Find Out What Drives Entrepreneur Lawrence Lee

Master Chef Lawrence Lee

Lawrence Lee brings 15 years of industry experience in many areas of hospitality including restaurants, nightlife, culinary arts, and mixology.  He also attended the California Culinary Academy and is a native of San Francisco.  He has worked as a Chef/Bartender in many San Francisco hot spots such as Hukilau Bar & Grill and Lava Ultra Lounge, along with over 10 years of nightlife promotions under his belt.
I admire my good friend for his drive, motivation, charm, and passion, so I felt he's the perfect person to find out what it takes to start a successful business.  He has owned a few businesses here in San Francisco including Mercury Lounge, JumpinDumplin, HayaHon and now his new venture called Street Food Dojo.  

Aimee: What drove you to become an entrepreneur?

Lawrence: I have always been driven to run my own business.  I have always left companies at the highest position available due to the fact that I could no longer learn anything new.

Essentially, I realized that I was successful at making other people money, and wanted to try it out on myself.

Lawrence's first business Mercury Lounge

Aimee: How long have you had this dream before starting your own business?

Lawrence: Since, my sophomore year in high school, as soon as I got my work permit, even though minimum wage during that time was $2.75. I enjoyed the fact that I had a grasp of the economic cycle.  Also, I was able to provide things for myself that a lot of kids were not able to do at that time. 

Aimee: What are some elements and inspirations of your creative thought process in creating a business?

Lawrence: Here are a couple of cheesy mottos that one of my mentors growing up gave me.  These have stuck with me to this day and I tend to apply it to all aspects of my decision making regarding my businesses and still continues to work.

·    #1-“You can’t make Dollars if it doesn’t make sense (cents)”: Meaning it’s the little details (coins) that you must pay attention to in order for the big picture to become clearer. A lot of people tend to open businesses without a game plan or even a plan B. If you cover all your bases then the BIG picture (dollars) will follow.

·    #2-“Stop worrying about if you CAN accomplish something, and worry more about whether or not you SHOULD.” A lot of people nowadays tend to just follow others.  They see a business that is HOT that everyone else is getting into, frantically try to get involved, and do the same thing without thinking it all the way through.  Plus, they don’t take the time to research all the mistakes others are doing to possibly learn from them, which in turn causes them to make the same mistakes as they did.  

     "When it comes to running a business, you need to make TIME your friend and not your enemy."

Aimee: Were you always a risk taker?

Lawrence: I used to be, but I adapted the mottos above, used time and knowledge to my advantage, and learned to make small risks to yield big rewards.

http://www.jumpindumplin.com/

Aimee: What are the top three things you think about when you get out of bed?

Lawrence:

#1 REFLECT on what I learned the day before.

#2 MOTIVATE myself on the day ahead of me.

#3 REMIND myself that a lot of other people rely on me to be on my "A" game and get motivated.

Aimee: When do you feel most passionate about your work?

Lawrence: The fact that it is something that I created and nurtured from concept to creation, and that no matter what it is, the public has decided that it is of some use to society and has accepted it as a part of their lives.

Aimee: Describe if there was a time when you felt like you were on the wrong path.

Lawrence: Honestly I feel this way every day, which is why the 3 things I do every morning (above) are so important to keep me motivated. I am lucky to be a single healthy man that can afford to take the risks that I do, day in and day out.  I do not have children or major expenses to worry about.

Aimee: What personality characteristic enables you to become a successful entrepreneur?

Lawrence: I make it a point to listen and understand the needs of my customers/clients... not everyone has the same needs so you can't treat them the same. Everyone deserves a careful and conscious customer experience with you because at the end of the day, there is always someone else to do your job BETTER, FASTER, and CHEAPER.

Aimee: Where do seek motivation from friends, family, or a higher power? And how does it motivate you?

Lawrence: My mother raised me and my 5 brothers and sisters essentially alone, not speaking the language and working 3-4 odd jobs on a daily basis.  She never complained and always taught me to work hard at my job, but at the same time learn the person’s job next to me as well.  This way I am never behind and ready to take the job of the person above me.

Aimee: What tactics do you use in order to market your business?

Lawrence: Always find your target market and where you think they will be in 3-5 months and make sure you are there. A lot of businesses tend to find what’s HOT at the moment and immediately place all their focus on it.  They are unaware that trends change so often that what they found to be the HOT thing, most likely is on its way out. You always have to make room for the next big thing. For Example, fashion and technology is always evolving. They both take a lot risk, but if you just keep copying what somebody else already did you will never be the next big thing and you will be the thing that already was. 

Aimee: What helps you stay focused when you are dealing with constant stream of employees, clients, emails, and phone calls?

Lawrence: I remind myself that the barrage is due to the fact that there is a demand to what I am offering, that what I’m doing may be the NEXT BIG THING, and do whatever it takes to stay driven and focused.

http://hayahon.com/pop-up-info/

Aimee: What tools do you use in order to keep you on top of things and stay organized?

Lawrence: I hate technology as much as I know that it is essential nowadays, but I’m old school and tend to hand write everything and manually keep files. This allows me to retain this information in my brain knowing that I wrote it, read it, filed it, and dealt with it myself.  It’s not rocket science, but it works for me.

Aimee: What types of contacts are most important when starting a new business?

Lawrence: Your vendor/employee relationships.  These people are essential to running and maintaining your business.  They are the life blood of your product and an important support system for when things are going tough.

Aimee: Whom do you go to when you want to, or are starting, a new business?

Lawrence: The city, permits, licenses, taxes, etc. This is the part of the starting a new business that you don't want to cut corners because it will bite you later.  Always do good by the city and the city will be your best friend. 

Aimee: Who helped you establish your business?

Lawrence: My partners, I am blessed to work with a group of guys that have the same passion that I do and look forward to growing our business together. It’s always important to have this support group.

Aimee: Who is your support network?

Lawrence: My partners, and friends and family of course. These are the ones that were with you in the beginning and have supported you through thick and thin. It’s only natural to gravitate towards them in your time of need.

Lawrence's newest venture-Street Food Dojo
 He's still deciding which logo to go with, which one do you like?