Sap's Fine Thai Cuisine Lessons

Born in Bangkok, Thailand, Sap, the owner of Sap's Fine Thai Cuisine, came to the United States to attend the University of Texas. Graduating with a chemical engineering degree, Sap worked a number of jobs in the retail industry, after which he started his first restaurant, Madam Mam's on Guadalupe street, Austin, Texas. 

He now owns two restaurants in Austin, both named Sap's Fine Thai Cuisine. 

Lessons from him:

1. Be able to serve people of all backgrounds and races---customers and employees.

Working in the retail industry for a quite a while taught Sap the importance of helping all people, in ways general and little---like bagging groceries properly, helping carry items purchased to a customer's car. With that mindset, Sap has served people of all backgrounds and races in his restaurant.

2. A valuable employee could come to you without experience.

Not wanting to hire chef of Thai origin, Sap has hired  inexperienced folks and trained them to make Thai dishes that people love. He also has brought on others who generally provide good services as restaurant employees---like waiters and others. Some of these have become valuable employees over time to him.

Noteworthy quotes:

"You have to have enough patience to train your employees."

"Be honest and loyal to your employees and customers; and in doing this, you can't pick and choose. You have to do it all the time."

Contact Info. 

www.sapsthai.com



 

The Crossfit Central Lessons

The Crossfit Central Story.

Started by Carey Kepler and her brother, Jeremy Thiel, Crossfit Central has been in business since 2005. Starting with an outdoor bootcamp, the company has grown into the arguably the best crossfit center in Austin, Texas. 

 Vision: Build a fit community in Austin.

Core values: Honor, Integrity, loyalty, and competition. 

Lessons:

1. Be passionate about your business:

Definitely dig deep and make sure that's what you want to do, and when you get the opportunity to do it, know there will be unpleasant aspects of it---for Carey things like office work and emailing are not as fun as coaching and others---that you will have to work through.

2. You are selling yourself:

When you start a new business, you are basically selling yourself, and once you get your first few people results, people start talking. So deliver your product with that in mind. 

3. Don't take anything personally:

In business, as in life, there will come times when you clients have to move on or are unable to finish agreements or come through on your expectations. Life happens, and people move on to do things, and though that may hurt, don't take it personally. 

Noteworthy quotes:

"To learn information better, often we learn better by teaching someone else."

"Believe it or not, we are all competitive, even if with our own selves.

Video: Above is Carey Kepler at her Crossfit Central center on Burnet Road, and below, Jeremy Thiel at their downtown location.

 Contact Info:

www.centralathlete.com

info@crossfitcentral.com

512-705-4846

 

Oh Boy!Print Shop Lessons

The Oh Boy!Print Shop story is a young one. Helmed by Rob Almaguer, the Oh Boy! Ship left shore 3 years ago in Brownsville, Texas, out of a garage. Currently based in Austin, Texas, the unit's future seems to be in good hands with Rob's calm and cool approach.

Placed in a position to make t-shirts for other companies as a contractor, Rob saw an opportunity to make them for himself. As he shared with me, he has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and in love with screen-printing, he set up shop out of their garage, and orders started coming in, as the word got around.

What I learned from Rob:

1. Become the best you can become for what you want to do

The reasoning behind this is that as a small business owner everything starts with you, and your own maturity---in handling your emotions and keeping cool in the midst of difficulty---determines a lot of what happens around you. Be the best you, and it will transfer to the whole group, and vice versa.

2. Be realistic about your passion

He himself started out in the music industry, and as much as he loved music, it was not putting food on the table. At that point he had to think, make a choice. Between the choice of a starving artist and a successful one, he chose the the successful. Therefore, finding a passion for screen-printing, and realizing the need there is for it in the market, he ran with that. The result is obvious.

Noteworthy Quotes:

"We spent a year in the garage with our noses to the grindstone."

"You can't let failure get you down. It's just feedback."

"Just get it out there. Be decisive."

A note: If I come across an open door, I share it. You may not realize it, but at the end of my interview with Rob, he opened a door of inquiry to all my readers. My hope is that we all learn from this, and go out and do what we are passionate about.

Rob welcomes questions and enquiries on screen-printing and business from potential clients or other folks looking to start their thing. Feel free to reach out.

Info:

www.ohboyprintshop.com

info@ohboyprintshop.com

The Cafe Java Lessons

The Cafe Java Story

Retired from the military, Matt Lacy returned to his childhood passion, working in the kitchen. Partnering with Eva, his partner, they host locals in their neighborhood to great food and coffee for the last 19 years.

What I learned from Matt:

1. Commitment
   
   
   Matt and Eva, having started a while longer than most of the other owners I talked to, had to grapple with presenting a business plan for at least 5 years to the bank for a portion of the seed money. That, he said, forced them to think carefully about how to proceed. 
   
   Also, folks should be clear on how they will keep up with leasing and seed money payments in the first initial years. A leasing agreement to pay $400,000 over 5 years could lead to default and bankruptcy, if the owner fails to stay in business, after a year. He therefore hopes folks are pursuing something they are passionate about which makes it possible to endure difficulties.
   
   
2. Strive for a family feeling

They---he and Eva---know most of their customers by first name, and attend important family events---like weddings, graduations, funerals, and others---in the lives of their customers. Also they both enjoyed being around people, and went into business to serve people first, and the success followed.

3. Time dedication to the business and hiring the right people
   
   
   The owner should be ready to invest a great amount of time in the business. Working 16 hour days, and missing some important events---birthdays, anniversaries, etc---should not be surprising. And to note, this counsel is for folks interested in starting a restaurant.
   
   
   Also hire people who have the same values and culture as you do, and you'll have a blast working together. "We get the opportunity everyday to change lives," he tells his employees.
   
   

Note worthy quotes:

"It was a boyhood dream of mine...I enjoyed the sounds, sights, and smells of a little cafe....for me it's a playground."

"When I am stressed, I go back to the kitchen, wash some dishes, and  hearing the dishes clunking together, it's a distresser for me. It's like going back to being a kid with no worries."

"If you are basing your success on how much money you are making, you are never gonna be successful because you will be chasing money all your life."

Info:

 www.cafejava.info

A list of the tools I used to complete the project

1. A wall calendar---to keep track of my progress


2. My smartphone---to make follow up and confirmation calls, check bus times, and simply keep time.

3. The voice recorder on my phone---which I used to record all the interviews.


4. A lapel mic to make it convenient for owners to attach to their lapels, or shirts.


5. A Kanex Y-Splitter cable (t0 take in your lapel mic and the owner's)


6. My laptop---to write posts, edit audio (interviews) in Audacity, and do online research.


7. Snipping tool---to cut sections of a computer screen to make a point in an article.


8. Camera on my phone---to take photos of shops and owners ( with permission, of course)


9. SoundCloud account, or any other audio file hosting service. Sound Cloud is free for 3 hours, and then $6.00 for 6 hours per month. 

Thanks, Bookends, and Warts and All.

Thank God! The project came to an end. 

The journey to complete this project was not easy. It's my first real project, involving people besides myself, and also required me to go out and meet people I did not know from Adam. But all in all, after 21 days, I have come to know 10 business owners with whom I sat and talked about their business, their aspirations for their business, their challenges, their joys, and often their personal journeys as individuals. I also was able to share it all with you all, readers. I'm thankful. 


Like  I said to most of the owners on explaining my project, this exercise was to be a win all three levels. A win for owners, who get to get their word out, me to help me finish the project  and learn, and you all, the readers, who get listen to the conversations, and hopefully learn something from each owner.


I think I did all that.

Starting this project was not easy. I did not know anyone. I only had faith that I could present something that could help others, teach others, and help me with my own desire to start something that could lead to a solution hub for owners. This explains the name of my blog, A Couple Things For Owners. 

But speaking of thanks and faith, I wouldn't have completed this project without my maker, the Almighty God, my savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. My About me page talks of me as a believer, and I can do nothing without faith.

First my thanks goes to God for a number of reasons. One, for giving me life and health to rise everyday and go out and meet owners and come back and write about it all. An alarm clock placed next to my dead body will not wake me in the morning. The Lord woke me everyday. 

Two, on a daily basis, I picked up different sections of a street and worked them, and without fail, inspite of some turning down my project, I almost always came away with an appointment set which turned into an interview and a relationship started. This could have been different

Third, there were many times when I thought I may not finish this project, but time and again, set appointments and completed interviews came through to keep me going. I leaned on Him.


The next thanks goes to all the owners who, having no knowledge of who I was, were willing to open their doors to me, and share their stories with me. 



To:
Mr. Rehan Awan of Silver Grill Cafe, Mr. Rob Almaguer of Oh Boy!Print Shop, Mr. Steve Riad of Tomo Sushi, Mr. Ben Himes of Sharp End Athletics, Coach Mikal Abdullah of Aces Jiu Jitsu Club, Ms. Carey Kepler of Crossfit Central, Mr. Saphachai Apisaksiri (simply known as Sap) of Sap's Fine Thai Cuisine, Mr. Rogelio Lozano of Jefes Mexican Restaurant, Mr. Matt Lacey of Cafe Java, and Mr. Lee Rector of Black Forest Werkshop. 

From each one of them, I learned something. These are men and women who have taken the path less traveled  and are creating value for folks out there, and deserve to be heard. It's not easy, but they are doing it, and passionately so.


My many thanks to each one of them. 
 
So, that wraps up my first thanks on the completion of the project.



Book Ends


Talking of wrapping up, I realized the project taking a nice sort of date bookends as the final day approached. I remember posting my calendar on the blog when I made the change from a 30-day project to a 21-day project. On that calendar, with a plan to work at least 4-5 days a week, I was scheduled to end on the 12th of December. 


I ended up going for 5 days on a lot more weeks than I planned, and that made it possible to wrap it all up on the 11th of December. Why's this noteworthy, you may be thinking. 


I started the project on the 11th of November, and to finish it on the 11th of December, wraps it up nicely, and still gives it the ring of a 30-day project.  This 30-day space gave me time to work on 21 days, and leave time in between to work on the interviews, and deliver the uploaded versions to owners, send out confirmation emails, follow up by phone to firm up appointments, and start promotion outlets ( most of which are still in development).

And speaking of uploading interviews, I want to thank the makers of Audacity, and all it's YouTube teachers, who made it possible for me to download the software, learn to use it, and grow in my confidence as the project went along.



Thanks finally to you all who followed the project on my blog, without you I wouldn't have much to write about, as I would probably simply leave all of that  I have learned for later write-ups, which leaves room for procrastination, and makes it harder to recollect later. The instant posting was helpful, and leaves everything documented here on the blog.


Warts and all


Also, for me, this is a maiden project, and was done by taking imperfect action. Most of what I accomplished was not perfectly done---my unclear voice in most of the recordings, my inability to send recordings back to owners earlier than I would have liked, some postings on the blog showing up a day or two late, and my initial interviews done without an intro and outro music. 


But I started out to just get it out there, warts and all, and realized my skills improving as the days went along. This is the first, and later ones should be better. 


Thanks, you all.

Day 21

I did one of my final interview with Rogelio Lozano of Jefes Mexican Restaurant. 
 

But before that, I made a good break. Thinking of adding intro music to my podcast, I had downloaded a couple of short free tunes from Wistia, and saved it to my music files.


After watching a few YouTube videos on how to add intro music in Audacity, I figured it out, somewhat. You already know this, but all of my recordings have been raw and uncut, and though it's good for a start, it needs a nice intro to get listeners settled.


Take a listen to my intro music on my latest interviews, including the one with Sharp Athletics CEO, Ben Himes. It's on the podcast page. Also, I added some outro music at the end. I am not yet good at this, but it's a good enough start, I think.

 For the interview, it all went well, save for pausing the recording so Mr. Lozano could attend to a customer. 

I will upload it later, after working on it in Audacity.  This one is my last interview, and wraps up the project. But I will be taking it all apart, and detailing my lessons and profiling each owner separately. 

Also, I will continue to promote the businesses on various online outlets to get their name out. 

Thanks for coming along, and stay in touch for my takedowns, articles on all that I learned and what it will take someone else to do a similar project in their own towns. 

Day 20

Today had me in a conversation with Sap of Sap's Fine Thai Cuisine. I enjoyed my conversation with Sap for a number of reasons. 

First, during my prospecting walks, I stopped by Sap's restaurant and spoke to one of his managers, and left a note about my project. I followed up again with a call, and left a message with my name and phone number.

But last Thursday, the 4th, while sitting at restaurant and working on a write-up, he called me back. I went over my project, and     We set an appointment for Tuesday, the 9th. I emailed him and called on Monday, the 8th, to confirm.

I read a bit on the restaurant and on Thai cuisine before heading out.

But for the interview itself, Sap was very patient in his answers and willing to share a lot of his personal story. He is originally from Bangkok, Thailand, and has been in Austin for 42 years. In the interview, he shares his journey.

Also, his thoughts on the restaurant business are sincere, choosing honesty with his employees and customers, exercising patience and tolerance with his employees, and striving to make his offerings affordable to customers. 

We made small talk---with sap promising to pass the word around about my blog---and I thanked him, and told him to expect an email with a link to listen to the interview.
Check back here later to take a listen:


Also right before the interview started, I got a call from Kambiz Mokhtari of Pars Deli to reschedule his interview---we moved it to Thursday. 

All in all, a very short day, and I was soon back home to get other things done: review recordings, and send out emails with links to owners to take a listen to their interviews.

On to day 21.

Day 19

Homestretch---today's Day 19. 

I got up to send out confirmation emails to some owners, and also send out notices to other owners who will like to hear the interviews. After every interview,  I make it a point to tell every owner to expect an email from me with a link to listen to the uploaded recording  (either on Sound Cloud, or on the podcast page) and let me know their thoughts or if they will like to have something edited.

Here's what the email looks like ( one I sent out recently):

Hi,

Again, thanks for taking the time to talk to me last week Wednesday, the 3rd.

Like I said,  I have uploaded the file to my blog---the podcast page.  But it's also uploaded to my sound cloud account as a public track, where anyone can listen to it.

I also used one of your photos online to represent your business for the track photo. Let me know if that's okay. Also I split the conversation into 2 parts for easier listening.

Here's the Sound Cloud link for you to take a listen: The Silver Grill Cafe Conversation: Part 1 and Part 2.

Please feel free to let me know your thoughts, or if you want something edited.

Thanks again, and I will be in touch about any other possible trades in value and maybe business thoughts.

Regards,

Kingston Temanu
A Couple Things For Owners
The 21-Day Project

www.acouplethingsforowners.blogspot.com
 


So there, the example is to prove the upload and have the owner listen to themselves. This is useful to me, but it also helps owners fine tune their thoughts on their business, too.

For today's interview, I talked to Eva of Cafe Java last week, and we set a tentative appointment for today, Monday, the 8th. Eva herself will not be available for an interview, but would check with Matt, her partner and co-owner, to see if he will be available at 2:30 pm Monday.

I called this morning to verify that. After a short intro and explanation with Matt, he asked me to come over at 2:30 pm to do the interview. I got myself organized, prepped a bit, and was on my way.
The interview went well, and you can check back here to take a listen, or simply go to the Podcast page. 

 The Cafe Java Conversation ( check back here later for the upload):


We were done at about 4pm. "Would you like something to eat or drink?"Matt offered, after we traded thank yous. This was an offer on the house, but I had to run, having emails to send out, and recordings to edit. I thanked him, and headed out.

Once home, I set about to upload the recordings, and listen to them in Audacity. I listen to the raw file, and since  I am not well versed in the use of audacity, I cut off the unwanted parts, and upload the remainder, warts and all.

Audacity is such a fine software, and it's free. I thank God, all this came to me just when I set out to begin the project. 

Having already sent an email, I also double confirmed my interview with Sap of Sap's Fine Thai Cuisine. He picked up, and okayed it all, confirming not only the interview but the email that I sent him."I received your email, and I have read the questions," he said. 

That's good, and makes my work easier. Hopefully since the email comes with links to other interviews  I have already done, he listened to those too. 

I also called Robin Doerr of Images of Austin, and she will like to try back in the new year. She is deep in orders to fulfill at this time of the year. I totally understand, and that comes first.

At this time in the day, I am ready to call it a day, because I no longer have the clarity of mind to do anything project related. I chose instead to do something fun---like listening to music or calling a friend, both of which I did. 

On to day 20.
 

Day 18

Well, it's Friday, and it's day 18. Today, I got a few things done at the apartment, and prepped for my interview with Sharp End Athletics. I interviewed their CEO Mr. Ben.


Check back here later for the conversation.


The interview went well. Having sent an email to confirm it, I arrived to find Mr. Himes ready for me. We got a few things sorted out---like where he will sit, got the lapel mic fixed to his shirt and mine, went over the general flow of the interview---and got started.


Afterwards, I realized I had some time on my hand, and wanted to make the most of it. I caught the bus, and went south to prospect. I picked out a few shops that seemed good, and walked in. My first stop was Jeffes Mexican Restaurant & Catering. I spoke to Rogelio, the owner, and after hearing me out, wanted to set up a 30 minute sitdown for Thursday. I scheduled him.

I quickly checked out a close-by boxing gym, and found the owner busy, and moved on. Without intending it to, I ended up finishing the day with Michael Yost of Yost Automotive.


He was kind enough to hear me out, and even sat down with me to talk about a number of things. Simply a good conversation, this was. I was in no hurry, as I met his son, his associates, and heard the story behind his growth as a businessman. He has worked a number of different jobs---salesman, carpenter, window installer, and others---in the past, and seemed resourceful. 
 
Over the conversation, he shared with me his philosophy of hiring people he liked to work for him, and most of them having worked for him for a good number of years---some 10, some 5, and in between.


He currently runs the shop with his wife, and has created almost a family like atmosphere around the shop. Most of his employees easily approached him and chatted with him, without fear of reprisal, I noticed. 
 
I set a time for an interview on Wednesday at 11am, and gave him my contact information, and took his.


A long week it has been, and it was time to head home. Catching the 1 bus, and the 142 bus, I was home in about an hour or more.


On to day, 19. But a weekend first, and much needed rest.

Day 17

Okay, let's get the bad news out of the way first. Both of my interviews today---the first with KebabTime and the second with Pars Deli---got cancelled. Sefa of KebabTime no longer had time and Kambiz of Pars Deli had power at his restaurant go out. I rescheduled that one, and thanked Sefa.

This happens, and comes with everything. What to do? Look on the bright side and keep going. I made changes by picking a part of a street in downtown Austin to work.

This picking of sections of a street to work may have some of you wondering how  I do that or how it works.
I am doing all this without knowing any owner beforehand. To do this well, I need faith and some understandings. 
1.  Faith that at heart we are all the same. 


2. Know that we are all need help.
3. That I have something some owners don't have, and we are better off through trade.
4. That with goodwill, honesty, clarity, and diligence on my part I will be heard---owners will listen.
5.  A win-win trade leaves me no ground to be ashamed of putting forth my idea. I go win-win.
6.  That even if I fail, I will come away bettered.
7.  That I will be rejected by some---and that's okay: I am not for everyone, and everyone is not for me, and often I can only find out by presenting my idea first.


With this faith and understandings, I take to every street with a clear conscience and a genuine desire to help. This approach has made this project greatly worthwhile for me, and the response has been warm.  
I have turned cold meetings into warm ones. These folks are not strangers, but only friends I am yet to know, I have confirmed.

So after every street, I come away with at least an appointment set, or a request to call back.

So I worked a section of a street with businesses, and came away with business cards to email the owners. This happens, too. After, I sat down to work a bit on the look of the blog. If you pay attention, you will notice all the pages on the blog have been moved to the top, above my purpose statement.


I also treated myself to about 5 or 6 glasses of cranberry juice at the restaurant where I stopped to work on my laptop. When I have interviews, I often carry my laptop in my backpack. 
 
Having planned to see the doctor that day, after my interviews and prospecting, I walked from the restaurant to the clinic, which was about 5 or 6 blocks away. 
 
All's well, the doctor assured me, and took the time to play around with some of the folks in the waiting area. Most of the folks there were hispanic, and I took the opportunity to work some more on my spanish speaking skills. An enjoyable time, overall, at the doctor's. 

Also, I impressed some of them with my below average fluency---I met folks from Cuba, Mexico, and Honduras, all spanish speaking countries, and was able to make small talk with them.


Night fell, and I caught the 3 and 24o bus, and after an hour and a half, was home. 

 On to Day 18. 

Day 16

A quick update first:  I forgot to mention a call I made yesterday to Mateva Cafe Java. As part of my follow ups, I called them to see if I could speak to Matt, one of the two owners. 

I had stopped by their shop last Saturday, and spoke to Eva, the owner. Eva wanted me to call during the early part of the week to speak to Matt. Like I wrote on my daily post for that day, Matt and Eva have split up their presence in the store with Matt working the early part of the week and Eva taking the latter.

When I called, I spoke to Thomas, one of the workers there. He suggested I call very early in the morning at 6:30am to speak to Matt, after letting me know he wasn't in the store when I called. We both laughed about making a call that early in the morning. But I called. 

I got up around 6:00am, and laid awake a bit, and afterward called. I spoke to Eva. We talked a bit, and she remembered me. She was in good spirits and suggested he will take my information, and hand it over to Matt to possibly set something up on Monday.  

We ended up settling on Monday, after her offer to meet me on Friday at 2:30 didn't work out since I had an interview with Sharp End Athletics at 2:00pm. She will get back to me, she told, if a Monday interview is okay with Matt.

With that done, I washed up, and caught the bus to my interview with Carey. Again, Carey is the owner and co-founder or Crossfit Central. She and her brother, Jeremy Thiel started Crossfit Central in 2005, and currently own two locations in Austin. Like I wrote in my daily report yesterday, I confirmed the interview yesterday.

After she was told of my presence, we took a few minutes to get situated and went away with it.


Take a listen here: The Crossfit Central Conversation


The interview went well, save for my voice going in and out during the conversation. But that's just me---this is my 5^th, and still learning on the job. I simply have to speak up; fault's mine.

On playback, Carey was excellent with the thoroughness of her answers and consistency of voice tone, which is critical to you all hearing her clearly. My thanks goes to her. Let my voice quality not take anything from her.

We wrapped it up in Iess than 30 minutes, and I went to the Bookstore to get a few things done, and confirm my next one. On second try, I confirmed that for 3pm. I spoke to Mr. Rehan Awan, the owner.

After browsing a bit, I left for it. Mr. Awan was ready for me, and we soon got into it. But being short staffed that day, it's commendable for him to do the interview, and for that I totally understood when we had to break the interview for him to take a call. 

For the break, and some editing needs,  I will upload that one later. Just look for it on the podcast page.

With this one in the bag, I called it a day, and went straight home. Exhausted,  I did not deny myself a nap soon as I got home, but not before confirming my interview with Sefa of KebabTime. I did this via phone and emailed him with more information. 

Zzzzzz. Okay, just kidding. But that's it for today. On to day 17. 

Day 15

Today was a particularly short day in the field---I only stopped by 2 shops.


But a full day in the apartment.  I made the most of the day with calls, emails, and follow ups to confirm all my appointments and set more of them. I had to take the time to do them. 

Firming up an appointment is critical to the whole project, for two reasons: 1. It shows you mean business, and value your time, 2. It saves you from making a trip to the shop only to find out something came up, and that means you lost time to do something else---like meeting more owners, writing posts, or something. With that understanding, I like to firm up my appointments the day before the appointment.

I am scheduled for the first one, an interview, with Carey Keppler of Crossfit Central at 10:15 am and I also have an unconfirmed one ( because I couldn't reach the owner when I called---he had left the restaurant for the day.) with Silver Grill Cafe. I not only called Cary to confirm the interview, but emailed her the a few days before. 


Emails are critical in all this. I write my emails to give owners a clear idea of what my project is about, my motivation behind it, how it helps them and my listeners. The whole tone of my emails is to convey my desire, my initiative, my intent to help, and that it's a win-win.

With that clarity,  I realize most owners respond kindly to it. A win-win works for all.

For example, here's an email I sent to one to an owner recently ( personal sections culled): 

Hi Mr. Brown,

Thanks for taking my call today. Like I said, here is my email about my project.

And for the possibility of setting up a 30 minute interview session, I will wait for you to pick a time that works for you next week, in the afternoon.

Again, my name is Kingston, I am a writer. Currently I am in the middle of a 21-Day project of doing short profiles of small business owners in Austin, and I will like to hear your journey as the business owner of Roffler School Of Hair Design.

The project is for my blog to demonstrate a fundamental principle of personal initiative to folks who read my blog. But I also want this to be a win-win for all: the folks on my blog will learn about business from business owners and about personal initiative---which all business owners have---and you, the business owners, also gain exposure in the process.

So far, I have interviewed 4 business owners, and uploaded them to the podcast page on my blog and on my Sound Cloud account. Please free to sample them. 

Thanks for your time, and for possible meeting times, I am open to a 30 minute block of time to record an interview with either you. This could be anytime in the afternoon, between 2pm to 4pm, on either Tuesday, Thurday, or Friday of next week.

Thanks again, and I will look forward to hearing from you on a suitable time.

Kingston Temanu
A Couple Things For Owners
The 21-Day Project



PS: Please also take a look at my interview format to help you gather your thoughts.

I want this to be relevant to you and in some way serve your business goals while also giving others the chance to learn from you.

This format is in no way fixed; this is more than an interview, it's a conversation.

The Structure

30---35 minutes overall:

30 seconds: Introduce myself, the project, the owner, how I came to know you the owner, the owner.

3-4 minutes:

1. Please share a little about Roffler School Of Hair Design---what you offer, where you are based, and what makes you unique in the marketplace.

3-4 minutes:
2. What is the essence of your story---How did you get started? What got you into hair design? What are your thoughts overall of your journey as a business owner.

3-4 minutes:

3. What did you do to grow from the beginning? What were some of the early challenges, and how did you handle them?

3-4 minutes:

4. Share your cookbook---What has been the principles, personal skills, collaborations, and things of chance that has made you and your business stand so far.

3-4 minutes:

5. What are your current goals, why, and how will they be useful to your customers, both current and potential?

3-4 minutes

6. Do you have any new arrangements or offers for clients for the new year, 2015?

3-4 minutes:

7. What has been the most challenging part of running your own business? What has been the most rewarding or enjoyable?

Wrap up:

What would you tell folks who are looking to start their own shops?

Is there anything else you would like to share that we didn't cover?

Close and thanks

 So you notice how I acknowledge the call  ( I had spoken to the owner by phone earlier, and told me to expect an email from me.) and go on to break down my project for them. But before I make ti clear how short it is, and will not take too much of their time----it's for 30 minutes. Few people on earth will think 30 minutes is too long, and I like to make my interviews short and sweet, which works for time-strapped owners, too.

 Also, owners, even if you have met them in person and told them of your project, may not quite be sure why they should make time for you, and that can get in the way. They so much going on, they could forget. A written text spells it all out. 

An email gives them the opportunity to calmly consider what you are presenting, how genuine it is, how it affects them, and whether they should go ahead and make or honor an appointment. That's when you should make it clear its win-win.

 And for the time to meet, I also try to make it convenient for them to pick a time. Notice how  I try to save the times when I already have an appointment (which I do not offer) and offer convenient blocks of time when I can honor the appointment.
I realize owners are busy, and the last thing they want is someone who adds to it. Make it an easy pick.

Also, I add my interview format. Why? Well, first  I want the interview to be packed full of useful information. I do not mean useful information for owners alone but for you my listeners, and you can hardly get that if you go meet them cold. They will get through it alright, and answer your questions as best as they could, but it will leave a lot out. 

This is useful to them, so make it easy for them to put their best foot forward, and since they are not going to make up their own questions and I will largely control the conversation, I give them the format and questions ahead of time. This helps them gather their thoughts and does their business a lot of good, and you the listeners also get a lot out of it.

Also, they see the time factor, too. Time is critical in business. Only 30 minutes is okay for most, and to show how it will be spent also helps them think well of it. They know what will happen, will be relaxed, knowing when it will end, and can easily move on to the next thing on their daily agenda.

And probably more important than anything else is a link to what I have already done. I add links to my interviews with other owners and what I have posted on my blog. Seeing is believing for most, and in this case, hearing. 


Okay, let's get away from the email, and talk about the little  I did in the field today. I first went to It's A Grind Coffee House on Kristen's promise---she's the attendant I spoke to when I stopped there---that Sonia, the owner will be there today. She was not there, when I got there. Rolling with the punches, right? It's all good.

Next  I make a stop at Kolache Factory, and again, no owner. But I left my information for a follow up. Who knows?

I returned home, and called a small Taco Shop I would like to interview about setting him up. The man who owns the shop will like a call back tomorrow. Fine. 

With that, I wrapped up the day. Thank God.

On to Day 16.

Day 14

I just wrapped up Day 14, and took a few minutes to gather my thoughts at the local library.


Before that, I met with Sefa of KebabTime. Sefa is the principal owner of the business. I had KebabTime scheduled for a 3pm visit today after my stop-by last Friday. Abraham, one of the partners I spoke to on my first visit, recommended I try back today. 
 
When  I stopped by today, I met Sueda, a young female assistant and Javuz, an elderly man, who worked there as well. After asking to speak to the owner, Sueda was kind enough to place a call to the owner, and made him know I was there to see him. Sefa assured her he will be there in 15 minutes. That is fine with me, I thought, since I will be visiting other shops with the next few minutes, and can then return. I did.


On my return, I met Sefa waiting for me. He kindly offered me a seat, and heard me out. I told him of my conversation with Abraham last Friday, and the purpose of my project and how it could help me, my listeners, and his business.


We talked over a suitable time and settled on Thursday morning, at 10am. Thursday morning is fine with me since I will have to meet Mr. Kambiz Mokthari of Pars Deli at 3pm in the afternoon. If the interview with Sefa goes through, that will leave me enough time to talk to other owners before stopping at Pars. Also, Sefa offered me a glass of tea, which I downed before leaving.


While there we talked about soccer a bit, after I had mentioned my love for the game, and being a player myself. Sefa himself has played in the past, and is a fan of Fenerbahce, a top professional soccer team in Turkey, where he originates. This led to talk of Fenerbahce's rival soccer teams, Galatasaray and Besiktas, all of whom are based in the Turkish capital of Istanbul.


But on the vision of KebabTime as a business, Sefa and his team of owners would like to build it into a nationwide franchise in the coming years. On that, I suggested the importance of making that vision clear to their clients and potential clients. 

Our conversation again left the business realm, as we talked about the different kinds of Kebab, Shish and Donut, and others. A nice meeting it was, all in all.

But having write-ups to pen for the project and other shops to visit, I took his email to email him the details of the interview session and his phone number to call ahead to confirm, thanked him, and went on to the two doctor's office's in that shopping area.

First, I talked to Trish and Rachel at Aspire Dental, a doctor's office for Dr. Brandon Hall. This project could be useful to them, too, Doctor's offices, I thought---they could use the exposure. They suggested I email him, and gave me his business card, after hearing me out. The same happened at Structural Health, after talking to Cherie, Dr. Emily Doubt's assistant.


Afterwards, I made another stop at Synergy Fitness, and the lady I spoke to pointed me to their website to pick up the owners contact information, and email him. 

Well, a short day it was today, but the project kept moving, and that's always good. Earlier in the day, I took a good chunk of time following up with emails and making calls in the morning to set up interview sessions. But all in all, a good day. Thank God.

On to Day 15.  

Day 13

Well, like I was told to by Dom of Bat City Cross Fit, I stopped at Bat City this morning to talk to Tommy Do. Tommy is the owner.

I told him of my visit last night, and meeting Dom, who suggested I stop by this morning to speak to him. He heard me out, and was fairly open to check out my project online. After giving him my information, I took his word to follow up with me. I came away from the conversation knowing the center has been open for a year now, at their current location. Crossfit really is gaining ground around Austin.

But before I go on, I want to note the highlight of the day. I finished my interview with Chef Steve Riad of Tomodachi Sushi. Here's my conversation with him. Tomodachi Sushi, is a Japanese sushi restaurant that I stopped at on Day 12.

Here it  is, or simply click his photo below: The Tomodachi Sushi Conversation.

Chef Steve Riad Poses For The Camera

Today, for the morning, I had planned to make a few particular stops---coffee shops, mainly---and leave myself enough time to come back home and prep for my interview with Mr. Steve Riad of TomoSushi (above), with whom I had set an appointment yesterday. The appointment was for 3pm, and getting started at about 9:30 am, I wanted to work until 12:3o pm, and then return home for an hour or so to get ready---prep my line of questions, make it relevant to him and the restaurant, and draw out useful business lessons with the right questions. This is primarily for the owners but their stories help others, and I have to make it useful to both.


With this plan set I went to N Star Donut, after leaving Tommy Do. N Star donut is another coffee/donut shop in my neighborhood, but on another street. I met with Mila, a partner of the 2 other owners ( I learned later.) Mila heard me out, and suggested I try back in an hour, when Marianitta, the principal owner would be around. That sounded good, considering I would be working other shops for the next 2 hours, and would leave me enough time to come back.


Having settled on that, I debated for a minute which bus to take to my next stop, for two of them---the 1 and the 24o---will both take me there. I checked Google maps on my phone, and chose the 1 bus, prefering to walk to it's station, which was farther, than to wait at the nearer station for the 240 bus. Why? No reason, really, if I was to go by logic, but sometimes I prefer to take the longer route because it stretches me and forces me to think, and in that mode, I end up coming up with good ideas on most of the things I want to do. I guess the stretch stirs me to innovate. I like that.


I got to the station, and waited for a while. While sitting there, I saw a young girl walk by with a cane in hand, her right hand. She made little taps with the cane on the pavement, which quickly alerted me to her condition, blindness. She walked past me with ease, and my eyes followed her to see how she does it all. She showed no problems at all, save for feeling the bends in the pavement with her cane, as it hit the bordering grass, which made her adjust her direction a bit, at an angle.


With her way-finding stick, she was soon far away from where I sat, on the bus bench. I imagined myself in her shoes, walking this pavement with a cane. Initially I would struggle, I told myself, but being a man, and needing to get where I am going, and to get on with life, I would persevere, and courage will set in. With that progression of emotion, I would do just fine, like she is. 


I thought again of the import of this scene. I imagined her other senses heightened to compensate for her lack of physical sight. This brought useful benefits, I realized. She made her way quickly along the pavement, and at that pace she will get to her destination in no time. What does this mean?


One, she has no distractions to deal with, and simply went on, heading toward her destination. Many of us do not have that focus. Yes, sight brings the joys of what we see, and also the distractions. I would probably stop a few times to take in some sights along the way, slowing my pace a bit. In most situations, this is is not bad, but when it kills time and leads to time-wasting and tardiness, I don't think it helps.

Two, she is focused, and making good progress. If this is to be applied in a sense to real life, with focus we all make good progress.

Three, her senses are engaged, and at a much higher level than for most. This keys me in to the unused capacity of most of our senses---touch, hearing, smell, and in some sense imagination. I am sure she leans on her imagination much more than most of us, and therefore has a stronger sense of it.

And most importantly, courage. Having started walking without sight, whether she was born blind or lost her sight later on, after being born with full sight, she may have struggled. But with time and persistence, and a need to get on with her life, she has come very far. 

She has crossed streets, boarded buses, hugged other people, taken classes, written notes, and many other things we do everyday, and that only leads to courage. With that  understanding that she has overcome so much, what else could get in her way? I took that lesson with me.

Well, the bus showed up, and I was off to River City Donuts. Once at their entrance, I made a move for the left leaf of the door, and pulled it out to open. It didn't. I tried again, looking inside for some sign of it being closed, when I saw a young girl inside run to draw the attention of someone inside, after seeing my struggle.

A man in his early twenties came to the counter, and simply stood there. I wondered why, expecting him to either push a button on his end to let me in, or come to the door. I looked at him, wondering why he was not coming toward me. He pointed to the right door, signaling me to pull that one instead. Oh mine, the right one opened with an easy pull. My fault.








The owner was absent, and Justin, the attendant I spoke to, wanted me to call back sometime later, probably on Monday. River City Donut has been in business for 4 years, and are open for business from 5am to 1pm, on weekdays, and Saturday, like today.

I made stops at Cafe Java and Central Donut, and those I spoke to there wanted me to call back at a later time.

Checking the time, I knew I had to get back in time to prep for my interview, and also swing back around, like I intended at N Star Donut to meet Marianitta. 

Getting there, I saw a woman walk up to the counter. Marianitta seemed to be in her fifties and showed signs of wear from many years of work. She listened to my purpose, and for a moment thought I was suggesting getting them a website, when I talked of documenting her story on my blog. I made it clear it was not about building websites, and that it would cost her nothing. She thought of for a while and turned it all down.


Walking away I could somehow see why. For some folks her age, who most likely may not be very familiar with audio marketing, the power of shared owner stories or blogs, YouTube, or Sound Cloud, something like this may be far fetched. She may more likely appreciate what's hear and now, and can be felt---like how what I am doing directly leads to more Kolaches leaving the counter.

It's all good, though. Every interaction betters me. With that, I headed home, took in a little college football, and prepped for my interview with Tomodachi Sushi. Above, is the recording.

The interview went well, and didn't take too long. Steve was waiting for me when I got there. We made small talk about his wife's education at FIT in New York and it's connection with my friend's, who is a student there now. He went on to share how interesting how that is, and how he even met his wife in New York, when both of them worked as servers. You may have noticed he shares that in the interview, too.

I took sometime to take some photos of the restaurant, thanked him, and wrapped up.

The day is in the bag, and Day 13 is done. But quickly, I emailed the file to keep it safe, giving it two homes just in case, and also mailed the photos to my email for later downloads.

On to Day 14.