I was having a drink with one of my clients and we were talking about the roles he and his wife were taking in their own business—which was very successful by any measure.
They were working a lot. A lot. And seemingly forever.
“We’ve decided we will work like dogs until we turn 50. Then we’ll pull back,” he told me.
He was 43, she was 40.
They had a combined 17 work-like-a-dog years in front of them, and that’s just too many.
So I re-directed them to re-arrange their business to rely less on the number of hours they would work.
The result was a second home, weekends away, and the chance to have some extreme outside-of-work enjoyment right away instead of postponing it to sometime in the future that might never occur.
Take Advantage of the Flexibility You Have Earned
If you follow my work you know that, beyond the performance and growth of independent restaurant companies, I put a lot of energy into showing successful restaurant company owners how to enjoy the freedom they have earned, and not wait for that eventual sale or retirement (which also might never occur).
Most people have a job, earn a paycheck, and enjoy a few weeks of PTO. They can’t imagine their lives being any other way.
They would shake their head in disbelief if you told them you had the potential for flexibility but decided not to use it.
To them it looks like you’re sitting on a gold mine but you’re not mining any gold.
When my clients make improvements, they have more time for their families, friends, travel, their hobbies, and disconnecting from the routine of Monday through Friday or Tuesday through Sunday.
Download My Guide to Freedom
I set up companies to run even better than when the company depended on the owner. We create opportunities for people to grow, excel, and claim their own power.
This is the fourth and final part of my series of things to think about for 2024. The first one showed how to create success. The second addressed my three stages of restaurant growth. The third one explained how to effectively add senior management to your team.
Take me up on my offer. Click here for my free download of “Matthew Mabel’s Freedom and Flexibility Guide for Restaurateurs” (which includes more depth and answers than I can fit in this post) along with a diagnostic and planning tool for you. Take the first steps to break free from the restrictions you imagine for your life.
Now, how long can you leave your business without the whole thing falling apart? Who benefits from that?
