Saturday, August 21st
Location: LITM, Jersey City
Time: 12p-2:30p

You may be waiting until the economy improves to start your own business, or until you have enough money or when you have years of experience. But if you have, at this moment, the desire to have your own business then you have a way to make it happen.

I understand the apprehension, especially when everything around us is telling us not to do anything. When I started pursuing my restaurant, we were going through the internet bubble recession. But I was so focused on having my own place that the economy didn’t affect my decision. What did touch me was the aftereffect of 9/11, and the need we had to stay close to home.

Right now, there is an opportunity for your business to succeed in these economic conditions. With tremendous and sudden change, comes opportunity. Your business is not a pipe dream, some frivolous idea that won’t really get anywhere. Someone needs your product or service. Or just needs to see you step up and go after your dream to inspire him to do the same.

I invite you to start where you are and take action regardless of your circumstance. One day last week, I thought to myself that I should hold another entrepreneurship class before back to school kicks in. That same day hours later, a young chef asked me if I was going to offer an entrepreneurship class any time soon. Your business idea works the same way. Someone needs it, is searching for it and waiting for you to show up in his life. And it doesn’t matter what it is- it could be a hot dog stand with a twist or a handmade scarf or a picture- you are going to bring joy to someone’s life by being there.

On Saturday, Aug 21st, I’m having an entrepreneurship class that’ll get your engine started. We’ll map out ways to get you started RIGHT NOW, answer your questions about starting a business, confront the fears that may get in the way (which are the same fears we all encounter ), get a business plan going and have fun fun fun doing it!!

A DJ will be playing music to help you get in the mood, food will be served to help keep your focus and a cocktail for the heck of it.

Only advanced ticket purchase is available as I need to know how many students to prepare for. The ticket is $97 per student and with it you’ll get:

*A business plan started + a plan of action to follow.
*Your questions about starting a business answered – If I don’t have the answer on the spot, I’ll ask everyone I know until I get it.
*One-on-one time with me during the class and a private follow up session with me after the class
*Music, hors d’oeuvre + a free drink ticket

PLUS…. a FREE copy of my book – Restaurant from Scratch – that is officially being released on September 1st. (This book was supposed to come out last fall, but I got in my own way for months. I’ll share the story in class as it relates to us all.) It’s a motivational how-to book on starting and growing your own successful restaurant or business since the principles are the same.

Reserve now. Click here. Your business is waiting to happen.

Jelynne Jardiniano
July 2, 2010

Jelynne Jardiniano; Entrepreneur
Hometown: Jersey City, NJ
Education: Cornell University
Age: 31

Watch video here

Jelynne was born in Manila, Philippines, and in 1984 moved with her family to the United States to make Jersey City, NJ, their hometown. She went on to Cornell University with her sights set on being a lawyer, but unhappy with her studies, Jelynne took a year off after her first year to explore other interests. She got a job as a hostess for a small seafood restaurant on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and from that simple job came the spark for her love of restaurants. She worked for other restaurants and catering companies, working her way up as a server. With no doubt in her mind, Jelynne went back to Cornell and switched majors to hospitality management.

Business talks by her professors and between her peers were the norm. Entrepreneurship was not only a common pursuit, but a nurtured mindset at school. From first thinking that she would become a manager of a restaurant, Jelynne changed her focus to owning her own restaurant. A year after college, she did just that.

Jelynne went back to her hometown and received a small investment from her family for her restaurant venture. In November 2003 she opened LITM, a bar and gallery that to this day hosts monthly art exhibitions by local and international artists. But her ability to grow the business was being stifled by a Jersey City ordinance that restricted bars and restaurants in the Restaurant Row district from serving alcohol past 11 pm on weekdays and midnight on weekends, while restaurants in other parts of the city were permitted to serve as late as 3 am. Jelynne set out to change that law.

Two years later, in October 2005, with over a thousand petitions in hand and a caucus-room full of supporters, Jelynne convinced the city council of Jersey City to amend the Restaurant Row restriction. Shortly after, Jelynne became an officer on the board of the Special Improvement District (SID), organization that supports local business development in downtown Jersey City. Three new restaurants opened since she changed the law, with two more opening this year.

But Jelynne still wanted to grow her bar into the restaurant she envisioned from the start, so she slowly introduced food with a café-style menu of sandwiches and salads. Within a year, she expanded the kitchen and became a full-service restaurant in 2007. Today, LITM continues to be a popular neighborhood destination that serves new American food by Executive Chef Alexander Diaz. LITM was awarded “Best Casual” restaurant in 2008 by the BEST Independent Restaurant Association.

Jelynne just completed her first book titled “Restaurant From Scratch.” The book was inspired by her patrons and friends who kept going to her for advice on starting a restaurant. Her book blends instructional how-to’s with advice on personal improvement and empowerment. It clears the excuses that get in our way of pursuing our dream and puts the focus on the resources we have within our reach. Jelynne enjoys giving classes on entrepreneurship. She actively writes about topics on restaurant startups, interviews experts in the trenches of the industry and shares it on her blog.

Jelynne is now working on multiple film projects. The first is on the current construction of two restaurants, both by different owners with opposite approaches. The documentary shows the varying yet similar challenges that someone opening a restaurant will go through. Her second film project is a food and culture travel show on horseback that highlights how people can experience more joy in their lives. Her first horseback trip was through the vineyards and beaches of Bordeaux, France. Her upcoming destination is Turkey in September 2010.

Visit Lifetime Channel site here.
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The last post I talked about how the time it takes to acquire your permits for construction, if overlooked, can be a major unforeseen expense. Here are my final bits of advice concerning this topic:

Free Rent
When negotiating the terms of your lease, it’s not enough to accept the standard 3 months free rent. As noted in the article from the LA Times, the average time it takes for a restaurant in Los Angeles to get its permits is 12 to 18 months! While this waiting period will vary from city to city, it would be safe to say that the first 3 months can be easily spent waiting for your permits.

Negotiate 3 months of free rent upon getting your certificate of occupancy. After all, you are making capital improvements to someone else’s building. Avoid paying rent during construction, and aim to get a cushion of free rent once you open. Work with your landlord in achieving a term that you both can be happy with. He may want to cap the time allotted in waiting for the permits (understandable from his perspective since he wouldn’t want an open-ended scenario). But find out what the average wait time is, and factor that in your lease negotiation. If he is unwilling to negotiate, you should reconsider being his tenant. If he is not supportive from the beginning, he won’t be to the end.

Be Active
Even if you hire a general contractor and architect, don’t just wait on them to get your permits. Be an active partner during the permit process, make multiple weekly visits to the building department, introduce yourself as the owner and get to know the people in the office. It can be an intimidating first visit, especially when the people behind the counter may not care who you are. But continue on, until they can associate your face to the project.

Budget for the Wait
Plan for the expenses that have to be paid during the wait and the opportunity cost of waiting. When forecasting your budget for the entire project, factor this period in. In addition to expenses such as utilities and maintenance, consider the activities that you can accomplish during this period. You may want to engineer the food and drink menu, attend more trade shows, introduce yourself to local community groups and business associations. This is a crucial time in your business. You want to position yourself for success long before opening day.

Take your time and at the same time, make the most use of it.

When budgeting for the construction of a restaurant, one factor that almost always gets overlooked is time. The lapse in time from the moment you sign the lease, to the start of construction to opening day can add up to a major unforeseen expense. In my next few posts, I’m going to talk about how managing your time means money.

If you are going into your first restaurant or food-related venture, be aware of the permit process. It takes time, and the more if you let it.

A recent article in the LA Times reported that Los Angeles is making strides in easing the opening of restaurants by “eliminating agencies’ conflicting rules and assigning case managers to developers.” It currently takes 12 to 18 months to get a restaurant project through their permit system.

That is a lot of wasted time and money. Rent will be payable during those months. If you hired a general contractor, his time waiting may be billed depending on the contract. Then there’s opportunity cost. You may have decided to take this on full-time. This is missed opportunity for making income. There’s the risk of a changed economy, or changed trend from the one you set out to accommodate. And then the chance of losing momentum and excitement for your own project.

When planning for your restaurant, prepare yourself to be highly involved in the permit process. Even if you hire a general contractor and a competent architect – you, as the owner, have the most vested interest in obtaining those permits as quickly as possible.

It took me 3 months from the start of construction to opening day. And back then that was long enough, considering I was working on a tight budget. I was my own general contractor and I hired a vanilla-box architect – someone who designs what you tell them to meet code. But otherwise not a person who was a major source of information or support. He was cheap and I got what I paid for.

Soon after I received the blueprint from my architect, I dedicated a few hours a day to the building department. I had a lot of questions, and I was afraid to ask them, but I asked anyway. I learned as I went, and would constantly check-in to see if I was doing the right thing. I asked them basic questions that a g.c. would know – such as the order of the permit process. I learned that the health department was one of the last to inspect, but in terms of what I needed to pass the inspection, I still needed to contact them early on the construction process. And because I did, I learned that a triple sink and a hand washing sink were necessary fixtures behind the bar.

During those three months, I had plenty of instances where an inspector would come in, tell me I was missing something or failed to do something properly, walk out and reschedule another inspection the following week or two weeks later. And yes, as the LA Times article cited, there were a couple of times where I received conflicting instructions from different offices.

But this is the opportunity to put your time management and organizational skills to work. Write down the person’s name and the office from whom you receive instructions. Check with other agencies and try to have them confirm the accuracy of those instructions. These people have a lot of information they’re juggling as well, and miscommunication is highly probable but probably unintentional. Visit the building department regularly, daily! If you’re in a major city such as New York City, look into expediters. Saving time means saving money.

I give immense credit to Los Angeles and the organization behind it, for recognizing the need to improve the permit process for restaurants. Business opportunities are constantly around us. As an entrepreneur, it’s your duty to keep your pulse on the changes that favor your chance of doing business. And then taking action on it.

This topic has been brewing for a number of years. The last I read of it was in a newsletter from the NJ Restaurant Association asking its members to call in opposition. It has to do with issuing new liquor licenses in the State of NJ.

A recent article in the Start Ledger reported that NJ lawmakers are considering a liquor law overhaul that would allow a person or corporate entity (such as a grocery store) to own more than 2 licenses, issue byob restaurants a restricted license to sell beer and wine and enable cities to sell unused licenses to other towns.

Changes are going to be inevitable because the State is considering not one, but a number of new laws. And because the movement is backed by money. It’ll only be a matter of time before every Whole Foods location sells organic beer. And eventually, our favorite byob spot too.

This issue hits close to home. I purchased my liquor license, and part of the appeal for my family to invest in my place was the asset value of the license. I sympathize with opposing restaurateurs that paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to own one, and now bear the risk of its worth being devalued.

A liquor license is an important piece of the restaurant pie. Most restaurants depend on their bar to sustain the business. And this is why I’m also sympathetic to byob owners having their chance at selling alcohol.
With a little legislative creativity, I’m certain we can find a solution that pleases both sides.

Seize this moment to learn more about this historic change in our state. And find the opportunity you’ve been looking for. If your gut’s been telling you to open a restaurant, take action now. Even if it means making a simple phone call to your State representative. Ask them if the restricted license that permits the sale of beer and wine is also offered to new restaurant projects or if it’s only for existing byob owners.

If you live in another state, this lesson still applies to you – stay current with your state’s liquor law legislation. Investigate the possible changes in the pipeline. States often adopt ideas from other states (remember the smoking ban?), so yours may one day use New Jersey as a model for their own overhaul.

The liquor laws for each state vary. And even within each county and city. It can get confusing. The book Restaurant from Scratch has a section on liquor laws. Take action now. The time is always right to do what you love.

In my last post, I talked about the need for a distinct personality to your restaurant. Next, we’re going to touch on another element vital to the strength of your restaurant’s concept. And that is purpose.

Purpose is the solution that your restaurant is offering. When you offer a solution to your customers, their decision to buy from you becomes easier and their experience more pleasurable.

This thought first occurred to me when my husband and I were trying to find a solution for closet space. A family friend suggested we check out the Elfa closet system from the Container Store. We did wind up using them because (a) the ease in which they offered the solution and (b) the reasonable price of their solution. The only thing we had to do was give them the dimension of the space and their computer program configured the space according to the Elfa system and our closet needs.

What struck me more was their mainly unoriginal products, that you could find in typical housewares stores such as Bed, Bath and Beyond and even Target. On the surface, the Container Store could easily be seen as another one of those mainstream places. But the specific solution they offer sets them apart. Even their catalog is all about showing you the solutions that they have to offer. Their product therefore is not the 1000 sku’s stacked on their shelves – their product is a solution to at least one of your organizing needs.

Let’s translate this to your restaurant’s concept. What solution are you offering to your target customer? My bar/restaurant was the alternative to driving into New York City. Creative cocktails in a cool setting was a focus from the start. We were the hip and casual neighborhood place that was the solution to people wanting to stay close to home, but feel like they got away for the evening.

McDonald’s was the solution to time-starved parents and entertainment to their children. But times change and so may the needs of your customers. A recent article that interviewed the restaurant designer overseeing McDonald’s current major renovation project reveals exactly what I’m talking about. Their new stores have zone-seating areas that allows the customer to use the restaurant in ways that fits their needs and lifestyle. Bringing a laptop while sipping your coffee or taking an hour long lunch break with your friends are among the solutions they’re offering to their customers.

What solution are you offering your customers? Are you their after work, affordable prepared-meal solution? Are you their entertainment? Are you their home away from home? Are you their alternative to having no office to work out of? Are you the private party place or special celebration destination? Are you the only place that customizes meals for the vegan, organic, local produce seeking and health and green conscious customer?

Think and talk in terms of solutions. And before you know it, a family friend just may recommend your place to me one day.

Since the beginning of February, my team has been filming the creation of 2 restaurant projects- one in the East Village of Manhattan, and the other across the Hudson River in Liberty State Park. One is 3000 square feet, the other is 30,000 square feet. Both started at the same time, both are projecting to finish at the same time. Two different owners and two different approaches. But both experiencing similar challenges. And both are up to the task.

Sound exciting? We think so.

I’ll bring you up to speed with this project as we roll out the first few episodes. But for the time being, I was inspired to write today’s topic as I was taking a lunch break from filming.

Whenever I’m at the Manhattan site, I usually have lunch across the street at this Ukrainian eatery called Veselka. If someone were to tell me that they want to open a Ukrainian restaurant, it wouldn’t particularly knock my socks off. Who thinks of going out for Ukrainian food? How often would it come to someone’s mind? Not enough, if all it did was serve food…

Let’s flip the coin, and change the scenario to someone wanting to open an Italian restaurant. Makes total sense – you can have Italian every day, everyone thinks of Italian and the country is notorious for its food. But if all they did was serve good food, it’s still not enough.

A restaurant cannot be identified by its food alone. It must have personality, for starters. Veselka is not a Ukrainian diner, it’s your cool Ukrainian grandmother that serves you comfort food you grew up with, but so hip with the times that you can actually have a conversation with her.

It’s not an accident that they’ve been around for 55 years. And although it wouldn’t be all attributed to its personality, it plays an indelible role in their longevity.

As with any restaurant, Veselka’s personality comes through in a myriad of ways. The staff, the decor, the ambience, the food, the plates, the ketchup bottle, the bathroom sink. Dare we say personality is found in everything? Personality is the most tangible intangible. We know it when we see it. And we know when a restaurant has none of it. We can feel it, we can sense it.

And don’t think throwing money at a restaurant will give it one. There are plenty of million dollar restaurant projects that look great but have no personality. Personality comes from a place of sincerity and authenticity. It comes through from the inside out, and not the reverse.

You have it. We all have it. Embrace it. Let your restaurant be the extension of that. This has nothing to do with being a good person versus bad, nice versus mean. It has all to do with being true to who you are.