What Can a Master Chef Teach Soloists?

One of the perks of living in New York's Hudson Valley is that it is home to the Culinary Institute of America, training ground for the world's finest chefs (and jokingly referred to as the other CIA). We're lucky, because many graduates stay in the area and start great restaurants. CIA students work in many of the retail establishments in town. As a result, casual conversation often turns to what they're studying, and always, always one thing: their knives.

While few Working Solo Minute readers are professional chefs, the CIA students' relationship to their knives offers lessons about professional tools of the trade:

1. Each tool has a purpose.
To a novice chef, the array of knives can be dizzying. As learning progresses, however, students discover that each knife excels at specific functions. Similarly, when individuals launch their solo ventures, business tools (both physical tools as well as strategies and tactics) may be confusing or overwhelming. With experience (and perhaps a few virtual band-aids), a soloist learns which tools to apply to keep the business on track. Have you reviewed your business toolbox lately to rediscover tools you abandoned, or to see what needs sharpening?

2. Tools become personalized.
Students guard their knives carefully, and not only for their monetary value. Knives become personalized through use, and a chef becomes attuned to the weight, balance, and performance of a blade. Over time, each knife becomes an extension of a trained chef's hand. What business tools have you mastered so they are a natural part of your personal identity?

3. Invest in the best you can afford.
Each CIA student must purchase his or her own knives, a sizeable investment. Yet they know this is not the area to scrimp. Cheap knives won't retain a sharp edge, and poorly crafted knives can be dangerous in the fierce tempo of an active restaurant. Similarly, in periods of peak demand, soloists must be able to rely on equipment and tools that can deliver.

There is a deep joy that comes from using good tools. For soloists, these tools may be the equipment that fills our offices or the business strategies and tactics we employ to grow our companies. Choose your initial investment wisely, and remain vigilant so that your tools stay in peak form. They support your work each day.

-- Terri Lonier
Founder, WorkingSolo.com

P.S.: Todd Sattersten, co-author of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time (reviewed in the Working Solo Minute #68) has just published an ebook on pricing that's one of the most insightful overviews on this topic that I've seen. And it's at the very best price: free. Download it from his blog.