Power Up Narrative

I’ve always been a tactile learner and learn best by doing. Growing up I had a chance to
see my grandfather, a butcher by trade, run his business and this had a profound impact on me
in that it gave me a desire to engage in a line of work that was both physical and independent.

After university and working in various corporate jobs, I decided to open a service
business in hospitality. The best fit for me after researching options was to open up a café.
Being a small business owner was unlike anything I had ever imagined. I was responsible for
all facets of the operation, from administrative to customer service and marketing, to
preparation of menu items, with ordering and inventory tasks as well. A tall order to be sure,
gaining mastery of the myriad functions took a number of years.

Luckily, I had a supportive family and relished the challenge. Using any and all
opportunities to learn, I sought knowledge acquisition from both direct questions and
observations of partners on a direct face-to-face basis (a partner could be suppliers and vendors,
peers, employees, etc.) to travelling to trade events and conferences and perusal of online media
such as podcasts and videos.

The start-up phase eventually morphed into an established business, with my knowledge
growing to the point wherein I felt comfortable and the business was stable. The greatest
lessons I learnt were two-fold: I learnt that with my business knowledge, collaboration with
others was at the centre of gaining new know-how and that this was of a collaborative nature
and lay at the heart of the learning. Put another way, learning does not happen without the
insights and knowledge of others.

Of course it helps to have a supportive family. Thus the second lesson I learnt from my
business experience was the absolute necessity of family support. It is one's family that will
enable the concerted effort required as one learns how to run the business.

The lessons of family support and collaborative learning applies to all businesses. In the
main, however, I would surmise that a hands-on type of vocational service business, such as a
hospitality retail café or butcher store, have a more acute need for these two key success factors,
as the physical demands are great as are the operational elements as the owner and entrepreneur
pursues success and becomes established. I can say that I benefited from both elements for
many years.