01/20/2022
Hello, All Future and Past Clients,
Just wanted to share a few things as you all understand that running a small business is hard and we’ve certainly had our challenges over the last 36 months. We all see what the surface is like but never see what’s happening behind the scenes and understand the pressure to deliver the best version of whatever product we are selling, albeit time-consuming and attempting to balance other things that are happening in our lives.
As a chef of a small business, things can get hectic easily and some can become overwhelmed rather quickly and you get lost in the thick of it. As someone that looks at his craft as an art, it takes time to create and distribute the correct consistency of all products/ dishes that are put out. You are constantly judged against the next person and or business held to a standard, and always on the gossip circuit, good or bad.
A challenge nevertheless to get back to everyone and accomplish everything in a days’ time, which can include emails, phone calls, text messages, etc. Other small business owners and I must be the director, the employee, the administrator, the marketing team, the accountant, and the janitor all while being a family man/woman, or spouse and parent. I said that to say this, our time is valuable to us as it is to you, we offer our time free of charge to any specific individuals that we either know or have known for some time. Nonetheless, it usually sets us back in a way that people don’t understand as running a business makes it feel like there is sometimes not enough time in the day. Most of the time our time is taken advantage of, and clients/friends fail to understand that concept which makes it hard to continue at times. This is an exhaustive conversation topic to have with everyone every single time that people fail to yield to nor understand. So, when we start to add fees for our time, no one understands but would receive it as negative because we are trying to reclaim our time. Usually, engagement with future or current associates/clients never ends in a secured date for services to be rendered. It's, “Oh wait, let me see,” or “I’ll get back to you,” or “Why that much?!,” or, “You think you’re better than this or that person(s),”. My time goes into building the menu, creating the art, sourcing the ingredients, recipe testing and curating the perfect dish. Just a word to any and everyone, NOTHING IS FREE, NOT EVEN OUR TIME! Please consider this when making decisions and agreements with Small Business Owners, we don’t have time to spare so please do not waste our time.
