Business Turnarounds And Workouts Are Not Magic

I have seen this terrific restaurant turnaround show on TV where a very aggressive, very bright, very experienced restaurateur tackles an under-performing restaurant and in one week, does a complete turnaround of the business. The result is that the updated restaurant explodes into a successful enterprise. I really like it because it shows what out-of-the-box reinvention really means.

The message, however, is to admit the brutal truth, what works and what doesn’t work. He attacks the menu, the decor, the service, the chefs and the owners. He challenges them deeply as to what their vision is, what their mission is, how are they implementing it and what must they do to upgrade it. He attacks the decor and usually rips it all down and starts again. It’s all low budget stuff but clean, neat and accurate, focused on delivering the message of what the business is.

He even attacks the concept. Usually, there is none to begin with so he creates one on the spot, focusing on one controllable aspect and creating excellence in that one area. He creates a competitive advantage and then runs with it. He emphasizes quality, cleanliness and a clearly communicated mission. He knows who the customer will be and communicates his message to them cheaply, but effectively.

And it works. In one week, he transforms a dump into a successful enterprise.

What I take from this show is that it can be done with any business, at any time. Reinvent yourself from top to bottom. Leave nothing unturned and focus on the vision, the mission, and how to deliver it with out-of-the-box thinking. Leave the old model behind and create a new one and within one week, a new business emerges. Why not? It can be done, you can do it. You must do it to succeed.