Building A Big Little Business With Nick Sarillo

Building A Big Little Business With Nick Sarillo

Deksia recently had a chance to hear some of Nick Sarillo’s thoughts on how to build a big little business. Nick is the founder and owner of Nick’s Pizza & Pub, a family-friendly restaurant with two locations in Elgin and Crystal Lake, Illinois. With no formal experience in restaurants or managing a small business, many believed Nick wouldn’t be able to make a go of it in a highly competitive industry. They were wrong, as Nick’s Pizza ranks among the top 10 busiest independent pizza restaurants in the country. Nick is also the author of A Slice Of The Pie: How To Build A Big Little Business.

Nick began by talking about training and coaching your employees. He believes it’s every business owner’s responsibility as a leader, and that they need to own it. Nick said the incoming workforce of young people no longer believe in the “do what I say, not what I do” rule of thumb; they have a higher expectation of the leaders, and are more likely to take them to task for inconsistencies.

As far as cultivating trust between an employer and employees, Nick stressed the importance of implementing an open book system. He believes there should be no secrets when it comes to the company’s P & L’s or employee salaries, as he thinks this information creates opportunities and motivates employees to step up and try harder.

Nick concluded his talk by detailing how he interviews and hires potential employees “on purpose.” Bu utilizing all three of these core systems in his interviewing process, Nick has been able to build up a team of 200 employees and maintain less than 25% turnover, an amazing accomplishment considering the industry rate is at 100-150% annually.

For more insights from Nick, visit nicksarillo.com.