here's my piece from @yyhfanzine!!! I had so much fun working on this hehehe 🥰

These are just ten items, out of many more possibilities, from my 20+ years as an entrepreneur.In no particular order:Find a mentor.Work for someone you can learn from. Find someone you can ask questions or concerns ideas of it.  It’s important to search out advice from people who have done it. There are a lot of wantrepreneurs, as well as good, well-meaning people who believe they have an idea of what entrepreneurship is. Trust me, if they haven’t lived it, they don’t.Believe you are Superman.Believe you can overcome any adversity; conquer all competition; beat every odd in front of you, and survive everything thrown your way.  You are indestructible.  And not just have the ability to survive, but also flourish.And if you fail and it all goes bad? Be strong enough to start over again, with the same approach that you came in with. Cause as I said…you got to be Superman!Take advantage of opportunities.Success is about looking it for opportunities and having the balls to try and take advantage of them.Sacrifice.You may be eating lots of leftovers, miss movies or events, work on the holidays, etc. Being an entrepreneur takes significant sacrifice.  It doesn’t mean you can’t have a life away from work, but it takes effort.Additionally, understand that the sacrifice you are making is not you losing out on something, but a significant investment you are making for you and your family’s futures.(Sidenote: I don’t believe I have regretted going into business for one minute. I love the challenge and lifestyle.  I’ve definitely regretted decisions I’ve made along the way for sure).Only spend time on things that will bring immediate value.Don’t get distracted making YouTube videos or paying for and going to seminars.  It’s not that you won’t want these at some point, but for most new businesses, sales are still very face to face and done solely utilizing human interaction via phone, text or directly. Additionally, everything you need to know is on the internet for free.  To be clear, the internet will play a major part in any new business.  Just don’t think that all you need is a website and some Facebook ads and the customers are going to beat your door down.  Contrary to popular belief, that ain’t reality.The majority of what you need to know you have to earn through experience.Formal education is great and will help, but it is neither necessary and will not get you very far.  You have to actually do the work to get your education. I have had many, very well educated people work for me over the years. I myself have zero formal education.  What I do have is a lifetime of real-world experience and the disposition to learn while suffering.Don't be emotional about your day to day work.Change today what you changed yesterday has to be a mantra. Employees will fight this, but you will have to be strong. People will naturally push back against this, but bad ideas are bad ideas.  And sometimes we don’t catch the bad ideas quick enough.I have blown up projects that we spent weeks putting together simply because once they were implemented, they were crap. I then take full responsibility for it, change it again, hopefully, learn from the mistake, and move on.  You cannot be scared to make mistakes, so don’t fear this. Embrace it, it will happen!Be ready for, and do not fear, chaos.Mastering chaos is critical.  Learn how to herd cats!  The best entrepreneurs are calm, cool and collected when things are at their ugliest. That’s the essence of an entrepreneur.Chase the money!You can do whatever you want with it once you have it. But if you don’t earn it from profits, you can’t use it for whatever you’re passionate about. There’s no saving the rainforest if there’s no money to fund it.Also, there is nothing wrong with wanting more, (raise your hand if you have ever turned down a raise!) So don’t feel guilty about how you think that makes you look to others or what popular culture says about it.  I had NO money into my 20s, and the whole reason I worked was that I wanted more.Having said that, remember that money follows, it doesn’t lead. Many decisions are made trying to chase pennies when there are dollars a little bit further down the line. Money is made on the back of good decision making.(BTW, By the end of the day most of these decisions are made from the gut.  There is no guiding light in business!)Do not get stuck trying to follow your passion!This one will be controversial, but here’s why I say it: I think we should work passionately, that way we can go to work ON our passions.You want to give yourself every advantage to be successful because god knows the odds are against you.  Constantly be on the lookout, and searching for, all opportunities that you can take advantage of is critical.You do not have to be passionate about what your business does, just about your business.  My passion for my business being successful is about me surviving, for my family, my employees and the food my companies put in their mouths.Ok more than 10 but I’m on a roll!!To hell what other people think!Family, friends, co-workers, competitors, etc. They will all tell you you’re crazy.  You have to believe in yourself because more often than not, no one else will. The life of an entrepreneur is a lonely one, especially when things are not going well.  This is were many lose it.Always make time for your family.Do not believe you can’t start a business AND spend time with your family? I worked 18 hours a day for a decade, and 12-15 for the next decade, and still saw my family almost every day.This is why you cannot listen to people who haven’t done it, because all you will hear is that you can’t have your cake and eat it too. I’m here to tell you that you can. I believe raising a family is about quality time, not quantity.My three kids are all grown now and either working for me, going in the military or going to school.  And I have a great relationship with all three of them.  Mostly because their mother is extraordinary, but I had something to do with it! The final one I promise…Take responsibility for everything!From day one everything has to be your fault, regardless of whether or not you had anything to do with it. You own the issue, discipline or retrain the people doing the work, and move on.  Since everything is your fault, there is no one for you to blame, hate or obsess over.I’ve had employees steal thousands of dollars over the years. We find it, get rid of them, fix whatever loophole they found that I should have, and move on. My fault.I once had a billing issue cost me $100k over 18 months before the accountants caught it. The money I was not able to recover.  Would it do me any good to blame someone else?  Would it bring the money back? So we changed how we billed so it didn’t happen again.  We dealt with the employee by providing additional training,  and then I went into the corner and curled up in a fetal position and started sucking my thumb! (That last parts not true, I didn’t go into the corner!)There you go, 10 things (really 12 things), that I think any prospective business owner or entrepreneur should know.  Not my top ten (12), just ten (12) off the top of my head.For more info like this, check me out at jerrybrazie.com or on Facebook at Jerry Brazie.

Online Ordering – Latest Trends

Online ordering increases your average check order.

According to a survey, 57% of guests order from a restaurant’s website online daily, weekly, or monthly.

What does this mean for your restaurant? It means that if you want to increase sales, online ordering is an important avenue.

In this article, we look at online ordering and the latest trends.

Trend: Online Orders Surpass Phone Orders

Now that you know the majority of diners order online, it is only logical that online ordering has surpassed phone ordering.

Today’s consumers spend more and more time on their mobile phones, making it fast and easy to place an order at your restaurant.

Online ordering makes take-out simpler for people. Often, they order online and simply drive up to a special door at restaurants to pick up their food.

Restaurants who provide online ordering are meeting the demands of a new generation that “wants what they want when they want it.”

The increase in online ordering over phone ordering is good for you, too. It eliminates the middle man on the phone and virtually eliminates staff errors.

Expect online ordering to increase for the delivery and take-out customer.

Trend: Mobile Apps Drive More Sales

Along with online ordering through your website, another trend to watch out for is the use of mobile apps.

Restaurants who have their own mobile apps are providing yet another simple and easy way for customers to place their orders.

Apps allow customers to create accounts and even re-order their favorite meals.

Mobile apps for ordering are still in a growth stage, but watch their progress in the coming year.

Trend: Delivery Orders Increase

With online ordering comes an increase in delivery orders.

For restaurants who offer delivery, they are seeing their orders increase when offering online ordering.

Many of today’s diners prefer the ease of ordering online and waiting for someone to deliver their food so they can eat in the comfort of their own homes.

Delivery allows you to grow your business so you can now serve in-house diners, take-out customers and delivery customers.

Also worth noting is that signing up for delivery online through your website also eliminates human error when it comes to delivery addresses.

Trend: Order Size Increases

Many restaurants see as much as a 25% increase in their mobile orders compared to their in-restaurant orders.

Online ordering allows customers to take their time with their order. (tweet this) They can order exactly what they want without feeling the need to hurry up and please their server.

Plus, when ordering online, customers are more likely to over order because they know they can stick their leftovers right into the refrigerator for the next day.

Online ordering is good for your bottom line.

Trend: Competition Heats Up

Restaurants are continually competing for business, and another way to fight the competition is through online ordering.

One way restaurants can beat the competition is by offering online coupons and specials to customers to entice them to order online.

The online arena allows restaurants to offer instant discounts to grab their customers. This in turn creates loyalty.

Diners on the fence can even be brought back to abandoned carts through automated emails.

This provides the perfect opportunity to offer a coupon to encourage them to complete their order.

Expect the online competition to heat up as we move through the year. This could inspire even more customers to order online.

Trend: Social Media Ordering Explodes

You can use your social media accounts to drive online ordering.

This trend can only grow as more and more restaurants leverage their social media platforms to promote online ordering.

Social media ads can also drive traffic to your website to increase your online orders.

Trend: Opportunities for Customer Service

You’ll find that customers are pleased with your online ordering system. Whether they are dropping by to pick up their take-out, or you are delivering their food, customers are relaxed and more likely to enjoy their food.

Because they have less interaction with staff, there are less opportunities for mistakes to happen.

Worth noting is that you want to provide your customers’ food hot and on time. They will be unhappy with late, cold food.

Consider training your take-out and delivery staff in customer service.

Because the interactions with your staff are fewer when online ordering is involved, you do want the one interaction customers have to be the best possible.

Trend: You Collect Customer Info

When a diner comes into your restaurant, they usually eat, pay and leave. You aren’t left with any of their contact information.

With online ordering, you get the best marketing tool – your customers’ email addresses. (tweet this)

This is just another reason online ordering is a hot trend.

By getting your customers’ email addresses, you now have access to re-market to them at any time.

You can thank them for their business, invite them to re-order their last meal or try something different. You can send promotions or special event notices.

Online ordering has established a relationship with your restaurant and your customer. If you continue to build and nurture that relationship, you’ll have the added benefit of a repeat customer.

Trend: Delivery Without People

Finally, into the future you can expect the following trends: delivery without a driver and delivery by drone.

As retailers begin to experiment with drone delivery, you might see similar options for food delivery.

You might also see delivery options with driver-less cars. The customer orders online, people prepare the food and send it off in a driver-less car for delivery.

Just imagine…your phone beeps alerting you that your food is outside, and you can pick it up on your porch through drone delivery or at the driver-less car waiting at the curb.

Final Thoughts

If you aren’t harnessing the power of online ordering, it’s time to get started.

Online ordering is a trend that’s here to stay because it not only benefits you, but it benefits the customer.

Your customers experience convenience and simplicity because they can order on their own time frame and without any pressure.

You experience increased revenue and a broader customer base because you are meeting the needs of a wide variety of people – those who want to dine in your restaurant and those who want to eat at home.

Bottom line – your customers are happy when they get to order online, and you’re happy because they’re spending more money than they would in person.

Online ordering is a win-win for everyone, and it’s a good idea to get on-board this trend.

Do you have a great website with an online menu for ordering? Is it user-friendly and enticing to your website visitors? If not, or you’d like a website tune-up and refresh, contact us for your free website consultation. We’ll make sure your website works for your site visitors and is the centerpiece of your marketing.

Images: Clem Onojeghuo and Carissa Gan

Online Ordering – Latest Trends syndicated from http://ift.tt/2oWDAoR

These are just ten items, out of many more possibilities, from my 20+ years as an entrepreneur.In no particular order:Find a mentor.Work for someone you can learn from. Find someone you can ask questions or concerns ideas of it.  It’s important to search out advice from people who have done it. There are a lot of wantrepreneurs, as well as good, well-meaning people who believe they have an idea of what entrepreneurship is. Trust me, if they haven’t lived it, they don’t.Believe you are Superman.Believe you can overcome any adversity; conquer all competition; beat every odd in front of you, and survive everything thrown your way.  You are indestructible.  And not just have the ability to survive, but also flourish.And if you fail and it all goes bad? Be strong enough to start over again, with the same approach that you came in with. Cause as I said…you got to be Superman!Take advantage of opportunities.Success is about looking it for opportunities and having the balls to try and take advantage of them.Sacrifice.You may be eating lots of leftovers, miss movies or events, work on the holidays, etc. Being an entrepreneur takes significant sacrifice.  It doesn’t mean you can’t have a life away from work, but it takes effort.Additionally, understand that the sacrifice you are making is not you losing out on something, but a significant investment you are making for you and your family’s futures.(Sidenote: I don’t believe I have regretted going into business for one minute. I love the challenge and lifestyle.  I’ve definitely regretted decisions I’ve made along the way for sure).Only spend time on things that will bring immediate value.Don’t get distracted making YouTube videos or paying for and going to seminars.  It’s not that you won’t want these at some point, but for most new businesses, sales are still very face to face and done solely utilizing human interaction via phone, text or directly. Additionally, everything you need to know is on the internet for free.  To be clear, the internet will play a major part in any new business.  Just don’t think that all you need is a website and some Facebook ads and the customers are going to beat your door down.  Contrary to popular belief, that ain’t reality.The majority of what you need to know you have to earn through experience.Formal education is great and will help, but it is neither necessary and will not get you very far.  You have to actually do the work to get your education. I have had many, very well educated people work for me over the years. I myself have zero formal education.  What I do have is a lifetime of real-world experience and the disposition to learn while suffering.Don't be emotional about your day to day work.Change today what you changed yesterday has to be a mantra. Employees will fight this, but you will have to be strong. People will naturally push back against this, but bad ideas are bad ideas.  And sometimes we don’t catch the bad ideas quick enough.I have blown up projects that we spent weeks putting together simply because once they were implemented, they were crap. I then take full responsibility for it, change it again, hopefully, learn from the mistake, and move on.  You cannot be scared to make mistakes, so don’t fear this. Embrace it, it will happen!Be ready for, and do not fear, chaos.Mastering chaos is critical.  Learn how to herd cats!  The best entrepreneurs are calm, cool and collected when things are at their ugliest. That’s the essence of an entrepreneur.Chase the money!You can do whatever you want with it once you have it. But if you don’t earn it from profits, you can’t use it for whatever you’re passionate about. There’s no saving the rainforest if there’s no money to fund it.Also, there is nothing wrong with wanting more, (raise your hand if you have ever turned down a raise!) So don’t feel guilty about how you think that makes you look to others or what popular culture says about it.  I had NO money into my 20s, and the whole reason I worked was that I wanted more.Having said that, remember that money follows, it doesn’t lead. Many decisions are made trying to chase pennies when there are dollars a little bit further down the line. Money is made on the back of good decision making.(BTW, By the end of the day most of these decisions are made from the gut.  There is no guiding light in business!)Do not get stuck trying to follow your passion!This one will be controversial, but here’s why I say it: I think we should work passionately, that way we can go to work ON our passions.You want to give yourself every advantage to be successful because god knows the odds are against you.  Constantly be on the lookout, and searching for, all opportunities that you can take advantage of is critical.You do not have to be passionate about what your business does, just about your business.  My passion for my business being successful is about me surviving, for my family, my employees and the food my companies put in their mouths.Ok more than 10 but I’m on a roll!!To hell what other people think!Family, friends, co-workers, competitors, etc. They will all tell you you’re crazy.  You have to believe in yourself because more often than not, no one else will. The life of an entrepreneur is a lonely one, especially when things are not going well.  This is were many lose it.Always make time for your family.Do not believe you can’t start a business AND spend time with your family? I worked 18 hours a day for a decade, and 12-15 for the next decade, and still saw my family almost every day.This is why you cannot listen to people who haven’t done it, because all you will hear is that you can’t have your cake and eat it too. I’m here to tell you that you can. I believe raising a family is about quality time, not quantity.My three kids are all grown now and either working for me, going in the military or going to school.  And I have a great relationship with all three of them.  Mostly because their mother is extraordinary, but I had something to do with it! The final one I promise…Take responsibility for everything!From day one everything has to be your fault, regardless of whether or not you had anything to do with it. You own the issue, discipline or retrain the people doing the work, and move on.  Since everything is your fault, there is no one for you to blame, hate or obsess over.I’ve had employees steal thousands of dollars over the years. We find it, get rid of them, fix whatever loophole they found that I should have, and move on. My fault.I once had a billing issue cost me $100k over 18 months before the accountants caught it. The money I was not able to recover.  Would it do me any good to blame someone else?  Would it bring the money back? So we changed how we billed so it didn’t happen again.  We dealt with the employee by providing additional training,  and then I went into the corner and curled up in a fetal position and started sucking my thumb! (That last parts not true, I didn’t go into the corner!)There you go, 10 things (really 12 things), that I think any prospective business owner or entrepreneur should know.  Not my top ten (12), just ten (12) off the top of my head.For more info like this, check me out at jerrybrazie.com or on Facebook at Jerry Brazie.