From $5K to $50K Weekly Revenue: The Rollercoaster Ride of Growing a Thriving Restaurant Business - Lessons Learned by Entrepreneur Simon Robustelli on Scaling, People Management and Work-Life Balance. (Episode 629 - Simon Robustelli)

Grow A Small Business Podcast

In this episode of Grow a Small Business, host Michael Denehey interviews Simon Robustelli, who grew his restaurant business, Solo Pasta, from $5,000 to $50,000 in weekly revenue over 15 years before a successful exit. Simon shares his insights on the challenges of managing rapid growth, including the importance of consistent processes and empowering his team. He reflects on the difficulties of maintaining a healthy work-life balance and the need to "work on the business, not just in it". After his successful exit, Simon emphasises the value of having the right mentors and being open to change.

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Michael delves into our guest's startup journey, their perception of success, industry reconsideration, and the pivotal stress point during business expansion. They discuss the joys of small business growth, vital entrepreneurial habits, and strategies for team building, encompassing wins, blunders, and invaluable advice.

And a snapshot of the final five Grow A Small Business Questions:

1. What do you think is the hardest thing in growing a small business? According to Simon Robustelli, the hardest thing in growing a small business is patience and belief in your product or brand. He emphasises the importance of having great people around you who are aligned with your vision, as one person deviating can quickly derail the business.

2. What's your favourite business book that has helped you the most? Simon admits he didn't read many business books, preferring to learn through hands-on experience, mentors, and observing others. He believes his core values and business acumen came more from his father and the network of people he surrounded himself with.

3. Are there any great podcasts or online learning resources you'd recommend to help grow a small business? While Simon didn't have a specific podcast or online resource to recommend, he emphasises the value of being open to learning from a wide range of people, including those in your industry and beyond. He believes the more diverse perspectives you can gain, the better.

4. What tool or resource would you recommend to grow a small business? Simon's top recommendation is to focus on establishing clear procedures and processes to ensure consistency. He points to the example of McDonald's, where every step is meticulously documented, as a model for small businesses to emulate.

5. What advice would you give yourself on day one of starting out in business? If he could go back in time, Simon would tell himself to "get ready for a life-changing journey." He reflects that the experience of building and growing his restaurant business was transformative, both professionally and personally, and he wouldn't trade it for anything.

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Quotable quotes from our special Grow A Small Business podcast guest:

Be open to change, and that's something that you know – Simon Robustelli

At the end of the day, people are coming for a service, and I need to provide that service, so teaching myself as soon as five o'clock is on, whatever you got going on before? Mate switch it off, because you're on show now – Simon Robustelli

I think the biggest driving success for me was the customer satisfaction of creating something, a product which people wanted to enjoy and wanted to be associated with – Simon Robustelli