Business is a lot more than just cookin’ barbeque.
It’s more than just an idea.
People going in business, especially those who love to cook barbeque, are so excited about grilling their recipes and serving them to people, they often forget or don’t realize that is only one part of the big picture. Too many people fall in love with the idea of a business, like cooking barbeque. People start businesses in that way.
They fall in love with the idea of owning a restaurant or food truck. They soon learn that there’s more, much, much more to it than the perceived excitement. Be sure, absolutely certain that you have:
- An inner passion to start a barbeque businesses
- A real business plan
- Excellent financing
Of course there’s more, but these are true keys to succeeding or failing. They truly are!
You really can’t go wrong if you…
focus your business plan and all efforts on satisfying the customer. I know, that’s said time and time again. But it holds the keys to success and should never be overlooked.
Focusing everything you do around satisfying the customer is the ultimate success plan. This is the single most valuable business strategy needed to grow and sustain a barbeque business (any business).
As a pitmaster, cook, owner, you need to understand how your customers think about food, how they make decisions to purchase. How do you determine this?
Start by by listening and asking questions and observing what sells most and what is requested most. What are customers saying? What is your staff learning from interactions with customers?
Delivering excellence is what drives it all. Whether food prep, visual appearance, plate layout, smell, textures, location, pricing, service, doing so with excellence is the make or break.
Although you can’t completely quantify what makes a business successful, many of the most successful barbeque businesses have a lot in common. Even with different products and services, varying styles, successful businesses overlap in the basics. From customer service to new technology, observe the barbeque businesses you admire but not just the food they offer. Consider the benefits they offer staff, the way they buy product, how they serve, cooking style and so on.
The Power of Vision.
Do you have a vision for your business? What do you want it to be, can you picture it? Can you describe to someone in a few sentences, typically known as the “30 second elevator speech. In other words you step into an elevator on the fourth floor and a person asks you what your business is about and why should he be a customer? You have about 30 seconds before the elevator gets to the first floor.
- What do you say to that?
- Is it filled with passion and challenge?
- How do you deliver your vision in a way that he wants to be part of it?
Here’s something that should encourage you about the power of vision and casting it.
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
Here is the ad he ran for recruiting men for the next trip.
“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.”
That’s vision casting. And the record show that he received an abundance of replies by men willing to go.
Your vision has to connect with someone. If you an attain that, your business will prosper with loyal customers who refer others.
Vision gives you and employees something to work toward and provides a sense of purpose and a clear direction.
Vision supports why you want things do in a certain way in a certain time. It supports the forming of a company culture. And yes, even if there are only two employees, a vison will guide them and above all, it give people a reason bigger then themselves to come to work everyday. They realize they are not just fulfilling a job but a future and a success they played a significant role in.
I’ve already given your three pages of words and virtually nothing about barbequing. Because as I said at the outsell, it’s more than cooking great barbeque, a lot more. I learned many years ago, from a wise business mentor, “that the best way to assure your business future is to create it.”
It also lets customers know what your company stands for and creates a personal connection, an affinity with your brand.
Customers are drawn to vision
- A clear vision statement has one goal — to provide a shared direction to an your company.
- A vision statement describes the future of an organization and helps everyone figure out its ambitions and aspirations.
- It is generally boiled down to a sentence or a short paragraph and makes sure the teams working in the organization do not lose sight of the purpose behind all operations.
- An outstanding vision statement provides direction to all missions, strategies, and activities happening in a company.
Studies show the amazing results of vison
- Employee engagement levels shoot to 68 percent in companies with a meaningful vision.
- Organizations with aligned mission and vision grow faster by 58 percent and tend to be 72 percent more profitable
So, what if you are already running a barbeque business?
Well, it’s never too late to implement a vision. It may be easier for you to do since you have been operating successfully. A vision can take you and your people even farther than you are now. It’s something to think about.