Page 30 - Barbecue News Magazine SEPT 2020
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  NBBQA Upcoming Events
September 16, 2020
NBBQA Webinar
How to Cook a Winning Steak - Brett Gallaway, SCA
October 21, 2020
NBBQA Webinar
Getting Your Turkey Ready for Thanksgiving - Shane Draper, Flavor Anonymous
November 18, 2020
NBBQA Webinar Getting your Product to Market - Amy Jungk & Sterling Smith
December 16, 2020
NBBQA Webinar Christmas Feast
March 3-6, 2021
NBBQA National Conference Louisville, KY
March 5, 2021
Rhinestone Hat Steak Cook-off Louisville, KY
March 6, 2021
NBBQA Classic Steak Cook-off Louisville, KY
 BE-Attitudes of Business
Being in business is the hardest work you’ll ever do. Yet, it’s also the easiest when it’s a busi- ness you are passionate about. For us in this industry, truer words have never been spoken. Having your own BBQ related business can be some of the most rewarding times of your life as you strive to make it a great success. I know many who look at business owners and think how wonderful it is to be your own boss, set your own hours, take off whenever you want and a plethora of other thoughts. Most of which are simply, not true.
As a business owner, especially starting out, it’s great to be your own boss. But with that comes all the responsibilities of that title. The buck truly stops with you, the owner. If you’re the sole employee, sure you can set your own hours, take vacations whenever you want and even take off work. But what many don’t realize is, when you do that the work doesn’t get accomplished. When it’s not being done, the money doesn’t flow and then the time off be- comes more infrequent. Which leads us to our first BE-Attitude of Business.
BE BALANCED
We’ve all heard the old adage, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Which ex- presses the thought of working too hard. Wikipedia reports the first reference to this phrase was found as early as 1659 and defined it as meaning, “without time off from work, a person becomes both bored and boring.” To which I would add causes extreme burnout, stress and anxiety. As a result, you need to strike a balance between work and not working.
I can’t tell you what that would look like for you, but I can give you examples of what it looks like for me. For me, in my business, there is work to be done 24/7/365. I rarely get away from work entirely, but I do have my outlets where I can escape. As a grandparent many can relate. When the grandkids are around all work stops and focus is on them (let’s be honest, we like them better than their parents anyway). A buddy and I go fishing once a week, I have passes to a theme park which I utilized as often as I could (pre-covid). Finding this balance with work and play helps me to not be so stressed when a contract falls through or a deadline is pushed up a couple days. I’d encourage you to find your release to stay balanced.
BE PASSIONATE
Another adage we’ve all heard is, “If you do what you love, you’ll never work another day in
your life.” This is speaking of the passion you have for what you do as a job or as a business owner. When you have this passion, it simply doesn’t feel like you’re working. Ken Phillips and Brett Gallaway turned their passion for steak competition into a whole business which takes them around the world. Mark Lambert began his BBQ distribution business to feed his competition habit and has been very successful with both. There are tons of these stories throughout the NBBQA membership.
When you’re passionate about what you do, you’ll find a way to make it a success. You may not roll into a competition driving a Cadillac with gold plated rims but you’ll roll in loving what you do and that F-150 you drive will seem like a Lincoln Continental. This is what pas- sion does. It drives you to be more successful, to be more creative, and to simply love what you do.
BE STRATEGIC
“Any publicity is good publicity, even if it’s bad publicity” is an adage many reference be- cause they are just happy to hear their name being mentioned. I’m not too sure I totally agree with it, and the only time I hear of people “glad” to hear their business mention with bad news is in the movies. However, having said this, getting your name out there for people interested in your business is vital to the success you will enjoy, so you need to be strategic about where you place ads. Many companies think long and hard about where to put in a commercial or ad. Getting the most bang for your buck is really what it’s all about in this area, so you need a strategy. Will you run your TV commercial at 11AM when many of your target audience will be at work (thus the ad space is cheaper) or at 6PM when they are home watching the evening news (which is more expensive)?
Major companies know millions will see their commercial during the Super Bowl so there- fore their strategy allows them to budget for this. But most of us aren’t Pepsi or Budweiser. We’re just a small business with a small budget. This does not mean we shouldn’t have a strategy on getting the word out about our catering or distribution business. Does this strat- egy entail you going to a bridal show or a BBQ competition? Weigh your options, research what is out there and then plan your budget accordingly, so you are not just throwing stuff against the wall to see if it sticks. Be strategic so you will get the highest return on your in- vestment.
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