I have spent a lot of time analyzing why some businesses grow and why some seem to be stuck, and my favorite example has always been Starbucks. How did Howard Shultz scale one coffee shop into 23,768 locations, while in Austin, TX, Sa-Tén Coffee and Eats, for example, only has one store?
They may want it that way
While consultants will be happy to descend upon your business and offer expensive analyses of what is holding back your growth, many fail to realize that volume for the sake of volume is not necessarily the answer for everyone. Furthermore, the blind pursuit of growth can actually become counter-productive.
Many people accept the philosophy that your business is your boss; it has certain needs, and therefore it is your responsibility to fulfill them. Whether this conflicts with your kids’ baseball or soccer games, your vacation plans, your day off, or your general sanity, some people would say your business should always win.
Why did you do it?
Mike Roman often told me that he took the other view. Mike said people create their own business for certain reasons, among them:
· The ability to be your own boss
· The possibility of unlimited income
· A place to make things happen
Mike further emphasized that these things could occur even if your business wasn’t number one in sales, events, or even profitability.
The four-hour workweek nonsense
Now, I’m not going to tell you that you don’t have to work, and I’m not offering a magic method that would allow you to make lots of money while lying on the beach. You do have the power, however, to tell your business to back off.
If you started your restaurant or catering business with the goal of becoming the biggest in your city, then your state, and who knows where else, quit reading this and go back to work—you have lots to do.
Old-school business people sometimes would say, “If you buy a small business, you’ve bought yourself a job.” They didn’t say it derisively though, and this may be where you are. You may gross $700k per year, have company cars for you and your spouse, and have your health insurance paid by your business. Of course you eat for free, and there are a lot of things, like that power washer you bought at Costco, that you can take home and put to good personal use as well.
If you need to go the doctor or dentist one afternoon, you don’t have to ask anyone if that’s OK, and if you want to leave early to see your daughter’s soccer game, you can figure out a way to make that happen. And don’t forget one of my top personal reasons for owning your own business—unlimited use of a private dumpster! (I’m not kidding.)
It’s OK
My point is that just because you own a business does not mean that you have to do everything possible to max out sales and grow exponentially. Some people have problems with rapid growth strategies since they require a totally different mindset than Ma and Pa have. But please do not let anyone tell you that being Ma or Pa is bad, because it ain’t nobody’s business but yours, and you do have the power to control it.
Michael Rosman is a member of the Catersource consulting team. If you would like information about him coming to your business to address your specific needs, please email Carl Sacks at [email protected]. His book, Lessons Learned From Our Mistakes – and other war stories from the catering battlefield is available through the Catersource store. You can visit Michael’s website at www.TheCorporateCaterer.com email [email protected].
