The Power is in you!

There has been something that has been on my mind for sometime now and I thought this would be a great opportunity to share my thoughts with my clients and other readers of this blog. 

Success in the restaurant business is like success in life; you have to own it - and not just financially!

The single biggest mistake that most restaurant operators make is that they are constantly searching for someone or something to blame their problems on. It is your business! No one forced you to open the doors - so own it. The sooner that you accept this responsibility, the sooner you can begin the road to financial recovery and ultimately business success. 

In my role as a consultant, it is the job of my company to be objective and look at the strengths and weaknesses of your business. Once we have established what those are and the areas of opportunity that exist for us taken advantage of, we develop a plan to economic recovery and assist you in the implementation of that plan. The key here however is you. If you as a business owner are unwilling to accept the reality of your position, and the hard work that is involved to get you "back on the rails", then it does not matter how solid or comprehensive the business plan is - the chances of success are slim to none! It is the old adage of "you can lead a horse to water....but (oh well you get the picture)". 

If you have issues with sales - own them. If you have issues with profitability - own them. If your issues are staff related, location related or design related - once again you need to look at yourself first.

I know this may sound a little harsh, but the truth usually is. Most consultants are good at pointing out the obvious inadequacies in systems, talking about the need for more controls and procedural changes. However, the path to real change lies in dealing with the root of the problem and not just putting nice decorations on it. This is where we can really help - if you are ready to affect real change.

The definition of insanity is doing the sane things that you have always done and expecting a different result.

When you hire a consultant they need to not only be able to point out the obvious needs of your business, but also have a detailed understanding of what lead you to this point and how to guide you out. They need to be able to work together with you "hand in hand" to develop a long-term solution, which will put you back on the path to the personal and professional rewards that you were seeking when you first got into this business.

Own your business...

Be open to solutions...

Be willing to work together towards affecting real change.

Unlock your restaurant's potential from within - the power is in you!