I was watching an episode of Kitchen Nightmares the other night and watched as Chef Gordon Ramsay worked to turn around a restaurant that was about 6 months away from closing its doors. This show is a perfect example of how people might be good in their trade but not necessarily good in the realm of business (although in this show it seems he doesn’t think any of the chefs are very good).

Here are some lessons learned from this show. When business is slow and closing up shop is appearing more and more likely, something is wrong. Take a second and think about your situation laterally (in another way). I say it over and over again . . . it’s all about solving problems. If it’s your restaurant - you have a problem, no business. There are people outside the doors and they have a problem everyday, they get hungry.

To solve both problems, Gorden typically takes a stroll around the neighborhood and evaluates the restaurant’s customer base.

• What income level are they?
• Where are they located?
• Are there a lot of children?
• What other businesses are located nearby?
• . . . and so on

Here are some bullet points you might use to turn things around when the ship is sinking:

• Taylor your menu/products/service to client base (e.g. if there are a lot of teens in the area, serve hamburgers). If you’re not sure what their needs are, ask them.
• Reorganize or makeover your business to give it a new, fresh feel.
• Start a buzz about your new company. In one episode of Kitchen Nightmares, Gordon creates a buzz in the community by giving out free “best meatballs in New Jersey” and tells everyone about the new grand reopening.
• Advertise and get the word out about how your business is now different. Let everyone know the benefits of your products or service. People buy benefits, not features.
• Once people stop by for a grand reopening, you must give them what you promised, otherwise you will not gain their trust (or their friends).
• Be Remarkable. Don’t be Very Good, that’s boring and everyone else is Very Good. You need to one up them. Try to be an innovator, not a follower. If you’re not sure where to start to be remarkable, start by buying Purple Cow. It’s my favorite marketing book.
• Invite someone special who will spread the word. The main person you want to advertise to is the person who will spread the word about your business (he’s a talker). This person is not the average person, though. They are the ones who have influence; for example, a restaurant critic, politician, someone who connects with your everyday customers.
• Evaluate your internal business and streamline (i.e. keep the money you make).
• Create a contest (for both your employees and customers). Give a trip away or “eat for free: breakfast, lunch, dinner” or something.
• Get involved in your community. Provide your services for free to key community “talkers.”
• Do you have a website? You better. If not, get one here.
• Do something nuts. It’ll attract attention.
• Characterize your business. Could Saturday Night Live make a skit about it?
• Come up with a cheesy slogan people will remember. Don’t be afraid they’ll make fun of it, that’s good.
• Redesign your product/service so that you are not catering to everyone, but rather for a targeted group. You might even only target a subgroup in that group.
• Change the rules. Do something similar businesses don’t do, or would never do.

Well, there you go. There’s a list to get you thinking. Remember, get out of your shoes and take a good objective view of your company. What are its strengths, what are its weaknesses. Fix the weaknesses and exploit your strengths.

If after reading this post and you feel you have ideas to add, please use the “Leave a Reply” below to help us all learn.