Pizza Today - October 2023 - 12

Mike's Monthly Tip
Science over Perfection
Mike Bausch
Owner, Andolini's Pizzeria
E
very day we seek
" Perfect. " Th e perfect
dough, the perfect
menu name, the perfect
workfl ow, and sometimes we
seek perfect before anything
launches. Striving for perfection
is commendable, but it can
hinder progress. Today, I'd like
to challenge us all to embrace
a diff erent mindset: that of the
scientist.
A scientist thrives on
curiosity, experimentation and
continuous learning. Th ey start
an experiment before conditions
are perfect. Th ey form a
hypothesis, test it, learn from
the results and iterate. Th is
approach is not about
immediate perfection but about
progress and evolution.
Th ink about your promos.
What if you hypothesized that
a loyalty program could boost
repeat business by 15 percent?
Or speculated that a fusionthemed
pizza campaign could
tap into a new customer group?
Th e magic starts when you
translate these hypotheses into
actionable experiments. Th e
fusion-themed campaign may
have yet to hit the expected
mark, but the feedback may
pave the way for a successful
future. Th at's real progress.
Th at's because it will yield, even
in failure, experience. And,
every time, an experienced
person is always more valuable
than a solely opinionated one.
Perfectionism limits you to
the past. Th e fear of a fi nancial
misstep or launching a pizza
that doesn't land with your
audience can be debilitating.
But you must remember,
every great thing starts with an
untested idea or a hypothesis,
and very few great things don't
take any bumps or bruises on
the way to being pretty.
Adopting the scientist's
mindset means giving yourself
the leeway to venture, to stumble,
and most crucially, to learn.
Each experiment, whether in
marketing or menu innovation,
HR, etc., adds layers to your
skillset.
Like a scientist, you need
12 / PIZZATODAY.COM / OCTOBER 2023
data. Th at means feedback on
what works and what needs
improving. Th at requires the
hardest thing to do for many
in our industry, listen and be
humble to the fi ndings.
Take the negatives of what
didn't work and view it as data
towards greatness. What did
it reveal, what did you learn,
and how can you refi ne your
hypothesis and try it all again?
Pizza is a very competitive
industry. You are not competing
against other independent pizzerias
solely. You are competing
against the thousands of choices
at your customer's fi ngertips-
every other cafe, bistro, grille,
to even gas stations serving
meals. You can't shoot blindly
and expect to make every
three-pointer and expect that
customer to love each thing you
do. It's not possible. Sure, some
things will land, but refi ning
them makes them go from
niche to evergreen popularity.
You can grow stronger and
faster when you seek knowledge
with an awareness of failure.
Grant yourself the freedom
to push boundaries by allowing
yourself to mess up. Th e transition
from seeking immediate
perfection to becoming a scientist
means you take a wild ride
of discovery. In all of us is not
only an entrepreneur, marketer
and pizza maker; there is also a
scientist eager to craft ideas as
big as mountains, even if they
start as hills.
@mikeybausch
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - October 2023

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