Lesson #4: Find Your Raison d’Etre
Lesson #4: Find Your Raison d’Etre
Despite being one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the American food industry, Puck never considered himself much of a businessman. He always felt more comfortable in the kitchen than he did in the boardroom and no matter how large his company got, Puck always found time to spend in the backrooms of his restaurants, preparing anything from a simple omelet for someone to a gourmet smoked salmon pizza. Initially, in fact, Puck wanted little to do with starting a chain of restaurants. “If I ever have to just attend board meetings and try to find new locations and meet with developers,” he once said, “I might as well go back to Austria.”
Indeed, he does attend board meetings now but he has not gone back to Austria. Instead, he simply finds the time to prioritize cooking. He estimates that he still spends about half his working hours in the kitchen at Spago, arriving at the restaurant before 9 am and working on recipes or cookbook ideas until the lunch crowd begins to arrive. “Somehow the process of cooking relaxes me,” he says. “If I have a fight with [my wife], I go back to the restaurant and an hour later I’m completely immersed in that. Cooking for me is almost like therapy.”
It is the passion and excitement that Puck has for cooking that has driven him to become such a huge success. He dedicated himself 100% from the time he was 14 to developing his skills and learning as much as he could about cooking, and he never once doubted that a life in the culinary arts was for him. Were it not for the passion he felt for cooking, Puck never would have had the intense need to learn, to improve, to perfect his talents, to become the best.
“I love to make people happy,” Puck says. It is this desire and energy, he believes, that is lacking in so many of the up and coming new chefs. The celebrity status Puck has achieved in his career is inspiring a new sort of person to want to become a chef, one who is passionate about the fame and the money as opposed to the food. “Young people want to be famous before they know how to cook, before they know how to treat people, before they know what hospitality means,” he says. “I stayed in France for seven years and Austria for three, so before I was a chef anywhere I was already cooking for 10 years.”
Puck put the time into his career because he loved being there, he loved working in the kitchen, playing with the ingredients, and creating innovative new recipes. It was his passion for his work that not only pushed him to the top but also allowed him to maintain his position at the forefront of the industry for over 25 years. “Cooking still gives me the most satisfaction, for sure,” Puck says. “It brings me immense pleasure to see people in the restaurant and to see that they're happy when they leave.”
Lesson 4 Find Your Raison dEtre
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When Puck was asked once by a reporter what the best part of his job was, he replied, “The opportunity to work in the kitchen every day.”
Despite being one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the American food industry, Puck never considered himself much of a businessman. He always felt more comfortable in the kitchen than he did in the boardroom and no matter how large his company got, Puck always found time to spend in the backrooms of his restaurants, preparing anything from a simple omelet for someone to a gourmet smoked salmon pizza. Initially, in fact, Puck wanted little to do with starting a chain of restaurants. “If I ever have to just attend board meetings and try to find new locations and meet with developers,” he once said, “I might as well go back to Austria.”
Indeed, he does attend board meetings now but he has not gone back to Austria. Instead, he simply finds the time to prioritize cooking. He estimates that he still spends about half his working hours in the kitchen at Spago, arriving at the restaurant before 9 am and working on recipes or cookbook ideas until the lunch crowd begins to arrive. “Somehow the process of cooking relaxes me,” he says. “If I have a fight with [my wife], I go back to the restaurant and an hour later I’m completely immersed in that. Cooking for me is almost like therapy.”
It is the passion and excitement that Puck has for cooking that has driven him to become such a huge success. He dedicated himself 100% from the time he was 14 to developing his skills and learning as much as he could about cooking, and he never once doubted that a life in the culinary arts was for him. Were it not for the passion he felt for cooking, Puck never would have had the intense need to learn, to improve, to perfect his talents, to become the best.
“I love to make people happy,” Puck says. It is this desire and energy, he believes, that is lacking in so many of the up and coming new chefs. The celebrity status Puck has achieved in his career is inspiring a new sort of person to want to become a chef, one who is passionate about the fame and the money as opposed to the food. “Young people want to be famous before they know how to cook, before they know how to treat people, before they know what hospitality means,” he says. “I stayed in France for seven years and Austria for three, so before I was a chef anywhere I was already cooking for 10 years.”
Puck put the time into his career because he loved being there, he loved working in the kitchen, playing with the ingredients, and creating innovative new recipes. It was his passion for his work that not only pushed him to the top but also allowed him to maintain his position at the forefront of the industry for over 25 years. “Cooking still gives me the most satisfaction, for sure,” Puck says. “It brings me immense pleasure to see people in the restaurant and to see that they're happy when they leave.”
Lesson 4 Find Your Raison dEtre
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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