Small Business, Big Mindset

Double-Digit Growth Despite Catastrophic Events

March 02, 2021 Muscle Creative Season 2 Episode 50
Small Business, Big Mindset
Double-Digit Growth Despite Catastrophic Events
Show Notes Transcript

Where do I start with this one? Andrew Rincon is owner of CraigO's in Lakeway, currently one of the four independently owned locations in the Austin area. I was told of his heart and solid character and that we had to have him on the show! Our discussion reiterated what others had told me - heart of gold, this one. We discussed so much that is so valuable for fellow business owners to hear - Andrew is incredibly transparent.

Not sure if you've seen the news (or experienced it first-hand), but Texas was hit with historic snowfall, ice, and sub-zero temperatures in mid February. For a state that essentially never sees such weather, most were ill-prepared. Hundreds of thousands were without power, others were without water - some were without both…for DAYS. We discuss how Andrew, his team, and friends stepped up to serve the community during this time.

Discussion Highlights: 

The Start

  • Started in the restaurant business in 2006 at CraigO's
  • Made the move to owning an insurance agency
  • School, west Texas
  • The restaurant business kept calling!

 The Shift

  • He answered the call!
  • Bought the CraigO's Lakeway location in 2018
  • Over three years grew the business exponentially (we're talking consistent double-digit growth year over year)
  • Successfully navigated a global pandemic and a snowstorm that shut down the city

The Strategy

  • Implemented out-of-the-box ideas to thrive in the face of COVID-19 restrictions
  • Shifted a business model mid-pandemic
  • Discovered the foundation required to thrive in the midst of catastrophic challenges
  • Adopted new tools such as Popmenu

The Action

  • Steps to streamline a franchise for increased efficiency and productivity
  • Implemented best operational practices for a growing brand and business
  • The tweak to their marketing strategy that changed everything
  • The power of the email list 

The Mindset

  • Really unplug when not at work. And take off your Apple Watch!
  • Take time to recharge
  • Cook for loved ones
  • Meet-up with local business owners

The Wrap-Up

If you could listen to one music artist for the rest of your life, who would it be? Turnpike Troubadours

Where can people find you online?

Erin Geiger:

Welcome to the Small Business big mindset Podcast, where we dive into tactical strategies to grow your business. And to make an impact on this world. A huge part of success is keeping your mindset and vision on track. So this is a major part of our process. And this podcast. Let's do this. Hey, Erin here. Welcome to the Small Business big mindset podcast this week, we have Andrew Rincon, owner of Craig owes and lakeway, Texas. Andrew, thank you so much for being on the show.

Unknown:

Thank you all for having me. Thank you.

Erin Geiger:

So super excited. So Well, before we dive in, cuz I do want to learn about your background and how you got started and how you kind of came full circle back to Craig is before we dive into that, for those of you I don't think anybody doesn't know because Texas was in the headlines, national headlines last week, with the crazy amount of snow and multiple winter storms that hit throughout Texas. And you know, we're in Austin, so we can speak to Central Texas, Austin area. Many people were out of power for days, and we had sub zero temperatures, many people were out of water roads were impassable. So people couldn't go anywhere to get heat. And so the community really rallied and came together. And Andrew, you were a part of that community. So I would love for you to kind of speak on how last week impacted you guys personally, but then also, what you and Craig those were able to do to help out.

Unknown:

Yeah, absolutely love to share. So you know, we have to say we really started out this year, looking good and felt like we were getting some momentum coming off of you know, last year with COVID and everything. But so it was a big bummer to have to close down because of the snow and the storms. Not only because we we could use the revenue but but you know, we've been steadily hiring more folks and and they all wanted to work, you know, and so having it shut down and take some hours away from them was not ideal. And so I guess we were closed total. We closed Saturday night. We're closed all day, Sunday, all day Monday. But we did reopen on Tuesday will not reopen, we actually I just went up to the restaurant to check on some things make sure we had power, no pipes have busted and and, you know, a couple a couple of friends and neighbors met me up there to restock their frigerators with some of the goods that we had in our walk in cooler and and so we made some you know, we made some food for them that night and and ended up making some food for the community in the following night and, and also on Thursday. And then we were able to reopen Friday. So really, we were kind of only closed, you know, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. So I guess five days. We got back open Friday, and it's just been crazy busy ever since so. So you know, obviously negatively impacted us a little bit just by having a closed down. Thankfully, we didn't have a whole lot of food go to waste, because we were able to donate a lot of that to people in need, which made us feel good, you know, but not having to throw it away. But of course, anytime you have to close a small business, it's it's definitely a bummer.

Erin Geiger:

And you were able to you were able to feed what over 100 essential workers at the nearby hospital, right?

Unknown:

Yes, yeah. So. So you know, when I went up there Tuesday night just to check on things and noticed how much how much merchandise we still had sitting in our walk in, you know, was just going to go bad. I thought, well, we got to find something to do with this. And so we reached out to the local hospital, Baylor Scott and white here in like way and asked if they needed anything. And we initially were just thinking, Hey, we had heard that they were having some food shortages, you know, they needed just raw ingredients to help feed their patients and their staff. And so we were offering just to give them you know, what we had, if it helped, but they came back around and said, Hey, you know, we've got our, we've got our patients taken care of, but we'd really like to be able to feed our hospital staff that's having to spend the night here because of the storms. So we did over 120 meals that night, mainly for nurses and, and hospital workers. And it was a huge success. We got people to volunteer, you know, to come pick up the food in their four by four vehicles and drop it off for us. And I was the only technically employee that was there. Doing the cooking everybody else was a volunteer which was really, really nice to see and, and refreshing.

Erin Geiger:

I didn't realize that that's really that's amazing. And the fact that you could even get to your restaurant and of itself is amazing. Cuz really, as you were saying, like nobody was getting around those roads unless you had four wheel drive. So I'm so glad it was, it was so heartwarming to see everybody kind of come together in so many different ways to either pick stranded people up off the road or get food to people that needed it. It was, it was pretty amazing. So thank you for doing that. And for getting those volunteers together to help out in any way that you could really, really appreciate it. Of course. Okay, so let's kind of back up. And if you wouldn't mind, tell us a little bit about yourself and your, your background and how you got started and how now you're kind of full circle owning Craig goes in like way?

Unknown:

Sure, yeah. So. So I got my start actually, in the restaurant business, it would have been fall of 2006. I think I would have been freshmen or sophomore at UT that year, and I was just looking for the lowest responsibility job I could find, make some quick cash. And so a couple of my friends actually, were working at the original Craigslist, which is located down in South Austin. And they said, Hey, come get a job. So I went and applied to be a delivery driver. And that got hired, obviously. And I spent probably about a month delivery, driving, that's about it. And then the manager at that time, the one who hired me, he ended up leaving. And so they made me a manager after about a month, which was super, super, super, super out of left field for me. You know, having no experience in the restaurant business and kind of, you know, truthfully, I was a real shy person at that time. And so, you know, you definitely need to be a little bit outgoing to survive in this industry, or at least like people, and at that time, I wasn't really sure if that was me. I've changed since then. I've definitely changed since then. But But yeah, so I got my start, you know, late 2006. While I was going to UT, to get my undergraduate degree ended up graduating from UT in 2009. Still, while working at Craigslist, full time, I moved around a little bit during that time, to different craigers locations. At that time, when I got started, we only had two locations. And then we grew to five locations pretty quickly. And so I kind of moved around and, and helped all the stores. And I stayed on for a couple years after I got my undergraduate degree. And then and then ended up leaving to follow my girlfriend at the time, who's now my wife, who actually we met working at the original craigers. And, and yeah, so we moved to West Texas for a little while for her to get her master's degree. I ended up going back to school as well to get an MBA. And so we moved around West Texas for a few years. And then eventually we moved back. And when we moved back, we moved to lakeway because that's where her parents lived. And at that time, I was kind of thinking I was done with the restaurant business. And so I got into the insurance business, first owning my own insurance agency, and then men actually ended up going to work for a big bank, I went to work for frost bank, and their insurance department and loved all of that. I mean, I love the entire experience in the insurance world. But there's always this like, Hey, you know, the restaurant business is calling and, and, you know, it was always in the back of my mind. And so eventually, like Late Middle of 2017 Craig, who owned the location in Lightwave, the creditors and lakeway said he was serious about selling it. And I said, All right, we'll give me a serious number. And we were able to come to an agreement. And we ended up taking over the restaurant January 1 of 2018. So we're going on three years and almost a couple months now. And and it's been truly, truly an amazing three years. And yeah, we wouldn't we wouldn't change your credit.

Erin Geiger:

Yeah, so it's, uh, you know, when you said like, when you bought it, and then it's been three years, and it's been such a roller coaster ride for three years, I'm assuming, like, how,

Unknown:

how did Oh, yeah.

Erin Geiger:

How did COVID-19 fall into that? Like, how did that impact your I mean, you're like, you bought it in 2018 you're gaining momentum, you're growing, you're getting your feet, like, let's get it let's do this thing and then bam, pandemic. So how did that impact you guys?

Unknown:

Sure, sir. So, so yeah. Going into last year 2020. You know, we were coming off of two really good years. 2018 the first year we owned it. We had substantial growth. I mean, pretty, pretty fast growth. And I mean, we're talking like 30 Mid 30% growth over the year prior, so we jumped really quickly. And then 2019, we were seeing similar numbers not quite that good, but it was mid 20s. And then, and then going into 2020, we started off with a bang. I mean, we were really seeing still significant sustained growth. And then, yeah, and then COVID hit, you know, and I remember thinking, you know, late January, February, I'm like, this isn't gonna be anything important. You know, we'll watch it closely, but it's not gonna affect us. And, you know, a lot of a lot of our friends and a lot of folks in our network, were saying, like, Hey, you guys are gonna do well, because you already do a significant amount of takeout and delivery, which is true, you know, going into COVID, we were about 65% takeout and delivery. 35% diamond, so. So we were hopeful with with all that, that we would be okay. We're actually hopeful that nothing would really come of it. But of course, in March the shutdown started and, yeah, it, it was, it was like a knife in the heart. I mean, it took took the window out of our sails, we saw some of the slowest days and weeks that we had had in a long time. And we, truthfully, I mean, it kind of just stopped us, and it stopped me in my tracks, I didn't really know what to do. And, and then we just started hitting the ground running. I mean, we started, you know, thinking a lot out of the box, started to reach out to people in our network to see not only how could we help them, but if there's anything that they could do to help us and, you know, we've really developed a lot of really strong, mutually beneficial relationships, during those first few months of COVID relationships that we're still, you know, seeing the fruit from today, which is awesome. And all in all, you know, after those first few slow weeks, we've started to take off. So, so we really started to double down on advertising, especially because we're seeing some folks pull back. And so there were some opportunities to get advertisement, and get advertising and marketing, cheaper than what we had seen in the past. So we started putting some more money towards that, and just really highlighting our ticket and delivery services. I mean, that's all we were pushing, especially when we couldn't let people in the dining room, you know, so that's, that's what we had to push. And, and then we started to see some growth again, you know, and, and we've been lucky, we're one of the, one of the, you know, few businesses that, especially in our industry that has been able to grow throughout COVID. And we think a lot of that does, obviously have to do with luck, it has to do with the way that our business was kind of set up prior to COVID. Starting. But also we think a lot of it has to do with the community support that we've gotten. So, so yeah, all at all. I mean, 2020 was a was an up here for us over the prior year, we hit some big milestones in 2020. It's just the business looks nothing like it did in 2019. You know, like I said, earlier, we were doing about 65%, takeout and delivery. Now we're 95% takeout and delivery, which, which will take you know, I mean, we're happy to have the revenue any way we can get it. But at the same time, it's you know, it's never fun to have all that square footage inside the restaurant that you're paying rent on that you're not using, you know, but we've learned a lot. I mean, we've learned we've learned to focus, because of COVID. We've learned to, like I said to, to develop strong relationships in the community, and to try to make those relationships mutually beneficial. But also, we learned, you know, if we ever grow more stores, which, which is our plan, I think we'll talk about that a little bit later. If we ever do grow more stores will will do smaller, smaller footprint, because, you know, we've been able to do the same sales, if not more, without customers ever stepping foot in the restaurant, which is pretty exciting, huh?

Erin Geiger:

Yeah, it's interesting. Every time I talk to a business owner on this podcast, and we, you know, we talk about their experience with COVID. It's, it's really interesting to hear how businesses have shifted and how it's like, well, it's forever changed our business and we will never go back to operating exactly how we did. And there's, you know, they've discovered parts of their business that are now for the better, you know, like, we wouldn't have discovered this, how did this not happen and we're gonna keep going, you know, with this with this process. So it's interesting on how for you guys in particular, the delivery takeout portion has far outgrown, you know, in person and yeah, and how maybe you have a lighter footprint, moving Moving forward, I mean, who's to say I feel like 2021? is a transitional year? At best? You know, and then we'll see what's gonna happen. But how was it like? Take because there are some people who are listening to this who might be thinking, Okay, I want to get I want to, you know, own a franchise? So how, how was that process of like taking over a business and inheriting some process and processes and making some of your own changes? Can you talk a little bit about them?

Unknown:

Sure, absolutely. So, you know, it's a little bit different for me, because the traditional, you know, way of purchasing your franchises, you know, somebody sees a business, you know, business in a box, or whatever, and they're interested in becoming an owner, and they may or may not have any experience in that industry to start out with, of course, I had a ton of experience going into it. So I knew the business really well. I had, you know, operated, you know, a business, you know, well, pretty much this exact business for years and years, successfully part of taking over. So, so we had that going into it, right, which made the decision a little bit easier for me, and I think made it a little bit easier for my wife to stomach. So, but when it comes when it came to the franchise side of it, you know, yeah, like you said, We are a franchise, and we've got four locations around town, we only own one of them. The other three are all independently owned, as well, one of those being owned by the original founder, Craig, down in South Austin. And, and so yeah, so the way that our franchise agreement kind of works is, you know, obviously, we've got recipes, we've got brand guidelines, you know, we've got logos and things like that, that all came with the franchise when we took over. And most of that stuff had been tried and true. And so we didn't really have to change any of it. Really, I told a lot of people that when we took over, you know, we kept getting these comments the first year, you know, when we were seeing that astronomical growth, and, and people kept saying, Man, that food is just so much better, you guys must have changed the recipe. And, you know, all year long, I just kept telling people, we didn't change the recipe, we just follow the recipe down. You know, that was the big difference is, you know, supervision, accountability, and leadership that got us back to what we knew, always worked. And so. So, you know, we did change some processes. We did. We did focus a lot more on checklists, I mean, I don't know, any restaurants or any businesses that operate successfully without some sort of checklist. So we got back to that. And then we actually streamline some things. So we got rid of, probably, I would say, 10% of the items on the menu, just to just to take some of that work off of the kitchen staff and make sure that they're able to produce high quality of food instead of trying to just run around like crazy with such a big menu. So we did that. And, you know, really, besides that, you know, even though we're a franchise, we're still you know, a growing brand and a growing business. And so a lot of things that traditionally you would get when you purchase a franchise weren't really in place yet. And so we had to establish a lot of those things, like, training manuals. You know, even like policies and procedures, hiring manuals, all those things weren't in place when we took over. And so my management team and I have been developing those over the past three years, and we're still developing them to this to this day, because, you know, obviously, they will work three years ago is very different than what's working now. So we've had to adjust and change things as we've gone. But But, so, so yeah, I mean, that's kind of how we got into where we are. And then when it comes to, you know, the other big thing that has impacted our businesses, is our marketing. Our marketing strategy is very different than the other three craigers locations that are in operation, mainly because we actually have a marketing plan. And, and hopefully, that doesn't get me in trouble. Too much credit, but, but he knows it's the truth. Yeah. Yeah. So. So, you know, we've, we've known that, you know, there, you've got to spend money to make money. And, you know, there's, there's, you know, in the first couple years, we tried so many different marketing strategies. And so, you know, and worked with so many different vendors, and probably threw some money down the drain. But what it did for us was really allow us to kind of, you know, run some case studies and get some data to see what's the best bang for our buck, you know, where can we get that return on investment and now we We've narrowed it down to, you know, we really only do like two or three things now. And that's where the majority of our of our ad budget goes to. And, you know, and we've still been able to sustain that double digit growth month over month.

Erin Geiger:

Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that. So like, what? Has your marketing plan changed from day one to now? And if so, how? And then what are what are the those elements that are really kind of helping you get more people in the door and expand your platform?

Unknown:

Sure. So you know, every industry is different, every, every business is different. And then the beginning, when I first got, you know, when I first took over the restaurant, as an owner, everybody seemed at that time, and I think it even continues today to be focused on hyper targeted marketing, you know, super local, you know, small reach marketing strategies. And, and it made sense to me, you know, I mean, every sales, sales pitch I sat across from, I mean, they had the hook, line, and sinker. And so we did a lot of that, and what I mean, by hyper targeted, it was, you know, you know, pretty, pretty big investment or, but for a small audience, and, you know, and that could have been based around a specific zip code, or, you know, a income bracket or something like that. But we were sitting, you know, we were getting very few eyeballs on our message, and it didn't work, it didn't work. And, you know, I mean, we did get some return, but what we've come to realize now is that we, you know, for the type of business that we're in, you know, where I think that, you know, everybody loves pizza, and, you know, it's, it's better to just get the message to as many people as possible. And, and so that's what we've done, we've transitioned our marketing dollars to campaigns that get us in front of as many people as we can, still within a, you know, a geographical area, or, you know, a certain income level. But we want more more eyes, on the marketing message. So, so we learned that also learned how to learn that, you know, trying to get in the backend of Facebook, and you create Facebook ads, is not what a business owner should be doing. Unless that's your business, you know? Yeah. It's just, it's so complicated. And, you know, I think Facebook does that intentionally, probably, I don't know, but, but it just is, it, it's, it's one of those things where you leave it to the pros, you know, it's just so easy to go on there, click a couple buttons and attach your credit card or a PayPal account to an advertising account on Facebook, and then just watch your dollars, get on the train. And in Facebook makes it really easy for business owners to hear, you know, every time you log into your Facebook business page, it's like boost this post, or here's a template of an ad, or just click this button, and it'll go out to all these people, you know, here's your potential reach. But yeah, it just didn't work for us. It didn't work for us in the beginning. We do some Facebook ads now. But we've come a long way to learn what what works when it comes to those ads. So there's that, and trying to think what else we focused a lot on in the beginning. Oh, you know, when I grew up in the business, we were all we there was this, you know, I think it used to be a buzzword back in the day or a buzz phrase. But it was it was for walls marketing. And that's what I was trained on, when I started working in the restaurant industry. And it was, you know, it was pretty much a way for business owners to I think, what's the right word to, to give evidence that they don't need, you know, or to, to give an example of why they don't need to spend money to advertise. And what I mean by that is, you know, I was trained, like, Hey, we don't have a marketing budget. So when it comes to marketing or advertising, you got to focus on what's in your, what's within your four walls, you know, and so that was good product, you know, clean restaurant, good service, you know, that kind of thing. And we did that for a long time. And I think, you know, that only goes so far. But if all you're doing is as a spreading the same message to the same people that keep coming in and out of your restaurant, you know, over the months in the years, then you're not bringing in anybody new you know, and eventually those people move away or they die or who knows, you know, more they have a bad experience and they never come back. And so and so we learned Hey, the the real goal here is to make sure we take care of those folks that are that are coming into the shop, but bring more people in that way we can take care of them as well and continue to grow so so yeah, we you know, when we took over we had no marketing budget. And now you know, we're nowhere near what industry norms are for a restaurant. of our volume. In terms of what our ad spend is, but we're still getting results, because now we know where we're getting the most bang for our buck. So. So that's, that's also a little bit of a change from when we got started.

Erin Geiger:

Well, it's great to hear that you guys are experimenting. So I think that's all that's what it's all about, you know, it's like you just you do I mean, is you're saying, it's like, oh, we're watching, watching our dollars go down the drain, but then in the same sense, you're learning, you know, you know, you're just like, okay, that's

Unknown:

exactly, yeah.

Erin Geiger:

Yeah. And so do you, how important is email to your business? So I understand, you know, you're using ads? Oh, yes, get people in. But then how do you how do you leverage email, like for retaining, you know, your audience as well?

Unknown:

Sure. So. So, you know, within the that first year or so, we were, you know, we were kind of learning what to spend money on what worked, what didn't work. But we also didn't really have a budget, I mean, we were a business that was kind of barely staying afloat. And so we didn't really have a whole lot of money to put towards marketing. But what we knew is that a strong list of customer lists was going to be hugely important to our continued success. And so what we did back in 2018, when we first took over is at that time we were doing about 15% of our business was done online, in terms of like an online ordering platform. And we had a pretty robust online ordering platform back then. And the one that we have now is way better. But even the one back then did just fine. And, and so what we did back then is we really hit it hard to market, or to drive customers to order online. We do that in a couple of ways. We did, like little throwaway flyers that we put in every bag are on top of every pizza box. For every order that went out, reminding folks like, hey, it's easy to order online, it's convenient. And then we also changed our voicemail message on the phone system. That way, when customers do call, the first thing it says is, thank you for calling crago. Don't forget, you can quickly and easily order online, trying to get them to go to the website instead of standing there on the phone. And the reason why we wanted to do that is because every time somebody orders online with our business, and with any restaurant, you know, this is why there's so much you know, you've seen the valuations and things like doordash and grubhub and UberEATS. wall up is because they capture all the customer information. And so same thing with us, when a customer orders online with our platform, we get everything we get all their information, we know the name, we know their address, we know their email address, we know their phone number. And in most cases, we know what they're ordering, you know, and so that's just a wealth of information that's so invaluable to any small business, or any big business as well. So we started pushing that really heavily in 2018. By the end of 2018, we're doing about 50% of our takeout and delivery business with online ordering. So it jumped pretty quick. And it continues to rise. I mean, I think we're close to like the 70% of orders are now placed online. When it comes to takeout or delivery, and every one of those orders, we capture somebody's info. So with that being said, we've been able to transition all that information into hyper targeted, you know, this is back to what I was saying we're trying to avoid earlier. But once you have that customers info and you know, they know your product, then the hyper targeted messaging really becomes useful. So we take everybody's emails, and we're able to segment them into, you know, do they like pizza? Or do they like pasta? Are they a takeout customer? Are they a delivery customer? Do they order during the day? Or are they ordering at night, and then we could really focus on specific messaging to those customers just to know that we were not spamming them, but we're also we're putting a message that has some value in front of them. That way they continue to read and stay engaged. So yeah, so we you know, we don't have a huge list. But I think it's a pretty big list for for a small business. And we've obviously filtered names and emails addresses out over the years. But you know, we're up to like 6000 email addresses that we hit multiple times a week. So we'll send out multiple messages to those emails, depending on the specials we have going on, or, you know, the time time of the week or day of the week, so and we get a huge, you know, we get a huge return on that. I mean, it can make it it can make a difference. You know, as much as 10 or 15% jump over the prior week, you know, when we send out a message, you know, like on a Wednesday versus not sending it out the week prior. So yeah, email, oh my gosh, I can't say that anytime I talk to any new small business, especially in our community. I asked them what is your list look like? And they're like, What are you talking about? You know, and I'm like, Well, how do you capture people's information? You know, and I know it's easier in our business because of the online ordering to capture it. But But yeah, I'm always telling folks like you've got to figure a way out. You got to offer something in exchange for an email address or get a phone number and text You know, send them text messages, but but yes, the value, it's it's all in the list. And, you know, I tell people this all the time, too, we don't, you know, we don't do business with a return group over here then for our own reasons, but you know, it but, but they always positioned themselves as a great partner, you know, and I think that there is some value in what they do for restaurants that aren't as good at takeout and delivery, as our concept is. But But you know, they, they market themselves as a restaurant partner. But if you turn it turn around to doordash, and you ask them for your customer list, they won't give it to you, you know, they will never give it to you, because they understand that that's how they hold you captive, right? They've got the customer list. And if they give it to you, then then they don't have anything they have no value to offer, you know, for that, for that fee that they charge.

Erin Geiger:

Yeah, I've heard from more than one restaurant owner that it's not not really a true partnership. Oh, no, sir.

Unknown:

Not at all. No, we have. We have nightmare store. We've never partnered with those companies. And I don't mean to bad mouth them or, like I said, they have value in some scenarios. But But, you know, they, what they've done to us, and I fear they don't with a lot of small businesses, which is a little bit shady, is they kind of just they copied your online menu. And they've done this to us, and they create, like a profile on their websites that make it look like they're partners with us. And yeah, and it's super shady, and then customers call, you know, call up wanting to order through them. And it's just Yeah, all it does is is you know, it's it creates confusion. It leaves customers unhappy, because, because there's nothing we can do you know if something goes wrong, right, because they're not our customer, their jobs, their grub hubs customer, you know, or greed, so

Erin Geiger:

you have nothing to do with it

Unknown:

anyways.

Erin Geiger:

Well, I have to say everything that you were saying about email list and marketing, I was like smiling ear to ear and I was like, Yes, Andrew, thank you. There's so many, as you say, there's so many small business owners that completely overlook leveraging an email list, and they completely overlook capturing all that valuable information. And like, as you said, not to spam but to give that audience a better experience that's curated, you know, toward what they're needing. And so many spend so much time on social media or, you know, don't know really know how to leverage that. And those aren't your you don't own those followers, you know, you don't own that platform, right. And so, an algorithm changes or, you know, shuts down completely. And you're done. So, an email is so valuable. So everything that you were saying, I was like, yeah, preach, it

Unknown:

was taken a long time to learn that. Yeah, like I said, a lot of a lot of trial and error. But But yeah, once you get it once you realize it. And that's why it's the first thing I push when when I'm meeting any new business owners because rather than what they learned earlier than later, because, you know, it really took us It really has been the past eight months or so, to where we really gotten heavy into the email marketing. And, and we've seen, huge, huge impact because of it.

Erin Geiger:

Yeah, I kind of liken it to like, if you're talking to someone in your audience on social media, it's like a big party. But when you're talking to someone through an email, it's like you're grabbing a cup of coffee with them. It's so much more of a connection. You know, it's more of an intimate relationship that you're nurturing. They're so it's so so huge. So you have shared so many great processes and learnings and everything. But I'm wondering, is there anything else you want to share? Like for someone just starting out or going out on their own that maybe you've learned, you're like, Okay, that's a lesson there. Or just something that you guys have implemented, you've already shared a ton. So if you're like, I shared everything. That's cool, but I just wanted to throw it out there.

Unknown:

You know, I mean, I think that covers most everything. You know, I would say, I would say one of the things I guess, this ties into everything, but, you know, don't be afraid to spend money on your business. Don't be afraid to reinvest. Yeah, one of the things that we also did very early on is we, we hired, you know, experts, you know, and accounting we hired, you know, you know, all the right people that we needed to, you know, as to be partners with us, just to help us that way. Week, you know, I say we but really at the time, it was just me so I could focus on the business itself and, and not have to worry about the rest. And, and it's been it's been great. I mean, it's been great having, you know, those kind of advisors to, you know, to ask a question, I mean, at all hours of the day, just you know, shooting them a text or an email and get a response. So yeah, don't be afraid. To pay people when you need to, that way you can focus on your business, you know, day to day.

Erin Geiger:

Now, that's huge. I think that's a big problem with small business owners as well at their heart. It's it's hard to ask for help, you know, and so, but it's you can't really scale a business if you're not going to do that. So that's pretty huge. I understand. So I always ask this question of everybody. So I'm always curious, because being an entrepreneur running a business having a family, you guys have a newborn? I understand. Congratulations. on that. in the trenches,

Unknown:

two weeks old, yeah. She just turned two weeks on Tuesday. So yeah, that's the past couple weeks. Yeah,

Erin Geiger:

I bet and then you throw it snow storm into it to just let's do that. Yeah. So you know, you have a lot going on. So how do you keep energize? How do you you've heard the term fill your cup, like what kind of routines Do you it doesn't have to be daily, but just kind of consistently, kind of help your business and personal success kind of keep you going.

Unknown:

So this is a good one, I think. But you know, there's that silence, silent mode on your phone, yeah. I use that nonstop. It's just so it's just so it's so easy to always be waiting for that phone call, or that email, or that, you know, text message from somebody, you know, from one of the staff members, or managers or even a customer, like, Hey, you know, something's going wrong, or some, you know, whatever. And, and so, really, it's what I'm learning, especially now having a newborn at home, and my wife, you know, at home on maternity leave is that, when you have time outside of your business, that time needs to be sacred, and the easiest way for me to do it, and to de stress a little, it's just a turn my phone on silent, take my Apple Watch off, that way, I don't feel it vibrate, and just recharge, you know. So, I've definitely been doing a lot of that lately. Also, you know, I mean, for me, what i what i, this is kind of not really getting away from work, but I love to cook. And so whatever, those two or three hobbies that you have, are, make time for it. I can work, you know, a double shift at the restaurant, you know, in the back, sweating my butt off making pizzas and come home and, and still get, you know, energized by being in the kitchen and making a meal for my family. So I do a lot of that. No, I mean, that's, that's kind of, maybe we don't really have much time for much. Yeah, and not only that, but with COVID. You know, there's not a whole lot that you can do anymore. But you know, every now and then it's nice to grab a grab a cold beer with, with some fellow business owners from the neighborhood and, and to, to vent a little bit to them, because they're going through the same thing. And so they do that quite frequently. I've got I've got a bunch of business owner buddies in the light gray area. And so we're all going through the same thing. And it's good to, it's good to hear it from them as well. So that helps as well.

Erin Geiger:

Yeah, that's huge to have that support system, you know, and they can bounce things off of them and really grow your business that way really, really quickly just like to have those sounding boards as well. So that's so important. I'm glad to hear that you have that. So as we as you look forward, what are your What are your goals, like what's the vision for Kreygasm board.

Unknown:

So so you know, as a brand as a concept, we are looking to grow this year. And so, you know, the our founder, Craig, he definitely wants to get a couple more locations opened, and we're looking to play a role in getting that done. So there's that kind of more closer to home. So here here at our restaurant. Right now we currently you know, we operate the brick and mortar restaurant, and then we support a food trailer as well. That's located out at a distillery in spicewood, Texas, so about 30 minutes from the restaurant. So we operate that trailer. And then in December of last year, this past year, we actually purchased another food truck like a big, you know, drivable food truck. And so we're going to get that up and running hopefully in the next few weeks. So really, you know, our big picture for the next year too, is we've got so much space at the restaurant that we're not utilizing. So we kind of want to turn ourselves into commissary kitchen, you know. So, you know, we could see ourselves having a couple food trailers, a couple of food trucks that are mobile, and, you know, on the weekends, those trucks and trailers pull up. We load them with a bunch of ingredients, you know, for the weekend, and then they just go out, you know, wherever they're headed to a brewery distillery apartment complex. business, you know, wherever. And, and that's kind of part of our bigger gross growth strategy for this year. And, you know, and just trying to find the right people to join our team. So we've been really lucky. When I started out we were the day we took over the restaurant, we had 16 employees, one 660. And then Today we are at 35. Yeah, so we've we've grown, I mean, we've more than doubled, you know, our staff. We've got an awesome managing partner, slash General Manager. She's been our general manager since almost day one since I bought the restaurant. And her name is Jackie, and she grew up actually working at the original Craig was with me and my wife back in the day. And so yeah, she's been with us for over three years, and this past year, or this year, we've decided to bring her on as a partner. And so she's getting a little bit of equity. And we're looking to find more people like that, that want to be with the team long term. And that can kind of see the, the, you know, trajectory that we're growing in, and hopefully get on board and grow with us.

Erin Geiger:

I love the vision that you have of kind of bringing it to the people to you know, yeah, through all the food trucks and everything. It's such a great idea. And it sounds like your team is kind of like a family. Like you said you want them around long term. You don't want a revolving door of people.

Unknown:

Absolutely, yeah, most of our back of the house staff had been with us since almost day one, if not, they have worked with us, you know, in some capacity, and maybe we're gone for a little while, but they've come back. And so it's very unusual for us to hire somebody in the back of the house that is completely unfamiliar with our concept. So yeah, we've it's just been such a huge advantage to have folks that know the menu, you know, know our our standards and our, you know, eye for quality, and just to keep them on board. And that's been tough to do, especially being way out and lightweight, because a lot of our guys drive in from East Austin, Southwest, often in southeast Austin. Some of them are driving over an hour to get to our restaurant each day. But But, you know, I mean, I think they're, you know, we try to compensate them while and give them a good fun work environment. And I think having a family atmosphere goes a long way. You know, I think I think, you know, lack of pay isn't necessarily like the biggest de motivator. You know, I think that sometimes there's other things that mean more to folks than just making more proud, right?

Erin Geiger:

Yeah, no, that's for sure. They feel invested in like they're a part of it, you know, they're a part of growing it as well. Where can people find you online?

Unknown:

So we've got, we've got a Facebook page. So there's four, you know, one for each of our locations in Austin. Ours is, you know, Craig goes like way they can just search triggers like way, we've also got an Instagram, which is Craig's Italian at Craig's Italian. They could find me on on Instagram. I don't really know what my handle is actually, I think it's Andrew Joseph redcon. So you have to find us on the air or, you know, you can shoot us an email info at Craig goes liquid calm.

Erin Geiger:

Okay, cool. And then your website's was just craigslist.com.

Unknown:

So are we actually our main website is Craig's italian.com. Okay.

Erin Geiger:

Gotcha. And then from there, I was on it just a little bit ago. And And then from there, you can select the different locations they can find like way.

Unknown:

Yeah. And I forgot in my notes, in my notes, I was going to mention that that's one of the recent additions that we've changed as a website. And it's been a tremendous tool. So we'll have to catch up on that another time, I guess.

Erin Geiger:

Yeah. I mean, if you want to touch on it quickly, you can. That's cool.

Unknown:

Yeah, so this past year, you know, we've, we've kind of integrated all of our locations website into one, which I think Google really likes, you know, to drive as much traffic to one page instead of driving traffic to four different pages. And so I think that's helped us in terms of visibility. But we started working with this company called pop menu, which I believe is an Austin based company. And they do website building, specifically, you know, mainly restaurants is their target market. But what's really cool about pop menu is, is they've got the email marketing and text message marketing and social media marketing platform all on the back end. So, it's so easy just to go in there. You know, upload your email list or text message list and then just blast out a message that can be filtered by location. You know, since we have four locations, we can send specific messages per location or we can write those lists down into, you know, tags and send specific messages to each of those tags. So yeah, it's been, you know, it's pricey. I mean, it wasn't cheap to get a new, it's never cheap to get a new website unless you build it yourself. But yeah. But it's been, it's been a pretty awesome tool to utilize, and, and to really start to, you know, plan a marketing, you know, to have a marketing plan for a week or a month or, you know, a quarter, because then it allows you to schedule it, etc. And so we've made a lot of use of that over the past year, it's really only been about a year since we switched, and it was kind of perfect timing right when COVID hit. And we really started getting heavy into email marketing with all of our locations. So we definitely we definitely like it. Of course, you know, no platform is perfect. And so we have some, you know, little gripes here and there about it. But for the most part, it does that it does what we expect it to do. And this definitely helped us increase our revenue.

Erin Geiger:

That's awesome. Thanks for mentioning that I love to mention different apps or tools or, you know, websites or services that have helped, you know, because it can be about to another entrepreneur that's listening, so I'll include a link to them. And I think you're right, I did a quick Google search in there. They look like they are Austin based. So yay for supporting Austin. So I mentioned earlier that my husband's a musician, we love music over here. So we asked everybody at the end of every podcast. What if you could only listen to one music artists for the rest of your life? Who would they be?

Unknown:

Whoo. That's a tough one. Well, I'll say this because I don't think they're playing together anymore. But there's a band out of Oklahoma called Turnpike troubadours and I wasn't really much of a country fan until I met my wife. But they're great folksy music, Turnpike troubadours. Yeah, and they usually play Austin every year, but they haven't they haven't played the past few years because of, well, the band broke up because of some reasons. And then obviously COVID and stuff Shabbos shows down.

Erin Geiger:

Awesome. Okay, cool. And I always like to hopefully they saw a website up, I like to include a link. People can check them out. We're gonna be I think I'll do it for the one year anniversary of our podcast, we're gonna create a playlist with everybody, everybody's choices that they've set over the past year. So kind of cool during that. So we just a fun question. We like to ask, so I appreciate your time. We had so much fun. Thank you for coming on the show.

Unknown:

My pleasure. I'm glad I'm glad you reached out. I'm glad we were able to make it happen. Especially so quick.

Erin Geiger:

Yeah, no, it's great. Well, cool. Thanks for tuning in to the Small Business big mindset podcast. To keep the fun going. Check out our Facebook group start and scale an online business For even more free trainings and resources from fellow entrepreneurs. If you haven't already, head on over to Muscle creative.com and click subscribe to join our email list for weekly updates. And if you've enjoyed this podcast episode, check us out on your favorite podcast platform to follow us and give us a review. As always be authentic. bring an insane amount of value and keep crushing it