Are we having fun yet?

If you own successful restaurants, you should be having fun with your business and be able to live your life with a great deal of freedom. Restaurateurs are idolized. To the outsider, owning restaurants does not really look like a job. It’s easy for people to fantasize about what it would be like to live that glamorous life.  Restaurateurs are perceived to be hosting a great gathering of people at every meal time. It looks like they don’t really have to work and they must make a lot of money, right?

A lot of restaurateurs laugh at the notion that their life is even the tiniest bit glamorous. But they do have access to options about how to set up their business, and live their life, that many people cannot imagine ever having. Whether they simply want to make the most of what they have now or aggressively grow their business, they can do so in a way that supports their life choices.

I  know a lot of restaurateurs who are happy. They have tremendous personal freedom with companies that support their lifestyle.  These are companies that are yielding record results and are growing without being overly reliant on ownership.

So why are so many successful restaurateurs disconnected from the joy that ought to come with their personal achievements? Here are a few common themes I see:

• An owner has created a business that is is overly reliant on them
• There is a lack of confidence that they are ready to grow
• Their hospitality skills outpace their management skills.

Finally, some owners simply cannot see that there is an easier way of doing things.

For these people, the bigger their company gets  . .  the less fun they have. They don’t trust that the organization is ready for the desired rate of growth or is giving guests the experiences that they deserve or returning the money it could be. I even know one successful restaurateur who bought a fabulous vacation home on a island, but never has time to go and enjoy it.

In life you get to choose. If you are not experiencing the joy, satisfaction, pride and freedom of being a successful restaurant owner – there are choices you can make to feel and experience these positive things every day.

What choices do you make?