This was crazy!!

I love it when people think running a business is easy. It's even funnier when you meet business people that have worked for the fortune 500 for most of their careers and they do not have any sense in running a small business.

Over the past month I have been visiting a new sub shop in town. The bread is great! Kinda pricey, but the pickles and the bread are soooooo good. I got to talkin to the owner one afternoon. He had been in the insurance business for 24 years. He was laid off and decided that he would open up sub shops with his son. Sounds ok. His plan was to open 4-6 of these shops. Well it's been a year and a half and the place is not doing well.....in fact he tells me that he needs to get a job to supplement his income. He's 55 and can't find a job.....so he took a job at Lowes........really I am thinking....Lowes????? I suspect in interviews he comes off as he did to me.....upset with the world....trying to smile but right below the surface ....he's mad.

Anyway....

So I figured OK the guy needs the money to keep his business open....he probably works nights and early morning...pretty honorable.......

Nope...he's a dope.

Every so often we buy lunch for all the employees. We spread the wealth to all the restaurants in the valley. Today I figure...we will go to the sub shop. I get everybody to give me their order and then fax it over to the shop. In the meantime I try to call the shop.....no answer...10 am....no answer 10:30 am....no answer 11 am....no answer 11:30...at noon I drive over thinking maybe they went under....I have 20 hungry employees waiting for subs.....


I get there and the only one there is the part time college kid who makes the sandwiches. He just got there at 11:45am. That is his time slot. The son is suppose to open....and the father....you guessed it...is at Lowes bringing down $8 an hour. I have to wait an hour ....some customers don't wait and leave......he must of lost 50-90 dollars of business in the hour that I was there....well worth the $8 he earned at Lowes.


This guy spent 250k for a franchise and has not one cent of marketing sense in his head.

On a good day they bring in 300-400 dollars in sales....do the math....they will never make it.

Too bad....the bread is awesome.