Pizza Today - July 2023 - 12

Mike's Monthly Tip
How I ended up at the White House
Mike Bausch
Owner, Andolini's Pizzeria
So I went to the White House. I
didn't just go to the White House,
I saw the President speak in the
Rose Garden, which would've been
an experience in and of itself, but
on top of that, while leaving and
walking out, I was one of the people
who was close by enough to do a
brief meet and greet and shake his
hand, which turned into the offi cial
POTUS Instagram and Twitter
sending a photo of us out that night.
Th ey reposted it thrice during Small
Business Week, which is why I was
in Washington, D.C.
Th e larger story to the pizza community
here is not that I had an interesting
experience; the takeaway is
that this business can provide these
experiences to any of us because I
am you. I have been in your position
if you have one store or a part of
a chain. Owning a small business,
especially a pizzeria your town loves,
can open a world of possibilities.
Experiences like competing internationally,
speaking at Pizza Expo and
winning large-scale Guinness World
Record attempts are all an off -shoot
of doing what we all do. Th e more
you do it, the more opportunities
present themselves. Whichever ones
you decide to take on.
I chose early on to do as many
cool things as possible while riding
this train. It's possible when you:
* Create systems and KPIs for
your restaurants to function
without you for a few days.
* Learn how to mobilize these
12 / PIZZATODAY.COM / JULY 2023
experiences as marketing
eff orts so the press runs you
receive translate into new
customers.
* Last but most important,
choosing to say yes.
Yes, to competing in baking
competitions. Yes, to participating
in local awards. Yes, to getting out
of your comfort zone.
Everyone can turn this path
into a rich life full of unique experiences,
whether or not it's Th e
White House or elsewhere.
So, a little backstory. I
applied to be a small business
person of the year for the Tulsa
Regional Metro Chamber. Th e
chamber leadership encouraged
me to do so; I thought, " Oh jeez,
I don't want to fi ll this thing out. "
Even though it was only four
pages.
Once I was chosen for
Tulsa, the same application was
forwarded to the state competition;
they thought our story was
interesting enough for us to win
for the state of Oklahoma. Mind
you; I did nothing more at this
point. Th en, I get invited to D.C.
for a national awards conference
to announce the national winner.
Upon landing in Washington,
I received an e-mail from the
White House asking for my
social to do a background check
because the award winners were
invited to a small business press
conference at the White House. I
was dumbfounded by how far this
simple application had gone.
When I was at this fancy and,
yes, also schmancy, awards dinner,
I noticed the other 49 states had
businesses from across the board.
All types of businesses were
represented, but most were momand-pop
organizations. Whether
it was steel manufacturing, coff ee
shops or Ethiopian food, the goal
of this SBA-run awards banquet
was to show off all walks of life in
American small businesses.
And my grand point here is
that you don't know what will
come of anything you say yes to,
so say yes to all of it, especially in
your fi rst few years of business. At
some point, it shifts from what I
can do to what I should do, but
when the investment of time is
just fi lling out an application, you
should always do that. You should
apply for every award. You should
apply for every nomination, no
matter what it is.
If you get the win, great. If you
don't win, nothing has changed.
But when you try long enough,
you will win, and you can consistently
market the win, which puts
money into your restaurant. Th at
makes it healthier, which helps
your staff get more tips, and keeps
tax dollars in your community.
If you think to yourself, " I
don't want to be a braggy beaver
on some stage, " you need to get
over that because you, as the face
of your business, represent more
than just yourself.
So take it all on, say yes, stand
out, and see where it takes you.
@mikeybausch
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - July 2023

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