How Successful Restaurant Owners Stop ”Being Busy”

Show as much interest in the quality of their lives as they do results produced by their business.

“How are you doing?” is a question we all get asked so many times we develop a rote answer. For many, that answer is, “I’m Busy” — a false badge of honor that says to some, “I’m important. I’m successful. I have a lot going on.”

But what if you were to replace that by saying, “I’m as busy as I want to be” — a statement that indicates you have control of your life?

Don’t Let Preconceived Notions of the Industry Being Hard Hold You Back. Owning an independent restaurant company can be time consuming, or not. It is complicated. We know that owning a combination manufacturing plant, dispensary, service organization, and retail store is not the simplest way to make a living. We constantly hear how hard the restaurant business is and, if you say that over and over for your whole life, it probably will be that hard.

I have a client who is on an eight-week vacation. Together we set his company up so that could happen.  I have another client who is planning, with me, to figure out how to take half of the rest of his work life off. Another client works 25 hours a week. All of them have growing, thriving independent restaurant companies that would be the envy of any restaurateur.

Be as Good To Yourself as You Are to Your Guests

The biggest change I have seen with my clients — owners of restaurant companies, many of whom have profits in the seven-figure range — is that they are more interested than ever in the quality of their lives, how they spend their time, and enjoying the wealth they have created. These are the people who have been the focus of my life’s work. There was a time in the past when not many people were asking these questions. That time is over.

So how do you do this while simultaneously feeling secure that your net worth will continue to grow and that your business will continue to be successful and prosperous? Here is where to start.

4 Most Important Steps to Taking Time Off

1. Consider the things you could be doing for yourself, your family, and your community — if you weren’t going to work today.
2. Identify whether your organization has sufficient cash flow to invest in senior management that could take on a selection of your duties so you have that option.
3. Determine how to do that in a way that ensures your restaurants create both strong guest experiences and financial performance.
4. See if you can you think about one good reason to wait to act on this. Are you losing valuable time in your life that can never be replaced?