Tag: Smallbusiness

The End Part 3: The Doors of Perception

“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach. – Aldous Huxley

I still do not know the ending. I am somewhere in the middle of this section of the story. I do know it is the end of this business as I know it; that is for certain. It is the how and what that are the two biggest mysteries at this point in time. As much as I would like to just have it be over, there is always a process, the timing of which I have no control over. That is one of the many lessons I have learned while operating this business.

While I wait and jump through all the necessary hoops with three interested parties I feel it is time to start looking at the lessons and identifying the skills, traits, principles, etc that I can carry forward in my other current ventures and those of the future. Because one other thing I do know, is there will definitely be other doors, even if I have to knock them down. I am a serial entrepreneur and I am pretty sure that cannot be taken away. It would be like taking an arm or a leg.

What can I learn from the history of myself and other business owners like myself? Too much to list here, but let me focus on the process and timing of things. There have been many occasions in my life , personal and professional, that I have failed to learn from my mistakes in a timely manner. Further, there have been times where I have refused or denied the fact that I could even learn from any such mistake at all.

Why? Because the hardest lesson for me was to take my ego out of the equation. I didn’t want to look ignorant, stupid, inexperienced, etc. I thought admitting to my mistakes, bad decisions, and poor management was a sign of weakness and weakness that doesn’t fly in business, right? Not until years into my entrepreneurial career did I realize that all those “mistakes” and “failures” were really the key to becoming better and better. They were the treasure trove of knowledge that would build a better business. All I had to do was accept responsibility, opening me up to learn from them.

That did happen once I learned that the most “successful” people all failed just like I did. Most of them on a much grander scale too. This opened me up to do a deep dive to rediscover the mistakes and learn from them so I could move forward better and stronger.

Jumping back, one very important lesson is that everything and everyone has a process. And further, I do not control it. The processes involve timing. One of the hardest and most frustrating lessons to learn is that I do not control anyone’s timing. Life and business does not happen on Kevin’s time as much as I want it to. That leads to utter disappointment or acceptance; Accepting that I have no control over anything but my own attitude and perception. And, I cannot create or control time. It is the most valuable resource and all I can do is work to manage my own time to be of maximum effectiveness.

That is one of the most important lessons because in my experience it has been the root of so many other less than ideal situations and experiences that could have been prevented had I just practiced a little patience and acceptance. The more expectations I placed on employees, vendors, competitors, etc the more frustration, anger, resentment, and fear I experienced, In turn, the more poor decisions I made that led to most of the “mistakes”.

Now, I try to stay present and focus on what I can do to push my life and business forward regardless of the decisions, processes, and timing of others. When I satyr mindful and aware of my thoughts, my actions usually follow in a way that is better for all those around.

The hardest part is the application but that is ok, there are more doors to open and more lessons to learn.

Talk Soon,
Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

The End, Part 2: The Doors

“When one door closes, another opens.”- Alexander Graham Bell

When one door closes, another opens. That is what I hear in times I need comforting, or answers to questions that can’t really be answered at a particular moment in time. At this particular moment I don’t feel the need for comfort. Sure I have questions but they are not possessing my mind right now. Will there be another door? I don’t know, this door has not fully closed yet. It is still slowly swinging towards the frame.

I could look back now and begin answering the questions I closed the first part with…

Was it really wasted? Is it really the end?

The answers would not be complete because that door has not fully closed yet. I can provide some partial answers. Just simple ones because I have a feeling this series just might end up with a lot of digging and soul searching.

So to quickly answer, no, I do not think the time was wasted. Was there wasted time within the years? Absolutely. There were many time that I stubbornly chose to go down certain paths that provided nothing. Far beyond the point that I realized a particular path would lead nowhere. Was each of those detours a waste? Of course not, but some of it was.

As I write those words, the wisdom of the ancient philosophers burn inside my brain. Was anything truly wasted if I learned something? If I became better as a result of that “wasted time”? Let it burn, let it burn as I grab my shovel to dig and uncover the treasure trove from the years of running this business for the door is apparently closing.

Wait, but first, the second question. Yes, I do believe this is really the end of this business…as we know it, that is. Don’t you love ambiguity (except spelling it) and incomplete, open ended answers? Too bad. That is what you get today.

When I write serial pieces, I often have an idea with a clear outline of what I want to write about and a path of where I want to go with the series. Sometimes that works and I follow the path I have set down in the outline like a roadmap, other times my mind simply will not follow. Hmmm, does that mean my mind has a mind of its own?

Yet other times I just start writing about something and let the story go wherever it may. I think this will be one of those series. I do have the idea, however, that at some point I will share the failures and successes of this business and all the lessons the experience has provided. At least some of the parts.

I can’t say for sure because as I mentioned, the door is slowly closing. It is not closed yet. You will just have to grab a seat and hang on for the ride.

Talk Soon,
Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

The End, Part 1

“So here I am, in the middle way, having had twenty years—Twenty years largely wasted…” – T.S. Eliot

TWENTY YEARS! Twenty years I have wasted my time, energy, and money. Twenty years I have donated my blood, sweat, and tears. For what? Was it all for not? Is this really the end? Where to from here, Virgil?

My emotions race from one extreme to the other. Thoughts pacing back and forth from excitement to fear. Is this really happening? Is this really the end for the longest running business in my entrepreneurial career?

It appears so.

It has been nearly two decades of the wildest roller coaster ride I have ever been on. Slowly climbing to the top, looking out across the vast view and looking down. No, don’t look down. Never look down. Fear and anxiety with butterflies going crazy inside. Just look up, not down. Just focus on what’s happening right here and now and don’t look too far ahead. Then, before you know it…hold on for the free fall. We had a few of those, some we saw coming, and others took us down by surprise, like a ninja’s silent attack.

That’s business. It’s just like life; there are ups and there are downs. There are beginnings and there are endings. How we deal with them is what makes all the difference. I can be sad, I can angry, I can be happy or anything else in between. I can point the finger and blame every one and everything but myself. Or, I can take a look in the mirror assume the responsibility and move on.

Was it really wasted? Is it really the end? Sometimes the end is just the beginning.

Talk Soon,

Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

Don’t Look At me…

“Don’t look at me!” – Kevin Williams

Yes, I just quoted myself for this short piece. I do not remember saying this, but apparently, this was one of my phrases growing up. If I was upset I am told that I would say it to the people around me at the time. The phrase doesn’t really have much to do with what I want to discuss but it came to me when I started writing, and I’m the author so I get to decide.

Integrity is what I want to discuss. This piece is short because I don’t want to dilute the message, I have and will go into more depth in other articles but enjoy something short and sweet for now.

Do the right thing whether it serves your interests or not. Simply do the right thing because it’s the right thing, even when no one is looking. That is what integrity means to me. I guess that is why that quote came to me. Different context, but hey, I can’t really control the way the squirrels act up there.

Integrity is a principle I strive to incorporate into every aspect of my life. The most important word in the previous sentence is “strive.”  I try my best to practice this in all my affairs but it is a process and I am not perfect. I have learned, however, that when I do practice it, good things happen. When I do the right thing, good things happen to me.  I like good things to happen!

How do you act when no one is watching?

Talk Soon,

Kevin W. @Leap272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live.

DON’T WALK AWAY

If you are an entrepreneur you understand it takes a lot of work. Not to mention time, sacrifice, dedication, determination, patience, perseverance, and so much more. What drives me as an entrepreneur is that belief in what I am doing. I believe in my mission; the “why” in the “what” I do. That keeps going.

Unfortunately, there are so many messages out there that make it look so easy. It’s simple, but it is not easy. And most importantly, it doesn’t happen overnight. These messages are being created and delivered by the wantrepreneurs. They want it so bad they are willing to do whatever it takes make you and anybody else believe them, follow them, and buy their secret formula. The secret is there is no secret. It takes everything I mentioned in the opener.

The sad part is that so many people fall for the ones playing with smoke and mirrors. I’ll give them credit, right or wrong, they are good at what they do. I get it. If thought I could get the real thing faster I would go for it. I have fallen for few tricks in my time. For me, it became part of the learning process and ultimately, reinforced the reality that it takes time and hard work.

Of course there are many out there that are real and legitimate but it seems for every one real one there are ten snake oil salesmen. It often seems that these true entrepreneurs came out of nowhere but if you ask any of them they will say that their overnight success took ten years to accomplish.

If you have that drive, desire, and passion in you, don’t give up. Don’t be discouraged when things are not happening fast enough. Anything worth having is worth working for. Don’t sell yourself short. Don’t fall for the scams. Just put your head down and do the work. If you can’t say that you did everything in your power to make it happen, then keep going, don’t walk away. Regret is a horrible thing to live with.

Don’t walk away before the miracle. You will never know what might have been if you stop short.

Talk Soon,

Kevin W. @Leap272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live.

Outta My Hands…

“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” – Tony Robbins

You have to remember that some things are just out of our hands. We can’t control everything and we definitely can’t control the outcomes. It is important to keep this in mind and avoid becoming attached to outcomes. We have to be open and accept that what is supposed to happen will happen. If it’s not meant to be, it won’t. We can either accept it or fight it.

All you can do is put forth your best effort and wait and see, try not to get bent out of shape or too focused on what you want to happen. That is a recipe for disappointment. It is important to understand what you can and can’t control and that the outcome is not something you can control.

2020 is a clear example of this. The pandemic and the resulting policies were something I would have never foreseen or imagined just six months prior when we purchased the restaurant. Obviously, we would have never done so if we could have known that we would have to shut down our dining room. Are you kidding? How will we stay in business?

There are so many external factors that are beyond our control and out of our hands. A business cannot plan for them all. Of course, you want to build in some protective mechanisms and processes during your business planning, but planning for a global pandemic just wasn’t on the table during our planning.

Well then, do we just quit? Throw in the towel and call it? Absolutely not. There will always be things that threaten your business from competition to down economies that are beyond your control. Nobody said starting a business would be easy; it is definitely not for the weak. You can’t work in a plan of action for every “if this then that” scenario, but you can plan to be flexible. Flexibility should be woven into the fabric of your business plan and operations. If it isn’t, when anything of any magnitude knocks on your door, you’re through.

I could have easily whined and cried about the pandemic and called it quits. But, I’m not built that way. I have learned over the years that a business needs to be able to quickly adapt and change course. In a small business that means the owners, leaders, and managers have to be flexible and able to adapt. That could be as simple as changing some products or tweaking the entire model. Neither can be done if there is no room for built in to your business in the first place. If you are too rigid, you’ll break.

I am happy to say that we were able to adapt and have made it through 2020 and are still in business. We are not free and clear yet as the pandemic isn’t over but the situation made us stronger and we hope come out better on the other side. The experience has fueled many discussions and ignited the creativity to consider some new directions for the business.

Only time will tell. We will continue to operate as our local authorities allow us too while simultaneously building out the “adapted” side of our business so we will have choices moving forward. Who knows, maybe we will move away completely from in-store dining and focus on a different side of the food service business. Another great lesson I have learned from starting and running businesses in addition to being flexible is to know when to say when. There are times when you can do everything in your power to be flexible and adapt but all efforts prove futile. I have learned this the hard way more times than I care to admit and it cost a lot of time and money. But it takes what it takes and has made me stronger as a result.

The lesson? Make sure to build flexibility into your business plan, as well as an exit strategy. Make certain to hop a road with an off ramp because some things are just out your hands; make sure the steering wheel isn’t one of them. 

Talk Soon,

Kevin W. @Leap272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live.

THE THREE KINGS: #1 Three Business Universals

Here I go, back to the front. A few weeks ago I posted a Three Kings piece out of order. Today I pulled out the first one because it reiterates the cash is king idea I recently posted about. I originally wrote this about three years ago when I couldn’t go anywhere on the internet without seeing something about “making it” without any cash. There were a lot of internet marketers advertising their “secrets” to success. Five steps to this and three steps to that which will turn on a limitless income stream overnight without spending any money. Well, except for the cost of their $2997 class ($997 if you reserve now) that will teach you exactly how to do it. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great, legit internet marketers out there that I really respect and follow, but it seems to me that for every one legit marketer there are ten snake oil marketers playing with smoke and mirrors.

But I digress…

I like the number three – so does the human mind. So, this micro series will focus on three things, topics, issues, principles, skills, etc that I have learned in my career.

This first one is on three business universals. Of course, there are more than three, but what did I just say? Right…Since cash truly is king, let’s stick to three cash universals.

1. Cash is King – cash is your oxygen – cash is more important than your mother – well that is what my father-in-law says. If you can’t bring in more cash than you put out – you won’t be in business for very long. So, treat cash like royalty.

2. Dollars and cents are the only things you can deposit. The bank doesn’t accept margins or percentages. They might sound great in a presentation and look good on a spreadsheet but they mean nothing on a bank statement. Know what the numbers mean and how they translate into real cash values.

3. It takes cash to make cash. I don’t know why so many people want to argue this. Let me just look at a sales lead funnel that has an ad driving traffic to it as an example. I hear some people say they spent $10 on an ad and average $100 in sales. Followed by, “it costs nothing”…

How does that cost nothing? I guess to me the key word is “spent”. It cost $10 to earn $100. Therefore, you need $10 cash to net $90 profit in this scenario (probably less when you net out the real expenses). It is profitable, it is not losing money, but it does take money – that is a big distinction.

Talk Soon,
Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

Cash Is King

Cash is more important than your mother! That seems pretty harsh right, unless you don’t like your mom. That is what my father in law used to say when business was tough and cash was tight.

In business it is true, for profit, non-profit, not-for-profit – doesn’t matter you can’t run a business without it. It’s the life blood, the oxygen of your operation. No business can survive without it.

Cash is king and cash is green so when times are tough you have to do whatever you can to generate it and conserve it. Remember, sales solve all problems. Collect cash, not debt – don’t over leverage.

Trust me; I have learned this the hard way. To be honest, more times than I would like to admit. What can I say; sometimes I’m a slow learner. When things start getting good it’s hard not to ride that wave longer than feasible. The reality is a few crashes are good for you. That is my opinion. You have to fail and lose to really learn. In business, some people call this cycling; you cycle through the entire process of making it to the top and crashing all the way to bottom, maybe even losing it all.

Just remember, you made it to the top before, you can do it again. Focus on how you can generate cash. Cutting costs and reducing expenses is great, but spend more time on generating revenue. Your business needs that oxygen to survive…

Cash is king, treat it as such.

Talk Soon,
Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

THE THREE KINGS #19: OPEN – PRESENT – PATIENT

The Three Kings are simply three things, assets, skills, characteristics, principles, and so forth that I find important on some level. The series or feature is meant to be a short read of easily digestible information that can provide some value and actionable concepts that you can apply to some aspect of your life or business.

The content is inspired and influenced by my own personal experience in life and my career as a business owner. They are three things that have helped or hindered me through my life and career. I have written many of these but I am posting this one first, out of order because of the unprecedented times we are in right now. These pieces are not necessarily meant to be sequential by any means anyway.

Without further ado, here is the first, non-sequential installment of The Three Kings.

Here are the three things that have been coming up for me during the Covid-19 crisis. They have been consistent and relevant from the onset and continue right into the New Year as I thoughtfully reflect on the previous year and the one that lies ahead.

OPEN-MINDED:

When this crisis first hit and Idaho was advised to stay at home I was immediately consumed by fear. Optimism, trust, faith, and other things needed to make it through tough times cannot co-exist with fear. When fear takes over the others are absent, or at least undetectable. I have experienced this over and over in my life and thought that I had learned my lesson, but apparently I have more to learn. I’ll give myself a break as this is an unprecedented situation for me.

Regardless, I have found that I have to be open to new ideas and different ways to run my life and businesses. If I choose to stay in fear and let it dictate my thoughts and actions I will be very unproductive and negative. There is no room for a solution without an open mind. For example, at the pie shop, we had to be open to a new way of doing business because the old way was no longer an option. We lost all of our dine-in lunch service which is a significant part of our revenue. We quickly began offering takeout and delivery of course, but we also began focusing on dinner by creating meal packages centering on our savory pies. That shift saved us and kept us in business during the shutdown and we were able to keep all our employees working.

PRESENT:

Problems only exist in the present and solutions only work in the present. Of course problems can last for a long time and solutions can and should be created and implemented to address the future, but that is always unknown. Solutions can only be created and implemented today so that is where I must focus the majority of my efforts. Future tripping only perpetuates a state of fear so I try to practice being in the present moment as much as possible.

PATIENT:

If you know me or have read any of my content I am sure you know I am a naturally impatient person. I love instant gratification. Fortunately, I have learned that instant gratification is often short-lived. Real progress and sustainable growth takes time as does working through any crisis. The strategy to navigate through the current crisis does not instantly cure all the negative effects, it takes time.

Our dinner strategy we created for the pie shop took time to create and execute and it took time to start yielding results. Once we were able to reopen our dining room we decided to continue with our daily dinner program to grow our business. It is currently helping to keep our doors open and for that I am grateful, but I do not know what the future holds. We have had multiple spikes in Covid cases resulting in new, stricter health orders instituted so who really knows what things will look like in a month or two. If we have another extreme spike we might have to close our dining room again.

Whatever the future looks like, I am sure that a crisis like this will have long term effects so we will have to practice all three of today’s thoughts in the present to prepare for the unknown that lies ahead.

Talk Soon,
Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

2 MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT: 2020

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis

What is your dream or goal for 2021? Do you even have one? Do you plan to make any resolutions?

I wrote a whole series on resolutions a while back. Do I like them? Do I make them? Go back a read the series to find out what I really think (you can find it by scrolling to the bottom of this page).

As I continue through the years it really comes down to the same old story for me or maybe I should say stories. At least multi part stories or parallel stories taking place at the same time. What are these stories? The basic one is that I force myself into a corner in my brain to think about the last year and the new year to come. I ask myself all those boring questions…

What did I do or accomplish this year?
Did I complete any of my goals?
Did I stop doing the things I said I would?
Did I start the things that I thought would make for a better life and a better me?
Did I add more value like I swore I would?
Did I do more of this and less if that?…

Over and over, year after year as I inch closer to midnight on 12/31 I wonder what will be different in the coming year. I can just ramble and make resolutions that sound grand but does any of that matter when I reflect on how I plundered along through another year? Simply putting things off for another day as I tend the “must dos” on my to do list that never ends.

You might think after all this time on this planet and starting and running businesses for nearly two decades that I would learn that tomorrow never comes and the to do list never goes away. Every three items that are crossed off produce five more “important” tasks.

The reality is the world will not stop if I choose to let that to do list go for a day, even a week or more. I have procrastinated and ignored “critical” tasks many times over the years and everything around me remained intact. I am not that important or powerful. My tasks are minuscule in the grand scheme of everything.

The other reality is, I exaggerate a bit. There was a time that I really believed in resolutions and thought I had to make them every year. What I realized for myself was that it was too rushed and insincere. I just went through the motions but it was pretty meaningless.

So, do I believe in resolutions and will I be making any? I do, but over the years I have to believe that it is more than just spouting off some things I plan to change about myself, dropping bad behavior and starting some new and improved good behaviors. It is more than saying this year I plan to do more of this and less of that. I believe in the essence of resolutions. I believe my life is exponentially better when I try to do and be better on a daily basis in all areas of my life

No more excuses for me, that is the parallel story. I am in control of my own life. If I want a better life I must do what is necessary to make that happen. The spoken words of resolutions may sound great and add a pleasant exclamation point on a nice gathering 2 minutes to midnight on 12/31, but if I don’t follow through with action everything I said is meaningless. What that means to me is that if I want my life to be better, I have to write a better story and play the lead role. If I want my businesses to do better, my relationships to be better, my health and wealth to be better than I have to get off my butt and the things necessary to make the change happen.

As I write this on 12/30/2020, with Jimi Hendrix in the background singing about cross town traffic I ask if 2021 be the year that I pick my guitar “Izabella” and start playing again? I don’t know. What I do know is that if I want to play guitar again and re-light the greatest passion from my past I will have to pick her up, dust her and play her. Thinking or writing about it will not make it happen.

To close this thought out for 2020, I do not know what my specific resolutions will be but at this moment I do know there are plenty of things I want to do better personally and professionally. To make any a reality I know that I have to make a conscious effort to do so and take daily action because nothing happens overnight. And most of all I need to be present because no change happens in the past or future. If I only take one thing from 2020 it is how important the present moment is. Life is precious and we never know when some crazy virus will come and uproot everything and possibly take one’s life away.

To 2020 I say, good riddance, thank you for the lessons and here’s to something better to come…That I will actively help to create today.

Happy New Year!

Talk Soon,

Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live