4 Ways to Run Your Restaurant and have a Lot of Time for Your Family

1. Automate what you can. 

Define what is being done now that can be automated. Determine what manual tasks you manage regularly that can be converted into electronic or computer-based operations. For example, we worked with a client who was repeatedly hand-writing his catering menu and pricing for interested customers. We automated this process by posting a standard catering menu and pricing list on his website. He also kept printed copies of it on-hand for walk-ins. Instead of taking time to write a custom catering menu each time, we automated and standardized this process, saving time and effort while delivering a quicker and more efficient menu to the customer.

2. Hire a general manager. 

If you are looking for the easiest way to drastically cut your hours, hire a GM. As second-in-command GMs have the skills and experience to run your restaurant effectively. With margins thin and budgetary constraints weighing heavily on restaurants, this will be a tough option to swing given that a great GM can come with a hefty price tag. That said, if you want to immediately open up your schedule, this is the way to go. Consider less experienced GM professionals coming out of school as a more cost-effective option.

3. Delegate. 

Use your people. Don’t sell your staff short. Most of them are probably young, ambitious and thirsty for more responsibility. Write out your daily activities to determine what can and can't be delegated. This gives you the opportunity to really showcase your leadership ability and foster a culture of creativity and inventiveness. You’ll be surprised at the great results your staff can produce.

4. Use organizing tools. 

There are some free or cost-conscious tools online to help you stay organized few of my favorites include: Google Drive and Google Calendar to share documents and schedules, Hootsuite to consolidate your social media postings and Shiftgig, which connects restaurant job-seekers to restaurants in need of additional staff.

Source: Entrepreneur
 

Develop Attitude of taking Business Critical Decisions

Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy, Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, has challenged Ghanaian Entrepreneurs to develop the attitude of taking critical decisions including flushing out incompetent staff and management, if they wish to succeed in business.
Entrepreneurs should be creative at developing unique products and services and focus on specific aspects of their businesses to enable them attract more customers and generate revenue for their organizations.
The author and business consultant also urged entrepreneurs to reflect on their performance, identify constraints which hinder their competitiveness and explore possible avenues to improve on their brands.
Brian Tracy was making a presentation on the subject, “Achieving Personal, Business and Entrepreneurial Success” at the 9th edition of the MTN Business World Executive meeting in Accra. He indicated that entrepreneurs needed to develop their thinking ability and take quick decisions when new ideas emerge because the “ability to think was linked to the successes that one would achieve.”
He said business owners should not be enthused about engaging in a variety of ventures which may not yield positive results but they should rather concentrate on particular activities in which they had the expertise to operate efficiently.
Touching on how to achieve individual success, he advised individuals to develop the habit of planning and setting specific goals for themselves and monitor progress on what had been achieved and make amends where necessary. He mentioned that individuals should be courageous and be willing to take action even when there was no guarantee for success.
“Courage is the mark of a leader. There is no security in life, only opportunities. Therefore you must resolve to act as if it were impossible to fail,” Brian Tracy said.
The public speaker, with over 30 years’ experience in the business community, highlighted the need to develop a sense of urgency in the approach to work as an important factor in the quest to be successful in any venture.
Erick Nsarkoh, General Manager of MTN Business Solutions, stated that the forum, organised quarterly, was to bring together resource persons to inspire entrepreneurs to network and share ideas on how to sustain their businesses.