As I revisited season two from the successful Netflix series “Another Self”, I was once again struck by how one of the characters decides it’s time to close her dream project. If you’re unfamiliar with the series, don’t worry, I’ll make sure you still get the point but brace yourself for spoilers. If you have watched it, and you care a little about any kind of entrepreneurship, I know something within you probably cringed when you saw they were giving up that soon on such a beloved project. Now this show is not about business, and there’s much more to gain from it, so I highly recommend it either way. This is a wonderful learning opportunity if we see Leyla’s storyline as a case study. Keep reading, you’ll see why.
Leyla the social media influencer.
In season 1 of “Another Self”, Leyla showed her family and friends that her love for social media was a profitable skill. When she was unemployed and left to her own devices, she found ways to make a profit. One of them was to help bring clients into Fiko’s restaurant with some simple marketing strategies.
- Honest review. She shared her personal experience with the place, the location and things that she considered relevant for others like herself.
- Added value. Leyla knew the place was good, the food was good, but added live music to make a more complete dining experience for the customers.
- Made it “cool”. She introduced reservations to a place that was usually always available. By telling her customers how hard it was to get into the restaurant, it made them crave for that experience.
There are many lessons to learn from Leyla up to this point.
First of, she looked for a skill and asset that she already had (social media presence and an engaged community); then she saw how it could become profitable. But, she didn’t start charging for this right away. She showed Fiko that her shoutouts on social media and posting could bring him clients.
Second, she did not invest money or resources that she didn’t have. She started little by little giving results, and asking for something in return. This is a lesson for anyone who is trying to gain reputation or feedback on their work.
Finally, as her involvement became bigger, she asked for more. Many consultants, freelancers, and entrepreneurs don’t do this. We tend to be so concerned about keeping clients, that we fear asking for what we need. Sometimes we can go years adding more value to a brand, without getting proper compensation.
Leyla the Restaurant Owner
Now, I had to do that brief season 1 recap, because season 2 is not a business success story. By the end of season 1, Leyla has come into some money and Fiko has lost the place he rented for his restaurant. She decides it’s a good idea to partner with him, and start her new dream project. As we come into season 2, Leyla finds the perfect spot to open Eleni’s Tavern. She invests all her money into buying the property (plus a loan), gets friends to pitch in in different ways, and gets the project going. The place is wonderful, they do a magnificent grand opening,
After the grand opening, she needs to leaves for a week. Now, this is a crucial time in any project, I would never recommend leaving, but things happen, right? By the time Leyla is back, we see an abandoned tavern and a concerned Fiko who is throwing away food because there are no customers. When she comes back, Fiko tells her, things are bad and they need to close. And here my friends, I jumped off my seat and wanted to kick and scream at the screen (or offer my consulting services).
As you can see, Leyla the influencer would have been very useful to Leyla the restaurant owner. And this is no judgement, sometimes this happens to many of us as we get the chance to work on passion projects. Life is different when you’re an employee, a consultant, or the actual owner of the business. So if you are thinking about making that jump, be aware of this difference. But enough criticism, let’s dive into what could have been done differently.
Setting up your dream project or business
One of the lessons I’ve learned the hard way is not to invest all of your resources in it. Save some money for a rainy day, because rain WILL come. If your project requires funding, then work your best to find it. Also, I do recommend that you find ways to keep yourself employed or funded while you develop your project. Nothings puts more strain on a creative mind like an empty bank account. So, as you develop any passion project, make sure you use some of your time to generate income. Or make sure your savings can safely keep you alive for a while. Keep your eyes on the goal, but don’t leave your pockets empty. This applies not only to your financial resources, also your time, energy and health. You’ll need your all if you’re starting your dream project.
Let’s go back to Eleni’s Tavern. Leyla invested all her money on the property where she would develop it. She was smart to ask her friends for investment, some in resources and some actually working on the property. But here are some suggestions I would have given Leyla before she opened her dream project.
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Catering services or food delivery.
They could have started growing a customer base by providing catering services and food delivery to people in the neighborhood. That would have allowed for people to sample their food and service; while also allowing them to test-run the business. This could have also allowed them to test-run the tavern, the kitchen, out-door areas, new employees, menu, live entertainment, etc.
2. Build up anticipation.
Much like she had done in season 1, Leyla could have used digital storytelling to make people crave the new experience. She could have built on telling her audience the story of Fiko, how passionate he was about food and cooking, and how he lost his old business. This would have allowed for human connection, and also to keep Fiko’s brand and reputation alive. She could have also shared with her audience the process of bringing together Eleni’s Tavern. In the story she just she lets her audience know she’ll open a restaurant, but there’s no consistency. People love feeling connected and involved in a process. Leyla could have even developed fundraising campaigns, or memberships for VIP experiences.
3. Avoid a grand opening.
I see this all the time. I can tell you, unless your audience is expecting you and already craving your presence, there is no need on big launches or grand openings. You are just investing resources you don’t have with little to no return. Small previous efforts are way more effective, and less expensive. Unless money is not an issue. If you have enough funds, a grand opening can allow for PR efforts with press, influencers, and live music or something that draws attention to your new project.
4. Business manager
Make sure you hire or appoint a business manager to handle the financial and legal side of your business. You will be juggling all the day-to-day activities. If you are the soul of your business venture, your mind, creativity and passion are needed there. Make sure someone else can keep an eye on the earthly financial and legal aspects that keep you running. This will also allow you to get input and warnings before you get to a place where your project is in danger.
Course-correcting, my dream project is not working
Now, we come to the end of season 2. What if you were Leyla coming back from that trip with your friends to find your business partner sitting outside of an empty tavern?
- Assess the situation. What happened? How did you get here? This is not a blaming process or a pity party. This is an honest review of what isn’t working or causing trouble. Can it be fixed? Do we want to fix it?
- Finding solutions. Now that you have a clear notion of what led you to trouble, it’s time to get creative. Reduce the size of your operations, adjust your expectations. Leyla and Fiko could go back to the notion of catering and home delivery. They could go for special marketing promotions online, or through alliances with other businesses. Why not becoming the favorite dining spot for the local gym or senior’s center? Maybe the coffee stop for working women looking for a place to network or work away from home? Children area? Pet friendly? Live music? Influencers?
- Implement solutions. With a set plan and a time frame, start implementing. Be clear about expectations and responsibilities. Know what you’re going to do, measure its success and set a timeline so you know when it’s time to celebrate or call it quits.
*All images are property of Netflix – Another Self.
If you’re ready to build or kill your dream project, and you’re looking for some input as to how to do it best, I’m happy to help you. Reach out! Sometimes it’s easier to see things from the outside. When we build our own dream projects, we may be too close to see the big picture.
