Here are summaries for Clients we’ve helped.

Project: The Flower Lab (Una Yeh – Los Angeles, CA)

Start date: Mar. 31, 2021

Phase 1 – Discovery

The Flower Lab is a very popular sole proprietorship flower arrangement service in Los Angeles, California started in 2007. They specialize in wedding flowers and secondarily flowers for events.

Phase 2 – Potential Paths

It’s clear from the initial consult that there is a prototypical chicken and egg growth problem. While there is lots of demand, there just isn’t enough help to accept all the jobs. Frequency and size of jobs scale linearly according to the number of employees but the initial capital to hire employees has not been invested.  

The following 3 Paths address both sides of the equation.

Path 1

  1. Una continues to work as is and does not hire staff. 
  2. Una reduces jobs by 50% (from 60 to 30 per year)
  3. Una increases the cost per job 5x
  4. Potentially cancel current jobs and bill higher paying jobs instead.
  5. Total revenue is unchanged in 2021 but becomes 3x in 2022

Path 2

  1. Using savings or a loan, Una proactively hires 1 full time staff of high quality
  2. For 2021, potentially cancel current jobs and bill higher paying jobs instead. The balance remaining of 50 contracted jobs remain at the current revenue price. For the 20 anticipated jobs, the new price becomes 5x average minimum.
  3. Total revenue becomes 3x+ in 2021
  4. In 2022 total jobs accepted is 50 @ ~5x
  5. Total revenue becomes 5x each year of the future

Path 3

  1. Same as Path 2, but…
  2. Immediate reinvestment of all excess profits into social media to bring more premium jobs
  3. Hire 2nd full time staff and expand jobs to 75 per year at 5x per job
  4. Total revenue becomes $7.5x each year of the future

Phase 3 – Calendar Plan

Una decided that she wants to take Path 3. The Calendar plan is thus:

  1. April 5 – post ads on all job boards looking for qualified floral arranger
  1. April 6-13 – interview 50 candidates using standardized questions and practical test
  1. April 15-25 – intensive training on company procedure and design style
  1. April 26 – first job begins
  1. April 28 – Hire consultant to write 12 month instagram/Facebook marketing content using existing photos $~5000 budget
  1. April 30 – May 15 – Una prepares social media posts and schedules posts through September 30th, 2021
  1. April 30 – Sep 30 –  Jobs are completed
  1. Sep. 30 – post ads on all job boards looking for qualified social media manager, emphasis on interpersonal messaging and “image” skills
  1. Oct. 1-7 – interview 50 candidates using standardized questions and practical test
  1. Oct. 10 – intensive training on company procedure and design style
  1. Oct. 15 – new content written immediately and posted – emphasis on networking with wedding planners, event spaces, local wedding media, food providers etc. Goal: to achiever 20,000 followers by Dec. 31, 2021
  1. Oct. 15-Dec. 31 – Una meets with prospective clients to book 2022 jobs at the new higher prices.
  1. March 30, 2022 – Interview and hire 2nd floral arranger

Phase 4 – Structural Standards (forthcoming)

Determining the standards, policies and practices that will guide successful implementation of the Calendar Plan. This is the “how we conduct ourselves” part of “when we conduct our work.” These may include such things as:

  • HR standards and processes
  • Marketing or Public Relations standards
  • Information technology choices
  • Internal communications practices
  • Physical optimization of workplace

Phase 5 – Ongoing Review (forthcoming)

Establishing a review and compliance routine to ensure newly established standards are upheld, calendar timeliness are met, and ultimate goals are accomplished.

Project: Little India Restaurant (Toronto, Canada)

Start date: Apr. 23, 2021

Phase 1 – Discovery

Little India is the leading Indian food restaurant on Queen St, downtown Toronto. Prior to Covid-19 the restaurant ran a very successful lunchtime buffet with a perennially full restaurant. The food quality is objectively very high and the service is also good. A full dinner menu provided a la carte premium dining in the evenings. Overall, the business model was sustainable and supported a full time staff of up to 10 people. With the onset of Covid-19, the buffet business was forced to close as well as overall indoor dining. After 1 year of continuous shutdown, the remaining takeout business provides far lower revenue than previous.

Key details:

Employees: 10 (pre Covid), 5 (post Covid)

Revenue: down 66% yoy (post Covid)

Lunch customers per day: 100 (pre Covid), 20 (post Covid)

Dinner customers per day: 80 (pre Covid), 0 (post Covid)

Takeout customers per day: 20 (pre Covid), 40 (post Covid)

Phase 2 – Potential Paths

It’s clear from the initial consult that there has been a seismic shift in the customer mix because of Covid. The elimination of indoor dining has massively decreased revenue, while the business costs and structure has not changed to suit. The full menu is still available for takeout and the kitchen staff is the same. Waitress and cashier staff has been reduced to only one person. 

Given takeout is the only option at this time, the goal is to optimize takeout volume and profitability while minimizing business costs until such time that regular dining returns. This may be another 8-12 months.

The following 2 Paths address this transformation challenge:

Path 1

  1. Focus the lunch menu on the 6-8 mix-and-match specials currently offered. The profit per dish is fairly low so the increase in profit comes only through volume.
  2. Create a sidewalk sign with bold, colourful photos of the specials. This increases sales due to visual attractiveness.
  3. Do not allow a la carte ordering of myriad items and combinations from 11am to 5pm. This reduces the food costs and prep time during day-time operation.
  4. Allow full dinner menu ordering after 5pm

Overall, this requires no additional cost except for the poster/sign redesign and printing and should slightly increase sales, while decreasing food and labour costs. It can be achieved for under $500.

Estimated increase in profit – 10%

Path 2

  1. Focus the lunch menu on ONLY the 3 most popular dishes. 
  • 80% of people want these dishes so it has a wide appeal. 
  • Food costs are absolutely minimized because there are only 3 dishes to stock vs 8-20+
  • 3 choices is the most that most people can handle in an impulse/walk-by situation
  • The attractive retail price and encourages “double up” orders
  • The speed of order delivery can be reduced to 5 minutes from 15-25 currently. This increases customer satisfaction and repeat orders, and minimizes burden on minimal staff. Uber orders are much faster throughput.
  • Create a sidewalk sign with bold, colourful photos of the specials to increases sales due to visual attractiveness.
  • One standard price for each of the 3 options allows for easy transactions and predictable margins.
  • Overall per dish margin and volume is maximized.
  1. Do not allow a la carte ordering of myriad items and combinations. This reduces the food costs and prep time during day time operation and increases profit.
  2. Allow full dinner menu ordering only after 5pm
  3. Strongly promote the new lunch specials on Instagram for 4 weeks trial.
  4. Hand out flyers outside the restaurant for 4 weeks advertising the new lunch menu.
  5. Modify meal service web site menus to match new lunch options.

Overall, this requires no additional cost except for the poster/sign redesign, flyers and instagram. It can be achieved for under $500.

Estimated increase in profit – 40%

Phase 3 – Calendar Plan

Path 2 offers the biggest increase in profit for comparatively less work and cost. The Calendar plan is thus:

  1. April 23 – calculate food costs and dish design on the top 3 most popular dishes (Butter Chicken, Beef Vindaloo, Saag Paneer?), targeting the above profit numbers. 
  1. April 25 – photograph the 3 dishes using a professional food photographer
  1. April 26 – design the sidewalk sign using the new photos based on the attached mockup
  1. April 27 – print the sidewalk sign and scale it down to 1/4 letter page for handbills to give away. Print the same sign for posting next to the cash register so people can point at one of the 3 options when ordering. Remove all old menu or food signage so attention is focused on the 3 item menu.
  1. April 28-May 28 – Choose the friendliest staff to give out handbills outside the restaurant saying “Please try our Indian lunch boxes – only $12.95”
  1. April 28 – Set up an assembly line behind the cash to prepare the lunch boxes as orders come in. No food needs to be cooked per order. 
  1. April 28 – May 28 – Have the most technologically savvy person post daily pictures of the lunch specials on Instagram. Have them reach out to Toronto food influencers for free meal promos.
  1. April 28 – Set up Uber Eats, Ritual, Skip the Dishes etc. with the 3 lunch specials as the very first thing people see. Charge $14.95 on these services to cover the fees. Eliminate the dinner menu from 11-5pm if possible. Only show it to customers after 5pm. The goal is to massively increase volume on the popular lunch dishes.
  1. Run the new lunch specials program for 4 weeks and measure the effectiveness. Continue or adjust as necessary ONLY after 4 weeks. If you don’t strictly follow the program, then the numbers will not be reliable.

Phase 4 – Structural Standards (forthcoming)

Determining the standards, policies and practices that will guide successful implementation of the Calendar Plan. This is the “how we conduct ourselves” part of “when we conduct our work.” These may include such things as:

  • Food Cost or Order Fulfillment Time limits
  • Marketing standards
  • Physical optimization of workplace

Phase 5 – Ongoing Review (forthcoming)

Establishing a review and compliance routine to ensure newly established standards are upheld, calendar timeliness are met, and future goals are accomplished.