Running your business is a blast if you have the alignment right. First concentrate on the positive.

1 – Employees – HIre right, take your time. Fire fast. Check attitude, smile easily,enjoy work.

2 – Competition – Know it don’t let it stress you. Five areas to compete with – quality, taste, speed of service, clean, and value.

3 – Product Costs and Pricing – Buy right, know your market prices. What customers want.

4 – Marketing – Hard to measure. word of mouth is best. But have to have a great operation or they will not come back. Show passion, you want customer satisfaction, how do they feel, that brings them back.

5 – Finances – Have to have money  it is the life blood of the business. With out money it is just an idea. Use own cash if possible. Go with a business plan.

Price is important.

Consider more than just Price. Dependability, knowledge, service, and expertise.

Learn from good suppliers.

New equipment, food experts.

Suppliers want you to grow.

Meat supplier, drink supplier, produce supplier, bread supplier, all offer great insight.

Consider all options before choosing a supplier, not just cost.

Technical information, nutritional labels, weight loss, gluten free, diabetic, etc.

Here are three topics to consider if you want to build a great business.

1-Who are you? Customers want to know the owner. If they cannot relate to you they will not normally return.

2-Know Your Customer – Does the product meet the desires, wants, needs of your customers. Only way to know is you know how the product effects you.

3-Supply and Demand – Do not be short on demand. No open holes on your shelf. If you don’t have the product you cannot sell it and that disappoints a customer.

RetailMarketing

Read an article in Family Life Magazine January 2012 issue on retail marketing produce called ‘Roadside Marketing’.

Great ideas to use all through any type of business.

How to draw customers

Location

Signs

Word of mouth advertising

Language

Smile

Appearance

Display

Sizes

Listen to customers

Don’t Close the door on last year without first doing an analysis of what happened to your company during a tough year.

Pot Holes

Survival, how did  you survive? You are still alive!

What did you do to cash flow, growth (new areas),  new opportunities.

Savings renewed contracts, refinancing in a tough market. What did you learn.

Bartering

So important to write down what you learned from making it through a tough year. Bill speaks to this on this audio.

Hospitality

You want your customers to always feel energy and comfort in your restaurant. You want them to feel as there is something for everyone.

How does that happen?

1. Join a merchant’s association to work with other businesses in your area.

There is strength in numbers, develops camaraderie between businesses and they bring customers to you.

2. You want to ensure that the customer leaves happy. Your team has to work together to fill the voids and short staff areas. They all know each other well there strengths and weaknesses.

3. Hire the best staff as possible. Again when things become tight that night your customers are still happy because you have created a team that works together giving the customer what they came for. That is great hospitality.

4. Evaluate your staff periodically, check performances and how well they work together with the team.

5. This becomes a winning combination.

Bill talks about Hospitality and the importance of good Hospitality on his audio podcast.

In the Independent Restauranteur November-December 2011 issue there was an article written by Tom Frank ‘Sincerity in Service’.

Tom great information for all of us in small business.

We need inspiration and encouragement. Sometimes folks may come to your business just to be encouraged.

Your service has to be more than mechanical it has to be served with sincerity, the article said.

It has to be a part of your core values, it is a virtue. Remember your actions speak louder than words. Show it when you serve let it come from your gut, your heart to give sincerity of service. Then your customers will come back to be encouraged by your great staff. That results in a successful business.

I am asked over and over how to run a successful business. Here are a few pointers.

Capital Expenitures – crawl, walk, and then run.

Operating Capital - Cash life blood of business. Stay with in a budget.

Costs – Not what you sell it for but how much you pay to make it.

Your help - Need to take ownership.

Cleanliness – A must. Competition will beat on this one problem.

Speed – How fast can you deliver a product.

Marketing – Promote a business that is successful.

Please listen to the audio for more details on running a successful business.

Markets are always changing.

As an example the Hispanic market is growing with those with disposable income.

Know what is happening in your part of the States.

Does your product, marketing, advertising, and pricing fit the needs of the new market.

Bill discusses the importance of be aware of the new markets and how it effects your business.

Bill discusses 8 practical ways to give yourself more time to accomplish the job at hand and have time for family and fun.

Are there some useful and practical ways to become more efficient and effective with your time and work?

1 – Spiritual time

2 – Keeps things Simple

3 – Do you have a place and time for all jobs and are they in their places/

4 – Fifteen minute rule

5 – Keep messy items and jobs under control

6 – enlist more Help

7 – Thinking Time

8 – Rest

9 – Summary