" I don't know why it takes them so long, I can do it in half the time" said every business owner to date!
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This owner complaint is an issue that arises continuously, but I also want to make it known that issues that arise within food business owners lives are normal- meaning it must happen in order for you to grow and learn and improve. They're normal because they have to occur in order for you to learn, in order for you to implement positive, constructive changes which allow you to improve, grow and succeed. Running a food business is so flipping challenging. Nothing about it is easy. It is incredibly rewarding on the good days, it is wonderfully rewarding on the great days, and it is absolutely 1s mentally crippling on the bad days. It is such an interesting space. The truth behind success and failure within a food business is the control measures you have in place. So reopening. 1s How prepared are you? What are your checklists? What is it that you're putting into place right now? And how are you going to measure that going forward before you even open the doors? That is a business plan and you don't have to live by the business plan, but it is a great way to gauge the success of your business. It is a great way to gauge what monies are required in different spaces for you to get up and running. What monies are required to come in through that door on a daily, weekly, monthly basis in order for you to maintain the overheads. Your overheads are those guaranteed costs that come at you daily, weekly, monthly, annually. They do not change. If anything, they tend to go up. And that is something and a space that we are living in for the last number of years. In particular, inflation. What a dirty word. But without your business plan, without that level of organization, and without your ability to grow so your business plan is a living document. It grows with you and your business. It grows with your needs and the needs of your business. And so it is a great way to get started from there. What are the systems you have in place? What are the software packages that you are utilizing to maximize the business? The business? To do business well requires all of this amazing infrastructure and foundations that allow you to work on your business and not in your business. What an interesting space. Who knew that owning a food business could actually require so much information, software? 2s Standards, standard operating procedures, systems checklists, insights and KPIs. Well, let me be the one to break the bubble. To run a business well, you must have so many different things in position and you must then monitor. You must also encourage personal growth. You must take courses, you must grow and learn within the space. You cannot afford to stay stagnant. Anyway, enough of that. Today I want to talk about business owner issues. Business owner issues, they're an interesting one. I have such an array of fantastic clients, and if any of them are listening to this firstly, thanks for choosing me, guys. Thanks for allowing me into your life. And thanks for that collaboration piece. Because with that in place, we grow, we learn, we improve, we know how to get to success faster by bringing in the experts required. So huge thanks for that. Secondly, as a result of being able to collaborate for all you amazing people, I get to come across the issues. The real issues, the real problems, the real struggles, because that is normal. The problems, the issues and the struggles running a food business, they're normal. What's not normal is repeating and living on Groundhog Day with those issues. So for those issues to continuously occur, for those issues to never be resolved or improved, that is a problem, my friends. That is a space that you are permitting. That is a space that you are ignoring. That is a space that you are running away from. So this series is all about food business owners issues. And I want to make you aware. What you feel, firstly, is normal. It's okay to have a shit day. It's okay for somebody to do something that really pisses you off, it's normal. But what's not tolerated is if you allow that to rise and raise its ugly head time and time again. 2s So with that being said, let's start with the first issue. The first issue is which came up over the weekend. A fabulous food business owner got in touch and they got in touch because they were flipping frustrated. They were so deeply frustrated by this continuous issue that keeps rearing its ugly head and it is as a result of staff calling in sick. That was fine. That isn't the issue. That's something that she, as a business owner is very aware that it occurs and as a result has other systems in place to allow for that to occur. Because we don't know. Somebody suffers from an illness, an accident or a death in the family. They are serious things that occur. And as a result, the team member must be freed instantly without pressure, without guilt. They must be freed to do what they need to do within that space. And so she this particular businesswoman is absolutely fantastic with that. She's very mindful of it. She will acknowledge what is required by the individual and she will then brief the team. So that's not the issue, believe it or not. The issue, however, arose because on this particular occasion the solution to the team member not being able to turn in that day was that she had to go into the kitchen. 1s Brilliant solution. Brilliant solution to have that business owner pop into the kitchen, to set it up, get it up and running, to create all the bakes necessary 1s elements for the menu for a busy weekend. And to be fair, the business owner absolutely loved being in that space. So for her to be that solution for this weekend was quite a wonderful thing. And she felt quite lucky that it was falling on her on this particular occasion to fulfill that need. So while she was in that space, she was in her flow, in her absolute element. Because all of those dishes, all of those recipes are from her, they're tried and tested from her. She's the one that then brings them into the kitchen and then trains the team members. So it is a very natural space for her to be in. It's a very 2s unconscious space for her to be in, because she gets to turn off and create and bring to life all of these wonderful things that she was actually in charge of. So you can see how loving and wonderful it was for her to be that tactile with the ingredients. Because as a business owner, she cannot be in that space all of the time. She simply cannot in order to grow the business. And there's lots of different elements to her business that require her to be in different areas all of the time. And so she was the happiest she had been in so long, because she didn't have to worry about any other area of the business, because she got to be in her dance space, that dance space that allowed her come to life. So she was shining bright like a fucking diamond, let's be honest. So she was whipping together everything very naturally, very easily. And when she finished the list, so the order of work for that morning, the preparation sheet for those elements that were required to have been started for the following day, for that freezer bulk, because they make pastry by hand, puff pastry by hand. So ensuring that that prep work was also in position, that checklist of everything else that was going on, it gave her a moment to have that hands on space, to then look at the feedback sheets, to look at the work being carried out, and just to get a feel for that space. So, really wonderful opportunity for her to get into the bells of the business. But what it did, 1s it sounds wonderful, she had a wonderful time, but what it also did, it forced her to reflect on time being wasted. And that's what she felt. She realized that she was able to get through an enormous amount of work, create an enormous amount of quality products, and in half the time. 1s So as a business owner, what does that do to your brain? It makes you step back and go, what the heck is going on in my goddamn business? What the heck am I paying these people for? If I could do it in half the flipping time in a week, that is a saving of 14 hours. So let's work that out. So in a week, it is 14 hours. Grabbing my calculator. So we got 14 hours multiplied by four weeks. No, actually, let's do that. So 14 hours multiplied by 52 weeks equals 40,768. So if we multiply that by 15, it is 1s that better not be true. I shouldn't laugh. 14 hours multiply by 52 weeks equals 756 multiplied by 15 euro equals so it's a saving of eleven and a half. So she stepped back and she realized that 14 hours a week was being wasted for 52 weeks in a year, which was 11.5 thousand euro. 1s She was in a state of shock. She was in date of horror. She was panicked. She was disillusioned. She was frustrated, annoyed, angry. She was all of these things she couldn't understand what it was that was going on in her kitchen, where this was the potential loss that was being incurred by her and her business. 1s How did we tackle this as a problem? 2s So first things first. The business owner may not fully understand the complexity and challenges associated with the tasks assigned to staff because they have years of training and experience. And as a result the business owner is separated from their team members because of these years of experience and training. It means that they can get into that flow space. It means that they can have that speed of processes. It means that they can get through tasks a lot quicker. They also may oversimplify the work, which means as well that they have this experience that they're putting into play that makes it so simple and easy for them. And as a result, they can underestimate the time and effort required by their team member to complete the tasks accurately and to the standard that is required. And remember, it is not natural and it is not normal for the staff members to do what the business owner can do with their eyes closed. So a level of understanding was absolutely required for this and that takes a bit of time for the business owner to sit in that space. They are not their staff member. Their staff member is not them. So it is bridging those gaps is absolutely crucial. It doesn't happen overnight, it doesn't happen over a matter of weeks or months. It can take a considerable amount of time if you haven't hired based on your needs. So hiring the right person takes time. Asking the right questions in an interview takes time. What is your standard operating procedure around asking those questions? 1s How can you get the answers required? How can you put in place a procedure where that individual can grow weekly and monthly? What is the checklist on the timings? How are we able to lean up processes in order to reduce time wasted? How can we be present to understand what it is the staff members are doing thing that actually may not be beneficial to them and to the business. So it is not just a simple thing of I can do it faster, better. Why can't they? There's a lot of unpacking, there's a lot of backtracking. In order to get those answers, the staff member might be facing various obstacles or constraints that hinder the productivity. Such as they mightn't have the right resources, they might have conflicting priorities. So if that staff member is required to jump out front, is required to make coffees, is required to take in orders, and some days the orders being delivered through that backdoor are huge. So the time required for that is a lot longer. Which means it takes from what is required in those actions to get those tasks finished. Or perhaps it's insufficient training or insufficient upskilling. So train once, that's not the answer. Train a thousand times, then you're close to getting it right. Blaming them without considering these factors, you overlook the larger context in which they are working. If you fail to promote a positive work environment so if you're making negative comparisons between the business owners abilities and the staff performance, this can create a really toxic work environment. It will lead to demotivation, it will lead to decreased morale. 1s And it'll increase turnover among employees. The positive and supportive work environment is critical for employee engagement and productivity. 1s And remember, you are right. They are not you. However, they are themselves, and they need a lot more than you're given them credit for. If you let the value of employee input, then your employees often have valuable insights and ideas that can contribute to process improvements and overall organizational success. But if you fail to see this, you are doing them and yourself a disservice that's really unfair. This happens quite a lot. Quite a lot that we overlook what it is the employee and I hate that word what it is the team member can bring to the table. We overlook their feedback. We overlook their skill set because we're so 1s thick and honed in on making sure they do it our way. Sometimes there is wiggle room. Sometimes that wiggle room is clever and actually adds great bonuses to the business. In all areas. When owners or managers dismiss their team member input or fail to create a culture of open communication, they miss out on potential innovation and hinder employee engagement. 2s If you foster a culture of blame instead of collaboration by saying, I can do it in half the time, what's taking them so long? You're blaming your team members for perceived slowness, and you're creating a culture of blame rather than collaboration. This can really damage relationships. It really hinders teamwork and it pivots effective problem solving. Because people, your team members, they don't feel they can open up. They don't feel that they're valued, they don't feel heard. It's essential for business owners to cultivate a collaborative culture where your team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns. To promote a more constructive approach, business owners should focus on understanding the challenges their staff members face, provide support and resources to help them improve their efficiency, and foster a positive and collaborative work environment. This takes time. Running a business is frustrating, but it's your frustration, it's not theirs. So don't shit on them because you can't get a handle on it. You must, as a priority, work on your business, not in your business. The more you work in your business, the more issues and problems arise, the more frustrations and pain points you encounter. So ensure that the first thing you do as a matter of priority for the success of you and your business, for the success of your team members, is that you work on your business more that is critical to your success. Comparing yourself as the business owner of a food business to your staff can be so dangerous because you're undermining team morale. When the business owner compares themselves to their staff, it creates a sense of hierarchy and can make employees feel undervalued and inadequate. This can lead to decreased morale, demotivation, and a lack of teamwork. Think about that. You're creating a sense of hierarchy. The type of hierarchy you want needs to be written down. It is a case where you are the boss. You are not their friends. You cannot be the friends of your employees. You must maintain an element of hierarchy because they will show up better. Your team members require you to run an efficient business. They require you to give them the tools and the systems essential for them to shine and do their best work. If you are their friend, you're not going to be able to see these things that are required. You're not going to be able to understand the solutions. You're too close to them and the problems. So make sure that you have separation in place. And I'm not talking about making them feel small. I'm just talking about being a leader. You can be open minded, you can be courteous, you can be friendly, you can listen, you can implement changes based on their feedback. But you must be in a position where they know your position takes time, but it's essential. 2s Overlooking individual strengths and contributions that your team members bring because they bring unique skills, they bring unique experiences, they bring an incredible amount of strengths to your table. So by comparing yourself to your team members, you're overlooking the diverse contributions and abilities of your team members. Recognize and appreciate the individual strengths of your team members. This is essential for building a wellrounded and successful team. Discouraging employee growth and development through criticism, through constant comparison, will discourage your team members from taking risks or pursuing growth opportunities. When team members feel constantly judged against the business owner standards, they will hesitate to step out of their comfort zone and strive for improvement. Encouraging your team members growth and providing support and mentorship are really crucial for their professional development. If you neglect the impact of different roles and responsibilities between the business owner and team members, and by not understanding the different roles and responsibilities of each of you, you're comparing yourself against people who have not the same training and expertise. You're comparing yourself to team members versus business owner. That's really unfair and neglectful. You're misleading them. You're being unfair to them. 1s Each position contributes to the overall success of the business. I'm going to say that again. Each position contributes to the overall success of the business. All of these cogs within the wheel, these personalities, these skill sets, these strengths and even the weaknesses, it's up to you to see them. It's up to you to encourage, to facilitate growth, to facilitate education and experience. Up to you to hire well. Go fully backwards. Fully backwards. If you allow the wrong individuals into your organization, that is your fault. If you do not acknowledge that as a problem, and if you do not understand the gaps of the learning in that space, if you do not document what went well, what didn't go well, what must go better, you're doing it a service. You're allowing individuals into the organization that cannot fulfill a job description. You are setting them up for failure. You are drawing a comparison on individuals based on individuals you put in those positions that could never fulfill those positions. You must take accountability. 2s For creating that, for allowing that, for laying blame on at their door. It's wrong. It's cruel, it's ugly. It's neglectful. It's poor judgment on your part. Own it so compare yourself to individuals. Not good enough. Not good enough at all. What is it that you have done well to grow your team? What are the systems you have in place? What are the insights that you're capturing? What are the key performance indicators? How are you tasking them? How are you checking in with them? How are you understanding them? What are the new systems that you're putting in place? What are the amended systems that you're implementing as a result of feedback? As a result of growth? As a result of observation? Emphasize teamwork and appreciate the unique contributions of each team member will create a supportive, thriving work culture. Emphasizing teamwork and appreciating the unique contributions of each team member can create a supportive and thriving work culture. Running a business isn't easy. Nobody ever said it was. But success leaves clues. Do not try to reinvent the fucking wheel. Look around you. Look at people. You look up to understand what it is that they are doing. 1s And do it yourself. You don't have to rewrite all of the rules, you just have to mirror those that are doing it well and understand what it is that they are doing and how it's working for them and their business. You then plug and play, which means you take that solution, you implement it based on your business, your mission, your values. You trial it, you test it, you it, you retry it, you test it, you amend it and you allow it to be a living document where it will grow with you and your business. Making changes are inevitable, making constant changes. Smaller changes, hopefully smaller changes, hopefully are something that you must do on the daily, on the weekly, on the monthly, on the annual that is running a business. That is the essence of your job as a business owner. What is it that you can do in order to get your team members in your food business to work faster and smarter? Well, you can clearly communicate expectations. 2s This clear communication of expectations regarding work speed and efficiency must be given to your team members verbally and in written format. They must understand and be able to capture that information on demand so that they can see what it is that's required from them within the position. You must then, as a business owner, provide specific instructions and guidelines for completing tasks effectively and efficiently. You cannot just give a directive. I require you to do this. You must also give instructions and guidelines. So when you feel pain, when you feel a frustration, why is it that they are taking longer? You must unpack it, you must then document it, and then you must train in order for that team member to understand what is required. It is about you being a teacher. Your primary role as a food business owner is being a principal and a teacher. That is what you do on the daily. You do not give directives. You back it up with the tools required, the pictures, the systems, the point to points, what is required from each step, time frames, guidelines in order for them to be their best, in order for them to be effective and efficient. Ensure your team understands the importance of working quickly without compromising quality. So that's a communication piece. That is your mission, your values coming into play. Our business stands for this, and as a result, this is what's required. So we're going to work together over the next four weeks on, let's just say, making puff pastry. We're going to look at ways in which we can streamline it, make it leaner, minimize the time that is being wasted, and look at different methods in which it will allow you, as the individual, to do your best work. And so it is a time frame, it is a checking in process. It's three times a week. Check in Monday. This is what we're looking at this week. Wednesday, how are we getting on so far? Friday, can I see the end product? Can you tell me any hurdles you came across? Whatever the days are, I say Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I don't know what the days of your working week are, but what I need you to do is create that check in space where you're with them. You're with them on the journey. You're not leaving them isolated and alone and. You have to provide proper training and resources. You have to ensure that your team members receive thorough training on their tasks and responsibilities. You must provide them with the necessary resources, tools and equipment to perform their jobs efficiently. Proper training and access to resources can help them work faster and smarter. So not having the proper equipment in order for them to roll the pastry 1s so you can get different amazing products that allow you to do work faster, you need to then spend the money on those products and you need to train them in that. So a specific roller fur let's talk about puff pastry for the crack fur. Puff pastry will ensure that the speed of service is absolutely implemented. You must spend money to make money. You simply must spend money to make money. You must lean your business in order to create a better business and end result. So if that is the solution so a specific roller for puff pastry is the solution. Well, do it. For feck's sake, do it. Make your staff understand fully that this piece of equipment is there for their use to make it bigger, better, stronger, so that they can do great work and you're also minding them. Equipment has a dual function, many functions. The dual in this particular conversation is you're minimizing the waste of time and you're also protecting the repetitive strain injury that they may incur. So it's actually a really respectable piece of equipment on your team member because you're taking care of them long term. You're taking care of their back, their shoulders, their elbows, their wrists long term. So that is really, really important as well to acknowledge that buying equipment. So investing in the business has a really positive impact on the individual long term and their health and well being. Streamline workflows and processes identify the bottlenecks or inefficiencies in your business operations and work with the team member to streamline the workflow and processes. You have to simplify tasks, you have to eliminate unnecessary steps and you have to automate repetitive tasks wherever possible. You have to streamline processes because this can help save time and increase productivity. You must. You simply must. If you have broken equipment in your kitchen, shame on. Get it fucking removed today. Enough is enough. Get the goddamn money to get the piece of equipment. Understand fully sit down by creating a space for that money to be in the bloody bank account or creating a repayment system. Understand what it looks like on your business. Ring up your accountant, ask them. Create the plan. Understand fully how many breakfast, how many coffees, how many lunches, how many desserts you must sell in a week and a month. And I'm talking about the profit on the product, not talking about the sales of the product. We must understand that we have to differentiate. We must understand that the profit on the product, how much profit on the product is required in order for you to pay the monthly outlay or the initial outlay of investing in that product. We must understand then that the efficiency of the product will allow us to decrease in labor what that looks like, so how much we can downsize the labor costs for the business and offset that to the sales of the product being required to make life simpler. Sit down with your accountant. Understand fully that business decisions impact and influence a business dramatically and positively. But don't just say it, fucking understand it. See it in black and white. Get to know your business. Get to know that decisions made to your business, for your business, what it looks like from a financial point of view. The benefits are the negatives right now, in this moment. Don't make a decision based on assumption. If you lead your business on assumption, I promise you, you will be out of business in the next 18 months. Well, I can't do that. Well, I simply can't do that. I can't afford it. Do not give me a throwaway statement. Give me facts. Go backwards. Talk to your accountant, talk to your financial advisor. Understand fully what it is the decision can do to your business and how positively it can impact your staff, your workflow, your decreased labor costs, your increased productivity, and understand the KPIs required for it to make sense to your business. Never give me a generic statement because I will force you to unpack it. So I do not live in a space of I can't, I won't. 1s I don't. It doesn't exist in my world. So unpack it. That is your responsibility as a business owner. It is simple as that. You must set realistic goals and deadlines. You simply must. Setting clear and realistic goals for your team and providing them with deadlines for completing tasks is essential. 2s Otherwise, you live in a world where you never get to the end. Oh, have an idea. This idea is great. Can we implement the idea? Yeah. Great. Best. Look, they never did it. They didn't succeed. They failed. Bullshit. I call bullshit. You did not set realistic goals with deadlines. You must unpack it. You must understand it. Saying I want puff pastry to be streamlined is not good enough. What is the goal? The goal is three puff pastries to be made within a certain timeline on a morning or eight puff pastries or ten. What is it? Be specific. Let me know what it is you must achieve. And then give me the deadlines, give me the time frames and make it realistic. Understand the skill sets. Understand the limitations. The limitations are you don't have the roller. You haven't bought it. You haven't made their life better. You haven't streamlined their life for them to do their best work. So unpack that. Okay. That is absolutely critical. Breaking down larger tasks into smaller manageable milestones will help your team stay focused and motivated. You have to regularly review the progress and provide feedback to ensure they are on track. Foster a positive work environment. Create a positive and supportive work environment where your team members feel valued, appreciated, motivated, seen and heard. All of these are absolutely critical. Encourage open communication, provide constructive feedback, and recognize and reward efforts and achievements. Positive work environment boosts morale and productivity. 1s A positive work environment. Boosts morale and productivity. Encourage collaboration and teamwork. Foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork among your team members. Encourage them to support and help each other to share ideas and best practices and work together to solve problems. You don't have to be on your own as a business owner. You can. A question if you were in my shoes, how would you do this differently? It's a brilliant question. It's a brilliant question. And allow your team members to give you those solutions. It's very interesting. It's brilliant. The information that they have, the things that your team members have come across prior to coming to your business is outstanding. Allow them to put that to use. Allow them to make value that experience. Collaboration will lead to increased efficiency and the sharing of innovative ideas. Are you a leader? Because that's what a leader does. A leader allows for those individuals to be seen and heard and to be valued when they give really, really great information. 2s It really fosters a brilliant work culture. A leader isn't afraid to hear solutions that they haven't heard of before by people who aren't in the same position as them. A leader puts their ego to the side. A leader is eager to learn from others. 1s You, as your leader and business owner, must provide ongoing training and development. Ongoing. That's the word here. Ongoing. Ongoing, never ending. Ongoing never ending. You must invest in the ongoing training and development of your team members. You must offer opportunities for them to enhance their skills and knowledge, which can make them more effective and efficient in their roles. Continuous learning can lead to increased productivity and job satisfaction. 1s Bring them on a day out. Bring them to, for example, 1s someone that makes puff pastry and someone that does it brilliantly. Bring them to meet them. Bring them to understand the equipment required. Bring them to understand the speed and how it's achieved. Bring them. Allow them to see others doing great things. Allow them to understand that there's a gap. And then facilitate them at all levels to bridge that gap. You will see growth. You will then allow them to show up differently because you've shown them what it looks like. You're leading by example. 1s As a business owner, you must lead by example. And you must demonstrate the work ethic, the speed and the efficiency you expect from your team members. You have to show the dedication, professionalism and a focus on continuous improvement. Your team will follow your lead and strive to work faster and smarter when they see your commitment. But don't belittle them. Don't continuously attack them. Create the space for them to grow. And remember, if you allowed somebody into your organization that can never fulfill that position, only you are to blame. So get back to that position. Get back to your onboarding position. Fine tune your onboarding position, and that will change everything. Know the personality types required for the different positions of your organization and hire based on that. 1s By implementing these strategies, you can create an environment that promotes faster and smarter work among your team members, ultimately improving overall productivity and efficiency in your food business. I hope you enjoyed the first of my series where we talk about food business owner issues and where we unpack them and where we look at interesting solutions. Where we force you to think. I always want you to take that moment to think, rethink, address and adjust based. On insights based on KPIs. I want you to utilize the business in order to make decisions. What I want to do is I must as a matter of priority for the role that I fulfill as a food business coach is I must teach you that emotion cannot drive your business. It simply cannot. If you are driving your business based on emotion, you are not in charge of your business. And these sessions must teach you to reduce the level of emotion that you are currently using to drive your business. And we are now elevating ourselves in a position where we are working on our business and not in our business. Emotion forces us to work more in our business. Imagine that that emotion is forcing us into the bowels of our business. We cannot stay there. We must go there continuously. Of course it is essential. But we cannot stay there. We must work on our business. And our business requires strategies, implementation, training, SOPs KPIs, software and managing of insights. That's the only way you're going to run a successful business. So, thanks for tuning in. Thanks for spending a bit of time with me today in understanding pain points of your business. And I really hope you had a pen and paper. Because taking down what is of value to you and implementing it is critical for you to change you and your business. Because you are the one with the bad habits, not me. But my job is to train and educate you in how to understand that those bad habits are holding you and your business back. Let's take back your business one step at a time. If you need me, you know where to find me. Www.tracydaily.com. And it's T or A-C-I-E. Over and out. Until next time, folks.
I want to talk about something interesting, an issue that arises continuously, but I also want to make it known that issues that arise within food business owners' lives are normal. They're normal because they have to occur in order for you to learn, in order for you to implement positive, constructive changes which allow you to improve, grow and succeed. Running a food business is so flipping challenging. Nothing about it is easy. It is incredibly rewarding on the good days, it is wonderfully rewarding on the great days, and it is absolutely 1s mentally crippling on the bad days. It is such an interesting space. The truth behind success and failure within a food business is the control measures you have in place. So reopening. 1s How prepared are you? What are your checklists? What is it that you're putting into place right now? And how are you going to measure that going forward before you even open the doors? That is a business plan and you don't have to live by the business plan, but it is a great way to gauge the success of your business. It is a great way to gauge what monies are required in different spaces for you to get up and running. What monies are required to come in through that door on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis in order for you to maintain the overheads? Your overheads are those guaranteed costs that come at you daily, weekly, monthly, and annually. They do not change. If anything, they tend to go up. And that is something and space that we are living in for the last number of years. In particular, inflation. What a dirty word. But without your business plan, without that level of organization, and without your ability to grow so your business plan is a living document. It grows with you and your business. It grows with your needs and the needs of your business. And so it is a great way to get started from there. What are the systems you have in place? What are the software packages that you are utilizing to maximize the business? The business? To do business well requires all of this amazing infrastructure and foundations that allow you to work on your business and not in your business. What an interesting space. Who knew that owning a food business could actually require so much information and software? SOP's, standard operating procedures, systems checklists, insights, and KPIs. Well, let me be the one to burst the bubble. To run a business well, you must have so many different things in position and you must then monitor. You must also encourage personal growth. You must take courses, you must grow and learn within the space. You cannot afford to stay stagnant. Anyway, enough of that. Today I want to talk about business owner issues. Business owner issues, they're an interesting one. I have such an array of fantastic clients, and if any of them are listening to this firstly, thanks for choosing me, guys. Thanks for allowing me into your life. And thanks for that collaboration piece. Because with that in place, we grow, we learn, we improve, and we know how to get to success faster by bringing in the experts required. So huge thanks for that. Secondly, as a result of being able to collaborate with all of you amazing people, I get to come across the issues. The real issues, the real problems, the real struggles, because that is normal. The problems, the issues, and the struggles of running a food business, they're normal. What's not normal is repeating and living on Groundhog Day with those issues. So for those issues to continuously occur, for those issues to never be resolved or improved, that is a problem, my friends. That is a space that you are permitting. That is a space that you are ignoring. That is a space that you are running away from. So this series is all about food business owners' issues. And I want to make you aware. What you feel, firstly, is normal. It's okay to have a shit day. It's okay for somebody to do something that really pisses you off, it's normal. But what's not tolerated is if you allow that to rise and raise its ugly head time and time again. 2s So with that being said, let's start with the first issue. The first issue is which came up over the weekend. A fabulous food business owner got in touch and they got in touch because they were flipping frustrated. They were so deeply frustrated by this continuous issue that keeps rearing its ugly head and it is a result of staff calling in sick. That was fine. That isn't the issue. That's something that she, as a business owner is very aware that it occurs and as a result, has other systems in place to allow for that to occur. Because we don't know. Somebody suffers from an illness, an accident or a death in the family. They are serious things that occur. And as a result, the team member must be freed instantly without pressure, without guilt. They must be freed to do what they need to do within that space. And so this particular businesswoman is absolutely fantastic with that. She's very mindful of it. She will acknowledge what is required by the individual and she will then brief the team. So that's not the issue, believe it or not. The issue, however, arose because, on this particular occasion, the solution to the team member not being able to turn in that day was that she had to go into the kitchen. 1s Brilliant solution. A brilliant solution is to have that business owner pop into the kitchen, to set it up, get it up and running, to create all the bakes necessary 1s elements for the menu for a busy weekend. And to be fair, the business owner absolutely loved being in that space. So for her to be that solution for this weekend was quite a wonderful thing. And she felt quite lucky that it was falling on her on this particular occasion to fulfill that need. So while she was in that space, she was in her flow, in her absolute element. Because all of those dishes, all of those recipes are from her, they're tried and tested by her. She's the one that then brings them into the kitchen and then trains the team members. So it is a very natural space for her to be in. It's a very unconscious space for her to be in because she gets to turn off and create and bring to life all of these wonderful things that she was actually in charge of. So you can see how loving and wonderful it was for her to be that tactile with the ingredients. Because as a business owner, she cannot be in that space all of the time. She simply cannot in order to grow the business. And there are lots of different elements to her business that require her to be in different areas all of the time. And so she was the happiest she had been in so long because she didn't have to worry about any other area of the business because she got to be in her dance space, that dance space that allowed her to come to life. So she was shining bright like a fucking diamond, let's be honest. So she was whipping together everything very naturally, very easily. And when she finished the list, so the order of work for that morning, and the preparation sheet for those elements that were required to have been started for the following day, for that freezer bulk, because they make pastry by hand, puff pastry by hand. So ensuring that that prep work was also in position, that checklist of everything else that was going on, it gave her a moment to have that hands-on space, to then look at the feedback sheets, to look at the work being carried out, and just to get a feel for that space. So, really wonderful opportunity for her to get into the bells of the business. But what it did, was she had a wonderful time, but what it also did, was it forced her to reflect on time being wasted. And that's what she felt. She realized that she was able to get through an enormous amount of work, create an enormous amount of quality products, and in half the time. 1s So as a business owner, what does that do to your brain? It makes you step back and go, what the heck is going on in my goddamn business? What the heck am I paying these people for? If I could do it in half the flipping time in a week, that is a saving of 14 hours, multiplied by 52 weeks equals 756 multiplied by 15 euro equals so it's a saving of eleven and a half thousand euro. So she stepped back and she realized that 14 hours a week was being wasted for 52 weeks in a year, which was 11.5 thousand euro. She was in a state of shock. She was in a state of horror. She was panicked. She was disillusioned. She was frustrated, annoyed, and angry. She was all of these things she couldn't understand what it was that was going on in her kitchen, where this was the potential loss that was being incurred by her and her business. How did we tackle this as a problem? So first things first. The business owner may not fully understand the complexity and challenges associated with the tasks assigned to staff because they have years of training and experience. And as a result, the business owner is separated from their team members because of these years of experience and training. It means that they can get into that flow space. It means that they can have that speed of processes. It means that they can get through tasks a lot quicker. They also may oversimplify the work, which means as well that they have this experience that they're putting into play that makes it so simple and easy for them. And as a result, they can underestimate the time and effort required by their team member to complete the tasks accurately and to the standard that is required. And remember, it is not natural and it is not normal for the staff members to do what the business owner can do with their eyes closed. So a level of understanding was absolutely required for this and that takes a bit of time for the business owner to sit in that space. They are not their staff member. Their staff member is not them. So it is bridging those gaps is absolutely crucial. It doesn't happen overnight, it doesn't happen over a matter of weeks or months. It can take a considerable amount of time if you haven't hired based on your needs. So hiring the right person takes time. Asking the right questions in an interview takes time. What is your standard operating procedure around asking those questions? 1s How can you get the answers required? How can you put in place a procedure where that individual can grow weekly and monthly? What is the checklist for the timings? How are we able to lean processes in order to reduce time wasted? How can we be present to understand what it is the staff members are doing the thing that actually may not be beneficial to them and to the business? So it is not just a simple thing of I can do it faster, better. Why can't they? There's a lot of unpacking, there's a lot of backtracking. In order to get those answers, the staff member might be facing various obstacles or constraints that hinder productivity. Such as they mightn't have the right resources, and they might have conflicting priorities. So if that staff member is required to jump out front, is required to make coffees, is required to take in orders, and some days the orders being delivered through that backdoor are huge. So the time required for that is a lot longer. Which means it takes from what is required in those actions to get those tasks finished. Or perhaps it's insufficient training or insufficient upskilling. So train once, that's not the answer. Train a thousand times, then you're close to getting it right. Blaming them without considering these factors, you overlook the larger context in which they are working. If you fail to promote a positive work environment so if you're making negative comparisons between the business owners abilities and the staff performance, this can create a really toxic work environment. It will lead to demotivation, it will lead to decreased morale. 1s And it'll increase turnover among employees. The positive and supportive work environment is critical for employee engagement and productivity. 1s And remember, you are right. They are not you. However, they are themselves, and they need a lot more than you're given them credit for. If you let the value of employee input, then your employees often have valuable insights and ideas that can contribute to process improvements and overall organizational success. But if you fail to see this, you are doing them and yourself a disservice that's really unfair. This happens quite a lot. Quite a lot that we overlook what it is the employee and I hate that word what it is the team member can bring to the table. We overlook their feedback. We overlook their skill set because we're so 1s thick and honed in on making sure they do it our way. Sometimes there is wiggle room. Sometimes that wiggle room is clever and actually adds great bonuses to the business. In all areas. When owners or managers dismiss their team member input or fail to create a culture of open communication, they miss out on potential innovation and hinder employee engagement.
If you foster a culture of blame instead of collaboration by saying, I can do it in half the time, what's taking them so long? You're blaming your team members for perceived slowness, and you're creating a culture of blame rather than collaboration. This can really damage relationships. It really hinders teamwork and it pivots effective problem solving. Because people, your team members, they don't feel they can open up. They don't feel that they're valued, they don't feel heard. It's essential for business owners to cultivate a collaborative culture where your team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and concerns. To promote a more constructive approach, business owners should focus on understanding the challenges their staff members face, provide support and resources to help them improve their efficiency, and foster a positive and collaborative work environment. This takes time. Running a business is frustrating, but it's your frustration, it's not theirs. So don't shit on them because you can't get a handle on it. You must, as a priority, work on your business, not in your business. The more you work in your business, the more issues and problems arise, the more frustrations and pain points you encounter. So ensure that the first thing you do as a matter of priority for the success of you and your business, for the success of your team members, is that you work on your business more that is critical to your success. Comparing yourself as the business owner of a food business to your staff can be so dangerous because you're undermining team morale. When the business owner compares themselves to their staff, it creates a sense of hierarchy and can make employees feel undervalued and inadequate. This can lead to decreased morale, demotivation, and a lack of teamwork. Think about that. You're creating a sense of hierarchy. The type of hierarchy you want needs to be written down. It is a case where you are the boss. You are not their friends. You cannot be the friends of your employees. You must maintain an element of hierarchy because they will show up better. Your team members require you to run an efficient business. They require you to give them the tools and the systems essential for them to shine and do their best work. If you are their friend, you're not going to be able to see these things that are required. You're not going to be able to understand the solutions. You're too close to them and the problems. So make sure that you have separation in place. And I'm not talking about making them feel small. I'm just talking about being a leader. You can be open minded, you can be courteous, you can be friendly, you can listen, you can implement changes based on their feedback. But you must be in a position where they know your position takes time, but it's essential. 2s Overlooking individual strengths and contributions that your team members bring because they bring unique skills, they bring unique experiences, they bring an incredible amount of strengths to your table. So by comparing yourself to your team members, you're overlooking the diverse contributions and abilities of your team members. Recognize and appreciate the individual strengths of your team members. This is essential for building a wellrounded and successful team. Discouraging employee growth and development through criticism, through constant comparison, will discourage your team members from taking risks or pursuing growth opportunities. When team members feel constantly judged against the business owner standards, they will hesitate to step out of their comfort zone and strive for improvement. Encouraging your team members growth and providing support and mentorship are really crucial for their professional development. If you neglect the impact of different roles and responsibilities between the business owner and team members, and by not understanding the different roles and responsibilities of each of you, you're comparing yourself against people who have not the same training and expertise. You're comparing yourself to team members versus business owner. That's really unfair and neglectful. You're misleading them. You're being unfair to them. 1s Each position contributes to the overall success of the business. I'm going to say that again. Each position contributes to the overall success of the business. All of these cogs within the wheel, these personalities, these skill sets, these strengths and even the weaknesses, it's up to you to see them. It's up to you to encourage, to facilitate growth, to facilitate education and experience. Up to you to hire well. Go fully backwards. Fully backwards. If you allow the wrong individuals into your organization, that is your fault. If you do not acknowledge that as a problem, and if you do not understand the gaps of the learning in that space, if you do not document what went well, what didn't go well, what must go better, you're doing it a service. You're allowing individuals into the organization that cannot fulfill a job description. You are setting them up for failure. You are drawing a comparison on individuals based on individuals you put in those positions that could never fulfill those positions. You must take accountability. 2s For creating that, for allowing that, for laying blame on at their door. It's wrong. It's cruel, it's ugly. It's neglectful. It's poor judgment on your part. Own it so compare yourself to individuals. Not good enough. Not good enough at all. What is it that you have done well to grow your team? What are the systems you have in place? What are the insights that you're capturing? What are the key performance indicators? How are you tasking them? How are you checking in with them? How are you understanding them? What are the new systems that you're putting in place? What are the amended systems that you're implementing as a result of feedback? As a result of growth? As a result of observation? Emphasize teamwork and appreciate the unique contributions of each team member will create a supportive, thriving work culture. Emphasizing teamwork and appreciating the unique contributions of each team member can create a supportive and thriving work culture. Running a business isn't easy. Nobody ever said it was. But success leaves clues. Do not try to reinvent the fucking wheel. Look around you. Look at people. You look up to understand what it is that they are doing. 1s And do it yourself. You don't have to rewrite all of the rules, you just have to mirror those that are doing it well and understand what it is that they are doing and how it's working for them and their business. You then plug and play, which means you take that solution, you implement it based on your business, your mission, your values. You trial it, you test it, you it, you retry it, you test it, you amend it and you allow it to be a living document where it will grow with you and your business. Making changes are inevitable, making constant changes. Smaller changes, hopefully smaller changes, hopefully are something that you must do on the daily, on the weekly, on the monthly, on the annual that is running a business. That is the essence of your job as a business owner. What is it that you can do in order to get your team members in your food business to work faster and smarter? Well, you can clearly communicate expectations. 2s This clear communication of expectations regarding work speed and efficiency must be given to your team members verbally and in written format. They must understand and be able to capture that information on demand so that they can see what it is that's required from them within the position. You must then, as a business owner, provide specific instructions and guidelines for completing tasks effectively and efficiently. You cannot just give a directive. I require you to do this. You must also give instructions and guidelines. So when you feel pain, when you feel a frustration, why is it that they are taking longer? You must unpack it, you must then document it, and then you must train in order for that team member to understand what is required. It is about you being a teacher. Your primary role as a food business owner is being a principal and a teacher. That is what you do on the daily. You do not give directives. You back it up with the tools required, the pictures, the systems, the point to points, what is required from each step, time frames, guidelines in order for them to be their best, in order for them to be effective and efficient. Ensure your team understands the importance of working quickly without compromising quality. So that's a communication piece. That is your mission, your values coming into play. Our business stands for this, and as a result, this is what's required. So we're going to work together over the next four weeks on, let's just say, making puff pastry. We're going to look at ways in which we can streamline it, make it leaner, minimize the time that is being wasted, and look at different methods in which it will allow you, as the individual, to do your best work. And so it is a time frame, it is a checking in process. It's three times a week. Check in Monday. This is what we're looking at this week. Wednesday, how are we getting on so far? Friday, can I see the end product? Can you tell me any hurdles you came across? Whatever the days are, I say Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I don't know what the days of your working week are, but what I need you to do is create that check in space where you're with them. You're with them on the journey. You're not leaving them isolated and alone and. You have to provide proper training and resources. You have to ensure that your team members receive thorough training on their tasks and responsibilities. You must provide them with the necessary resources, tools and equipment to perform their jobs efficiently. Proper training and access to resources can help them work faster and smarter. So not having the proper equipment in order for them to roll the pastry 1s so you can get different amazing products that allow you to do work faster, you need to then spend the money on those products and you need to train them in that. So a specific roller fur let's talk about puff pastry for the crack fur. Puff pastry will ensure that the speed of service is absolutely implemented. You must spend money to make money. You simply must spend money to make money. You must lean your business in order to create a better business and end result. So if that is the solution so a specific roller for puff pastry is the solution. Well, do it. For feck's sake, do it. Make your staff understand fully that this piece of equipment is there for their use to make it bigger, better, stronger, so that they can do great work and you're also minding them. Equipment has a dual function, many functions. The dual in this particular conversation is you're minimizing the waste of time and you're also protecting the repetitive strain injury that they may incur. So it's actually a really respectable piece of equipment on your team member because you're taking care of them long term. You're taking care of their back, their shoulders, their elbows, their wrists long term. So that is really, really important as well to acknowledge that buying equipment. So investing in the business has a really positive impact on the individual long term and their health and well being. Streamline workflows and processes identify the bottlenecks or inefficiencies in your business operations and work with the team member to streamline the workflow and processes. You have to simplify tasks, you have to eliminate unnecessary steps and you have to automate repetitive tasks wherever possible. You have to streamline processes because this can help save time and increase productivity. You must. You simply must. If you have broken equipment in your kitchen, shame on. Get it fucking removed today. Enough is enough. Get the goddamn money to get the piece of equipment. Understand fully sit down by creating a space for that money to be in the bloody bank account or creating a repayment system. Understand what it looks like for your business. Ring up your accountant, ask them. Create the plan. Understand fully how many breakfasts, how many coffees, how many lunches, how many desserts you must sell in a week and a month. And I'm talking about the profit on the product, not talking about the sales of the product. We must understand that we have to differentiate. We must understand that the profit on the product, how much profit on the product is required in order for you to pay the monthly outlay or the initial outlay of investing in that product. We must understand then that the efficiency of the product will allow us to decrease in labor what that looks like, so how much we can downsize the labor costs for the business and offset that to the sales of the product being required to make life simpler. Sit down with your accountant. Understand fully that business decisions impact and influence a business dramatically and positively. But don't just say it, fucking understand it. See it in black and white. Get to know your business. Get to know that decisions made to your business, for your business, what it looks like from a financial point of view. The benefits are the negatives right now, in this moment. Don't make a decision based on assumptions. If you lead your business on assumption, I promise you, you will be out of business in the next 18 months. Well, I can't do that. Well, I simply can't do that. I can't afford it. Do not give me a throwaway statement. Give me facts. Go backwards. Talk to your accountant, talk to your financial advisor. Understand fully what it is the decision can do to your business and how positively it can impact your staff, your workflow, your decreased labor costs, your increased productivity, and understand the KPIs required for it to make sense to your business. Never give me a generic statement because I will force you to unpack it. So I do not live in a space of I can't, I won't. 1s I don't. It doesn't exist in my world. So unpack it. That is your responsibility as a business owner. It is simple as that. You must set realistic goals and deadlines. You simply must. Setting clear and realistic goals for your team and providing them with deadlines for completing tasks is essential. 2s Otherwise, you live in a world where you never get to the end. Oh, have an idea. This idea is great. Can we implement the idea? Yeah. Great. Best. Look, they never did it. They didn't succeed. They failed. Bullshit. I call bullshit. You did not set realistic goals with deadlines. You must unpack it. You must understand it. Saying I want puff pastry to be streamlined is not good enough. What is the goal? The goal is three puff pastries to be made within a certain timeline on a morning or eight puff pastries or ten. What is it? Be specific. Let me know what it is you must achieve. And then give me the deadlines, give me the time frames and make it realistic. Understand the skill sets. Understand the limitations. The limitations are you don't have the roller. You haven't bought it. You haven't made their life better. You haven't streamlined their life for them to do their best work. So unpack that. Okay. That is absolutely critical. Breaking down larger tasks into smaller manageable milestones will help your team stay focused and motivated. You have to regularly review the progress and provide feedback to ensure they are on track. Foster a positive work environment. Create a positive and supportive work environment where your team members feel valued, appreciated, motivated, seen and heard. All of these are absolutely critical. Encourage open communication, provide constructive feedback, and recognize and reward efforts and achievements. Positive work environment boosts morale and productivity. 1s A positive work environment. Boosts morale and productivity. Encourage collaboration and teamwork. Foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork among your team members. Encourage them to support and help each other to share ideas and best practices and work together to solve problems. You don't have to be on your own as a business owner. You can. A question if you were in my shoes, how would you do this differently? It's a brilliant question. It's a brilliant question. And allow your team members to give you those solutions. It's very interesting. It's brilliant. The information that they have, the things that your team members have come across prior to coming to your business is outstanding. Allow them to put that to use. Allow them to make value that experience. Collaboration will lead to increased efficiency and the sharing of innovative ideas. Are you a leader? Because that's what a leader does. A leader allows for those individuals to be seen and heard and to be valued when they give really, really great information. 2s It really fosters a brilliant work culture. A leader isn't afraid to hear solutions that they haven't heard of before by people who aren't in the same position as them. A leader puts their ego to the side. A leader is eager to learn from others. 1s You, as your leader and business owner, must provide ongoing training and development. Ongoing. That's the word here. Ongoing. Ongoing, never ending. Ongoing never ending. You must invest in the ongoing training and development of your team members. You must offer opportunities for them to enhance their skills and knowledge, which can make them more effective and efficient in their roles. Continuous learning can lead to increased productivity and job satisfaction. 1s Bring them on a day out. Bring them to, for example, 1s someone that makes puff pastry and someone that does it brilliantly. Bring them to meet them. Bring them to understand the equipment required. Bring them to understand the speed and how it's achieved. Bring them. Allow them to see others doing great things. Allow them to understand that there's a gap. And then facilitate them at all levels to bridge that gap. You will see growth. You will then allow them to show up differently because you've shown them what it looks like. You're leading by example. 1s As a business owner, you must lead by example. And you must demonstrate the work ethic, the speed and the efficiency you expect from your team members. You have to show the dedication, professionalism and a focus on continuous improvement. Your team will follow your lead and strive to work faster and smarter when they see your commitment. But don't belittle them. Don't continuously attack them. Create the space for them to grow. And remember, if you allowed somebody into your organization that can never fulfill that position, only you are to blame. So get back to that position. Get back to your onboarding position. Fine tune your onboarding position, and that will change everything. Know the personality types required for the different positions of your organization and hire based on that. 1s By implementing these strategies, you can create an environment that promotes faster and smarter work among your team members, ultimately improving overall productivity and efficiency in your food business. I hope you enjoyed the first of my series where we talk about food business owner issues and where we unpack them and where we look at interesting solutions. Where we force you to think. I always want you to take that moment to think, rethink, address and adjust based. On insights based on KPIs. I want you to utilize the business in order to make decisions. What I want to do is I must as a matter of priority for the role that I fulfill as a food business coach is I must teach you that emotion cannot drive your business. It simply cannot. If you are driving your business based on emotion, you are not in charge of your business. And these sessions must teach you to reduce the level of emotion that you are currently using to drive your business. And we are now elevating ourselves in a position where we are working on our business and not in our business. Emotion forces us to work more in our business. Imagine that that emotion is forcing us into the bowels of our business. We cannot stay there. We must go there continuously. Of course, it is essential. But we cannot stay there. We must work on our business. And our business requires strategies, implementation, training, SOPs KPIs, software, and managing of insights. That's the only way you're going to run a successful business. So, thanks for tuning in. Thanks for spending a bit of time with me today in understanding the pain points of your business. And I really hope you had a pen and paper. Because taking down what is of value to you and implementing it is critical for you to change yourself and your business. Because you are the one with the bad habits, not me. But my job is to train and educate you on how to understand that those bad habits are holding you and your business back. Let's take back your business one step at a time. If you need me, you know where to find me. www.traciedaly.com. Until next time, folks.
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