Caffé Macaroni and Italian Design?

By Pascal Dennis (bio)

Last month we enjoyed a family vacation in one of our favorite cities - San Francisco.

Something for everybody. Our son Matthew got to visit the Children’s Museum, my wife Pamela saw Alcatraz, and later Carmel-by-the-sea…

I took the family for dinner and a stroll in North Beach, San Fran’s Little Italy. We lingered in City Light’s Books, Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s legendary bookstore, and had a drink at the iconic Sentinel building, home of Francis Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios.

Just down the street, we found Caffe Macaroni, a joint right out of a Fellini movie, or an Abbott & Costello sketch.

“It’s a peculiar hole in the wall,” our San Fran friends had told us, “but has the best Italian food in North Beach.”

Sure enough, our waiter, Giovanni, was an oddball, who looked & sounded like Father Guido Sarducci, the old SNL character.

He passed out the menu, then told us nothing on the menu du jour was available!

“Why then, are you giving it to us?” I offered.

Giovanni shrugged, as if to say, ‘Life is mysterious. What are you gonna do?’

“So what are we going to have?” my wife put in. Giovanni assumed a noble pose, as if to say, you can count on me!

Over the next hour, he and his minions brought a series of unnamed courses, each more delicious than the last.

The restaurant was enveloped in a genial wackiness. A trapeze troupe, a bear in a tutu, a unicyclist juggling soccer balls – none would have seemed out of place.

Desert, Giovanni told us, would be Caffe Macaroni’s famous tiramisu. When Pam told him she didn’t like tiramisu, Giovanni offered a loopy grin. “This one, you gonna like!”

And he was right! The whole experience was quirky, creative and marvelous.

Could Caffe Macaroni replicate it? I doubt it - nor would they want to! Each dining experience is unique, just as each Ferrari is unique.

I’ve been lucky enough to work and make friends in Italy. A senior colleague once told me, “We make spectacular cars, shoes, clothing, wine, food… But we can’t (or won’t) make two the same!”

As a result, he continued, Italy has a wealth of splendid small business, but a dearth of large scale enterprises. I don’t know, and defer to our Italian colleagues here.

(If true, then maybe Caffe Macaroni is a metaphor.)

In any event, it’s an experience not to be missed.

Best regards,

Pascal




In case you missed our last few blogs... please feel free to have another look…

The Loneliness of the Small Business Owner
What is Courage & How does it relate to True North?
Lean, Leadership & Ethics, Part 1
The Work of Leaders

The Loneliness of the Small Business Owner

By Pascal Dennis (bio)

A colleague of mine is launching a small business - a comic book, craft & memorabilia store in Toronto's West end.

John is a splendid artist and draftsman, as well as, a gifted renovator of houses.

But he wants to do something a little different.

Over a drink the other day John described some of the obstacles he faces:

• Taxation (& double taxation) - on his lease, insurance, inventory, renovations etc.
• Municipal, provincial and federal business taxes - Toronto's business tax is among the highest in North America
• Multiple building permits - long delayed because the Permit Office lost the first set of drawings
• Multiple licenses - which face similar hassles & delays

It'll take John at least 6 months & a ton of investment just to open his doors.

Are there any lessons here?

A cynic might say, "Never start a business. Instead, get a job in the Permit Office. It's indoors & no heavy lifting."

Libertarians might say, "The power to tax is the power to destroy. We have starved government of money and power."

Lean thinkers might say, "Government has to reduce the waste in the small business launch process."

I'm with the Lean thinkers. If we agree that small business is the engine of growth, we have to reduce the hassles people like John face.

(According to BusinessWeek, business owners of all stripes cite RED TAPE is their single biggest hassle.)

How might we reduce the waste & hassle John has experienced?

A 'provision' map would be a good place to start. A provision map is essentially, a value stream map from the customer's point of view.

(See Chapter 12 of The Remedy for more.)

Our map would

• Define the steps in the small business launch process & related process data (e.g. total lead time, quality, value added time etc.)
• Illuminate the information flow, and
• Identify hassles & possible countermeasures

To take such a step, our various governments have to accept that their job is to help, by reducing hassle.

Mr. Biden, Mr. Trudeau, are you listening?

Best,

Pascal



In case you missed our last few blogs... please feel free to have another look…

What is Courage & How does it relate to True North?
Lean, Leadership & Ethics, Part 1
The Work of Leaders
Why is Lean So Hard? – Organizational Elements

The Loneliness of the Small Business Owner

By Pascal Dennis

A colleague of mine is launching a small business - a comic book, craft & memorabilia store in Toronto's West end.

John is a splendid artist and draftsman, as well as, a gifted renovator of houses.

But he wants to do something a little different.

Over a drink the other day John described some of the obstacles he faces:

• Taxation (& double taxation) - on his lease, insurance, inventory, renovations etc.
• Municipal, provincial and federal business taxes - Toronto's business tax is among the highest in North America
• Multiple building permits - long delayed because the Permit Office lost the first set of drawings
• Multiple licenses - which face similar hassles & delays

It'll take John at least 6 months & a ton of investment just to open his doors.

Are there any lessons here?

A cynic might say, "Never start a business. Instead, get a job in the Permit Office. It's indoors & no heavy lifting."

Libertarians might say, "The power to tax is the power to destroy. We have starved government of money and power."

Lean thinkers might say, "Government has to reduce the waste in the small business launch process."

I'm with the Lean thinkers. If we agree that small business is the engine of growth, we have to reduce the hassles people like John face.

(According to BusinessWeek, business owners of all stripes cite RED TAPE is their single biggest hassle.)

How might we reduce the waste & hassle John has experienced?

A 'provision' map would be a good place to start. A provision map is essentially, a value stream map from the customer's point of view.

(See Chapter 12 of The Remedy for more.)

Our map would

• Define the steps in the small business launch process & related process data (e.g. total lead time, quality, value added time etc.)
• Illuminate the information flow, and
• Identify hassles & possible countermeasures

To take such a step, our various governments have to accept that their job is to help, by reducing hassle.

Mr. Obama, Mr. Trudeau, are you listening?

Best,

Pascal

Pascal Dennis Bio

The Loneliness of the Small Business Owner

By Pascal Dennis

A colleague of mine is launching a small business - a comic book, craft & memorabilia store in Toronto's West end.

John is a splendid artist and draftsman, as well as, a gifted renovator of houses.

But he wants to do something a little different.

Over a drink the other day John described some of the obstacles he faces:

• Taxation (& double taxation) - on his lease, insurance, inventory, renovations etc.
• Municipal, provincial and federal business taxes - Toronto's business tax is among the highest in North America
• Multiple building permits - long delayed because the Permit Office lost the first set of drawings
• Multiple licenses - which face similar hassles & delays

It'll take John at least 6 months & a ton of investment just to open his doors.

Are there any lessons here?

A cynic might say, "Never start a business. Instead, get a job in the Permit Office. It's indoors & no heavy lifting."

Libertarians might say, "The power to tax is the power to destroy. We have starved government of money and power."

Lean thinkers might say, "Government has to reduce the waste in the small business launch process."

I'm with the Lean thinkers. If we agree that small business is the engine of growth, we have to reduce the hassles people like John face.

(According to BusinessWeek, business owners of all stripes cite RED TAPE is their single biggest hassle.)

How might we reduce the waste & hassle John has experienced?

A 'provision' map would be a good place to start. A provision map is essentially, a value stream map from the customer's point of view.

(See Chapter 12 of The Remedy for more.)

Our map would

• Define the steps in the small business launch process & related process data (e.g. total lead time, quality, value added time etc.)
• Illuminate the information flow, and
• Identify hassles & possible countermeasures

To take such a step, our various governments have to accept that their job is to help, by reducing hassle.

Mr. Obama, Mr. Harper, are you listening?

Best,

Pascal