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Volume 18 Issue 2 April/May 2012

12 OUR CHEF OF THE YEAR

ABOVE: Chef of the Year winners and supporters at Pizza Expo: Mario Moretti, Moretti Forni; Cory Medd, Chef of the Year; Marina Rondinelli, runner-up; Francesco Zulian, Moretti Forni, and Glenda Taylor, Saputo Foodservice

Cory Medd on putting the pizzazz in pizza.

14 CANUCKS AND KILLER 8

PIZZA IN SIN CITY Canadian Pizza’s annual journey to Pizza Expo in Las Vegas.

18 WORDS THAT SELL

A look at the lingo that catches a customer’s eye.

22 A FRESH AND FROZEN 14

FAMILY TREASURE How and why the Ricci family grew from fresh to frozen.

26 SECRETS TO BETTER TIME MANAGEMENT Easy tips for taking control of your time.

www.canadianpizzamag.com

DEPARTMENTS 6

editor’s desk

pizza bites

canadian pizza online

the pizza chef

marketing insights

making dough

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ON THE COVER: Cory Medd, Canadian Pizza magazine’s 2012 Chef of the Year, preparing his pizza for the Traditional ﬁnals at Pizza Expo.

APRIL/MAY 2012 pizza 3

“Packed from Fresh Tomatoes, Not from Concentrate”...

President Tom Cortopassi (kneeling) and “Coach” Dino Cortopassi (standing) in one of our

Since 1942, our Restaurateur customers’ success has depended on the superior taste of the food they serve and of our products. As a family-owned business, it feels good knowing that so many of our customers have relied on our “Packed From Fresh Tomato” products from generation to generation.

Whether your restaurant has a long family history, or whether you’re the founder, you can depend on our family making the best “Real Italian” tomato products...always Packed From Fresh Tomatoes, Never From Concentrate...generation after generation!

Tom Cortopassi President/Owner

Dino Cortopassi Coach/Owner

Generation after Generation.

tomato ﬁelds in Stanislaus County, California

THE

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The “Real Italian” Tomato Company 1202 “D” Street

from the editor’s desk April/May 2012, Vol. 18, No. 2

Big news! e are thrilled to bring our readers the inaugural Canadian Pizza Business Forum on Tuesday, June 26, in Waterloo, Ont. It promises to be an interactive day of expert advice and great ideas our readers need for their future success. We wanted to create a day on which pizzeria owners and managers could hear and learn from each other’s success, directly from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, and this day is largely just that. We’re bringing you expertise from inside the industry in the form of tried and true strategies that have worked for other pizzaiolos just like you. You’ll even have a chance to share your own ideas with your pizza industry peers. I am very thankful for the wonderful support that’s behind this event. We have not one but two internationally recognized and hugely successful independent operators coming to speak. Diana Coutu, our keynote and marketing master, and Scott Anthony, North American industry veteran and guru of publicity, are both making the trip from Winnipeg and Pennsylvania, respectively, to share their strategies with you. We have a panel of three award-winning pizzeria operators lined up to tell you how they are out-competing the big chains. We are bringing in Jonas Cohen, a first-rate business advisor from Fuller Landau Chartered Accountants & Business Advisors to field your most pressing business and financial questions. You’ll also find trade show vendors so you can check out products and chat with suppliers. Sound good yet? I bet my bottom dollar it’s going to be informative and fun. You can register online, check out the ad on page 25 for further details or by mail. Call me (416-522-1595) or e-mail (laiken@annexweb.com) with any questions. In other news, you’ll see words of advice from another great success story

6 pizza APRIL/MAY 2012

gracing our cover. Congratulations to Cory Medd, this year’s Canadian Pizza magazine Chef of the Year. This is Medd’s second time taking the Chef of the Year title since winning in 2008. I’m fresh from a whirlwind tour of food shows, starting with Europain, an international baking show in Paris followed directly by the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. With just one day at home to do laundry between trips, I must say this was one of the more interesting cultural juxtapositions to find oneself in: Paris, the city of love, and Las Vegas, the city of sin. However different they may be, both places have a great passion or food. All great cities do, just like all great pizza is crafted by people who have an incredible zest for the pie. However you came to your passion for pizza, I am betting it wasn’t through a business degree and a plan to become a small business owner. Most entrepreneurs are masters of their trade first and learn about business by default. It’s easy to get swept away by the excitement of great food and the creativity of producing it, but it’s not going to run your business better. However, attending industry events that allow you to focus on your business will. This is why it’s so important to go to shows and conferences and why we felt it was really important to bring you the Canadian Pizza Business Forum. It’s an opportunity to go to business school for a day, get reinvigorated about your restaurant and take home ideas that are going to make you more money. Food’s great but it tastes even better when it turns a Ì `ÞÊ«À v Ì°ÊU

Editor Laura Aiken laiken@annexweb.com 416-522-1595 Assistant Editor Stefanie Wallace swallace@annexweb.com 888-599-2228 ext. 277 National Advertising Manager Christine Livingstone clivingstone@annexweb.com 519-429-5173 888-599-2228 ext. 239 Sales Assistant Tara Jacobs tjacobs@annexweb.com 519-429-5183 888-599-2228 ext. 219 Media Designer Emily Sun Group Publisher Martin McAnulty mmcanulty@annexweb.com President Mike Fredericks mfredericks@annexweb.com Mailing Address P.O. Box 530, 105 Donly Dr. S., Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT #40065710 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESS TO CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT, P.O. Box 530, Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 e-mail: cnowe@annexweb.com Published eight times per year (Jan/Feb, Mar, Apr/May, Jun, Jul/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov, Dec), by Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. Printed in Canada ISSN 1203-6838 Circulation e-mail: cnowe@annexweb.com Tel: 866-790-6070 ext. 207 Fax: 877-624-1940 Mail: P.O. Box 530, Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 Subscription Rates Canada – 1 Year $ 19.26 (includes GST - #867172652RT0001) USA – 1 Year $ 40.00 Occasionally, Canadian Pizza Magazine will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above. No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. ©2012 Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication. www.canadianpizzamag.com

pizzabites Boston Pizza’s guests raise $614,000 for charity oston Pizza guests shared the love this Valentine’s Day through the restaurant’s 20th heart-shaped pizza charity event. The annual event raised more than $614,000 for the Boston Pizza Foundation. On February 14, $1 from the sale of every heart-shaped pizza sold at Boston Pizza’s 345 locations across Canada was donated to the Boston Pizza Foundation. Guests could also share special Valentine’s Day messages with loved ones throughout January and February by purchasing red paper hearts for $2, with all proceeds going directly to the foundation.

Flippin’ Pizza launches iPad training app Flippin’ Pizza’s founder Patrick Farley launched a custom branded iPad application developed by Clave Media. The iPad training app uses short, two-minute videos and is geared to the younger, tech-savvy staff demographic. Using all embedded two-minute videos, an employee or trainee can learn quality customer service, how to make a pie, food recipes, how to handle an angry customer, etc. Anything that is forgotten will be right at the employees’ ﬁngertips on an app. The company says it will be a valuable resource for all staff.

8 pizza APRIL/MAY 2012

A chef creates a beef cayenne chimichurri ﬂatbread pizza at the French’s Foodservice booth.

12,000 guests for 2012 CRFA show housands of chefs, restaurateurs, students and industry professionals attended the 2012 Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) show over three days of demonstrations, networking, and exhibits of new products and services. Held from March 4 to 6 at Toronto’s Direct Energy Centre, 12,000 guests took in more than 1,200 exhibitors, 32 educational seminars, six chef demos, com-

petitions and myriad opportunities for new ideas to help grow and develop their foodservice and hospitality businesses. Four exhibitors were honoured with best booth awards: Gala Bakery received the award for best small booth, Rational received the best traffic-building booth title, Embassy of Mexico Agricultural office received the best large booth award, and Delicious World Corp. were honoured with the best first-year exhibitor title.

Contact your local repesentative to arrange a demonstration British Columbia Castle Agencies North Vancouver, BC, Canada Tel/Cell: (604) 904-7681 Contact: David Terretta Email: king@castleagencies.ca

Alberta MAC Sales & Marketing Calgary, AB, Canada Phone: 403-281-8540 Contact: Steve MacKell Email: mackell@telusplanet.net

Manitoba/Saskatchewan Dennis Braun Agencies Winnipeg, MB Canada Tel: 204-663-8077 Cell: 204-229-4613 Email: denbraun@mts.net

Ontario Distex M.&M. Inc. Mississauga, Ont Tel: 905 565-5990 Toll Free: 1 888 645-7324 Email:info@distex.ca

Quebec Distex M.&M. Inc. St-Laurent (Quebec) Tel.: (514) 382-3620 Toll free : 1-800-567-3620 Web: www.distex.ca

Atlantic Provinces/Maritimes Vision Foodservice Systems Halifax, Nova Scotia Tel: (902) 461-4615 Contact Ted Mussett Email: ted@visionfoodsystems.com

pizzabites Brianne Nash, chef at Saucy restaurant in Mississauga, Ont., won the Discovered Culinary Competition after enduring four months of preliminary competitions involving more than 50 competitors and 23 judges. Nash beat 15 other ﬁnalists, winning the grand prize of a trip to Spain to train in the kitchen of Michelin-star restaurant Casa Gerardo. Ambassadors, commissioners, city councillors, members of parliament and other government VIPs from across the GTA, North America and New Zealand, including Ernesto Maldonado, Mexican agriculture minister councillor; Doug Ford, Toronto city councillor; Andrew Needs, New Zealand high commissioner, and Maxime Bernier, federal minister of state for small business and tourism. Second Harvest collected an astounding 22,622 pounds of food from exhibitors at the show, including fresh fruit and vegetables, canned goods and sauces, snack foods, fresh salads and dips, breads, meat, cheese, crackers and snack foods. In addition, the Stanley Cup made an appearance at the show, giving fans an opportunity to have their photo taken with the Cup in exchange for a donation to Friends of We Care, a charity assisting Canadian children with physical disabilities. “The entire restaurant and hospitality community came together to make this the most exciting CRFA Show ever,” says CRFA president and CEO Garth Whyte. “There were more opportunities than ever to do business, network and learn about the latest trends and innovation in Canada’s dynamic restaurant industry.” The CRFA Show will return to Toronto’s Direct Energy Centre from March 3 to 5, 2013.

READ THESE STORIES AND MORE AT WWW.CANADIANPIZZAMAG.COM

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS t

PIZZA WARS HEAT UP IN EASTERN CANADA

REPORT: LIST CALORIES, SODIUM COUNT ON RESTAURANT MENUS

A NEW SPIN ON DOWNTOWN TORONTO DINING

PIZZAS GO MODERN WITH NON-TRADITIONAL TOPPINGS

READ THESE STORIES AND MORE AT WWW.CANADIANPIZZAMAG.COM

10 pizza APRIL/MAY 2012

NEW PRODUCT Tabasco Brand Pepper Sauce debuted its new Buffalostyle hot sauce at this year’s CRFA show – a perfect way to spice up your dipping and pizza sauces. DIGITAL MAGAZINE Visit www.canadianpizzamag.com to sign up for your free trial of Canadian Pizza magazine – the digital version..

Burke offers more than 1,200 ways to create your pizza with fully cooked meat toppings. And we’ll personally help you find just the right ones. Ask us for a sample. For Canada, Chase Global Foods www.BurkeCorp.com/CP or 800.263.1964

feature

Our Chef of the Year BY LAURA AIKEN

very year I get a big envelope from Cory Medd. I know just what to expect: two to three recipes, cleanly typed and neatly laid out with pictures and updates on his pizzeria, Two Guys and a Pizza Place. Smatterings of exclamation marks punctuate short declarations designed to sell us judges on his pizza. He’s wooed the Chef of the Year judges before, first winning the honour in 2008. This year we couldn’t resist including his Louisiana Cajun Chicken Pizza as a finalist. There was no disappointment on bake-day after picking this fun pizza that made great use of the potently exotic cilantro. Medd has a knack for allowing simplicity to exist in the complexity of a gourmet pizza. Cheese blends, twisted sauces and the finishes touches, like cilantro or balsamic glazes, are hallmarks of his signature touches. He has shown that complexity can be done in a busy place. His shop in Lethbridge, Alta., serves 1,600 to 2,000 pizzas a week. On a Friday night he is averaging between 500 and 580 pies through four ovens. Medd, a native of Brandon, Man., started in food service as a bartender then ventured into serving before landing in Lethbridge to study marketing. The lack of winter and mosquitos, coupled with its proximity to the mountains, U.S. border and Calgary, convinced the recently married 33-year-old to plant roots in the city of nearly 88,000. I sat down with Medd over munchies and margaritas after a suspenseful finale to this year’s Pizza Expo. He finished fifth in the Non-Traditional category, and says he

12 pizza APRIL/MAY 2012

was pleased with the Two Guys entry, an Italian Club pizza featuring a fluffy crust, basil pesto, capicola, pancetta, mozzarella/ provolone blend, red onions and cheddar finished with arugula, tomatoes, Parmesan flakes and a swirl of balsamic glaze. Medd has been a regular contender in the International Pizza Challenge at the Las Vegas Pizza Expo since 2007, after attending his first expo in 2006. However, his first taste of competing was in a competition at a local nightclub. He won that, then went to Calgary to a competition and won again. The desire to compete goes beyond the thrill of the win. His exploits have been great publicity for Two Guys and a Pizza Place. “It’s motivation and an advertising opportunity as well. No one else in town is doing that; from that you get lots of press, free publicity.” He’s learned a few tricks through the years. His first foray into Pizza Expo was markedly different from the last. “The first year we brought my favourite pizza and I honestly think we got last place. We struggled with the ovens. The dough was different. The refrigerator was turned off overnight so our dough rose up and was almost unusable. We didn’t really think about testing the product in the ovens, so the first year was a bit of a disaster,” he says with a chuckle. “The second year we got named Chef of the Year and got to go straight to the finals but it was the Traditional category, which isn’t our strength. I think I got, like, seventh out of 10, but it’s getting better every year. Now we even bring our own tap water. We test the ovens.

We practise a lot back home before we get here. I was proud of the showing today.” In competition mode we see Medd the chef. But he wears the hat of Medd the businessman with equal joie de vivre. Technology is the ﬁrst thing he brings up with me at the Tres Rios Cantina. He is a Speedline fan and is excited about their new push technology, even to the point of showing me how he can get sales reports or see store surveillance on his phone. A POS system was a goal in Year 1 of his business, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this May long weekend. “I made a $25,000 decision when I was pretty broke back then and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.” It turned out to be a wise investment. Medd doubled his sales in Year 1 of business, then doubled again in Year 2, doubling and doubling until winning the 2008 Chef of the Year title, after which he says business

Louisiana Caju n Chicken Pizza t t t

17 oz. doug h Cajun sauc e Canadian m ozzarella/ brick/Monte rey blended (70/20/10) *Brick is 35 per cent milk fat t White chicken brea st cut into strips t Handcut green pe ppers (size of a qu arter) t Jalape nos t Mediu m Canadia n cheddar

ﬂew through the roof. Along the way, shelving was built, more people were hired, the fourth oven was ﬁxed and a new walk-in cooler was built. Sales have been steadier and more predictable since then, allowing Medd to tinker and toy with his burgeoning business. His pizza trailer is one of his latest inventions. He signs on for festivals, cancer walks, golf tournaments, pretty much anywhere he can get his pizza into the hands of the public and support his community. The pizza trailer gives him the sales boost in summer when pizza typically slumps. He’s even used the pizza trailer as an opportunity to test out potential pizzas for competition. Medd gave the trailer its own Twitter handle and uses it to tell his followers where the trailer is at, which has been everywhere from festivals with crowds of 5,000 to parked on a hole at a golf course. A new menu will be launched as part of

the 10-year anniversary celebrations. The Italian Club will be on a new menu as part of an Italian Family of Artisan Pizzas section. He’s also adding a butter chicken pizza and pulled pork pie with garlic aoli on top. He maximizes publicity by always entering in competition a pizza that’s on his menu. Always thinking of promotions, this one is. Ten years is a milestone to be proud of, achieved through equal parts pizza, business ingenuity, marketing savvy, luck and, of course, great staff. Medd’s general manager, Gavin Dowell, has been right alongside him since Year 1 and is a familiar face as his assistant at Pizza Expo. Dowell started part time in university and then Medd offered him more hours after school and he ended up staying. “He looks after his staff. Twice a year we have big parties where he pays for everything. He likes to give back and that’s probably why I stayed,” says Dowell. The atmosphere of fun and family cultivated at Two Guys has given Medd many longtime staff. “It’s always fun, it’s always something new,” says Dowell. “We just got the trailer and his ideas for pizzas are so far out, I feel like we’ve been ahead of the curve since Day 1. I’m looking at a wall of pizza books right

14-inch pizza FINISH WITH

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Italian season ed garlic butter ru bbed into the crust Fresh cilantro Fresh Parmes an ﬂakes

now,” he says from the shop. “He deﬁnitely has the passion for it.” This is a staff that works together and plays together. Several of the staff even live with Dowell. They rock out to satellite radio in the kitchen and are quick to cover one another’s shifts. It’s an admirable environment, one that Dowell says Medd has fostered through his generosity and willingness to give everyone a voice and feel involved. Involvement is pretty big theme for Medd. Two Guys and a Pizza Place is eyeballs deep in sponsoring every sports team, from high school to post-secondary, and many other community events. “We always had the mission of being the best at everything,” says Medd. “Let’s be ‘yes’ people. Let’s sponsor every team and every event, participate in everything we can. Let’s be open earlier and close later and have our own delivery drivers and more of them. It’s more cutthroat now so we’re going more gourmet; our pricing is higher but you get what you pay for.” Medd has found that with the economy not being at its best in recent years, he has really had to prove the pizza’s worth the price. He emphasizes promoting the ingredients and has ventured into offering

Continued on page 15 APRIL/MAY 2012 pizza 13

feature

Canucks and killer pizza in sin city BY LAURA AIKEN

anadian Pizza mag made its annual jaunt to Las Vegas for the International Pizza Expo, proudly waving the flag for the many fellow Canadians on the show floor and in the culinary competitions. Cory Medd of Two Guys and a Pizza Place in Lethbridge, Alta., represented our country as Canadian Pizza magazine’s Chef of the Year sponsored by Saputo Food Service and Faema distributed by Moretti Forni. Medd clinched fifth in the Non-Traditional finals of the International Pizza Challenge with his Italian Club pizza featuring basil pesto, capicolin, pancetta, mozzarella/provolone blend, red onions and cheddar finished with fresh arugula, tomatoes, Parmesean flakes and a swirl of balsamic glaze. Marina Rondinelli of Rondo’s/Pizza Plus in Bright’s Grove, Ont., was prepping her pies for the second year in a row as runner-up in Canadian Pizza’s Chef of the Year contest. Rondinelli scored third in the Traditional Finals. Her pie was topped with sweet sausage in a Baco Noir from Pelee Island Winery, roasted red peppers in garlic, hot banana peppers on a base of mozzarella and provolone topped with fresh goat’s cheese. Tom Stankiewicz and Mark Briand of Bondi’s Pizza in London, Ont., earned the highest marks on the board during the Traditional preliminaries with their pizza featuring merlot soaked red onions, homemade Cajun sausage and Monterey Jack/mozzarella blend, winning the mid-American division. Canadian Pizza also bumped into Alex Brunet of Montreal-based Stromboli, who scored high enough to make

14 pizza APRIL/MAY 2012

it into the Non-Traditional finals where his team won second place with a lobster pizza, featuring sauce with cream and garlic confit, shitake, fresh mozzarella, flat parsley, tarragon and garlic confit. Pasqualino Oliveri, our 2011 Chef of the Year and runner-up in the finals last year, was back competing with a tasty pie topped with Porcini mushrooms and Canadian sausage. A Vancouver pizzeria earned third place in the new Pan-American division. Congratulations to all competitors at this year’s pizza challenge and any Canadians we may have missed. California’s Pizza My Heart won the Traditional title, marking the first time an American piz-

zeria has won the this honour, which has often gone to an Italian team. Goodfella’s Brick Oven Pizza of New York took the World’ Best Pizza title in a showdown after taking the Non-Traditional title. There were a few cool new products to note on this year’s show ﬂoor. There was lots of buzz around the Perfect Crust Pizza Liner booth. This pizza box elevates the pizza using bumps to help circulate the stored heat all in the name of preventing TOP: Marina Rondinelli’s third-place pie. BOTTOM LEFT: Competing Canadians Mark Briand, Pasqualino Oliveri and Tom Stankiewicz. BOTTOM RIGHT: Team Stromboli.

a soggy pizza. The liner is designed to absorb grease so customers get the crispiest crust possible. Product makers say the their liner will also eliminate the card board taste and prevent the pizza from sticking to the box. Canadian Pizza also stumbled upon the Giotto, a very neat rotating deck oven by Cuppone. Booth reps say this is the only electric oven with a rotating deck in North America. On the other side of the show we found the Smart Dough System by Thinking Foods. This high-tech intelligent mixing system allows operators to electronically program the mixing of dough, eliminating the need to measure water or ingredients. The system is meant to improve consistency and operators can password protect their mixing formula. Conocopia is offering owners the machine and kit to create the cone-shaped pizzas with a soft or crunchy texture in under two minutes. It was another great year Ê6i}>ÃÊ> `ÊÜiÊ Êv ÀÜ>À`ÊÌ ÊÓä£ÎÊU

OUR CHEF OF THE YEAR Continued from page 13 combos, of which he sells about 100 a week. Rather than play it cautious and rein in the marketing spend when people got wary with their wallets, Medd just kept the Two Guys brand out there and made sure nobody forgot about the pizza or its great taste. His marketing savvy has deﬁnitely been a key factor in getting the maximum number of people hooked on his pizza. He takes an integrated approach, balancing the new ways of social media with traditional methods of ﬂyers and community involvement. He loves social media, but says he also thinks restaurateurs are missing the mark if it is all they are relying on. He has his business on Facebook and Twitter and invests time in interacting with his customers there. But as a student of marketing, he sees advertising

as an investment and wants to be “here, there and everywhere.” He paid to advertise on Facebook and found it a great way to reach his target market many times a day. He likes that it is traceable so you get great information about who is clicking on your link. He also spends time checking out reviews of his pizza place and likes to respond to the negative reviews and thank the positives, although he says he gauges his own presence so as not to be too “annoying” about it. Hes hopes to have online ordering up and running within the next six months and is investigating smartphone and iPad apps. The times are changing and Medd is right there evolving with them. Future decades look bright for this 10year pizza shop and its passionate owner, whose creative, consistent and diligent nature is revealed every year in the envelope that comes across my desk at > >` > Ê* ââ>°ÊUÊ

APRIL/MAY 2012 pizza 15

the pizza chef

Controlling food costs Diana Coutu ontrolling costs and maintaining profitability are two of the most challenging things about running a successful restaurant. You must be relentless in this daily battle if you want to make money in the pizza business. Proper food controls and accurate recipe mapping are absolutely essential to ensure profits are not thrown in the garbage or given away. Your weekly food cost should be 30 per cent if you are serious about keeping the doors open without constantly injecting money into your business. Keeping your restaurant stocked with enough products to not run out of anything, but not so much on hand that it spoils, requires lots of proper planning and accurate projections. Timing is the the only difference between inventory and waste. A two-day-old case of Roma tomatoes is inventory and has value; a two-week-old case of Roma tomatoes is waste that just cost you money. Keeping your equipment properly maintained is one of the most important ways to control waste. Inefficient equipment will cost you money in more than one way. Any refrigeration equipment should always be between 1 C (34 F) and 3 C (38 F) to ensure product quality and food safety. Many operators view equipment maintenance as a bother and only fix things when they break. This is false economy. It will cost much more to fix something after it breaks than it will to routinely maintain equipment to ensure it doesn’t malfunction. Properly maintained equipment uses less power and will keep the temperature more stable and extend the life of your product. This, in turn, saves you money, frustration, and downtime. If your walk-in cooler breaks down, you could potentially lose thousands of dollars

16 pizza APRIL/MAY 2012

in perishable product and subsequently mozzarella costs $4.80, one pound = 16 sales. We use an equipment maintenance ounces, one ounce of mozzarella costs schedule at the pizzeria, which allows us $.30) = $1.50, a box costs $.45 (a bunto keep track of when we have serviced dle of 12-inch boxes costs $22.50, one our equipment last and when we need to bundle = 50 boxes, $22.50 divided by 50 do it next. This is a very easy thing to in- = $.45). Add all these numbers togethcorporate into your restaurant. A simple er – $.35, $.50, $1.50 and $.45 – and piece of paper on a clipboard will do the you now know that it costs you $2.80 trick. If you really want to get fancy, you to make a cheese pizza. At a 30 per cent can use an electronic organizer. We use a food cost, you will need to price your couple of old iPhones at our pizzeria and pizza at $9.33 to meet your projections. they remind us when we need to service (Divide your cost by 30 per cent and that our equipment in case we number will tell you how forget. much you should charge Another way to confor that pizza.) This is a trol your food cost is to very simplified example Timing is accurately map out every but you get the idea. It’s the only recipe on your menu. It’s that easy. a simple exercise that will Many operators have difference give you accurate informanever done this exercise between tion on how much it costs and are unaware of their you to produce each item true food costs. If you can inventory on your menu, which, in use a scale and are comand waste turn, allows you to price fortable using a spreadyour products properly in sheet then you can easily order to turn a profit. You do this. It will take some need to have a standard time to do this, esperecipe for each item on cially if you have several your menu to accurately determine how different sizes on your menu, but it is much each recipe is costing you. You well worth taking the time as you will should have recipes for everything that have a much better understanding of you sell. This helps to ensure consistency what to charge for your products, and of the product and allows you to project you will definitely have more money how much product you will require to do Ê Ì iÊ L> Ê >ÌÊ Ì iÊ i `Ê vÊ Ì iÊ Ì °Ê U a given amount of sales. Here is an example of how we map out a 12-inch cheese pizza. The standard Diana Coutu is a two-time Canadian Pizza magazine chef of the year champion, internationally recognized gourmet recipe would include a 12-inch dough pizzaiolo, co-owner of Diana’s Gourmet Pizzeria in Winnipeg ball, five ounces of marinara sauce, five and a member of the board of directors for the CRFA. In ounces of mozzarella and a pizza box. addition to creating award-winning recipes, Diana is also a consultant to other pizzeria owner/operators in menu Let’s calculate the cost: dough ball = development, creating systems to run a pizzeria on autopilot, $.35, five ounces of marinara (100-ounce along with marketing and positioning to help operators grow can costs $10 or $.10 per ounce) = $.50, their business effectively and strategically. She is available for consulting on a limited basis. For more information contact five ounces of mozzarella (one pound of her at Diana@dianas gourmetpizzeria.ca.

feature

Words that sell BY BRANDI COWEN

he language of food marketing is a fickle thing. Just like slang, what’s fly one day can be uncool the next. Consumers are fluent in the lingo of the moment. They’re also a bit like teenagers. Speak their language and you win them over. Misuse it or confuse it with the language of days gone by and you risk being dismissed as out of touch. Today’s words that sell tap into top food trends, such as healthy and “free from” foods, according to Bob Goldin, executive vice-president with the market research firm Technomic. He says words like “fresh” and “natural” resonate well with consumers because they evoke ideas of nutritious, made-to-order products. Following from these trends, highlighting nutritious ingredients such as whole grains, olive oil, and sea salt can help win over consumers. Callouts spotlighting premium ingredients are also effective. The FSR Chain Menu Tracker, a joint project between the Toronto-based consulting firm fsStrategy and market research firm The NPD Group Canada, analyzes the menus of major full-service restaurant chains across the country. The 2012 survey found that specialty cheeses, aged and premium meats, spinach, greens, specialty peppers and specialty breads are all premium items popping up in menu descriptions designed to entice diners. “I’m not necessarily suggesting that consumers are eating healthy or are eating fresher or are eating more premium ingredient products, but I think you have to tie into their aspirations, and a lot of those are around eating healthier and eating better,” Goldin says. Geoff Wilson, president of fsStrategy, agrees. “It’s that direction towards a healthier lifestyle and a more informed lifestyle. Authenticity, freshness and even statements around customization are really important to consumers right now,” he says. “I want to have it my way: I don’t want it with this, I want it with that…. I’d like a low-fat balsamic dressing as opposed to a high-fat ranch dressing. That customization is very important to the consumer today.” The average consumer may be keeping an eye out for words that hit on healthier lifestyles, but he also wants to define what that healthier lifestyle means for him as an individual. Many are well educated about food these days, especially as it relates to

18 pizza APRIL/MAY 2012

Words like “craft” and “artisanal”denote fresh products in small batches.

their individual dietary needs. They’re drawn to products that allow them to apply that knowledge to make their own choices. “If you tell them that it’s Heart Smart or if you tell them that it’s better for you or vegetarian, that’s acceptable, but if you tell them that it’s low-fat or it’s low-carb, that’s directing them too much,” says Wilson. Besides which, Goldin says that many consumers continue to associate words like low-fat with less flavourful or worse tasting products. Education is also contributing to the declining appeal of low-fat products. Last year, Packaged Facts reported that more consumers are starting to get that low-fat foods are not necessarily healthier than full-fat options. A more nuanced understanding of the differences between types of fats is driving consumers to seek out healthier polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, rather than turn to products bearing low-fat and fat-free claims. Consumers are also catching on to the tactics that have driven food marketing in the past. Those who have been duped by a food trumpeting that it is low-fat only to discover that it contains just as many calories as a similar full-fat product don’t tend to forget it. Instead, they view foods with a more critical eye and greater skepticism when it comes to health and nutrition claims. That’s why Goldin says he believes holistic claims carry more appeal. If you’re focusing on flavour to sell your products, Wilson suggests emphasizing hot and spicy, citrus, sweet and smoky taste profiles in your products. The FSR Chain Menu Tracker found these, as well as honey, are among the most popular flavour descriptors on menus right now. SELL WITH A STORY There’s a lot of consumer appeal to be found in words that help to tell the story behind a food. “Local” scores big points with many consumers, but be aware that some may shy away because they expect a local product to sell at a higher price point. Other terms and phrases that conjure up images of smaller scale farming and pastoral scenes also resonate well.

“‘Craft’ and ‘artisanal’ are also positives. They connote small batch, where a lot of skill goes into the manufacture,” says Goldin. Large chains like Domino’s may offer an artisanal product line, but he says consumers put more stock in the word when it’s applied to pies made by your independent pizzeria. Depending on the customer demographic you’re trying to target, “organic” may also be a big draw. Goldin says the term “has some appeal to some consumers, but to many it just equals high price.” He says organic foods tend to appeal to consumers between the ages of 25 and 45 earning above-average incomes. Today’s consumers are smarter about what you’re selling, and so you must in turn be smarter about your customer in order to make a sale. That savvy covers everything from what ingredients go into a dish to how that dish is prepared, even if it’s not a family favourite they grew up watching Mom make. “We’re not dealing with a consumer who is uneducated,” says Wilson. “We’re dealing today with consumers who understand food. They watch The Food Network, they travel. It’s not all of them, but even if you don’t have a huge income, you’re a little more knowledgeable about different kinds of foods and ethnic foods.” Combined with more ethnically diverse urban areas, this has fed a growing consumer appetite for “authentic” foods. But many savvy consumers aren’t swayed simply by seeing the word splashed on a menu board. In this case it’s subtlety that makes

the sale. “Authenticity is always appealing, but saying ‘we’re authentic’ doesn’t always cut it,” says Goldin. He suggests tying your ingredients into the idea of authenticity. Highlighting that your restaurant uses real, imported Italian olive oil may do more to convince a consumer of your food’s authenticity than simply printing the word “authentic” on your menu. Last but not least, value for money remains an important consideration for many consumers. Seventy per cent of Canadians believe that the new year kicked off in a recession, according to an online survey sponsored by the Economic Club of Canada. Consumers are still feeling the pinch in their wallets and they’re skeptical when they hear experts saying the recession is over. Times are still tough and consumers want to know they’re spending their hard-earned food dollars wisely, especially when indulging in little luxuries. “Some of these words that connote super sizing turn some customers off, but a family pack is a good thing because it connotes value,” says Goldin. He adds, “Things that connote excess may be a bit of a turn off.” The words that sell today may not be the same words that sell tomorrow. Capturing a slice of the market depends on not only being hip to your customers’ evolving preferences, but also being able to communicate that you can fulﬁl their needs in words that Ài> ÞÊÃ«i> ÊÌ ÊÌ i °ÊU

he taste of

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T. 905.544.6281 F. 905.549.1196 20 Morley Street, Hamilton, Ontario, L8H 3R7

APRIL/MAY 2012 pizza 19

marketing insights

A healthy proﬁt Michelle Brisebois nyone who runs a restaurant knows that special dietary requests are becoming commonplace. Between six and eight per cent of Canadians have a real food allergy, says Dr. Ann Clarke, a professor at McGill University. The low end of that range equals about two million Canadians. At the high end, it translates to just over one in every 12 people. These statistics reﬂect those who’ve been formally diagnosed with a food allergy. Those who self-diagnosed bring these numbers up considerably. The estimates as to how many people “believe” they have a food allergy range from 10 per cent (CBC News) to 30 per cent (New York Times). Wherever the true number lands, it’s clear that on any given night several of your customers will be looking at your menu not for what they want to have, but rather for what they can have. Providing safe, healthy options on your menu is more than simply a way to delight customers; it may actually be critical in making sure you’re the decision the party makes. If just one member of a dining party has a food allergy, intolerance or health issue, this individual may actively canvass to have the entire party go somewhere he or she knows has options that meet their needs. Not appealing to that one key consumer may cost you the entire table. With that in mind, let’s do some myth-busting around the biggest health issues impacting the restaurant industry.

LOW-CALORIE A significant share of foodservice traffic is driven by healthy eating behaviours, shows the NPD report Consumers Define Healthy Eating When They Go Out to Eat. One of the top motivations for more healthful eating is to feel healthier. The number one feature consumers want in

20 pizza APRIL/MAY 2012

Expand your menu options to include more vegetarian, gluten-free and lactose-free options to accommodate customers with special dietary needs.

a meal is quality, such as fresh, natural, and nutritious ingredients. Fewer calories were among the least important features. “Typically the perception has been that healthy eating to consumers means lowcalorie and low-fat, and our ﬁndings show that the perception is not the reality,” says Bonnie Riggs, restaurant industry analyst at NPD. “Clearly, descriptors like fresh or natural will resonate more with consumers than less calories.” GLUTEN-FREE According to the Canadian Celiac Association, one in 133 Canadians has celiac disease, a medical condition in which the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged by a substance called

gluten. This results in the body’s inability to absorb protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Bakery items, pizza dough, pasta, beer, and even lunch meat, lipstick and some medicines contain gluten. The growth in sales of gluten-free food products far outpaces the number of diagnosed celiacs, so eliminating gluten from the diet voluntarily seems to be a growing trend. Euromonitor International forecasted $1.31 billion in gluten-free food sales in the U.S. last year. The worldwide ﬁgure is $2.67 billion. Sales have more than doubled since 2005 and are expected to hit $1.68 billion in the U.S. and $3.38 billion globally in 2015. This is a biggie for our industry, so sourcing or developing a

tasty gluten-free dough recipe should be a consideration on your list of initiatives for the year. LACTOSE INTOLERANCE Lactose is the sugar in milk products. Those who are lactose intolerant don’t have enough of the enzyme lactase to break this sugar down. Lactose intolerance impacts more than seven million Canadians. This ﬁgure could be underestimated, as many people don’t associate their symptoms with eating foods containing lactose and some don’t have any symptoms at all. Twenty-five per cent of patients clinically identified as lactose intolerant have celiac disease, so both dairy and gluten are concerns. Lactose intolerance is prevalent in certain racial groups. In Asian populations (the fastest growing cultural group in Canada, according to Statistics Canada), lactose intolerance is almost 100 per cent. Among American Indians it is 80 per cent and in blacks it is 70 per cent. The incidence of lactase deﬁciency in North American Caucasians is only 20 per cent, reports www.medicinenet.com. Look at soy cheeses, herbs, spices and other sauces as a way to top a pizza “pain free.”

vegetarians, according to the American Dietetic Association and the Dieticians of Canada. However, between 20 and 25 per cent of the population eats four or more meatless meals per week. These “flexatarians” shift from a diet with meat to one without, depending on their health, dietary needs and desires. Expand your toppings to include items such as eggplant, zucchini and broccoli. If they are lacto/ovo vegetarians (those who don’t eat meat but will eat dairy and eggs), try artisanal cheeses. Crumble some tofu on top to add the protein component. The trend towards healthier eating is fuelled in part by an aging population more aware of their health and in part by a consumer desire to eat fresh, clean, delicious food. It’s not going away anytime soon, so it’s a trend worth catering to. Make sure your staff ask about dietary restrictions when they are first taking an order. Customers will appreciate the chance to make their needs known up front. Since pizza is so incredibly versatile it can adapt to just about any eating restriction. Address the dietary issues and you may just see your guest count increase as word gets around that you are OK with special requests. You will definitely get top marks for demonstrating that you do care about Ì i ÀÊ ii`Ã°ÊU

VEGETARIANISM Four per cent of the Canadian population call themselves

Michelle Brisebois is a marketing professional with experience in the food, pharmaceutical, ﬁnancial services and wine industries. She specializes in retail brand strategies.

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Michele and Maria Domenica Ricci, founders of Ricci’s Pizzeria & Sandwich Shoppe.

A fresh and frozen family treasure BY JULIE FITZ-GERALD

rozen grocery store pizza has historically been a competitor of fresh pizza. You may be surprised to learn that some of the biggest frozen lines in Canada are in fact the culmination of an entrepreneurial pizzeria that has been serving up fresh pizza for over 26 years. Ricci’s Pizzeria & Sandwich Shoppe, located in Woodbridge, Ont., is the inspiration for frozen pizza lines found in M&M Meat Shops and Metro grocery chains, as well as Walmart’s Great Value and Donatello’s pizza. These frozen pies are made by the Ricci family in a plant situated just a short drive from their popular pizzeria. The scope of their business is a testament to the hard work and sacriﬁce that Michele and Maria Domenica Ricci, along with their four children, Joe, Bruno, Mike and

22 pizza APRIL/MAY 2012

Laura, have dedicated to the business since opening their doors on Dec. 21, 1985. It was during the 1980s that this Italian-Canadian family had to make a major decision. Michele fell ill while working his job in construction and the family felt they needed to take a new direction. They sat down together to discuss their options and Ricci’s Pizzeria & Sandwich Shoppe was born. The two youngest Ricci children, Mike and Laura, were barely teenagers at the time, but they were hard workers and eager to learn from their mother and eldest brother Joe. Maria and Joe had previous experience in the restaurant industry and they shared this knowledge with the other family members, teaching them how to make the mouthwatering pizzas that

they have since built their name on. Ricci’s first location opened in Malton, Ont., just around the corner from where the family lived. It was a take-out and restaurant combination that served long lines of students from the nearby grade school every lunch hour, and loyal regulars during afternoons and evenings. The pizzeria became known for their famous panzerottis, fried to a golden brown and bursting with gooey cheese and tantalizing tomato sauce. “Where we grew up everybody had three to four kids. My best friend’s brother was best friends with my brother and so on. It was an immense group of people and they knew an even larger group of people, so it just grew by word of mouth rather than advertising. Whatever we could get involved with, whether it was local charities or schools, we got in the community and that was the strongest thing for us,” Mike says. In November of 1992, middle brothers Bruno and Mike spearheaded an expansion that opened a second location on Weston Rd., in Woodbridge, Ont. During this time, Joe and Bruno began developing an idea for a frozen line of pizzas. Instead of franchising their popular pies, they envisioned going national so that no matter where you lived in Canada, you could have a Ricci’s pizza. During the mid-1990s this pilot project became a reality and Ricci Food Group Canada was created. The hours were intense and every member of the family put their all into making the new Ricci enterprise succeed, while also maintaining the operations of the two pizzeria locations. Mike likens the undertaking to digging a giant hole with a backhoe, jumping in and trying to climb out of it. “The first 10 years were very difficult. The last five years have been successful, but we’re still moving towards getting better at what we do. There was no blueprint for this. It was part creativity in terms of what you’re producing and part engineering to be able to do it,” Mike explains. Laura is quick to agree. “Anything new is difficult. You need to know what to do to move forward, because every business needs to progress and change and develop. There’s no guarantee to succeed...we had all three businesses simultaneously so it was difficult for Mike when Bruno had to go work with Joe at the plant, just as it was difficult for me to not have Joe there at the Malton store. It was difficult in that we had to divide; the workload and hours put a lot of strain on the business,” she says. Fifteen years later, the immense undertaking of Ricci Food Group Canada can be hailed a success thanks to the support of each member in the Ricci family. The success, however, should also be attributed to the quality of their products. Ricci’s frozen pizzas are modeled on those that they serve in their pizzeria, using the same dough recipe that was developed and fine-tuned back when their first location opened its doors. The cheese is also the same, while the sauce is slightly altered to better lend itself to freezing. Judging by the long line of customers curling towards the door of their pizzeria on a Thursday afternoon, Ricci’s pizzas, panzos and veal sandwiches are a definite hit in the community. “Our dough is our gift to everyone. When you take a bite of our pizza, it’s all in the dough. Changing the recipe for our dough is

never up for discussion...it’s crunchy and it’s fluffy inside,” Laura says, trying to find the words to describe the perfection that she feels their dough has achieved. Mike emphasizes that when they find an ingredient they like, they commit to that company. For example, they’ve been using the same premium California tomatoes for 27 years. “We try to pick partners and stay with them. I don’t like change and so a lot of the suppliers that we do have, they’ve been with us for a long time and they’re the best. You surround yourself with the best and in the end it will come out in the quality of your food,” Mike says.

The four siblings: Joe Ricci, Bruno Ricci, Laura Ricci-Lomanno and Mike Ricci.

In 2000, the Ricci family decided to close their Malton location so that Maria and Michele could take a well-deserved step back and Laura could concentrate her efforts on the Woodbridge location. Between the pizzeria and the plant, Ricci’s employs approximately 60 people, some that have been with them for close to two decades. Their employee loyalty is trumped only by customer loyalty, with regulars making up a large share of their business. One gentleman in particular, along with his family, has eaten at the establishment every Friday or Saturday evening since their opening day in 1985. Now in their 27th year of operation, Ricci’s commitment to its original purpose and principles still remain deeply entrenched in the business. “We are value driven. Not everybody can afford a plate of $18 dollar pasta, so we want to present our customers with value; not only in the products that we’re serving them, but in the service that we offer...Our restaurant is an extension of our mom’s kitchen. I’m going to make your food the way I would make it for myself and we instilled this line of thinking and attitude in our employees. This form of casual dining is the key to longevity,” Mike explains. By maintaining this vision, it’s easy to see why Ricci’s Pizzeria & Sandwich Shoppe is a home away from home to its loyal customers, with arms that extend into grocery chains from one end vÊ > >`>ÊÌ ÊÌ iÊ Ì iÀ°ÊU Julie Fitz-Gerald is a freelance writer based in Uxbridge, Ont. She is a regular contributor to Canadian Pizza magazine and Bakers Journal.

APRIL/MAY 2012 pizza 23

making dough with Diane

Diane Chiasson

8 ways to jazz it up 6./ USE YOUR SCENT The enticing scent of fresh pizza is enough to pull people into your shop. Keep something baking in the oven at all times and use a fan to blow the scent around. Steer your exhaust fan to the front of your operation so that pedestrians on the street can also smell the pizza and be drawn in.

pizza operation’s biggest sales weapon is its pizza. Displaying your pies and all your other menu items properly can really help increase traffic and sales. Many pizza owners do not position or present their products in the most attractive ways, and may be risking losing out on extra profits. Here are eight display and presentation techniques to help drive traffic into your restaurant and money into your pocket.

1./ SHOW IT OFF Make use of all available counter space behind the sneeze guard to wow your customers with a large display. Fill the space with a variety of your pizzas, calzones and other menu items. Use pizza stands for the back row and display menu options at varying heights and depths.Place flat pies on an angle, so customers can see them from afar. Stack calzones high on plates. An abundant presentation of food, colours and flavours will immediately heighten interest and appetite. 2./ HIGHLIGHT COLOURS Pizzas can be very colourful and attractive, so highlight these traits. Use fresh green basil, arugula and spinach, rich, black and green olives, bright red tomatoes, plump sausages, fresh herbs and other bold and colourful ingredients to attract your customers’ eyes. 3./ REFILL OFTEN Customers can’t buy anything from an empty display. Refill empty pans and displays of pizzas and other menu items often and throughout the day. Your operation should look full and abundant at all times. Keep in mind that no one will want to buy a product if there are only a few left, as it gives the impression of being old, stale and unwanted.

24 pizza APRIL/MAY 2012

Your customers’ eyes will be drawn to bold and colourful ingredients. Use them to your advantage in displaying your pizzas.

4./ ENSURE FRESHNESS Make sure that each and every food item you display looks fresh and enticing. Any customer who walks in the door and sees a stale pizza sitting on your countertop will immediately develop a negative image of your operation in their mind and associate stale food with your business. 5./ USE PROPS Depending on when your peak times occur, it may not be prudent for your operation to have 20 pizzas on display at all times. This is where props come in to fill up the extra space. Stack pizza boxes and tomato sauce cans, wheels of cheese, strings of salami and pepperoni, wooden crates filled with fresh vegetables, baskets filled with a variety of mushrooms, small planters filled with fresh herbs, or invest in a variety of fake vegetables that you can place around your counter and sneeze guard.

7./ MAKE IT RUSTIC Thin, handmade pizzas are all the rage today, so make your pizzas look a bit more rustic. The pizzas do not need to be perfect circles, nor do the ingredients need to be placed in perfect order. Highlight authenticity by displaying pizzas on wooden boards, pizza stones or white ceramic plates instead of aluminum trays. 8./ USE PAPER Lining your pizza pans and trays with brown or parchment paper will give your products a more European and environmental feel and draw more attention to your products. You can also use paper for marketing purposes by adding paper props around your displays including mini menus or recipe cards, upcoming events, advertising or other relatable items. You have a beautiful product so make Ì iÊ ÃÌÊ vÊ ÌÊ> `Ê > iÊ ÀiÊÃ> iÃtÊU

Diane Chiasson, FCSI, president of Chiasson Consultants Inc., has been helping restaurant, foodservice, hospitality and retail operators increase sales for over 25 years. Her company provides innovative and revenue-increasing foodservice and retail merchandising programs, interior design, branding, menu engineering, marketing and promotional campaigns, and much more. Contact her at 416-926-1338, toll-free at 1-888-926-6655 or chiasson@chiassonconsultants.com, or visit www.chiassonconsultants.com.

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Part of Scott’s new B-A-S-I-C-S strategies involves “C” for Community. Hear Scott expand on that and share examples of how to work with your community to gain publicity. You will also learn what makes things newsworthy and effectively get media attention. Scott Anthony, owner of Fox’s Pizza Den in Punxsutawney, Pa., and author of Profits in the Pie, is an industry guru in the field of community marketing, working with the media and gaining free publicity. Scott has toured across the U.S. teaching operators how to increase profits, including seminars at the International Pizza Expo and North American Pizza and Ice Cream Show.

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Secrets to better time management BY KRISTIE TAMSEVICIUS uccessful people are very careful about how they spend their time. No matter how you slice it, we all have 24 hours in a day, so the key lies in learning to use our time wisely.

MONITOR HOW YOU USE YOUR TIME

If it seems like your day slips by all too quickly, try creating a log of your daily activities. Once you see where you spend your time, you can focus on the activities that provide the greatest returns for you personally and ﬁnancially. HOW MUCH YOUR TIME IS WORTH Time is money. Knowing how much your time is actually worth can help you make better decisions as to whether you should perform a task or outsource it. Also take the time to determine how much time a day you need to spend on billable activities to make your desired proﬁt. I try to spend 1.5 hours a day on money-making projects. CREATE A DAILY SCHEDULE Don’t start your day without a to-do list. Make a list of tasks and categorize them into business building activities, client activities, and personal items. Then break bigger unmanageable projects into smaller chunks so they are less intimidating and are easier to accomplish. PRIORITIZE Have more to do than hours in the day? By prioritizing your tasks, you’ll make sure that you are tackling the items that matter most. Create a system that works for you. One standard way of prioritizing is to mark items with A, B, and C. Ask yourself these key questions: What items must be done today? Which items can be rescheduled or delegated? Which tasks match my goals? Which items can be eliminated?

26 pizza APRIL/MAY 2012

LEARN TO SAY NO You are in control of your time. Be strong and uphold your personal boundaries. When you are well rested and treat yourself and your family to the time off you deserve, you’ll feel happier and more productive when it’s time to go back to work. Before you say yes, ask yourself these questions: UÊ Do you really have the time or energy to do that extra task? UÊ Will it be proﬁtable? UÊ Does it invade on your personal time? UÊ Does it involve doing something you enjoy? UÊ Does it ﬁt in with your list of priorities and goals? REMOVE TIME SUCKS Time sucks lurk like viruses. Think about which activities are eating up your time. For me personally, these items include e-mail, social calls, and telemarketers. I “conquer” the e-mail demon by shutting down my e-mail when I am working. When a family member calls during work time, I politely ask if I can call them back during the afternoon and remind them of my work hours. Caller ID valiantly saves me from the “would-be” telemarketer time thieves. With one glance, I can quickly differentiate telemarketers from important client calls. STICK TO THE PLAN Try not to get sidetracked from your plan. One of my friends has a motto: “A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency for me.” It’s a smart one to live by. Unless it’s a true emergency, or you are being paid “rush” time, you probably don’t need to squeeze a last minute request in today.

CHOOSE AN INSPIRING PLACE AND TIME We are all built differently. Do the tasks which take your most brain power when you are at your prime. Are you a morning person or do you work best burning the midnight oils? BUNDLE LIKE TASKS TOGETHER As you work through your daily list, try to chunk your tasks into like activities. By creating a separate chunk of time for answering e-mail, invoicing, making return phone calls, you’ll save time and mental energy. AVOID INTERRUPTIONS Trying to do the same thing over and over again with interruptions can be maddening. Once you start a task, try to ﬁnish it to the end. If something comes up that you need to remember or do, unless it’s urgent, simply add it to your list and continue on with your current project. BE ORGANIZED When things are tidy, it saves you time and frees you to focus on the task at hand. Why wait for success when you can literally schedule it! By mastering your time, you can accomplish much more with less effort. Be choosey about how you spend your time. Focus on activities that most closely match your goals. By taking time to monitor, measure, and manage your time, you will enjoy an >LÕ `> ViÊ vÊ ÃÕVViÃÃÊ > `Ê >«« iÃÃ°Ê U Kristie Tamsevicius, America’s favorite small business success story, is a leading expert in the areas of home based business, Internet marketing, and web development. She is the author of three books including her newest release, I Love My Life: A Mom’s Guide to Working from Home. Reach her at 847-244-8450 or email kristie@brandingonthenet.com .