One of my biggest (and seemingly obvious) lessons as an entrepreneur is that hiring people with the right experience matters. Being “bright eyed, bushy tailed and enthusiastic” is great if you’re hiring for an entry-level job, but I realized that if I am that bright eyed, bushy tailed and enthusiastic entrepreneur, I need to be with an experienced team who can truly execute the vision. 

I also realized that work culture matters. Is our team cohesive both with what we do at work but also as people? I spent over five years with a team that didn’t fit. I never really thought about “culture” because I figured all workplaces were like this. Tony Hsieh, one of my favorite new friends of 2011, wrote a book called “Delivering Happiness” and he talks about how critical it is for people to get along at work and enjoy the process of building/creating something together. 

Finally, under three months ago, I met my General Manager, David Haynes, who has the experience to deliver. It’s equally refreshing that I enjoy his company! We then brought on our amazing Chef Jose Martinez (trained under Todd English restaurants) and he can really cook, and he matches our culture and he can dance! We get along swimmingly. David then went on to hire a whole new front of house team and back of house team who also match our vibe. My father used to talk about “vibes” (he pronounced it “wibes” because he’s Indian) all the time and how important they are. He’s so right. 

I made a realization that it’s not just about having one compatible person at work but every single person in the organization has to fit in order to be truly successful, and more importantly, happy to come to work every day. Think of it like casting for a new show. Each cast member has to play his/her part and if the fit isn’t right as far as skills and personality goes for one single cast member, the cast as a whole fails and the show inevitably doesn’t succeed. 

It doesn’t matter the type of organization we are. Investment bank, soccer team, film production, restaurant business, across all industries, the culture, that each person in the organization brings, matters. 

As a result, the quality and consistency of the food and service at SLICE WV is amazing now, and I LOVE going to work every day and I am more fueled to grow this company than ever before. I write this with appreciation and gratitude to my fantastic team.