Years ago I was doing some work for a restaurateur. I was a fan of the restaurant and really enjoyed the food there. In the course of doing some wiring for the owner, I spent some time in his office connecting some cameras, recorders, and monitors. He was usually working in that office when I was there and it was a learning experience for me. The MANAGEMENT and ORGANIZATION of the restaurant was his responsibility (he did some of the cooking too, BTW) and he was clearly really good at running a restaurant. He ordered supplies, in reasonable quantities and in time, he handled personnel matters, he did the books and payroll, coordinated subcontractors like me to maintain and/or add to his infrastructure and he maintained the insurance, permits, credit card companies and all the paperwork.
I also realized when he bought the restaurant, other than being a busboy in high school, he had precious little restaurant management experience. How in the holy hell did he get good at running a restaurant? Well, he's a fast study. Anything he tried that worked he kept doing, things he tried that needed kicked up a notch he kicked up a notch, and things he tried that didn't work at all he stopped doing. And he managed to learn all this when the restaurant was 'the new place' and customers were willing to come back even if their first experience there wasn't quite perfect.
About the most significant thing he misjudged, long term, was his willingness to do it. After 25 years, despite making a PILE of money, he was burned out and unable/unwilling to delegate out the management of his restaurant to an underling. Fair enough, I'd say. I watched him run the place the way he learned worked, and having someone else step in and get up to speed without destroying the place was a considerable risk.
Quite the learning experience for me. How well and how fast a successful restaurant can take off just might be up to one skilled entrepreneur.
As for everything else, because of despite schooling, the right person manages to get a position in mathematics, or astronomy, of physics and catches on to something and does well. I cite in my experience the restaurant guy with showing me pretty much how anyone can do anything.
I also realized when he bought the restaurant, other than being a busboy in high school, he had precious little restaurant management experience. How in the holy hell did he get good at running a restaurant? Well, he's a fast study. Anything he tried that worked he kept doing, things he tried that needed kicked up a notch he kicked up a notch, and things he tried that didn't work at all he stopped doing. And he managed to learn all this when the restaurant was 'the new place' and customers were willing to come back even if their first experience there wasn't quite perfect.
About the most significant thing he misjudged, long term, was his willingness to do it. After 25 years, despite making a PILE of money, he was burned out and unable/unwilling to delegate out the management of his restaurant to an underling. Fair enough, I'd say. I watched him run the place the way he learned worked, and having someone else step in and get up to speed without destroying the place was a considerable risk.
Quite the learning experience for me. How well and how fast a successful restaurant can take off just might be up to one skilled entrepreneur.
As for everything else, because of despite schooling, the right person manages to get a position in mathematics, or astronomy, of physics and catches on to something and does well. I cite in my experience the restaurant guy with showing me pretty much how anyone can do anything.
The granting of a pardon is an imputation of guilt, and the acceptance a confession of it.
