First and Last Impressions

We took a drive yesterday to a small town about 90 minutes from our house. We went to visit friends and also to check out a tacos and margarita themed food truck invasion and festival. We are in the process of building our first food truck and it's important to check out the competition. Besides, who doesn't like tacos and Margaritas?

To say we were underwhelmed would be an understatement. We were disappointed and fairly disgusted.

There were a handful of trucks and some of the local restaurants set up tables. We picked up food from two of the places and were barely able to finish the food. $70 all told and for what? We had McDonald's on the way home.

The town we visited is new and rapidly growing. It's still a small town with very few restaurants. These restaurants are benefiting from having essentially zero competition. It shows because they make zero effort.

One of the trucks was a barbecue outfit with an attached smoker and a very professional outward appearance. The meat was smoked well but that was where the effort stopped. There was very little attention paid to the rice and beans that accompanied the tacos. Basmati rice, which makes no sense next to a taco, and black beans straight from the can. No seasoning, no effort beyond a can opener and something to keep them warmish.

There were only five items on the menu. I ordered two of those five items and they somehow got my order wrong.

We bought tacos from a stand set up in front of the Mexican restaurant in town. Literally no seasoning on any of the food unless you count an odd, flavorless heat on one of the tacos. We ordered a Margarita, which turned out to be little more than warm lemonade.

Another food truck was Mexican-themed and while I didn't try their food, a friend of mine did and had to stop for a potty break on the way home. Their truck was cute but there was no contact information on the outside of it and they kept their windows, which were covered in the same style of graphics that covered the truck, were closed. This does not inspire confidence.

Another food truck, one selling carnival foods, was plain disgusting. Their side door was open and you could see their supplies piled on the floor. Where's the health inspector when you need the bugger!

I am not simply insulting my would-be competitors here. If I wanted to hurt them, I would post their names and pictures here. I would slam them on Yelp! or other social media. Rather, what I'm trying to do, what I always try to do, is find the lesson in this.

The lesson is that your image, the impression you make, is very important. These small businesses, which are in a very competitive space, decided to phone it in. They made very little effort because they know they have very little to lose. They are the only game in town.

Competition is good for all of us, not just the consumer. I run my businesses as if I can lose everything at every moment. I treat every customer as a precious gem to be treasured. Don't get me wrong, I have fired customers on more than one occasion, but the majority of customers are worth keeping. And if they're worth keeping, they're worth doing your absolute best for.

That means seasoning the food. It means having forks and napkins (the Mexican restaurant told us we had to go to the restaurant to get these things - so much for street food) and salt and pepper and all the other things that make your customers' experience the best it can possibly be.

It means keeping your place clean and smiling at your guests. It means thanking them for choosing you. It means doing things well. It means giving a damn about the people you are there to serve.

We went to this event partially to have a good time, but we were also scoping out the competition. I will admit that I was a little concerned about what I would find, but I left with my confidence soaring. If your competitors look at your operation and feel you're not a threat, you have a problem. I want my competitors to stay up at night worrying about me, because they spend a lot more time in my mind than I would like.

Adolfo Jimenez is the co-owner The Cafeteria Company, HoneyBee Party Rental, and Bubba's Hangover Diner. He and his wife, Abby, invest in small businesses and serve as consultants and mentors to small businesses. Adolfo is the author of several blogs and over seventeen books, including The Successful Vendor.

How To Everything 3

 Have you ever lost your keys? Everyone has. Does it happen to you often? Did it happen to you today? Do you know where your keys are right now? This has happened to me since as far back as I can remember; since as far back as I've had keys.

I still misplace my keys from time to time. It's something I need to work on constantly. I'm not a naturally organized person. In fact, I'm a downright disaster. The only reason it doesn't happen to me every day is simple: I put a place aside for my keys, wallet, etc. 

In other words, I created a system.

I have created systems for all of the routine things in my life. There's no way to add excitement to the routine things, but there is no need to add frustration. In the businesses we run, we implement systems for ourselves and our teams. We find that problems we encounter can often be directly attributed to a lack of systems or failure to follow the system.

In the cases when a problem occurs because there is no system, we create a system to avoid a repeat of the situation. We're a young company and we are growing every day. Rather than let the growing pains derail us, we learn from the experiences and get better while moving forward.

These systems make us more efficient, which makes us more profitable, which makes it possible for us to invest in other businesses or hire more people. When you look at it this way, being organized and systematizing many aspects of your life and business feels like a moral obligation as well as common sense.

Adolfo Jimenez is an entrepreneur, author, poet, and blogger. He lives in Hollywood, Florida. He has published ten books, which you can find here. Adolfo is the co-owner of The Cafeteria Company, a commissary outsourcing firm. He also co-owns Soup -n- Sam, Le Velo Macaron, and Starlight Catering.

Easy Like Sunday Morning?

I like Lionel Richie. I also like teasing Mr. Richie about the whole Sunday mornings being easy thing. I woke early and sat down to write.  I still have Christmas lights to take down and Christmas stuff to put up in the attic. I've been busy and haven't had a day off in two weeks.

But I feel good on this not-so-easy Sunday morning because I got my writing done.

Whatever you are pursuing. You must prioritize whatever you are doing to improve yourself or to improve the lives of others. If you're not getting better, you're getting worse. It's a cliche but it's true. Work on you. Every Day. No exceptions.

Keep on truckin'!




Adolfo Jimenez is an author, poet, and blogger. He lives in Hollywood, Florida with his family.  He has published eight books, which you can find here. 

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Embracing Change

I am not a full time writer. I write every morning and sometimes in the evenings. I have a day job. It's a stressful job. It pays well and I make a nice living.  My job demands a lot of me and I have to deliver or I won't have it.

I have a mortgage, a car payment and two kids in private school. I am not a popular enough writer yet to support all that. So, I work.

I just started working from home. Same job, same responsibility, same goals. No suit and tie! Life is good.

I've always written at home. I have a small desk in my bedroom. I wake up early and get to work. In the old days, I worked until it was time to shower and shave and head to the office. Now, I write, then I walk my new puppy. I come back, shower, maybe shave, and I get to work... in a different room in my house.

It's important to separate my creative life from my commercial life. I don't like to think about writing when I'm doing anything else, and I don't want to think of other things during my writing time. I get better results this way. The point is that you should compartmentalize. You'll get better results.



Adolfo Jimenez is an author, poet, and blogger. He lives in Hollywood, Florida with his family.  He has published eight books, which you can find here. 

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Am I My Competitor's Keeper?

I have a hard time walking into a business and just being a customer and enjoying myself. It's something in my nature. After 15 years in the hotel business, I still walk into a room I'm supposed to be sleeping in as if I'm a housekeeping manager performing a room inspection. Some things become part of your DNA, I guess.

As a business owner, I often check out my competition. I want to visit their websites or walk into their place and wee what's going on. I act on the impulse to snoop. I check them out and unless they're idiots, they're checking me out, too.

I don't do this to copy them, though I am not above learning from a competitor. I do it because I need to know where my industry is headed. I need real time intelligence to determine if I am keeping up, left behind, ahead of the pack, or just plain clueless. Not knowing is not an option.

Now, this is not to say you should emulate your competition. Chances are, they're screwing something up. Think of any company you deal with on a regular basis or any company you've worked for. I bet you can think of lots of things you'd change. You're not wrong about those tweaks. Them not noticing doesn't mean there's something wrong with them or that they don't care. They're just too close to see their own warts.

You may be missing opportunities in your business for the same reason.

Don't be shy about getting an outside opinion. Whether it's for your business or your life, there is always room for improvement. Find a coach, a mentor, or a consultant who will be brutally honest with you. Your mom and your best friend will be too nice. Or they'll tear you down. Either way, their advice may come from a good place, but it will likely lead you to a bad one.

When my son was in college in New York and working in theater, he asked me if I would represent him, like an agent. I was flattered, and I said no. I would have too much invested in his feelings to be confident in the decisions I was making regarding his success. I told him I would help him find someone who would represent him as well as, and probably better than, I ever could.

It turns out he enjoyed the behind-the-scenes part of the business better so it worked itself out. Maybe I should still hit him up for the 10% commission.

If you're stuck and need an honest opinion and guidance, don't go to family or friends. This is one case where you're better off in the company of strangers.


Adolfo Jimenez is an executive coach, entrepreneur, consultant, book club nerd, and family man living in Hollywood, FL. He is the owner of Le Velo Macaron and other businesses.

You can find him on Instagram and LinkedIn

The Small Hours

Sleep is important. I will not deny that. I've never been a good sleeper. Even as a baby. My mother still complains that she barely slept at all the first five years of my life. She doesn't say the same thing about my sister. I'm a terrible person to vacation with because I don't sleep in. I'm the guy sounding the bugle at dawn (maybe earlier.) I want to get on with life.

If you need sleep, then sleep. I'm not advocating against it. But if you're like me, and you are blessed with the ability to function on less sleep than most people, you should not waste that gift. Yes, I believe getting by on less sleep is a blessing. I also believe it is a gift, because more time to live your life is a wonderful thing,

I spend that time as best I can, although sometimes I'm a little too foggy to be productive. It's a good time to meditate, walk your dog, get a little extra reading done, or just get a jump on work.

My point is that this extra time is a gift and it should be used. Don't waste it on news or other negativity that'll set a negative tone for the rest of your day. Get the ball rolling in the right direction by using those small hours wisely.




Adolfo Jimenez is an executive coach, entrepreneur, book club nerd, and family man living in Hollywood, FL. He is the owner of Le Velo Macaron

You can find him on Instagram and LinkedIn

The Secret Law of Attraction?

A lot has been said about the law of attraction. Most of what's been said is nonsense. The thought that thinking about something will make that something happen or appear is quite simply bullshit.

This is not to say you shouldn't think about your goals. Hell, you should obsess about them. How else will you achieve them? But don't expect things to happen because you think about them.

I have a friend who is a talented writer, filmmaker, editor, etc. He could be a Hollywood start director and producer. But he's lazy. He thinks about his dream career all the time. He's watched more movies and knows more about movies than anyone I know. He watches every TV show. He knows the bios of the directors and actors.

But he's waiting for Hollywood to magically appear on his doorstep. He will wait until the end of his days. That type of thing doesn't happen. Ever. Not even in the movies.

You can attract success and blessings by working hard toward them. Like attracts like. If you work hard, create and exploit opportunities and create successes, more successes will become available to you. Then, all you have to do is pick them up.

Think positive, but know your thoughts are just a map. You have to get off your butt or nothing will ever happen.



Adolfo Jimenez is an executive coach, entrepreneur, book club nerd, and family man living in Hollywood, FL. He is the owner of www.levelomacaron.com 

You can find him at https://www.instagram.com/adolfo.jimenez/

Composure and Credibility

I’ve spent over 20 years in the event business. I’ve been a waiter, a coordinator, planner, and provider. I’ve worked events ranging from baby showers to carnivals, corporate meetings, weddings… name it, I probably have done it.

And no matter how many events I work, no matter how diverse the attendees, no matter what the aim of the event is, there is one universal truth: someone is drowning in a glass of water, unable to handle the pressure, and is in a panic.

The first problem with panicking is that it destroys your credibility. I understand the pressure is real. I understand timetables. I know you have a lot of plates spinning. I just don’t care about your little problems because they are manageable.

When you panic, it makes it near impossible for you to focus. If you’re panicking, you’ve lost confidence, so you no longer have confidence in your staff. You’re trying to do their job for them. Now one person is doing the work of the many, and very likely doing it badly, while the many are standing around with nothing to do.

I’ve seen this enough to know that there are usually a few reasons why this happens.

Disorganization. Yes, it’s an obvious one, but a common one. Countless times, I’ve heard everyone from the coordinator to the florist, asking where their whatever is. Of course, things will get misplaced. The important thing is to make sure you brought the thing in the first place. And then try not to misplace it.

Tardiness. Tardiness wrecks credibility. On time is late. Especially when you’re supposed to be in charge. Especially when you know things will go wrong. You owe it to your client, to your crew and to yourself to be early. Like, way early.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve waited for a planner to show up only to arrive a few minutes before showtime, in a panic, barking orders at people. As we like to say: A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

The need for attention. Too often, people want the attention that comes with being in charge. They love being the driving force, even if it means they’re driving everyone crazy. Perhaps they make mountains out of molehills because they think people will be impressed by their boundless energy. They want to give the impression that they are successfully navigating through the tempest they created in their own little teapot. More likely people will be put off by their frenetic display of incompetence. People who act this way in front of clients rarely get rehired.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe these people just don’t know what the hell they’re doing.

I’ve chosen event planners because they are a familiar example but the same rules apply to any position in any industry. Losing your composure will hurt your career and your standing with your peers. The easiest way to avoid losing it is by being organized and on time. It really is this simple.

Here’s how:

Plan the work and work the plan. There is no excuse to not have a schedule. You can use a paper one. There is a schedule on your phone. GMail provides a schedule. NO EXCUSES. Plan every minute of your day. I understand that there will be unexpected phone calls, client visits, problems, and the like. I understand these hiccups will get you sidetracked. No matter. Put out the fire and get back on schedule. Schedule the time you go to sleep and the time you wake up. Schedule the time you get on the road in the morning. Schedule your mealtimes. Schedule everything. Give it a try. I promise, it’ll be life changing.

Easy tips to not destroy your credibility by drowning in a glass of water:

1. Be on time. Late people suck. You should know that if you’re late, people are talking about you and it ain’t pretty. Being early gives you a chance to assess the situation in real-time and to brief your crew. I recently set up an event at a local country club. Simple affair for about 25 people. We were early. The problem was that the prior event that had used the room wasn’t done yet. Our event was an upscale birthday party for a 14 year-old girl. The event wrapping up was a golf tournament. We had to work around them. So we not only had to set up a party in a short window, we had to work around a bunch of sweaty drunk men who were lying about their golf scores and claiming their silent auction prizes. Had we been disorganized or late, we would have never gotten the room set on time.
2. Prepare in advance. You should be ready for whatever it is by no later than the night before.
3. Write out a plan. Put it on paper and make sure anyone who could conceivably need a copy has a copy. I say paper because it’s reliable. Paper doesn’t need to be charged. Paper doesn’t require wi-fi. Paper will serve you whether you are a Mac or a PC. By all means, rely on your tablet if you must, but please have a paper backup.
4. Be organized. Know what goes where and who should be doing what. You don’t want people standing around doing nothing anymore than you want them running around doing everything… or worse, not knowing what they’re doing.
5. Remain calm. This ain’t rocket surgery or brain science. No one will die if something goes wrong. All you have to do if the train goes off the rails is remain calm, get the train back on the rails, and get the job done.

So get out there and do the job without the drama. You can. Drop me a line if I can help or to share your insights. You can always find me at adolfo@adolfojimenez.com

Adolfo Jimenez lives in Hollywood, Florida, and is a Certified Speaker, Trainer, and Coach with the John Maxwell Company.  He consults with entrepreneurs and businesses, primarily in the areas of customer service and sales. 

He is the Director of Someone To Laugh At, a stand up comedy workshop; HostAnOpenMic.com, and CruisingWithComedians.com; Adolfo is the co-owner of Abdaliz Custom Bakery, which you can visit at www.abdaliz.com.

He can be reached at adolfo@adolfojimenez.com