So imagine this situation: You're the chef and manager of a little waterfront restaurant in beautiful Southwest Florida. But you're located deep inside one of the largest gated communities in our area, but you're not associated with the community or its club--you're not guaranteed a customer base.

So you've got to figure out how to make it on your own in a sea of restaurants--when most of the town doesn't even know you exist.

That's the situation I talked about with Cory Bass, the executive chef and general manager at Backwater Jack's. Backwater Jack's is located inside the gated community of Bonita Bay, but isn't part of either the Bonita Bay Club or the Bonita Bay Community Association.

Cory and I talked about:

• How a business that's off the beaten path has found ways to survive and grow
• How he uses email marketing --but with personality!--to drive traffic to the restaurant and build relationships with his customers
• How he approached a major turnaround in a restaurant
• Challenges--and lessons learned--about construction & expansion projects
• The surprising little product that's costing more than you'd think today

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