones are figuring out how to do things with less staff, cheaper ingredients and poorer service. As an independent operator you have control over all of those things. Choose not to compromise your recipes by maintaining the quality and consistency of your ingredients. Spend time with your staff reinforcing the idea of customer service and going above and beyond. We would all like to cut costs, but the focus needs to be on driving people into your facility rather than on trying to get them in and out of your facility as cheaply as you can. If you focus on doing the things that keep people coming back and the things that bring new people in (think word of mouth from your existing customers), you have the recipe for success right in front of you.

Customers and foot traffic is the lifeblood of our industry. If we don’t have the people coming in the door, regardless of how cheaply we can do things, we won’t be in business for long. Instead of price, focus on value….not necessarily the value to you but the value to your customers. The difference in perspectives is subtle, but significant. Not putting your customers first is in essence putting them last and that attitude will trickle down to every employee and out to your customers. You don’t want to end up being the place everyone used to go to do you?

There is a sandwich place in the town I live in that had grown to be a local institution. They were known for great food and huge portions. They had a great 20 year run where there was a line out the door for lunch and dinner. It was a well oiled profit machine. I went to lunch there on Saturday at 12:15. There was no wait. AT ALL. WHOA things had slipped significantly. I looked around for reasons why. Here is what jumped out at me 1) lesser quality ingredients (downgraded his meats and cheeses) 2) reduced portion sizes – I used to ask for less meat and now I wonder where it went 3) they lost the personal touch…used to be that they all knew everyone’s name but this time I only heard 1 personal greeting.

What does that have to do with you? Everything. I am sure that he didn’t make his decisions thinking that someday I would take my vibrant business and turn it into a source of worry and sleepless nights. My guess is that in his pursuit to make his goose lie bigger golden eggs he wound up killing or seriously injuring his golden goose. Know your vision for your business. Stay true to that vision and serve your customers the way you want to be served and you will have a goose that keeps on laying those golden eggs for you.

Click here for part two of the story

Yikes....not quite sure that the phrase "There is no such thing as bad press" is relevant here.

Click here for an interesting video on food safety

Here are a couple of links to some NY news stories about food safety. Relevant in any market. Is price the most important part of your food buying decisions? If so, you could be the next star of a news segment. Imagine Dave Savini knocking on your door. Is it worth it?

Building a Better Mousetrap

“The great thing about tomorrow? I can be better tomorrow than I am today.” Tiger Woods, professional golfer.

This economy has done some weird things to competition. Instead of competing to see who can make the most money, it seems as if the trend is heading toward competing to see who can stay open the longest regardless of profitability. Instead of being in a race to make the most, it seems like we are all racing to see who can lose the least. Not particularly a fun time to be a business owner (or a commissioned salesperson). How can we right the ship and get things back to normal? How do we be innovative and take a risk in a market that is shaped the way it is? How can we survive? More importantly, how can we flourish?

McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and Taco Bell came out with their $1 menus, which work when you have their buying power. Subway came out with its maddening $5 footlong jingle and had some success wresting business away from their competition. Which worked until the competition came out with $4 torpedoes….what is next $3 half a footlongs and $2 bullets? Where does it end? How can we, the independents, stand up to this blood letting? How are we to position ourselves so that we can continue to survive and thrive in this marketplace?

We need to take advantage of what they are doing by capitalizing on their trend creations and marketing dollars while taking advantage of what they aren’t doing by providing that service and connection that you can only get from a local haunt. Chains are cutting staffs, cheapening their inventory and in many ways getting away from the things that made them successful. In their haste to create cheapness many of the chains are abandoning the fact that consumers still want value….they may have less to spend, but they still want to make an acceptable value exchange for their dollars.

What does this mean to you, Mr. or Mrs. Operator? This means that we need to be creative to find new ways to offer value for your customers’ dollars. The little things can’t be overlooked. It is the little things that are going to make you stand out from the competition. Recognizing your customers, knowing their names, clean bathrooms, quality napkins and disposables, clean tables, friendly staff, and quality food are what is going to drive your customers back to your establishment. People are still dining out. We are still spending money….let’s not forget that. We have to be better and different to keep earning the repeat customers and their dollars.

Each time you make a decision to save money, are you considering the value trade off? For example, I used have a neighbor that used to brag about buying the cheapest toilet paper….while I used to assume that was the reason his kids liked playing at our house. Who is the winner there? Is some facet of that happening at your establishment? When is the last time you looked around to see if it was? The phrase “jumping over dollars to save pennies” comes to mind when I think of some of the ways we come up with to save a little money. Who is your “Big Picture Policeman”? What stopgap measures do you have in place to make sure that you don’t win the battles to ultimately lose the war? Who can you rely on for this? Are your vendors helping you? Are your employees helping you? Is your family helping you? It has got to come from somewhere.

Let’s revisit value menus and their impact on the marketplace. It is very hard to be competitive without giving in to the value menu mentality. How can you get around it? One way that I have seen have success is by having multiple portion sizes at different price points. Think regular portions and a petite version….don’t compromise the quality or anything, just lower the portion size so that you present an option for the price conscious. The important thing is to keep your product integrity at all costs…..don’t bastardize your product to try to be competitive. You will soon become the restaurant that everyone used to go to….

Take a minute and look around at what the competition is doing. There are some great ideas out there that work. My parents about wet themselves when Maggiano’s came out with the take an entrée home with you deal. The best part was listening to my dad try to figure out if it was a deal to pay more for an entrée so that you could get a second entrée for free….Regardless of his conclusion, they have been back to do it again, and again, and again…..Why couldn’t you market something like that too? Morton’s Steakhouse is marketing a three course meal for two at $65. Not any meals, but the meals that they can construct to fit within that price profile. Why couldn’t you? You control the profitability and the menu. The perceived value gets people in the doors and gives them something to talk about the next day.

Today is not the day to say “we’ll just keep doing what we have always done.” Don’t abandon your brand or identity, but try asking yourself and your employees “what have you done today to earn a repeat customer?”

Do You Want A Smile With That?

Michelle Joyce makes some great points in the following article that I am borrowing from one of the weekly newsletters that I receive. I thought it worth sharing.....enjoy.


Do You Want a Smile With That?
by: Michelle Joyce

The McDonald’s drive thru in Huntersville, North Carolina, has personal face-to-face service. (I actually put my car in reverse because I thought I had missed the intercom!) When I drove up to the window, the friendliest guy on the planet greeted me with an energetic, “Good Morning! How are you today?” I was stunned.

I am not a big fan of fast food – or their lack of customer service – but when I drove through this particular McDonald’s to get a cup of coffee on my way to work, my attitude changed. This smiling employee actually put me in a better mood.

He was happy and friendly. He greeted me and engaged me in conversation before he took my order. He then offered a variety of options that I didn’t know existed. A simple cup of coffee turned into a medium, sugar-free vanilla, non-fat latte. And when the transaction was over, he thanked me, wished me well, and told me to “drive safely” on my way to work.

I received better customer service in those 30 seconds, than I did when I bought a brand new car last year. And this guy didn’t even work on commission.

As I drove to work, I continued to think about the transaction. Salespeople often get into a routine of saying the same thing, in the same tone, and in the same sequence every day. But this worker’s positive attitude and desire to serve was inspiring. I didn’t expect this type of “VIP treatment” at a fast food joint, and I was blown away at the pride that this gentleman took in his job. The more I recalled the event, the more I realized… if this guy could evoke this much emotion from me over a medium, sugar-free vanilla, non-fat latte, then what kind of a difference could I make in the lives of my prospective customers today? I was up for the challenge.

The plan was simple. All I had to do was follow the three steps that made this transaction so memorable:

1. Start with a smile and engage your prospect in a friendly manner. Would you do business with someone you didn’t like? Well, neither would your prospect. This guy made me like him – immediately. And when he made that connection, the transaction became enjoyable. And it was all about me, not just my order.

2. Offer alternative solutions. People want choices. And just because you can recite all the bells and whistles of your products in your sleep, don’t assume that your customer is aware of them. Uncover their needs and help them make a choice. McDonald's already mastered the upsell technique with their famous line, “Do you want fries with that?” What kind of additional features and services can you upsell? Better asked, what kind of additional revenue are you leaving on the table at every sale?

3. End the transaction with something memorable. When is the last time that a fast food worker told you to “drive safely”? I am used to the generic lines of “thank you” and “have a nice day”; but this guy was genuinely concerned about my personal safety. (Or at least he made me feel that way.) What are you saying to your customers that make them remember you personally? What differentiates you from every other salesperson?

The plan is simple. But it’s not a matter of understanding these principles; it’s a matter of you actually practicing them every day. I am thankful that a friendly person reminded me of what it takes to be great in sales and service. I needed that kind of jolt to refocus my attention to the simple details that work – and away from the “doom” that everyone keeps talking about. The reality is that people are still buying products and services in this economy. The only question is will they buy them from you?

Focus on these three steps today.
Greet a new friend.
Upsell something.
And make them remember you.

Oh, and if you are ever in Huntersville, North Carolina, stop by the McDonalds on Statesville Road. Ask for Burg – he will take excellent care of you. (be careful of the upsell!)

Googlejuice

“They lost their next generation of customers. They lost their destinies because they wanted to save their pasts. Protection is not a strategy for the future.” Taken from What Would Google Do? Written by Jeff Jarvis, American journalist.

In his book What Would Google Do? Jeff Jarvis describes the impact that the Google-fication of the world has had on the markets, the economy and our social structure. His compelling book drove me to look at our industry and how Google has impacted it in particular. Google has impacted our industry. If you or your business is not searchable, in many ways it doesn’t exist. The next generations of consumers are dependent on their PDAs, smartphones, and laptops, and those are the mediums through which they get their information. 99.9% of them utilize Google to help them find information like phone numbers, addresses and the like. What does that mean to you, the operator?

While the yellow pages are not obsolete, they are dangerously close to becoming so. More often than not, I turn to the internet for my information rather than a 2 inch thick book of addresses, names and numbers. I can get the info I need in a few keystrokes, and most of the time my laptop or my blackberry is handier than the yellow book. How many of us are still paying good money to advertise in the yellow pages? How cost effective is it? I am sure that there is one or two of you who are raising your hands saying “whoa, you don’t exist if you aren’t in the yellow pages!” That may have been so, but it isn’t anymore. The next generation goes to google.com and types in the name of your restaurant to get your phone number or address. Becoming searchable is far more important nowadays than being in the yellow pages.

What does being searchable mean? Simply put, it means that when I type your establishment’s name (or yours) in the search bar on Google, something pops up that will help you achieve your goal. If you can’t get found on Google, you need to figure out a cure for that and fast because opportunity is passing quickly. Consumers want things now. Google provides that information in under a second. You need to be a part of it.

Not only can potential customers get your vitals (phone / address) but they can get other information about your establishment just as quickly. Google has helped the world order its information, and that can help you more than you think. Chowbaby.com, Chowhound.com, yelp.com, mangia.com and urbanspoon.com are just a few websites that allow the public to go online and write a review about your establishment. Google takes all of those reviews and orders them so that when I type in your restaurant’s name in the search bar, they will all pop up almost instantaneously. Talk about a marketing opportunity. Talk about a tool to help you not only grow your business, but to refine what you are already doing.

I encourage all of you to get your customers to leave reviews on those web sites because those reviews can be the lifeblood to your restaurant’s success and growth. As an operator, you need to be checking out what those reviews are saying about you – you get firsthand information about what works and what doesn’t. FOR FREE. You will get excellent feedback on your menu – what is a home run and what is a dud. This is the type of feedback that can help you shape your menu and refine your business into exactly what the public wants from you. Also, the more reviews, the more searchable you become – the more of a web presence you gain and as a result, the more people are directed your way. Embrace these web services, if you use them properly, there is practically no downside to them. So what if someone says something unflattering – get on there and comment back, thanking them for sharing and telling them how you have corrected the problem. Turn the negative into a positive – you are more likely going to get a return visit from them, and you will show the public that they are being heard and that their opinions matter. Invaluable. That is how you turn a customer into a business partner – telling everyone all about their experience and how you responded differently than everyone else……the potential is limitless.

The world is changing, and with it so is the successful business model. These are tough times, and the business that adapt and respond to these changes are going to be the ones leading the charge into recovery. Be a part of it.

Flourish in THIS Economy? What are you nuts?

"Don't be afraid of opposition (or competition). Remember, a kite rises against, not with the wind." Hamilton Wright Mabie, American writer.

NEWSFLASH – Not every business is hurting in this economy.

What are they doing that makes them different? Not every one of them are lowering their quality and reducing their prices to stay competitive. They are exploring the softer side of the value proposition that expands past the price and into service, quality and making sure to have clear points of difference to their customers.

What is the softer side of the value proposition? It could be anything that enhances the perceived value of what you are selling. The biggest one that comes to mind is service. We will all gladly pay a little more to KNOW that things are going to be done and done well. Cutting service is a very short term solution. When the marketplace as competitive as it is nowadays, customer service could be the thing that pulls you through these dark times. Naturally, we all want to cut costs, and cutting hours is a quick and easy way to do it. However, delivering your customers premium service could be the point of difference that draws customers into your establishment and not your neighbors.

Training your staff is more important than ever in this economy. We often have only one shot to earn customers’ repeat business. A bad experience is hard to overcome. Your first line of defense in this economy is your staff. Train them well, teach them to treat customers like honored guests, and you will earn your repeat business and make new customers regulars. Simple things like looking customers in the eye and adding a personal touch make customers begin to feel like your place is their place and strengthens that bond that draws them back.

Another way to survive in this economy is to create an air of a destination location at your restaurant. How can you make your place the place to be when a customer is making their spending decisions? I recently read about the McDonald’s in Olympia Fields that offers live entertainment in their restaurant. Apparently this place has become a destination location because of the much talked about karaoke nights, poetry slams, magic shows, and live music that local artists provide nightly. Who would have thought that someone would use the phrase destination location and McDonald’s in the same sentence? Being different brings people back and earns their business.

Today more than ever, businesses need to be innovative and thoughtful in how they operate to insure survival. What are the little things you can do in your restaurant to boost value and leave the profits in your business? I would love to hear about some of the things that you have found to help make yourselves successful. Drop me a note at dj.tryba@usfood.com.

Thanks for reading

Your Mission, If You Choose to Accept It....

"The smallest deed is better than the grandest intention." Roger Nash Baldwin, co-founder of the ACLU.

Ever wish life was like a giant etch-a-sketch (you remember the toy from our childhood) wherein we can call do over, shake things up and start from scratch again? I certainly have, and today I feel like with my recent change of employers, I have that chance to call do over. How exciting for me (at least I think so). Kinda scary, but exciting nonetheless.

Since I get this "clean slate," I want to make sure I implement the lessons I have learned from previous experiences and try to make an even better go of it this time. One lesson that keeps rolling around the forefront of my brain is that when I live without intention, I unintentionally fail. It is easy to look back over my life and see the failures that have resulted from not having a clearly defined purpose.

Clearly defining one's purpose is scary. It creates accountability. For many of us accountability is a yucky word. It doesn't have to be. Instead of viewing it as a limiting word (I can't do that now, because I am committed to doing this...) I have to force myself to see it as a word or process that can bring more freedom into my life. The freedom that comes from success and achievement.

Clearly defining my purpose helps give order to my world. It helps me keep perspective. It brings focus to my activities. You have heard the phrase "never confuse activity with accomplishment" - purpose brings accomplishment to my activites. When I am living without purpose, I often feel overwhelmed because I don't know what to do next. As a result, I feel like I am always chasing fun or joy, I get tastes of it, but never really get to revel in it because I always have this black cloud of overwhelming, undefined have-tos hanging over my head.

When I define my purpose and order my life, I no longer feel like I have to chase peace and joy because it is a more natural extension of having accomplished something. At the end of the day, I can look and see that I have accomplished my tasks, I am working toward a goal and can relax knowing that the work is done. What a better way to live.

What does this have to do with you? GREAT QUESTION! It is easy to get caught up in the minituae of everyday life. We all know that life throws us a million reasons to stay active, we have to discern which of those reasons to be active will actively move us closer to our goals. So what is your goal? Is it putting out fires, or is it preventing fires? What is the intention that you are going to live with today? Being better? Define better. Saving money? Making money? Serving customers? Our options are limitless. We just have to pick one and live it!

Thanks again for reading. Feel free to shoot me your feedback, thoughts or comments at djtryba@gmail.com.

Dorothy we aren't in Kansas anymore

“It is so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to.” Annie Gottlier

As the calendar turned another year, it caused me to reflect on the past year and to do some vision casting for 2009. Last year was difficult. It looks like next year is going to be challenging as well. I would love to tell you otherwise, but I am guessing that it is going to be tough. I know what it is like to be a business owner in tough times. I experienced them myself after 9-11 and it wasn’t a whole lot of fun. I have spent some time reflecting on that time in my life and I think the biggest lesson I learned is about my attitude.

In challenging times it is difficult to get past the task right in front of you. It becomes all consuming. Whether it is wondering how to make the mortgage, payroll or insurance, it consumes you as a business owner. It isn’t fun. Many of you poke fun at my receding hairline or the “paunch” around my midsection, but that wasn’t the case before 9-11. 9-11 and the ensuing days changed my life. I don’t know if I could have done anything differently that would have led to holding on to my business, but I know that I could have done some things differently and that might have led to a less brutal demise and possibly a few more follicles left on my head.

The biggest thing that I lost through that time is my energy and enthusiasm for my job. I forgot that I chose to follow my dreams and open my own business. Instead of finding the joy in doing what I wanted to do all my life, I focused on the faltering economy and declining sales. I spent all day chasing and reacting rather than planning and acting with a purpose. It wasn’t long before I was just going through the motions. Working at a job rather than pursuing a career and a dream. The change it attitude didn’t happen overnight. It was a slow decay of my morale and world view. I never stopped to check myself. I just flowed from one thing to the next, I stopped living and working with intention. It made a tough time miserable, and it didn’t have to be so.

I challenge each and every one of you to ask yourself why you are doing what you are. Why did you become a chef, a small business owner, a caterer, a restauranteur, or a manager? What was it that compelled you to pursue this line of work? My guess it was because you had a passion to create, to serve, to conquer. Just because times are a little tough doesn’t mean that you have to give up that dream of creating, serving, and conquering. This is when it gets fun. This is when we need to remember why we got into this field and draw on the joy of living out that dream. It will lift your spirits and lift your mind. It will redefine our purposes each and every day. It will bring back the fire and the drive to succeed.

It is going to be a challenging year for us in food sales. My company didn’t lower their expectations for my success. I have some daunting numbers to achieve, and admittedly I had a few head scratching moments where I wondered what the heck I was going to do to succeed in 2009, but then I thought about why I got into sales. I love helping people achieve success. I love to problem solve, be a difference maker and to bring value. I am actually excited about 2009….this is what I was born to do. I know it. I believe that if you can rekindle that fire inside that drove you into your chosen field, you too will have that same shot of adrenaline that I have experienced. This is what we are supposed to be doing! It is going to be fun.

The last five or six years it has been relatively easy to be a success. Consumers were looking for new ways to spend their money, and at times it seemed as if all you had to do was open your doors and the people would come. It isn’t that way anymore, and it is quite shocking to all of us. But it doesn’t have to be the end of any of us. These are the times that separate the wheat from the chaff and it is our turn to join together and find success. It is going to take creativity, risk and hard work, but if you are pursuing what your dreams you will find yourself invigorated and energized by the challenge.

Find that spark inside and remember that life can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be miserable. We have a choice each and every day and it is up to us to work and live with enthusiasm and joy. It can be contagious. I was at the movie theater yesterday and I was in line to buy some popcorn and the manager of the concession stand was excited. Everyone around him knew it. “Happy New Year” he would yell out to each new customer. A compliment and a cheesy joke about some trivial thing accompanied everyone’s change. It was a little dorky (according to my 16 year old it was near fatal dorkiness), but I noticed everyone around him was smiling. The lines were long but people were still smiling because one guy remembered why he got into his career.

Take a little quiet time to sort your thoughts and relight that fire within you to drive your business and your success to great heights in 09!