I was talking to a friend the other day, that has now owned a bar for a few years. He has enjoyed incredible success in a highly competitive market. He shared some of his secrets to his success with me, and no matter how many times people mention how their "outside-the-box" thinking lead to their success, the ideas themselves are most often so simple, that you can't help but think "Why didn't I think of that?!"
The most obvious unconventional thing he does, is delivers free "shots" to his guests for no reason at all other than to create an atmosphere of fun and generosity. These shots he explained to me are more flavored water than anything else, and are so inexpensive, they barely touch his bottom line. But it has enabled him to enforce a zero tolerance rule towards his bartenders over-pouring to "preferred guests". This is where he said he saves all the money that most failing bars lose it. In his bar everyone is a preferred guest....and I can honestly tell you, his bartenders do very well for themselves!!
In more traditional retail, we encounter obstacles every day. Our experiences guide us to act and react in certain ways. Unfortunately, it is that experience that can sometimes blind us from seeing the simple solution right in front of us. Early in my retail career, I had someone tell me to never forget to ask my team, especially the newest members, for ideas. That was very easy to do, when I was still young in my career and didn't have the experiences to tell me something probably won't work. A good leader always knows when there is a problem that needs to be fixed....a great leader knows that is ok to not be the one with the answer!!
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