608: Aaron Lyons on Believing In Your Concept

Always an entrepreneur at heart, Aaron Lyons was raised in Austin, TX and is a graduate University of Texas where he obtained his MBA with a focus on entrepreneurship and marketing. In 2014 after 2 years of searching for a location and investors, Lyons opened Dish Society in Houston, TX. 5 years later Lyons and his team have scaled the concept to a total of 5 location in and around Houston. Lyons attributes his success to the focus put on purchasing from local farmers and purveyors and the people he has surrounded himself with.

Show notes…

Favorite success quote or mantra:

1. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.
2. What you allow in your presence is your standard.

In this episode with Aaron Lyons, we discuss:

• • Creating a concept that was scalable
  • Creating a $30 experience on $15
  • Attention to detail
  • Executive presence
  • The importance of self-awareness
  • BE OPEN-MINDED
  • The importance of education
  • Make steps toward your goal WITH INTENTION
  • Education vs. experience
  • Securing capital
  • Bluffing to get capital
  • Believing in yourself
  • Passion and body language
  • Do MORE RESEARCH before opening your restaurant
  • Accepting the need to compromise
  • Do you need a publicist?
  • Your culture is a reflection of you

Today's sponsor:

Gusto offers modern, easy payroll, benefits, and HR to small businesses across the country — they were even named best online payroll by PCMag. And as a listener, you’ll get three months free when you run your first payroll. Sign up and give it a try at Gusto.com/unstoppable. 

BentoBox helps restaurants grow their business through a connected suite of tools, offering them an integrated website to connect with their guests and drive revenue online. Restaurant owners and operators are able to easily update menus, promote specials, take catering and event inquiries, sell merchandise, gift cards and more.

Revel Systems integrates front of house and back of house operations into a single dashboard. Designed to increase security, stability, ease of use, and speed of service, Revel’s streamlined ecosystem provides businesses with the right tools to grow. Learn more at revelsystems.com/unstoppable.

 

Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Naturally aware if what guests want
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Impatience
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • A natural inclination toward hospitality and guest-focused thinking
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Hiring really solid people and having enough staff to accommodate growth
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Always asking "what are we tolerating and why?"
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Exceptional experiences
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • Way of the Shepard
   • Positively Outrageous Service
     GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM 
8. What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't do well enough or do often enough?
   • Business acumen and legal acumen
9. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls and how has it influenced operations?
   • Compeat - ERP System
10. If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
    • Chase your dreams
    • Surround yourself with people who will make you better
    • Don't be a dick, be vulnerable, don't act like you know everything.

Contact info:

Dish Society website

Instagram: @dishsociety

Facebook: @DishSociety

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining today! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of the post.

Also, please leave an honest review for the Restaurant Unstoppable Podcast on iTunes! Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates.

Huge thanks to Aaron Lyons for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

 

Restaurant Unstoppable is a free podcast. One of the ways I'm able to make it free is by earning a commission when sharing certain products with you. I've made it a core value to only share tools, resources, and services my guest mentors have recommend, first. If you're finding value in my podcast, please use my links!