The Business Road Map: Developing and Implementing a Sound

Strategic Plan for Profitability and Growth

Presented by: Warren Dietel, President & Owner Orlando, FL

Table of Contents & Housekeeping

•  My story •  The Puff Story •  Mission, Vision & Values •  Defining the Culture •  The Financials •  Quality •  Product Development •  The Tipping Point •  Infrastructure •  Streamlining & Consolidation •  Team Transition •  Sales •  Opening the Door •  Branding •  Marketing the New You

•  Give it Your Best Every Day •  Presentation will be available online:

–  http://www.slideshare.net/WarrenDietel

•  Twitter: @pscatering, #catersource •  Facebook.com/puffnstuffcatering

My Story

•  Entrepreneurial from the start

•  Professional Experience –  Car Detailing, Puff ‘n Stuff

Catering, Disney Weddings, Disney Institute, Scott Kay, back Home!

•  Industry Involvement –  ICA Board Member, Regular

Speaker for Catersource, The Special Event, American Rental Association, and NACE

The Puff Story •  Opened in Central Florida in

1980 as a family-owned business

•  Purchased in 2003, annual sales of $1.8 million, at operational limit

•  Antiquated infrastructure with inefficient space & poor equipment

•  Tremendous potential + aggressive growth plan = 267% growth in 3 years

•  Opened new commissary in 2006

Strategic Planning: See a future •  Why bother?

–  What are you going to sell? –  Who are you going to sell to? –  How can you beat or avoid your

competition?

•  Alone in an ocean a boat drifts with the wind and currents

•  CHANGE is inevitable – adapt or loose

•  Yesterday is GONE! •  Getting People on Board

–  Strategic vision comes from people –  Craft and nurture it and it will become

reality –  Turn dreams into reality

Mission, Vision, and Values •  Develop a picture of today, tomorrow, and what governs decisions •  Put the foundation in place to support excellence and growth •  Use an outside source to help develop •  Create a plan that includes assessment of and future planning for

–  Management –  Staff –  Customer Base –  Research and Development –  Human Resources –  Operations –  Sales and Marketing –  Financial –  Technology

The Mission •  A mission statement is a brief written statement of the purpose of a company or

organization. Ideally, a mission statement guides the actions of the organization, spells out its overall goal, provides a sense of direction, and guides decision making for all levels of management.

Passionately Perfecting Life’s Celebrations

Vision

•  A Vision statement outlines what the organization wants to be. It concentrates on the future. It is a source of inspiration. It provides clear decision-making criteria.

Puff ‘n Stuff will possess the systems and procedures necessary to provide the foundation for excellence and profitable growth. We will be recognized as the

event/catering organization of choice by our team members and clients.

Core Values •  A list of core values reflects what is truly important to us as an organization.

These are not values that change from time to time, situation to situation or person to person, but rather they are the underpinning of our company culture.

Professional – In behaviors and appearance Respect – For self, team members and clients

Own – Accountable for each others’ success and safety Anticipate – Serving team member and clients needs

Communicate – Timely, accurately and honestly

Defining the Culture

•  Changing communicating old to new •  Ever changing – client communication •  Happy employees = happy customers •  Open, fun, professional, passionate,

creative

Culture defines who you are and aids in making hiring

decisions. Many believe people are a company’s greatest asset but I believe the culture created by the people working for you

is your greatest asset.

Quality •  Impossible to grow without improvement •  SWOT

–  Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats

•  Competitive analysis •  The Pasta Station Evolution - Innovation •  Get everyone pulling together •  Make everyone accountable •  COMMUNICATION IS KEY! •  Develop a Service Culture •  Exceeding expectations….always!

Product Development •  Don’t break what is not broken •  Test, test, and re-test!

–  Pineapple baked Alaska for 450….right

•  Where is opportunity in your community? –  Think about it from a business segment –  Get your ego in check

•  Be innovative and tell everyone •  Leverage donation requests for sponsorship

•  Improve infrastructure to support

growth •  Consolidation of Operations •  Find a building

–  Raw land – ground up construction –  Similar use facilities

–  Purchase or Lease

•  Our location –  Good bones

–  Could easily see offices, kitchen, and warehouse

Infrastructure

Streamlining & Consolidation •  Create an Infrastructure to support growth and quality •  Diversifying segment base

–  When one market is down the other is usually up

•  Segment sales team to cover different markets –  Experts in their field –  Venue segmentation

•  Development of different departments –  Keep teams focused on their specific focus –  Cross train teams

•  Be present & relevant in your market –  Host events at your facility –  Cherry pick events in your community –  Select a few charities to support

Streamlining & Consolidation •  Standard operating procedure for everything! •  Team Building •  Procurement

•  Strategic Partnerships •  Technology

–  Caterease –  Remote connection –  Informative Website –  Pre-packaged menus –  Back-up generator –  In-house fuel

Team Transition •  Adaptation

–  Needed stronger thinkers and problem solvers on the front end –  “Fire Fighters” needed to convert to “Smokey the Bears” –  Business built on fixing problems, NOT preventing them

•  Recruiting –  Who do we hire and when? HR Mgr, Director of Sales, Director of Ops, Sales Team,

Marketing –  Sales Team – sales trained or catering trained? –  Service Personnel – went from “a pulse and black slacks” to fine-dining experienced –  Develop an organizational plan on what the business looks like at different periods of

growth

Team Transition •  New Facility

–  Thought there would be excitement, but there was discomfort

–  More formal announcement/transition process –  Planning for tomorrow –  They didn’t see why we needed new facility to

support growth

•  Rewarding the right behavior –  Job Descriptions and Performance Evaluations –  Developing an ownership mentality through the

ranks –  Incentive and Profit Sharing programs

•  Engaging Employees –  A puff of thought –  Employee of the month –  The State of the Puff –  Internal newsletter –  Our blog – engages internal and external –  Lunch together everyday

Sales •  Segmented sales plan •  Establish goals so you know how to plan •  Sales Director…at the right time •  Sales compensation plan rewards desired behaviors •  Using video and new-media to tell our story

Opening the Door •  Emergency relief contracts •  Test kitchen •  To-go/Retail •  Manufacturing •  Sublease •  Client confidence •  TriLargo Hospitality

Branding •  Had to make “Puff ‘n Stuff” sophisticated, but not out of reach •  History in the city •  Overcoming previous negative experiences •  Equipment & event experiences

Branding

Branding

Branding

Interactive Website

Branding

elegant. creative. inspired.

!ose three words are the key to making any event a success. With many years of experience

in the catering and event planning industry, I specialize in Jewish simchas. Whether

planning a bar or bat mitzvah, Sunday brunch, or a quiet Friday night Shabbat dinner, you

can trust that I will handle all your a"airs with extraordinary care and creativity.

!e only finger you’ll have to lift is the one you use to call me.

Shira Smith407.478.5820

shira@pu!nstu!.comPu! ‘n Stu! Catering

Passionately Perfecting Life’s Celebrations

full-service wedding & event planning

bar or bat mitzvahs

friday night shabbat dinners

meat & dairy menus

oneg & kiddish menus

unique venues

table settings, linens décor & more

Marketing the New You!

•  Segmented advertising campaign •  Press releases •  Expert in your field •  Speaking – locally and nationally •  Giving back to local and national

organizations •  Articles in local and national

publications •  Website & blog

Marketing the New You!

“”

55

Social Media!

Meet Puff ‘n Stuff Catering

Give it Your Best Everyday!

Champions look at what we are going to do – losers look at what they are going

through! ~ Simon T. Bailey

ICA Membership Benefits

Come learn more at the Inspiration Zone/Attendee Lounge or Tradeshow Booth #1918

•  Professional Recognition •  Education: Culinary Learning Journeys, Regional Education Days, CaterArts

& Monthly Free Webinars •  Amazing Networking •  Your chef enjoys membership in the Culinary Council •  Work & Learn Program •  Membership Show Special: ONLY for Catersource Conference 2011

•  New Members: $250 vs. $290 (must be paid in full) •  First 250 new members get Inspiration CD FREE!

Thank You!

To download a copy of today’s presentation, go to: http://www.slideshare.net/WarrenDietel

For Videos: http://vimeo.com/channels/puffnstuff

Warren G. Dietel | warren@puffnstuff.com | 407.398.6306