Entrepreneurship is about being self-motivated and setting goals to achieve for yourself, even if you don’t have much experience in the field you are interested in. As Crystal Weaver described from her experience starting Prince Street Café, “It's difficult to plan for something you've never done before and have no experience in. I had no prior food-service or coffee shop experience. However - early on in my life - I was taught to solve problems, figure things out, and overcome obstacles. I was taught to work hard and never give up. I always wanted to do my best and find a better way... And I understood what it meant to sacrifice personal immediate pleasure for long term gain. So there were many obstacles along the way - needing lots of money to get started, learning to organize a food service establishment, and manage 20+ people. Management of people is my biggest challenge. I am warm and friendly with my staff and sometimes it's hard to be tough and require a lot of them.”
I was surprised to find that some companies have actually benefited from the economic recession. If the environment is right and the competition is not overwhelming, companies can still thrive. “In some ways I think it has strengthened it. It seems that the people who typically ate out at expensive $20 per person places... now come to us and pay $10 and they're happy because we provide a nice clean environment. We haven't experienced any loss and in fact continue to climb in our sales.”
I also learned about what an employer is looking for in a potential employee. It seems that many employees look for similar traits in their employees. “I look for personality. A bubbly happy person who can easily make conversation. I look for people who seem to be thoughtful and compassionate and care about others. I look for people to show up early for their interview and present themselves well. I am particularly happy when they show that they are passionate about coffee and people and are super good at multi-tasking.”
I think it's interesting to point out that some businesses seem unaffected or even affected in a positive way by the recession. However, it seems logical that smaller companies will see the influx of customers now looking to spend less for still good quality food and a friendly environment.
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ReplyDeleteJust like Caroline mentioned, I was really surprised to hear that the recession was actually beneficial for some businesses. I thought the recession would have people stop eating in restaurants completely and doing more cooking. However, it seems like many people just go to cheaper restaurant which I find really interesting.
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