After 16 years of working in the pizza biz from delivery driver to store manager, Nick Bogacz built the confidence to open his own pizza place in 2012. Today, Bogacz is the President and Founder of Caliente Pizza & Drafthouse. An inspiring leader and team builder, he has grown his company to nearly 200 employees and 5 locations in 7 years.

Show notes… Favorite success quote or mantra:

• "Make it happen."

In this episode with Nick Bogacz we will discuss:

• Becoming a leader early in life
• Learning leadership from coaching sports
• Natural leadership inclination
• Doing everything in your job to the absolute fullest
• Craftsmanship
• Necessary evils in the pizza business
• Marketing
• Adapting to new challenges
• Mentors
• Learning from failures
• Finding your niche
• The best job interview practices
• Lessons learned from the best marketing books and mentors
• What you can learn from big companies like Domino's
• Teach by example
• Sacrifice
• Resilience
• Find out what works and run with it
• Facebook marketing
• Scaling quickly
• Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

Today's Sponsors:

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CAKE provides an easy-to-use integrated software and hardware solution to build better dining experiences for restaurant operators and their guests. With mobile marketing and waitlist management to point of sale payment processing, the CAKErestaurant management system helps you grow your business. Learn more at trycake.com/unstoppable

Restaurant365 is a cloud-based, all-in-one, restaurant-specific accounting and back-office platform that seamlessly integrates with POS systems, payroll providers, food and beverage vendors. It generates accurate real-time reporting and analysis in user-friendly dashboards, facilitating immediate, data-driven decision making. Restaurant365 eliminates manual, error-prone processes and is designed to help restaurant businesses grow with functionality that helps optimize labor costs, reduce food costs and increase revenue.

Knowledge bombs

1. Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success?
   • Law of attraction
2. What is your biggest weakness?
   • Time
3. What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview?
   • A smile
4. What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it?
   • Smile
5. Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team.
   • Our draft list is above and beyond
6. What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff?
   • Stay true to who you are
7. What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner?
   • The Pizza Equation: Slicing Up How To Run a Successful Pizza Enterprise by Nick Bogacz
   • Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson
   • Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
   • The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM
8. What's the one thing you feel restaurateurs don't know well enough or do often enough?
   • Relax
9. What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your four walls restaurant and how has it influence operations?
   • THR!VE POS System
10. If you got the news that you'd be leaving this world tomorrow and all memories of you, your work, and your restaurants would be lost with your departure with the exception of 3 pieces of wisdom you could leave behind for the good of humanity, what would they be?
    • Make it happen attitude
    • Don't underestimate the importance of family
    • You NEED passion

Contact info:

Nick's book is available now: The Pizza Equation

Instagram: @caliente_pizza and @nickbogaczofficial

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.pizzadrafthouse.com

Thanks for listening!

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Huge thanks to Nick Bogacz for joining me for another awesome episode. Until next time!

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