Steve,
I just finished all the legal stuff with the health department and such and now I’m in a pickle.
Now that I’m ready to start selling, I was gonna do some weekend gigs, events here and there and maybe hit the bar scene.
Well I’m friends with the county commissioner and he went asked the local court house (small town) if I could set up. So I get a call one afternoon from the court administrator saying they would love for me to set up, it would be great for the town and all that great stuff, and better yet, not charge me. So a free spot.
The issue is, I have a full time job and don’t want to start slinging full time until I know that spot is going to provide. I think it will but can’t be sure until I try it. I can’t necessarily ask off to run my business when they are also running a business and need me. I’m sure if I bring it up they will probably start looking for someone to replace me and I can’t have that yet.
I would hire someone part time to run it, but I haven’t been out yet and would hate for the people of the town to get used to one face and then change it if the spot works out. I want to stay consistent with who is behind the cart (me). Not sure what to do. Should I take the risk and jump to full time slinging? Or what do you think?
Thank you,
Mr. Still Employed
*******************************
Hi Mr. E,
What a great problem to have!
I never advise any of my students to leave a perfectly good job until they have proven their hot dog biz on the side. It’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself and you won’t have as much fun. Your start up phase should be a time that you look back on fondly, not something that stressed you out.
We’re all attracted to the hot dog biz because of the low pressure lifestyle it provides, so why mess that up?
BUT – I wouldn’t want you to lose that great courthouse spot either.
I would definitely hire someone to work it until you are ready to take it over. If you are building a brand like I teach in my Hot Dog Biz 101 course then the face behind the cart isn’t all-important.
You should have uniforms, even if they are just t-shirts. Perhaps hats too. Your cart, menus, fliers, punch cards, and uniforms should all utilize the same color scheme and logos.
Your customers will get used to seeing the brand, not just the face behind the cart. This makes transitions from one operator to another much less noticeable to the customer.
In fact, once you have a good employee trained you may just want to keep him at the courthouse, get a second location, and expand your business by working cart number two yourself.
What do you think Slingers? What would you do if you were Mr. E? Let us know in the comments below,
-Steve
I think a foot in the door with a part timer makes good sense. If I lived close to my fellow slinger I’d be happy to be that ” foot”
Ptr
That’s nice of you Patrick. It’s good to be a foot! 😉
Steve, excellent advice. I have many years in business consulting and helping failing businesses turn around or healthy businesses expand and that is certainly the advice I would have given. I think to look the proverbial gift horse in the mouth would be foolish, especially turning that gig down could cause some ill feelings that could come back to haunt him later. By hiring someone to work the location, Mr. Still Employed could have his hot dog and eat it too. The idea of branding is important and the reason big boxes like McDonalds, etc are not afraid to franchise. The know that the brand created is far more important the the face behind the counter. By accepting this unbelievable offer, it could also open doors through these “friends at city hall” to help with the second location, and the third and possibly more down the road.
Good stuff Mike! Thanks for your analysis.
My feelings are this I am going to sling. On June 1st 2014 I will hit the streets (parks) I have already put in my notice at work. It is March 19th. I am going to make this work It is my passion I just turned 48 no turning back!
I once read an interview with Jewel (The singer) she was living in a van and said I am going to be a singer her mother said what is your backup plan? She said I do not have one…. Her mother said good go do it if you have a backup plan you will use it, Better to do what you want and make it work! No turning back if you believe in yourself and your product it will work there may be hard times but you can make it work….. I can make it work! and shall.
Bernie
That is my plan June 1st is Do it Day.
Sounds like Steve has the best Idea !!! I would probably do what he suggests . It’s an important time and you want to enjoy starting your carts Grand Opening , not be stressed.
Steve knows what he’s talking about, I would take his advice !!!
Bruce of ” Bruce’s Hot Dog Cartel “.
And Bruce knows how to serve a good hot dog! I’ve had a couple.
Mr. E.:
My wife and I just opened two weeks ago with a spot at Lowe’s. I still work a demanding job, which requires travel almost weekly. My wife, however, was never able to find a good paying job since we relocated to Florida. The last time she was let go from a poorly managed company, she had had enough and decided that we should try to open the cart, which I had been suggesting for years.
Two weeks in and she is making more than she has at any previously held job. I fill in on the weekends and do the purchasing and books, but it is the least stressful opportunity I have ever been involved with. She loves the lack of stress and the interaction with people all day. Let me rephrase that…I should say the interaction with people between 10:30-3:00, which are the typical hours (plus setup/tear down.)
The one thing I was able to get my hands on, which does not seem to be the case in your situation, is the headcount in the area. The Lowe’s manager was able to tell me that 8500 paying customers come through his store every week. That means that somewhere on the order of 10,000 people will walk by our cart, and you only need 5-10% of them to make you happy. I would try to glean some information from the locals regarding the location and employee base locally.
BTW, we are now looking for a PT employee to work the stand, so we can have the occasional weekend off and find another location!
Good luck!
Lou
Awesome Lou! Good for you guys! And thanks for the valuable advice.
Mr. “E” Just remember, “product and personality” goes a long way in establishing your location. The vendors customer many times not only enjoys your dogs,but, the conversations that comes with the experience. I would be very careful about who I would hire to work for me in what “should of ” been or “could” become a great location.
Agreed. Who ever you hire must have a great personality. You can train someone to serve hot dogs but being a “people person” can’t be taught. Thanks Larry!
I’ve never known Steve to give out bad advice……..
John
I appreciate that John. Let me know if I can help you in any way!
If you will not have another source of income I would definitely do as Steve advised and hire someone to run it for you.
If you plan on handling everything else be prepared to be very busy. Shopping, cleaning and all the other side stuff takes time. After you have been at it awhile it will become more streamlined and organized.
I run my business by the courthouse and it took me awhile but I am able to do $200 to $250 a day for lunch.
The weather is also a factor, if it is cold and windy it will be tough to sling..trust me.
I work my cart every nice day and relax when it is nasty out. During the winter I also pick up some part-time work to keep me busy.
Good luck brother..once you can make a living at it you will really like it.
Me too Dale. I almost feel guilty when it’s nasty out and I’m home watching TV while everyone else has to go to work. Almost 😉
Glad things are going well for you in Reno!
By all means hire someone BUT talk them into taking a percentage of the profits in the beginning…you don’t want to go broke paying someone while you build your customer base. GOD BLESS! Happy Slinging!
Good thought Wanda, however it might be tough to keep a good worker in the beginning unless you pay them what they are worth. I would even take a loss at first in order to retain good help. It will pay off in multiples when the business gets going strong. This is definitely a point that’s open to debate.
Since slinging is something very new to him, I’d recommend advice I cannot give, regarding what you told me earlier, Steve. Things like how to find someone trustworthy with a cash biz or supplying the stock and keeping track of it.
Yes, loss control is important Robin. Very true.
I faced a similar dilemma last year when an opportunity to sling full time presented itself to me. I was working at a hospital in the OR. dept. When an AAFES rep called and said that she found my listing on yelp.com and loved my setup. She then asked me if I was interested in setting up on base on a daily basis to serve the troops. I had told her that I would love to but that I had a full time job. She said that she understood and that she wasn’t going to talk me into leaving my job for something that at the time guaranteed me 90 days of work. Well, what was I to do? The hospital made my decision easy for me when I faced a 3rd year of not receiving a pay increase so I accepted the offer and have now been on post since June of last year! I couldn’t be happier! Whatever you decide to do it wish you all the best!
Esteban Guzman
Stevie’s Red Hot Wienies
You are an inspiration Stevie. Truly.
OH, and welcome to the world of slinging! Good luck, and I warn you, it can be VERY addictive!
🙂
WOW!!! Sounds like God is smiling on you! Steve gave you perfect advice! Go for it!
He’s smiling on us all, even when we don’t deserve it. Thanks Rhonda.
Perfect advice…I am in week two of my startup and also full time active duty military so quitting is not an option. I was going to do the very thing you suggested, hire a daytime operator and I will do the weekends. Good luck!
Thanks for your service Nate! And good luck with your hot dog biz. Let me know if you need anything.
Sounds like a wiener to me. I was thinking he should basically do the same thing. Good advice Steve.
“Sounds like a wiener to me.”
I always love that. Never gets old, LOL!
Well, that’s being “Frank” about it! 🙂
Hi Steve,
The first thought would be to put in for some vacation time from the job if that’s possible or ask for a ” personal” leave of absence for a couple of weeks to a month to get his feet wet in the biz. He doesn’t have to tell them why he needs the leave. I hate telling lies but in this case, if pushed, I’m sure he could come up with something. Your advice also is great but the issue with hiring, even a part timer, is all the legal bull like having to get workmanship comp insurance among other necessary steps for having an employee. If it doesn’t work out that’s a lot of hoops to jump through for nothing. Now if it does work out with you doing the location for a time then by all means hire somebody. That’s all I got. Hope it helps.
Whenever I contemplate a new business venture, I always ask myself if I’m willing to go “all in”. This doesn’t mean quitting the day job. I’m talking about being willing to do whatever it takes to be successful while working inside the parameters of my current situation.
If my current situation includes a full time job, am I still willing to do whatever I need to in order to get my hot dog biz off to the strongest start possible? If that includes doing the necessary paperwork to hire someone, then I’ll do it.
Tom, I love your idea about asking for vacation time or a leave of absence. That would be a great way to devote oneself full time to the start up phase. Thanks for your input!
P.S. Worker’s Comp requirements vary by state. Some place require it in all circumstances, others dont’ require it until you reach a certain number of employees. Here in Missouri I’m not required to carry worker’s comp until I hire employee number five.
Here is a link to the worker’s comp laws by state:
http://www.nfib.com/article/workers-compensation-laws-state-by-state-comparison-57181/
My boss knows all about my plans and even gave me one day a week off last year to sling on a friends cart. She also let’s me use the business to get my items shipped there to save money since many companies ask if your shipping address is a business or residential. I know have business address. Cheaper shipping! She only asked that when I am ready to go that I give her plenty of notice to replace me and told me that then she could hire me back if the slinging did not go well or maybe even just work winters for her. Her business had benefited from my “hot dog” personality since July of last year when I started I was hired and told I needed to spend as much time as I could interacting with customers because of my customer service skills and craziness. I have even discussed staying on for a while and working on bad weather days or as a fill in when someone calls off. We will see She has been very supportive and is exited for me.
Berrnie
Wow Bernie. You must have great people skills to pull that off! Nice!
Yes Steve my people skills are awesome. It was one of the reasons I chose to sling I can provide a show. I have one lady that comes in and eats once a week just to see what I am doing. The boss told me she has come in and if I am not working she will check my schedule and come back when I am there. But as I just posted June First I hit the streets I just ordered my pans for the cart and everything is falling in place! Thank God for the ez-built cart plans!
Bernie
Good for you Bernie!
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the links on Workmans Comp rules being different in all states. Here in Rhode Island even 1 part timer, even if it’s a family member, requires you to have this insurance. The only exemption is for the owner and / or any partners that are registered owners of the business. Ever since the Station Nightclub fire that killed 150 people 11 years ago the state has cracked down on any business, big or small, with hefty fines for not being in complience. The owners of the Station did NOT have workmans comp ins. Now we all pay for that.
One other good reason to work your new location yourself for a period of time is to establish your baseline sales. As a former owner of a Subway franchise I can speak with authority that you can not trust anyone in a “soft” cash business. I cannot tell you the amount of theft that happens when your not around. I can see an employee bringing a couple of dozen of their own dogs and buns in and keeping that in their own pocket. If you don’t have an accurate sales baseline down then it’s almost impossible to even suspect that all is not right. It is soooo hard to catch and even harder to prosecute the thief. I know that not everybody is a thief but when they are working a job like this one temptation is strong. When I sold my franchise I said “thank God it’s gone”. Dealing with employees when you cannot be there is real tough. All these issues are why I am really leaning heavily into starting a location yourself before you put an employee into the mix.
Very, very good points regarding loss control and establishing baseline sales levels.
I would schedule a day off or leave early to set up the cart in front of the courthouse. That way YOU know how the foot traffic flows and the busiest times of the day.
Great idea Angela. This kind of goes along with Tom’s comment regarding establishing baseline sales. Thanks!
Take into consideration the advice you’ve been given by the pros here. You may feel uncomfortable asking someone else to run yur business that has not been verified yet. If the folks in your area went through the trouble of jumping ahead of you and setting you up then they certainly see something in you that they like. Talk to them at the courthouse and let them know you are still working a full time job and you need to make a clean transition that works for everyone. Then while you’re getting started on the weekend gigs, you are putting out info on your website so when they do see you at the courthouse it will be welcoming instead of wondering.
That’s right Dennis! Keep your customers updated not only on specials, contests, and new menu items, but also on what’s going on in your business. Your hot dog biz website is a great way to do that.
“Welcoming instead of wondering.” I love that!
I need to remind our premium members that if you have not taken advantage of the free hotdog biz website that is included in your membership you should do it as soon as possible. It is perfect for implementing the ideas that Dennis outlined above.
What Steve said. Welcome Slinger!
This is definitely the safe approach, BUT, how sure can you be that they are following the health department rules and how much time will you spend rehiring new people on a continuous basis if the personnel you hire don’t follow the rule – health, food to their friends, etc…
It is rumored that Cortez said to his men as they arrived in Mexico “Burn the Boats”. Meaning we are all in to this and we can accept nothing less than victory. If you have no boats (job) to go back to then you need to work even harder to suceed! The time spent in the analysis prior to giving up your current job should tell you whether you should move on to this venture.
That is a great argument Randy for the flipside of this coin. I actually did “burn my boats” once many years ago when I was starting a new venture. In the back of my mind I was always thinking, “Hey – if this doesn’t work out I can always go back to my old job.” Then I realized this thought was keeping me from trying as hard as I needed to. So I sold the tools that I was using in the old job. I had no plan B at that point. As they say in the circus, I was working without a net.
Disclaimer: I was very young at the time and had no children or responsibilities so this choice made sense for me. However I do not recommend this to anyone else. You must have very high risk tolerance in your blood. It is very very stressful. However, for the right person in the right situation it definitely motivates you to bust your butt and make it work at all costs.
Congrats on your choice to start and the location for free! Yay! That’s half the battle. I have noticed If I don’t pave the way on my endeavors- it’s a bad thing. There is no going back. First impressions are critical. No one , sometimes not even a spouse, will do it or care about it like you do. So paving the way and creating a system, standards, recognizing baseline, etc are critical. I would do the first 2 weekends on my own before handing it over to anyone (learned the hard way). It’s surely an opportunity. Hopefully you can use a couple days vacation. Have fun!
“Pave the way.” Great concept Annmarie!
Congrats on the new prime location! I only hope that I have locations present themselves like this when I start.
I am basically a “newbie” in the business, but I have a great attitude and can’t wait to get started. Could I get some advice on the best way to find a good location as I know location is everything. Thanks
Hi Norm,
I just emailed you my location getting strategy. I think you’re going to like it!
Hi Mr. Full time employee, Congratulations on your lucky break, and I am sure many of us are envious of your luck. You have received many good pieces of advise, so I don’t think I can add to it. All the best of luck and hope to be reading your stories about your successes in the near future.
Sincerely,
Barbs hot Dog Express
Great, Great, Great advice.
Take a leave of absence or an extended vacation and then run the cart at the courthouse. If it works out, then take the leap of faith, if it doesn’t, you still have the option to go back to work and run the cart on the side.
Good advice Stevie.
Love this. Congrats on your location. Should be fun! For those who do the lowes location who do you ask to set up there ? Steve I would love your location strategy as well !
Talk to the Lowes manager first. Sometimes you can deal directly with him/her. Otherwise you will have to go through a concession management company called Street Eats. Location strategy sent.
I did mine the easy way. After everything was ready and I had money set back I lined up my events. You will make it. People eat that is all there is to it. The day before my first event I went into my job and told them where to shove it. Yes it was the best choice of my life.
Way to go!
I would yell the employer to take their job and shove it. If that location does not work out you have other lications and events. I have learned with all my businesses if you fail you are the one that did it. Go for it 100% or you will never let go.