Pizza Today - March 2020 - 64

and restaurant owners across America
doing the same thing. However, you
don't know them, and they can't tell
you, and you're not mutually benefiting
from each other's experience. I'm not
suggesting you're solely missing out on a
shoulder to cry on or on a friend to say.
"You can do it." You are, but you're also
missing out on that other person's
experiences and how they strived
through it. You are missing out on their
example and their proof that there are
more prospective and approaches to
your current plight than the ones you
have created.
I AM NO GENIUS. I've learned a lot
of lessons by getting my ass handed to
me and from seeing what other peers
in my community or across America
have done in the same instance. My
superpower is being able to tell myself
that I probably suck at something and,
therefore, could stand to learn from
someone else's example. Seeking to
learn proactively from others enhances
those relationships to not only be positive outlets to lean on, but also extends
them as opportunities for growth.
Knowing people across the world
who do this helps me be better. From
visiting J. B. Alberto's in Chicago to
watch an insane make line that does
300 deliveries a night without a thirdparty delivery service. Or being on
the line at Tony's Pizza Napoletana in
San Francisco and watching multiple
ovens working in tandem from different stations all for a cohesive execution.
Knowing other people in the industry,
6 4 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / M A R C H 2 0 2 0

factually has made my pizzeria, Andolini's, better.
That's because steel sharpens steel and
learning from colleagues makes you better. It's helped me so much that I went
out of my way in the last two years to
engage with local entrepreneurs outside
of the restaurant industry to see what
helps them be successful. As much as
steel sharpens steel, Velcro is worthless
if it's just the plastic hooks or only the
fuzzy sides. Having the opposite of each
other together makes Velcro become
Velcro. Being surrounded by restaurant
people is good, but it keeps your blinders on to our world. Knowing other
entrepreneurs and business owners in
your local community that has nothing
to do with pizza is beneficial as well.
Entrepreneurial guilt and all the
things that you have on your mind
that you don't want to dump on your
staff because it would be inappropriate
means you've got to dump it somewhere. For a lot of people, just dumping
your problems on your spouse may not
be how you want to spend your limited
time with them.
FINDING A NETWORK OF LIKEMINDED ENTREPRENEURS that you
can rely on and that can depend on you,
and having that resource is the key to
not only being a better business person
but also a better person in general. It's
not just networking where you give your
card to some random character at the
Chamber of Commerce. That's not what
I'm referencing. I'm talking about deep,
meaningful relationships with those

in your community that you can trust
as well as they can trust you. I say that
because this life is not an easy path.
One big key to being around other
high-level Type-A personality entrepreneurs is not to be a jerk. Please don't give
your advice as a know it all, instead, give
your experience on what you did wrong
or how you handled something similar.
The other person can gather what they
want from it and be better without being
told what to do by you or vice versa. We
are all accustomed to telling employees
precisely what to do so that we know it
gets done. However, in terms of helping
peers, for a more significant impact, I try
to do the opposite.
PIZZA EXPO IS LIKE SUMMER
CAMP FOR ME; I see my camp friends
face to face, the people I have been
texting and calling all year. I didn't walk
into these relationships day one, they've
been curated over time, but they've
made an indelible mark on me that
allows me to gain clarity and maintain
focus. I highly encourage you to attend
and create relationships with the people
in this industry, and Pizza Expo is a
prime place to start.
To be your own boss means you sign
up for an 80-hour-a-week career to
avoid working a 40 hour a week job.
The other people that get that can and
should be your support system when
everything goes to crap, which inevitably
it will. Talking to others about the scary
financial stuff and failures is cathartic, and only those people not directly
impacted by your hardships are the ones
who can help, maintain perspective, and
not be adversely affected by your venting
like an employee would be. The same
goes for your wins; it's hard to tell a staff
member or friend about how great sales
are without them becoming jealous or
envious.
Having someone to share the wins
and the failures that aren't directly affected by either of them is the key to
successful peer-to-peer relationships in
the modern work landscape. Q
MIKE BAUSCH is the owner of Andolini's
Pizzeria in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - March 2020

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