Inspired by watching "Undercover Boss"

Recently l love watching the "Undercover Boss" on Youtube. For those who are not sure what I mean. "Undercover Boss" is a reality show about CEO or bosses from large corporations going undercover in their organization to find out what happening at ground level.
I started watching this reality slow to see how bosses reacted when they were faced with the real job especially those who are behind a cushy desk job. I got more from watching the show. It’s not about the bosses giving away presents or gifts to staff that have impressed, not about how the boss did the job or how he or she fouled up.

What I took away from watching these shows was how some individuals were motivated and inspired. There's this elderly lady who was working in a 7 Eleven, who was always smiling and friendly to everyone that walks into the store. But what everyone doesn't know is that she has kidney problem and doesn't want her children to give her their kidney for fear it will put them in danger. There's also the 7 eleven delivery driver from Khazathan who came to America with only USD 100 in his pocket, but he was happy and thankful everyday. Tell me if you don't feel overwhelm after watching a sports shop staff be so positive and alive, only to find out that she and her three kids are living in a homeless home. She faced so many adversities, yet she smiles and is happy.

Watch my favourite videos below and be inspired.

This one is about the elderly lady and the grateful immigrant 



This one is about a mother of three staying in a homeless home

Watch these people and be inspired.

What Makes an Ordinary Person a Successful Entrepreneur : 12 Everyday Habits to Gauranteed Entrepreneurial Success

Here are 12 Distinct Daily habits of successful entrepreneur that differentiates them from everyday employee that you find at work.

1.  They have calm, consistent morning routines.

Too many books and courses on personal success act like we’re robots, and completely overlook the enormous power of our emotions.  The less frenzied emotions we have at the start of the day, the less we will have all day.  Because when we start the day in a calm, mindful state, it’s easy to focus and get the right things done.

But when we wake up and stress is already upon us – phones ringing, emails and texts dinging, fire alarms going off – you spend the whole day reacting, instead of being proactive.  This means you’re not in the driver’s seat working on your priorities – the things that drive success – you’re simply responding to what gets thrown at you, whether it’s important or not.

Try to have the first hour of your day vary as little as possible.  A trusted routine can be extremely effective in helping you feel in control and non-reactive, which reduces anxiety and stress, and therefore makes you more mindful and competent.  The bottom line is that how you start the day has an enormous effect on your overall effectiveness.

2.  They eliminate all needless busywork.

At some point we all wonder, “Why is it so impossible to get everything done?”  But the answer is stunningly simple: We’re doing too many of the wrong things.

Several research studies have shown that people never get more done by blindly working more hours on everything that comes up.  Instead, they get more done when they follow careful plans that measure and track key priorities and milestones.  So if you want to be more successful and less stressed, don’t ask how to make something more efficient until you’ve first asked, “Do I need to do this at all?”

Simply being able to do something well does not make it the right thing to do.  I think this is one of the most common problems with a lot of time-management advice; too often productivity gurus focus on how to do things quickly, but the vast majority of things people do quickly should not be done at all.

If you think about it, it’s actually kind of ironic that we complain we have so little time, and then we prioritize like time is infinite.  So do your best to focus on what’s truly important, and not much else.

3.  They do what needs to be done, TODAY!

While everyone else is talking about it, successful people are quietly doing it.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: It doesn’t matter if you have a genius IQ and a PhD in Quantum Physics, you can’t change anything or make any sort of real-world progress without taking action.  There’s a huge difference between knowing how to do something and actually doing it.  Knowledge and intelligence are both useless without action.  It’s as simple as that.

Successful people know that a good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan executed someday.  They don’t wait for the “right time” or the “right day” or the “right (impossible) circumstances”, because they know these reactions are based on a fear and nothing more.  They take action here and now, today – because that’s where real progress happens.




4.  They Ask Questions and gradually turn life’s obstacles around.

Many of the most iconic novels, songs and inventions of all time were inspired by gut-wrenching pain and heartbreak.  Therefore, the silver lining of these great challenges is that they were the catalyst to the creation of epic masterpieces.

An emerging field of psychology called Post-Traumatic Growth has suggested that many people are able to use their hardships and traumas for substantial creative and intellectual development.  Specifically, researchers have found that trauma can help people grow in the areas of interpersonal relationships, contentment, gratitude, personal strength, and resourcefulness.

When our view of the world as a safe place, or as a certain type of place, has been shattered, we are forced to reboot our perspective on things.  We suddenly have the opportunity to look out to the periphery and see things with a new, fresh set of beginner’s eyes, which is very conducive to personal growth and long-term success.

5.  They are fearless and learn by stretching themselves to their limits.

You learn best when you’re stretching yourself beyond your previous level of comfort.

Sure, getting into a routine is great.  “Flow” is great too.  But neither is the best way to learn.  You want to be stretched to the edge of your ability sometimes.  It needs to be hard and uncomfortable.  That’s how your brain grows.  We learn when we’re in our discomfort zone.

When you’re struggling, that’s when you’re growing stronger and smarter.  The more time you spend there, the faster you learn.  It’s better to spend an extremely high quality ten minutes growing, than it is to spend a mediocre hour running in place.  You want to practice at the point where you are on the edge of your ability, stretching yourself over and over again, making mistakes, stumbling, learning from those mistakes and stretching yourself even farther.

6.  They turn to their intuition when making tough decisions.

Intuition is very real and something that is never wise to ignore, because it comes from deep within your subconscious and is derived from your previous life experiences.  If everyone else is telling you “yes” but your gut is telling you otherwise, it’s usually for a good reason.  When faced with difficult decisions, seek out all the information you can find, become as knowledgeable as you possibly can, and then listen to your God-given instincts.

Successful people know that trusting your intuition is equivalent to trusting your true self; and the more you trust your true self, the more control you have of making your goals and dreams come true.

To read the other 6 habits please click here What Makes an Ordinary Person a Successful Entrepreneur : 12 Everyday Habits to Gauranteed Entrepreneurial Success

Restaurant Marketing Ideas for April

Restaurant owners and operators are always on the lookout for special events they can use in their online and offline marketing efforts.

Tax Day, for example, has become an annual favorite as restaurants across the nation step up to offer tax weary Americans a break with special deals and offers.

April also serves up many food specific days that can easily be worked into any menu marketing plan.  On the menu:  Beer, Blueberry Pie, Caramel, Caramel Popcorn, Cheese Fondue, Chocolate Cashew Truffles, Cinnamon Crescents, Coffee Cake, Cordon Bleu, Deep Dish Pizza, Eggs Benedict, Empanadas, Fish Fingers and Custard, Garlic, Glazed Spiral Ham, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Jelly Beans, Licorice, Oatmeal Cookies, Peach Cobbler, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Pecans, Pigs in a Blanket, Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, Pretzels, Prime Rib, Shrimp Scampi, Sourdough Bread, Tomatoes and Zucchini Bread.

Here’s your restaurant marketing calendar for April:

April is:

National BLT Sandwich Month
National Soft Pretzel Month
National Soyfoods Month
National Grilled Cheese Month
National Garlic Month
National Decorating Month
National Garden Month
Jazz Appreciation Month
Couple Appreciation Month
Poetry Month
Straw Hat Month




1 – April Fools Day
1 – National Sourdough Bread Day
1 – National Day Of Hope
1 – National One Cent Day
1 – International Fun At Work Day
2 – National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
2 – World Autism Awareness Day
2 – International Children’s Book Day
3 – Fish Fingers and Custard Day
3 – National Chocolate Mousse Day
3 – World Party Day
4 – National Cordon Bleu Day
4 – Pillow Fight Day
4 – School Librarian Day
5 – National Caramel Day
5 – National Deep Dish Pizza Day
5 – National Raisin & Spice Bar Day
5 – Easter
5 – Go For Broke Day
6 – New Beer’s Eve
6 – Fresh Tomato Day
6 – National Caramel Popcorn Day
6 – Army Day
7 – National Beer Day
7 – National Coffee Cake Day
7 – World Health Day
7 – No Housework Day
8 – National Empanada Day
8 – National Bookmobile Day
8 – Zoo Lovers Day
9 – National Chinese Almond Cookie Day
9 – Name Yourself Day
10 – National Cinnamon Crescent Day
10 – Golfer’s Day
10 – National Siblings Day
11 – National Cheese Fondue Day
11 – National Submarine Day
11 – International Louie Louie Day
11 – Barbershop Quartet Day
12 – National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
12 – National Licorice Day
12 – International Day of Human Space Flight
12 – Walk On Your Wild Side Day
13 – National Peach Cobbler Day
13 – National Scrabble Day
14 – National Pecan Day
14 – National Dolphin Day
14 – Be Kind To Lawyers Day
14 – National Library Workers Day
15 – National Glazed Spiral Ham Day
15 – Tax Day
15 – Titanic Remembrance Day
15 – That Sucks Day
15 – Take A Wild Guess Day
16 – National Eggs Benedict Day
16 – National Librarian Day
16 – Foursquare Day
16 – High Five Day
16 – Save The Elephant Day
17 – National Cheeseball Day
17 – Ford Mustang Day
17 – Blah Blah Blah Day
17 – Nothing Like A Dame Day
18 – National Animal Cracker Day
18 – International Juggler’s Day
18 – Columnists Day
18 – Amateur Radio Day
18 – Auctioneers Day
19 – National Garlic Day
19 – National Rice Ball Day
19 – Bicycle Day
19 – Hanging Out Day
20 – National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day
20 – Volunteer Recognition Day
20 – Look Alike Day
21 – National Chocolate-Covered Cashew Truffle Day
21 – Kindergarten Day
22 – National Jelly Bean Day
22 – Administrative Professionals Day
22 – Girl Scout Leader Day
22 – Earth Day
23 – National Cherry Cheesecake Day
23 – National Picnic Day
23 – World Book Day
23 – Lost Dog Awareness Day
23 – Talk Like Shakespeare Day
24 – National Pigs in a Blanket Day
24 – Arbor Day
25 – National Zucchini Bread Day
25 – Hug A Plumber Day
25 – International Astronomy Day
25 – Go Birding Day
25 – World Penguin Day
25 – World Veterinary Day
26 – National Pretzel Day
26 – Help A Horse Day
27 – National Prime Rib Day
27 – Tell A Story Day
28 – National Blueberry Pie Day
28 – Kiss Your Mate Day
28 – Cubicle Day
29 – National Shrimp Scampi Day
29 – World Wish Day
29 – International Dance Day
29 – International Guide Dogs Day
30 – National Oatmeal Cookie Day
30 – National Raisin Day
30 – International Jazz Day
30 – Poem In Your Pocket Day
30 – Honesty Day

Need help generating some buzz for your restaurant marketing efforts?  RestaurantNews.com offers an affordable, dependable, effective outlet for your restaurant news.

Aritcle Source Restaurant Marketing Ideas for April

Also Read

How to Market your Menu

So you have created your restaurant menu, now you have to market it. You have to let people out there know about your menu and your chef. You need to create a buzz and you need to keep advertising even though you have been long in the market. You might think that you are already well known but with all the new products flooding the market these days, customers might miss you out. That’s why big brands like KFC, McDonalds and other fast food chains spend millions on advertisements yearly. Eventhough people know them. Below are some ways that I use to promote my menu. Hope its of some help.To know more, please CLICK HERE

Restaurant Promotion Idea # 31 – Unique and Useful Corporate Gifts

Unique and Useful Corporate Gifts to Impress your Customers

  Everyone loves receiving gifts how small it may be and giving out little gifts with the company logo is a norm nowadays. So it’s important to give gifts that your customer will eventually use for some time. Most companies give out pens, calendars and key chains. But with the dawn of affordable tablets and smart phones, most of these gifts are obsolete, especially the calendar. Most people nowadays have a smart phone and all smart phones have some sort calendar in them or you can get one on Google Play store. Therefore, I feel the best gifts should be centered around the mobile phone as almost every one owns a smart phone. Here are a few gift ideas that I have seen and have received.

One Touch Silicon Phone Stand

I got this little gadget together with the phone cover that I purchased online. What this is is a flat piece of silicone and steel that you stick to the back of your smart phone. As it is thin and small it’s hardly noticeable. If you press the middle of the gadget it will curl up into a C. You can rest your phone on it to enjoy hands free viewing. This is a not too expensive gifts for your customers and also quite useful. Put your logo and website on it and it will be an instant advertising tool for your restaurant.

Smart Wallet Mobile Card Holder

This was given free by our beer supplier Guinness Anchor. It’s a sleeve that you stick to the back of your mobile phone. Here your customers can place anything from their ID, business cards, bus pass, library pass to even key cards. As for you, there is a place where you can prominently display your business logo or advertising slogan.

Also read please click Restaurant Promotion Idea #10. Unique Gift Ideas

Selfie Sticks

Recently I read an article on hotels renting, loaning or giving out selfie sticks to their guest. I think if you have the budget, then this would b a great gift for your regular customers. Taking selfies and having a selfie stick is the in thing nowadays. So why don't you capitalize on this before the fad disappears. You can put your website address on the stick and even hold a selfie photography contest on facebook, instagram or even tweeter.

World Adapter and USB Charger

This is another great gift if you have the budget. I received his gift from a friend who was attached to the Kaspersky Anti Virus Company. This is a very useful gadget if you are always on the move, traveling from country to country. I receive this give about a year ago and I am still using it. So you can imagine how your customers will feel if they receives one of these.


Aritcle spource ;-Restaurant Promotion Idea # 31 – Unique and Useful Corporate Gifts

Also Read

Restaurant Promotion Ideas # 27 – Year End Holiday Gift for your Customers

With the closing of the year, a lot of business will be looking for appreciation gifts for their customers and regulars. Searching the web, you will find a number of organizations offering to create some sort of year end gifts with your logo on it. For small business owners who are scrambling to meet year-end commitments and running the day to day operations, finding just the right gift for your customers can be overwhelming. But you can still give out memorable year end or thank you gifts. One way is to make it your self. Search the web for ideas, there are various ideas that you and your staff can create by yourselves. Below are some of the ideas. I have done two of it myself and the rest I plan to implement it soon.

To know more, please CLICK HERE

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7 Habits of Unsuccessful People – Sam Breen

Guest post from Sam Breen, at The Gentleman Life

You want to be successful. I want to be successful. I want you to be successful. And I want you to want to be successful.

So, I took a little inspiration from Stephen R. Covey’s book and added a little twist and instead I have listed 7 habits of unsuccessful people, the habits that are holding you back.

Holding you back from what? You may be asking at this point. The answer:

What you want. What you desire. Your life purpose.

I don’t care what it is, if you completely remove the following habits, you can have whatever you want in life.

Habits are patterns of behavior and they can be hard to break. But taking action and applying self-discipline will help you overcome even the most deeply ingrained habits.

You have to practice the habit consciously before it becomes an unconscious effort (when it becomes easy) there is a great quote I love, although I can’t remember from whom I read it. It goes like this:

"Firstly, you form your success habits and then, you let them form you.”

If you know who it was, comment and let me know because I’d love to give the appropriate credit. What that means is, after you put in all the conscious effort to make your habit truly effortless, they will form you into an entirely different, more successful person.

Maxwell Maltz stated in his amazing book “Psycho-cybernetics” that habits usually take 21 days to form. Other psychologists have agreed and of course, some have disagreed.

Me? I’m a bit dubious that you can fully form a new habit, and replace an old one in 21 days. In my experience it takes longer than 21 days, depending on the habit you are trying to create and how deeply rooted it is into your behavior.

My advice would be to practice your new habit for 60 days, even if you feel it has become a habit before then, carry it on so the habit becomes stronger and stronger thus making them harder to break.

So, onto the list of habits you need to BREAK!

1. Judging others

People who judge other people are only projecting their insecurities onto the world. People who are comfortable in their own skin have no reason to judge others, they just let them do what they do.

The mental energy that you put into judging other people could be used for a more productive purpose. Instead, Why not take a look at yourself, objectively look at your weaknesses and see how you can change them into strengths? Or take a look are your strengths and see how you can make them even better.

Focus on yourself, and your own success and not other peoples.

“What you eat don’t make me shit” – J Cole

Also, the negative feelings you feel towards other people manifest to more negativity in your life. Positivity is the way forward, my friend. Spread the love.

2. Being selfish

If you haven’t read Adam Grant’s book ‘Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success’ I would recommend that you do.

The basis behind the book is simple. Be selfless and help people without wanting anything in return. It’s a simple idea that has a powerful effect because everyone out there is out to get; thus, you immediately stand out if you just give for no reason.

There are very few people who give just to give. Most people only give on a quid pro quo basis.

For the book, Grant did a whole lot of research that found the selfless people (Givers) always out perform the selfish people (Takers) in all industries.

Although, you should never exhaust yourself with too much giving. Grant recommends you have a specified day in which you do all your selfless acts. This way you stick on your own life’s path and are able to accomplish the things you want to accomplish.

If you do too much giving you can find yourself without time to achieve your own goals. It’s not selfish to have your own success as a priority.

3. Procrastination

There is a really great point I want to make. I’ll get to it later.

Just kidding.

Now or never.

This is an obvious barrier to success and it’s the biggest reason that dreams are not fulfilled.

People put off overcoming procrastination. Don’t get me started on the irony of that. It’s time to get up off your ass and achieve all the goals you are destined to achieve.

Start now by watching videos of successful people to help motivate you. Then, treat procrastination as a muscle that you need to develop.

You never train a muscle by doing the heaviest weight in the gym if you’ve never trained before. Why? Because you won’t be able to life it.

The same is with procrastination. Don’t try to go from being a couch potato from ultra-productive overnight. Slowly and gradually build up your workload and you’ll find that in a month or two, you have completely banished procrastination from your life.

To know the balance 4 hanits of Unsuccessul People please click here 7 Habits of Unsuccessful People – Sam Breen


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8 Ways to Live in 'THE ZONE'

Samurai warriors were without a doubt some of the fiercest fighters who ever existed. The key to the samurai’s incredible fighting ability was the complete elimination of their fear of death and their complete focus on being in the present moment.

They did this by entirely de-energizing their fear of death. If a person in a fighting situation is distracted by thoughts of being hurt or dying, he will be the loser. Samurai warriors were unencumbered by these fears and were courageous in the face of the unknown. In short, they were empowered by a lack of fear, and this allowed them to completely focus, react and stay in the present moment. They fought without hesitation and with complete confidence.

They were “IN THE ZONE”, they “OWNED THE ZONE”.

To know the 8 ways to live in "THE ZONE" please CLICK HERE

6 Ideas to Turn Your Restaurant Employees into Rock Stars

  

Every bar or restaurant owner understands how critical their employees’ performance are to their business. Just watch any episode of Restaurant Stakeout on the Food Network, and you’ll see all of the things that can go wrong inside restaurants when trouble employees act inappropriately on the job, such as stealing, drinking, or treating customers poorly when nobody is around to see them in action. 

Hopefully, you aren’t among the statistics of bar and restaurant owners which have had to deal with any of these tough scenarios. But even if you have stellar employees, everyone needs some motivation, encouragement and mentorship along the way to help them continually go above and beyond to exceed your and your customers’ expectations. Here are 6 Smart Ideas to help turn your employees into ROCK STARS!   

1) Get them involved in your business and let them know their opinions and ideas matter: Employees who care about your restaurant will be only more empowered to excel in their job if given an opportunity to participate in the strategic vision of your bar or restaurant. For instance, create a “Suggestion Box” asking employees to submit their suggestions or new ideas that will foster improvements and positive change for your business. Then show that their voices are being heard by implementing those changes and recognizing the employee who came up with the idea, such as a new promotion or menu item. 

2) Reward star employees for a job well done: If an employee shows exemplary customer service or management skills, for example, reward them with promotions, bonuses or other perks to let them know that their efforts are appreciated. Even a small gesture such as recognizing an employee with a Visa gift card and honor of “Employee of the Month” will go a long way in making that individual feel appreciated for their job well done. 

3) Lead by example: As the owner or manager of your bar or restaurant, it’s your responsibility to lead by example. Conduct your business and employee management matters in the same top-notch way that you would expect your employees to act. That means being present, accountable and accessible to employees with needs, concerns or ideas to share. 

4) Be transparent: Your staff will care more about your business if you give them an inside track into how the business is doing, the good and the bad. Hold regular weekly staff meetings to discuss overall operational or management problems, sales performance, financial outlooks, etc. Get employees involved in the problems and ultimately the solutions. 

5) Treat everyone equally and with equal respect: In a National Restaurant Association article contributed by Career Builder, entitled, Keep Restaurant Employees Motivated, this point was clearly emphasized as a must-have tool for improving restaurant employees’ performance. The article states: inconsistency and favoritism can kill employee morale. Treat workers equally, and do things as promised so they know what’s expected.

6) Have some fun along the way: Live by the philosophy of “Work Hard, Play Hard.” Your employees work hard and long hours, so it’s important to give them a break some times and an outlet to have fun at work. Consider organizing staff events or outings, “Movie night”, “Baseball night,” etc. Or close out your bar or restaurant once or twice a year for employee and friends-only events and parties.   Your employees are the lifeblood of your bar or restaurant. Treat them well and it will surely pay off for your business and your customers! 

Article source :- 6 Ideas to Turn Your Restaurant Employees into Rock Stars   

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Customer Service Tip-When a Customer walks through the Door

Great Customer Service begins at the Door Good customer service isn’t only about painting a smile on your face and performing certain plastic and rehearsed actions. Guest and customers can quickly and easily see through these feeble attempts at niceness. In order for you to build a Great Customer Service culture in your establishment, you need to constantly train your employees so as the Great Customer Culture comes naturally to them. Read more here, please CLICK HERE    


 



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This book says everything I have always believed. Its not only the Chef that makes a restaurant successful. The wait staff is also important. Most successful restaurants all have one thing in common... They provide customer service which exceeds their customer's expectations!

From the statistics below you will see why its so important Well, consider these statistics from the White House Office of Consumer Affairs in Washington, DC... For every complaint you're aware of, there are 26 additional customers who have unresolved problems or complaints... A dissatisfied customer will tell 9 to 15 people about their displeasure and sometimes they will tell as many as 20.

On the other hand, this same group also found... Up to 96% of customers would do business with you again if they felt you acted quickly and to their satisfaction and many said they would refer other people. On average, happy customers will tell 4-6 people about their positive experience.

The Fact Is... Businesses that provide extraordinary customer service can improve their profitability, increase market share and will have customers who are willing to pay more for their products and services simply because of the extraordinary service they receive.