Sometimes we hit it out of the park. Sometimes we don’t even come close. Sometimes we excel and sometimes we flat out fail. To be able to admit those shortcomings can be life changing. To be unwilling to ever be wrong, ever in life is just flat out foolish.
Enter the two owners of Amy’s Baking Company Bakery Boutique and Bistro (is it me or is this name too long?) in Arizona. This husband and wife team appeared on a recent episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. They delivered on the nightmares! Their restaurant was plagued with problems. From them keeping the tips of their waiters for themselves, yelling at customers and food that was sub par at best, this show was a perfect storm.
Early on, I could tell that there wouldn’t be a happy ending. This wouldn’t end wrapped up with a pretty bow. Instead, Amy (owner and chef) was combative. She lived in her own reality and believed that anything she did was exemplary. How on earth could people not like her food? Her answer? They just don’t know how to eat it. Yes, she said that. Her husband was too afraid to stand up to her and tell her the truth. As a result their business was suffering… big time.
Reviews from the web were scathing to say the least. This show and the firestorm that followed is a PR nightmare on a level I haven’t seen in a while. It’s also a perfect example of what not to do in business. That’s right, their loss is our lesson!
Here are my top three lessons learned from this EPIC failure!
1 – Get out of your own way! If we are never able to take a step back and REALLY see ourselves – good or bad, we’re doomed to mediocrity. Because Amy was unwilling to hear any criticism, from anyone, she essentially set herself up to fail.
2 – Surround yourself with honesty. Have people around you that are willing to tell you the truth, no matter how ugly. If you surround yourself with “yes’ men, how will you ever grow. To really grow, we must be challenged.
3 – Change or die. We have to be willing to change. Anything not changing isn’t growing. Guess what, if it’s not growing, it’s dead. If we’re not growing, learning, changing in life or business, it’s time to shake things up or shut it down.
1 Comment on Being Ugly Ain’t Cute
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Exactly. Change is good. It’s the only thing that’s constant.
Christopher James recently posted…The Tao of Badass