Business Tips - Managing Business Growth by Dave Dahl
- 13 years ago
Learn business tips from Dave Dahl of Dave's Killer Bread on how to manage your business growth.
I would say that one thing we've learned is to respect your employees as if they were basically, think of them as yourself, as an extension of your family. This is the family business. Think of your employees as, you know, what's going to make them have some ownership, feel like some sense of ownership in the product, in the quality. We have, definitely had, you know, because this bread is so sort of an art, its like the science is still out there, we haven't completely got the science of the art down, and you have to have employees that really want to make great bread. So you want these people to be happy, you want them to have a good experience working. I think respecting employees is number one thing because we got from 30 employees to 200 employees since I've started this, over 200, since Dave's Killer Bread started. And you know you can't, people got to be happy and so. That's one thing. I would also say stay true to your vision, stay true to your mission. You've got to have a vision, you have to have a mission. When we first started this, I did have a vision and a mission, but I didn't know, I didn't have it written down. It was sort of like, 'Well I'm going to make the world the better place, one loaf a bread at a time'. I did have that on the back of my bag and I meant that. But writing that down eventually became necessary so that you could stay focused on what you started out, and stay true to yourself. So I'd say the vision of your company is very important, and make it something you're passionate about.
I would say that one thing we've learned is to respect your employees as if they were basically, think of them as yourself, as an extension of your family. This is the family business. Think of your employees as, you know, what's going to make them have some ownership, feel like some sense of ownership in the product, in the quality. We have, definitely had, you know, because this bread is so sort of an art, its like the science is still out there, we haven't completely got the science of the art down, and you have to have employees that really want to make great bread. So you want these people to be happy, you want them to have a good experience working. I think respecting employees is number one thing because we got from 30 employees to 200 employees since I've started this, over 200, since Dave's Killer Bread started. And you know you can't, people got to be happy and so. That's one thing. I would also say stay true to your vision, stay true to your mission. You've got to have a vision, you have to have a mission. When we first started this, I did have a vision and a mission, but I didn't know, I didn't have it written down. It was sort of like, 'Well I'm going to make the world the better place, one loaf a bread at a time'. I did have that on the back of my bag and I meant that. But writing that down eventually became necessary so that you could stay focused on what you started out, and stay true to yourself. So I'd say the vision of your company is very important, and make it something you're passionate about.