BizTipper

Tag: TV

Skimping on Services? Customers Know the Difference

I left Buffalo, New York some 30 years ago and once I moved to Atlanta then Los Angeles after that and worked in radio as a DJ for many years there was no turning back. The new environments opened my eyes to all that I had missed growing up on the East side of Buffalo. Nevertheless, there is one thing that is foremost in my mind on the few occasions when I return, think or talk about Buffalo… the food. Without question, my career in the music industry has afforded me the opportunity to go to some of the best restaurants in the country but none of them compare to Buffalo’s still famous food spots.

Tale of Two Legendary Restaurants, One that still is and what that WAS.

Scottie’s Steak House popped on the scene in the early 60s in Buffalo (see video). Owner James Scott explains everything that we know it takes as entrepreneurs to run a successful business and get it off the ground. As a radio and music industry entrepreneur, I can agree even today with MOST of Scott’s points in the video but not all of them. He makes two statements that probably explain why his restaurant is no longer around today. He states that “Owning your own business is not fun” Says who? The old adage is true, ‘Do what you LOVE and the money will COME” an entrepreneur going into a business he or she is not passionate about is almost sure to fail. Running your own business that you are passionate about is like falling in love. Time slips away and you can spend endless hours doing what you do and not even notice you have been doing it for 10 hours straight. That is the bliss of doing what you love. Scott mentions on the video that he has worked 18 hour days. I know music producers who LIVE in the studio and can do it for several days straight with little or no sleep. I never hear them complain about how many hours they have been in the studio, they are more focused on the result of it. The number one rule is you NEVER go into business to make money (unless you have a great business partner who handles that part and you are the creative ebb and flow). Most of the people who I know and am close to today are entrepreneurs and they are all successful in their own right because they LOVE what they do FIRST and FOREMOST. Our creativity is at its peak when we love what we do and THAT’s what sells our businesses first.

In the years to come, Scottie’s Steak House experienced great success and it’s amazing how the video coverage talks about the local government in Buffalo giving small business loans to blacks back then who were smart enough to capitalize on the culture and what they knew best but how much did they love it? This is not a dig on Scottie because I have no doubt he faced many other obstacles that got in the way of him running his business as a black man. Restaurants in the black community were something that white business owners often failed at because they were not connected to the culture of black food. Like most cultures black folks KNOW when the right cook is in the kitchen and you better be connected to the culture the food is from if you want our business. (Thanks to Doug Ruffin who told me he stopped Canisius College from dumping many years of great Buffalo News footage and video in the trash after it was donated by local TV networks who were updating their studios. These videos are priceless.)

I’m not sure how Scottie got to his idea for the perfect steak sandwich, but he did. This was the MOST Crucial time for his Business

Scottie’s Steak house had the most amazing steak sandwiches. By far the best I’ve ever had to date. A childhood friend, Cricket, asked me to walk there with her one day and I wanted to go to see what the big deal was about Scottie’s. Everybody in the neighborhood was talking about their steak sandwiches and how good they were. Sure enough as soon as we walked in the door it was crowded and the smell was unbelievable. Cricket ordered a regular steak sandwich/sub and she gave me a piece of it. It was love at first bite. I went back on my own a few days later than again the next week and many times thereafter, I was hooked. Then something happened. I noticed (read more, click here) that the more popular Scottie’s Steak House became the sandwiches were changing. There was more vegetables than meat. I watched the girl make my sandwich one day and I noticed she was putting half the meat with the peppers and onions than I was used to. I thought this might just be a new employee and after a not so enjoyable experience with a “vegetable sandwich” I went back a month later and there was even LESS meat and the PRICE went up!!!! It appeared they were using what they once used for one steak sandwich to now make 3 sandwiches. Where the meat was once the main ingredient, it was now pretty much used for seasoning the sandwich like Lawry’s. I never went back and I noticed there was no
(click NEXT above or below post) crowd the last few times I was there and people stopped talking about Scottie’s like they used to.

On the other hand…Bocce’s Pizza

Bocce’s website states:

Bocce’s Pizza is one of the oldest and best-known pizzerias in Buffalo, NY. Since 1946, we’ve been proudly serving our customers some of the best tasting food in Western New York. Our fresh pizza is still made with the same sauce recipe used back in the 1940’s.

Our delicious food has touched so many lives throughout the years that we are sought out by many who had to leave the Buffalo area. We get phone calls and have customers come in all the time requesting a half-baked pizza or wings to take home to share with their new friends and family across the country.

Stop by or call today for an Original Bocce’s Pizza and let us create a delicious memory for you!

I am here to tell you this statement is the absolute truth. Bocce’s original owner was the son of Italian immigrants (cultural connection) and he saw many people come and go, some of whom even started their own pizzerias but they were loyal enough not to try to duplicate what the original owners did. Bocce’s did not have a great location as a matter of fact it was dilapidated and appeared abandoned (see image) but the pizza was all she wrote. That damn building could have collapsed while you were ordering your pizza and you would still wait for your order. There is nothing worse than going to a great restaurant with all the ambiance and an amazing dining room where the food tastes like crap. I have no idea what they put in that pizza but I grew up on it and I have had pizza at MANY retaurants all over the country. I have NEVER had pizza as good as Bocce’s. Nothing has ever come close. As a matter of fact, I’m going to order one this week, since you have me talking about it so much to make a point in this story. Bocce’s is still using the EXACT same ingredients and the same amount of ingredients that they have been using since they opened in 1946. They didn’t go from 50 pepperoni to 3 and the cheese and the bread and the sauce have never changed. No matter who works there, they are taught to make the pizza the same way and they do. Bocce’s Pizza is STILL around today and STILL successful in Buffalo and beyond because they KNEW what the customers loved about them and they never wavered in an effort to cut costs or make extra profit. People would have paid their rent for that pizza as long as it tasted the same. I KNOW MANY people, including myself who order that Pizza to be expressed or when they go to Buffalo to visit they bring it back with them. I even have one childhood friend who is a Vice President at a University who can only tolerate Buffalo for 1 day per visit, but she loves Bocce’s and she makes sure she gets two large Bocce’s pizza’s before she leaves and she brings a separate suitcase for her pizzas, takes them home and freezes them and enjoys them for the next month. We laugh about her process but she loves that pizza. If you want to know the whole story about how Bocce’s got started go here.

The overall point here is to be the MOST successful in business you must:

LOVE what you DO…FIRST.

Understand AND be a part of the culture that you are serving

Don’t sell your customers short or try to blind side their senses (in this case taste buds)

It’s better to charge MORE than to give less (and have the nerve to charge more)

Always be loyal to why you are successful and use that to GROW other products for your customers

The demand remains high as long as your brand remains loyal and you remain trustworthy

My best in business

Kev Ross

[email protected]

www.radiofacts.com

September 15, 2014
Use Your Experience To Grow Your Brand

Everyone that I associate with is an entrepreneur. BUT only 2 of them are TRUE entrepreneurs. You may ask what a true entrepreneur is, it is someone who is not afraid to grow and to take his or her experience and expand on his or her knowledge. What is that you can do? I can use myself as an example. One of my recent college classes was Speech. One of those classes that are required before you can move into your major. I was defiant, my ego kicked in hard time, I thought I already know this, I am a radio jock by trade, I have excellent communication skills and I was insulted that the teacher wanted me to prove something I had already proven for over 2o years but the joke was on me. Read on and you will see why…. (click “NEXT” or next number above or below to see the rest of the story)

You’re NEVER too Old to Learn Something New

The minute that you stop learning YOU STOP GROWING. Don’t EVER think that you know it all. We get older and things change, and eventually we are out of touch. When that happens and you want to continue doing what you have been doing (AND) you are still making money (why keep doing something that you have to beg for clients for?) hire someone who can duplicate you. Someone younger who knows your industry from an different angle. Once you learn the formula you don’t have to keep doing the grind. When you make money it’s time to spend it ON THE BUSINESS but not frivolously.

Use older people in your profession to teach you a valuable lesson

I go to two types of industry events where people my age go, those who are very successful and still in the loop and to those where the people go who never grow and are stuck on yesterday and what used to be. There are people who work in the industry who are well into their 60s but most of that small population are extremely successful. There are others who hang on waiting for another basic opportunity at 50 years of age. They eventually become bitter and/or sad and they feel as if the industry threw them away but the truth is, they were not prepared and it’s very depressing to watch. Had I not started my own business, for example, in my early 30s I would not still be in the music industry today. There was no way I would have allowed myself to be a 50 year old DJ unless I was Rick Dees or Casey Kasem but there are 50 year old DJs and older who are still where they were 20 years ago. That may be perfectly fine for them but it would not have been OK for me. A few years ago, I went to a party for a man who was leaving LA. He had worked in the industry for 40 years and he was ready to retire and he was moving to another state. I went to his event and there were many older people there in their 60s and 70s. It was literally like an old folks home. They were just sitting there as if someone had stolen the life out of them. They were barely talking or smiling they were just sitting there. These people were HUGE in the music industry 20 or 30 years ago but the industry was done with them and it was like they were lost without the industry. Someone whipped out a stack of photo albums from 30 years ago and those people lit up like Christmas trees. They were laughing, singing, dancing and having an amazing time by connecting to what was. It was terribly unfortunate to me but I was glad to see them happy. At the same time, I realized I did not want that to be me when I get older. When I get older (God willing) I want to STILL be working, producing and connected to great current things and people. What I am basically saying is, if you want to see who you will become in 20 years by doing what you are doing now, talk to one of those people and see what kind of advice they can give you based on where you are now. I’m willing to BET you they will tell you to diversify your talents.

What else can you do with what you know?

For me, being a broadcasting professional with excellent communication skills makes the sky the limit, but ONLY if I am willing to explore the opportunities. I am often amazed at how many minority radio people NEVER step outside the radio realm. Having excellent communication skills is KEY to SO many things, motivational speaker, actor, voice talent, TV Host, Event host, Media Contact for a corporation the list goes on and on but a LOT more than radio. I left Radio in 1999 before I was 40 and I have not regretted one day of it. I knew it was time for me to make room for new talent and I really didn’t enjoy it anymore. We must understand that we cannot do the same thing forever unless we love it that much and even them, it is not promised if a corporation wants to bring in someone younger.

Education is not only Key it’s Business LIFE AND DEATH

There are ALWAYS seminars and events happening. Here in LA I learn about things in the paper on Thursdays and because I have a leading industry site, I get invited to a LOT of events. Next year, I hope to go to the Cannes Film Fest for the first time, I’ve been invited several times to many events but I would rarely go. I was burnt out from doing the industry scene for 20 years… but then I realized, as long as people invite you SHOULD go because you never know who you may meet to bolster your career. It’s time to take advantage of these things and people are watching you, even though you may not know it, they are watching and if they perceive you as having value you will notice that you will start getting invitations to events. If not, go on your own and make contacts or call and ask them to put you on the list. The more people that you meet who do what you do and beyond, the better.

Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you…

There was a time that I found myself being the go-to guy for other entrepreneurs, it was very frustrating for me because while I was feeding everyone, nobody was feeding me. I was drained and it took me a while to realize I had to change my social circles because I had conquered my ability to do what I do. I was now an expert and I was either going to move on or remain stuck, which inevitably will destroy your business because current clients don’t last forever and you must ALWAYS be in search of new clients. I had outgrown this group of people and there was no room for growth just stagnation.

Eliminate those Entrepreneurs Around You who Refuse to grow

One again, this is saying the same thing as I said before. One trick I pull on what I call “lazy entrepreneurs” (people who are always looking for something for free, then they can’t understand why they can’t grow). If I need the advice of a publicity person, for example, I will take them to lunch. That blows them away because they are not used to someone treating them like that, just to pick their brain. I think it shows supreme respect for what they do and I am indicating that I want to be treated the same way. When I do that, they stop calling and asking me for free things because I have raised the bar on them. They can’t, don’t or perhaps won’t usually match the offer in kind so they would rather just not call at all which is fine with me. Usually, I remove their number from my phone but I keep it on my computer’s address book in case I need them again and I will do the same thing. But I have learned that when you call a lazy entrepreneur for a friendly conversation, you open the floodgates to be used for free again. Choose your entrepreneur friends WISELY and treat THEM the way YOU want to be treated.

Take Speech Classes or Offer to Speak about Your Brand at an event

Community colleges offer so many courses for next to nothing or absolutely free. I’m telling you. I have used parts from all the classes I THOUGHT were useless and I am glad I took them because they DO help to grow your business. When you are in your 20s and you are a college student, there is no way you can see or use the value as much as you can when you are older. Just about everyone that I know who went to college after high school and got their degrees… none of them are using it. They are all doing something else. Do any of us know what we want to do after high school? Probably not but we do know what we want to do as adults and we are in a better position to take advantage of learning because we have probably experienced these situations in real life by now. Check out your local colleges and see if they have something that you might be interested in taking to help you grow your brand. Another benefit, if your brand is youth driven this is a GREAT opportunity to connect with younger people and have something in common with them that can open the doors to get more information about trends.

Join REAL Social Networks for your hobbies

Many people take Facebook and Twitter to useless new levels. They get way too personal posting WAY too much info about their personal lives, kids, jobs, events, homes, hobbies, parents, hospital visits, personal problems and more. I almost got caught up in that once cause it’s so easy but I had to stop when someone busted me revealing too much. FaceBook has a way of telling too much about you and it’s not a good place for entrepreneurs. I don’t have time to debate someone’s religious or conspiracy theories or watch old videos from the 80s. Many people on FB ares desperately seeking validation, by getting likes and support from others a study showed, and it’s true. After a while its a waste of time and effort when you could be making REAL social connections with people FACE to FACE not face to facebook. On top of all that, where does this information end up that you are posting? I personally don’t really trust social networks as much as I do a face to face meeting where I can gauge who I dealing with.

June 12, 2013