What College Football Taught Me About Quarterbacking a Business

Blitzes Are Coming Every Day

Playing college football in the deep south will harden you fast. You learn very quickly that the scoreboard doesn't care about your excuses, the referees aren't going to bail you out, and you will get hit hard whether you're ready or not.

Running a restaurant or building an agency is no different. The refrigerator will break down on a Friday night at 6:30 PM. A key manager will quit two days before Mother's Day. Food distributor prices will jump 18% overnight.

Those are blitzes. Amateur leaders freeze, point fingers, and panic. Seasoned quarterbacks step up in the pocket and execute the play.

Protect the Ball First

The first rule of football: turnovers lose games. The first rule of business: cash flow turnovers kill companies. Protect your working capital. Know your food cost percentages. Check your prime costs weekly, not quarterly.

Lift Up the Offensive Line

The quarterback gets the headlines, but the offensive linemen do the dirty work in the trenches so anyone can score. In your restaurant, your dishwashers, prep cooks, and line cooks are your offensive line. Praise them loudly, reward them fairly, and never take their sweat for granted.