With Love and Quiches (30 page)

There are so many others:

My dear friend Jill Krueger, who was my partner at the beginning of Love and Quiches.

My parents and my in-laws, all gone, who each played a part—especially my father, who I know would have gotten a real kick out of how far I have come.

The late Phyllis Wilens Zaphiris, my friend and cheerleader who, in my opinion, coined the phrase “You Go, Girl.”

The late James Gilliam, aka “Jimmy the Baker,” who you have read about on these pages and whose contributions were invaluable.

A special thanks to all the talented and dedicated people who have worked at Love and Quiches across the decades and essentially “wrote” this book for me. So many of them are still here.

I especially want to recognize Michael Goldstein and Toni Salvato, our R&D specialists, for all of their hard work in verifying the favorites I share in Recipes from the Heart.

Thank you to JoAnn DeTurris, who jumped right into the end game and saved my sanity.

My children, Andrew and Joan, who started by cracking eggs every day after school and now share in running the company.

My husband of fifty-three years and partner, Irwin: my best friend, sounding board, and stealth editor, who contributed more than he realizes to the final version.

And just a note of thanks to all my Fire Island friends who kept Irwin company, and who somehow cheered me on while I was in the house tethered to my computer working on the book … while they were all outside relaxing or sunning themselves on the beach.

W
hen I started writing this book, I never meant for it to be a definitive “how to” business book. Rather, I attempted to show through my stories how my business was built one step at a time, as well as how I have lived it, together with all the dedicated people who have been part of the Love and Quiches community across the decades.

These “recipes” are meant to capture the principles and practices that have guided us as the Love and Quiches story unfolded, and they are the essence of our philosophy and ethics. These and so many more tenets help us to stay healthy, viable, and on message. We have survived. We have thrived. We are still standing, with more to come.

• Businesses exist to make a profit
  , not to fill up the day. The best ideas are nothing unless you can persuade someone to pay for them.
  
• Every new business must
  start with a sound business plan
  . This includes a good idea, a target market, what you hope to accomplish, and
  everything
  (rent, staff, resources, supplies, equipment—ad infinitum) needed to get through the period until a positive cash flow can be created.
  
• A business plan
  must
  remain flexible.
  Never stop seeking knowledge about your particular industry. Markets are
  constantly
  developing and evolving, and you must change with them to remain cutting edge.
  
• Take one step at a time
  . Growth does not solve problems; it merely amplifies them if you are not ready. There is always a process; be patient.
  
• Invest in solid professional advice.
  In addition, seek advice from your suppliers, customers, mentors, sponsors, and industry counterparts. Later on, utilize consultants, but choose them carefully.
  
• A strong banking relationship is vital
  , unless funds are unlimited. Your available capital will limit your participation in the marketplace; respect those limits.
  
• Be aware of
  all
  your costs, and price your products or services properly
  (but in line with your competition). We keep what works well and rationalize out those products (or services) that do not generate enough sales or profit. The top line is important, but it is the bottom line that counts.
  
• Offering products with price points at more than one level will enable you to reach more potential customers.
  Small
  changes (such as weight, decoration, or pack size) within a single product can greatly multiply the product’s reach with no impact on operations.
  
• Most businesses fall within the 80/20 rule.
  Because 80 percent of volume is done with only 20 percent of customers, treat these customers well.
  
• Develop high-performance teams.
  Across the decades, this has been our greatest achievement; our human capital is our most valuable asset.
  
• Hire people better than you are and treat them as valued insiders.
  We foster a culture of mutual respect and honesty, and we understand that our success is a team effort. We share detailed financial results with management, and we offer participation as goals are achieved.
  
• Create an orderly hierarchy.
  In this way, each employee knows exactly where he or she stands. Strong leadership and management can lead workers in achieving goals.
  
• Empower leaders within the company, but don’t tell them how to lead.
  There is no one-size-fits-all management technique. We provide direction and goal setting, clearly communicated, from the top, but our department heads and managers run the meat and potatoes with complete authority. Learn to trust—to let go.
  
• Train constantly.
  We do this for all employees over and over yet again. Cross-training is vital so that no job ever goes uncovered.
  
• Communicate, communicate, communicate.
  Everybody needs to be on the same page so that everybody will march in the same direction and not be at cross-purposes. Frequent communication will also avoid duplication of effort.
  
• Run effective meetings.
  Mutual respect and no elephants in the room are the order of the day.
  
• As a small business, you cannot be all things to all people.
  Focus on what you are good at and do it as well as you can. Your customers will come to rely on that. Above all, quality first. Never compromise on that.
  
• Clarify your image so your target market knows
  exactly
  what your business is all about.
  Use
  all
  the tools available, from your website to your point-of-sale materials to customer service to one-on-one selling, to get the message across.
  
• Networking works.
  Participate in all applicable social media outlets, trade organizations, trade shows, conferences, speaking engagements, and so on in order to increase your connections across the board and broaden your ability to grab on to opportunity when it crosses your path. Find a mentor, and then mentor others in return.
  
• Watch the competition with a very practiced eye.
  Strong competition will push you to be better; there is enough business for everyone if you remain aware, focused, and calm.
  
• Businesses do not create jobs; customers do.
  Satisfy your customers’ needs at all times.
  Provide your market with high-quality and innovative products, excellent and consistent service, competitive pricing, and appreciation for their business. And
  always
  deliver on your promises. If you do, that loyalty will be returned.
  
• Balance the needs of the customer with the needs of the company.
  Do not allow any one customer to account for more than 5 percent of sales.
  
• Learn the strategic use of the word
  no
  .
  If the fit isn’t there, if you cannot make a profit, walk away.
  
• Strategize by business segment, channel, and class of customer.
  Our sales, marketing, and R&D departments work hand in hand in the process of tailoring our business to different segments, gathering technical and market intelligence. (We
  never
  put all our eggs in one basket.)
  
• Never stop taking it to the next level.
  We are never good enough, and improvement is a constant.
  
• Establish a standard operating procedure for
  everything
  so that nothing is ever left to chance.
  
• You cannot manage what you can’t measure.
  We measure
  everything
  . Our strong accounting practices get us the information we need to make smart projections and strategic decisions for sales, marketing, labor needs, capital expenditures, and so on. On a current basis, we know where we are, so that we can plan smartly for the future.
  
• Capture the power of the Internet, but be wary, too.
  The world has become a much smaller place, and we can reach every corner of the globe with just the touch of a mouse to market our businesses, but carefully vet any advice or help you may seek. In many respects, the Internet is still the Wild West. Also, never let quick Internet exchanges replace meaningful communication with customers.
  
• If you’re running a business with family, keep the personal out of the office.
  Business is never easy, and the family dynamic makes it that much more difficult. It is vital to pick your battles and leave family drama at home, where it belongs, while you stick to the business of business.
  
• Seek new perspectives.
  For us, it was travel as our business grew; for any business owner or entrepreneur, it is crucial to expand your horizons in order to see what is going on
  round you to help bring new ideas to the table and to help you formulate the path forward.
  
• Success is never a straight line to the top.
  Each failure has been a learning tool, a clarifying moment. Our failures have made us better, since we don’t often make the same mistakes.
  
• Learn from your successes so that you can repeat them.
  We never take anything for granted and are always aware and on the alert.
  

________

One last word: sometimes,
just do it!
When opportunity knocks, open the door and let it in.

I
’ve always been an avid reader; from the time I was quite young, I can’t remember when I wasn’t in the middle of reading
something
. Once I started Love and Quiches, reading fiction and memoirs became my escape and business books my learning tools. Here are a few of my favorites.

There are certain classic books and some new ones on subjects as diverse as manufacturing, leadership, management, influence, marketing, social media, inspiration, best practices, and so many more. Every businessperson, entrepreneur, or member of the corporate community
should read at least some of them. I enlisted the Love and Quiches team in this effort, and together we think the following list covers a lot of important ground:

• The Art of War
  by Sun Tzu; written over two-thousand years ago by a Chinese warrior-philosopher, it remains a profoundly influential treatise on military, business, and legal strategy in the world today.
  
• Outliers
  by Malcolm Gladwell; examines high levels of success with examples drawn from subjects as diverse as Bill Gates, the Beatles, and Canadian ice hockey players.
  
• Death by Meeting
  by Patrick Lencioni; focuses on a cure for the painful problem of modern business: bad meetings and their toll on a company’s success.
  
• The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
  (second revision 1992) by the late Eliyahu M. Goldratt; a management-oriented “novel” that demonstrates the theory of constraints (bottlenecks) and how to alleviate them.
  
• Good to Great
  by Jim Collins; examines why some companies make the leap to great and others don’t, proposing that greatness is a matter of conscious choice and discipline.
  
• Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive
  by Harvey Mackay; how to out sell, out manage, out motivate, and out negotiate. Mackay spells out his path to success.
  
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
  by Stephen Covey; a business self-help book from 1989 that proposes a paradigm shift in how we interact with people in a business environment, as well as the habits we can cultivate in order to effect that change.
  
• Who Moved My Cheese?
  by Spencer Johnson; a story featuring two mice and two “littlepeople” who look for cheese in different ways. This book is about change and how to embrace it.
  
• The New Rules of Marketing and PR
  by David Meerman Scott; the bible for all aspects of successful marketing today.
  
• The 10 Laws of Enduring Success
  by Maria Bartiromo; beautifully written and concise, it is partly inspirational and partly solid advice on how to conduct yourself in business and career building today.
  

Additionally, there’s the
US Small Business Administration website
:
www.sba.gov
. There you will find a wealth of practical information about starting a business in addition to resources and contacts.

• The Feminine Mystique
  by Betty Friedan; for historical perspective and for starting the conversation.
  
• Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
  by Sheryl Sand-berg; having it all from the top of the food chain.
  
• Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection
  by Debora Spar; proposes “satisficing,” which supposes that sometimes second best is a good place to be. A very good read.
  
• Women, Work, and the Art of Savoir Faire
  by Mireille Guiliano; a very personal story about being the highest-ranking woman at Veuve Clicquot since Madame Clicquot (who died in 1866).
  

Here are three great reads that are all about food and keeping on subject:

• Blood, Bones & Butter
  by Gabrielle Hamilton
  
• The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry
  by Kathleen Flinn
  
• Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
  by Anthony Bourdain
  
• Yes, Chef: A Memoir
  by Marcus Samuelsson
  

I read memoirs and biographies and have enjoyed some fantastic reads in these genres, yet my most favorite books have been fiction, an escape into another world. I have always chosen from a vast array of authors; some of my selections may be from past decades, some more current. But, to me, they are all timeless and unforgettable. So, just at random, I have loved: