Steven Schussler, the creator of Rainforest Cafe and other theme restaurants, shares his Five Ps of successful entrepreneurship: personality, product, persistence, people and philanthropy.
Chapter 7, “Be Excellent or Be Gone,” opens with this question: “Are you willing to take the extra time to create a product of service that is excellent rather than acceptable?”
Two plaques on the wall remind Schussler of what every business owner needs to remember: “When you’re out of quality, you’re out of business” and “The noblest search is the search for excellence.” Mediocrity shuts down businesses quickly.
Chapter 8, “Sweat the Small Stuff: The Importance of Paying Attention to Detail,” says that while the big picture is important, you need to have customer’s eyes. What do they see when they walk into your establishment?
You need to have employee’s eyes, too, because staff won’t treat customers better than management treats them.
Jim Pawlak reviews business books for The Dallas Morning News.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-p2books_31bus.ART.State.Edition1.2490cc7.html