So Six weeks in and six kilos lost… Opening a venue that combines coffee and alcohol is, as a weight loss plan, possibly about as healthy as the atkins “meat ahoy” diet. But like most things you pile (to be a tad clichéd) your heart, soul and your life savings into does seem to absorb your time somewhat…ish. I do believe there is an “outdoors” as I have heard people talk about it, but I have forgotten what it looks like.
Since we started building/arguing/creating various scars from using power tools without adult supervision my brother and I have had very little sleep and time off. But like Old Yeller or a baby seal it’s quite a hard thing to put down. The excitement and adrenaline still runs around your system every day (at least I thnk it’s the adrenaline…that or the fact that I have replaced most of my blood with caffeine as I run the morning shift at 6.30am for the commuter coffee rush). Growing a business and creating a loyal, local customer base is fraught with stumbling blocks as you need to learn what your customer likes or needs really.
It is quite easy to stumble down the rabbit hole, spending every waking hour micromanaging the often minor but essential parts of the bar, trying to keep everything perfect and running as smoothly as possible. However, I believe a lot of folk don’t realise that by attempting to do every task yourself rather than delegating to your staff you aren’t fulfilling a manager role but merely tasking yourself into a Bar back role leaving your ship with out a captain or any form of leadership. We have both accumulated enough knowledge enough to know not to worry and constantly check the tills and Z reads. Focusing on the important bits and pieces in running a place like the marketing, upselling and curbing of staff grazing on the stock.
Having said that, we have been keen to lead by example and get stuck in with every aspect no matter how big or small from cash up to the dishes. Al cleans the toilets… he just loves doing it…. I’m a bit concerned about that if I’m going to be totally honest, then again he might just being going in there to have cry and a Twix. Nonetheless we have still had to Alan Sugar a few bolshie employees in our first weeks who haven’t had “The Right Stuff” or maybe felt they were a bit too good to get their hands dirty with menial matters.
Those that remain are exceptional and we can’t fault them. Its great to be that content with such a team. The new guys and girls are already better than al at cocktails… but having said there are as of yet undiscovered tribes in the Amazon who are more adept at make a martini I believe…
The Imperial Durbar 