Garcia’s: 5-point someone

Patel got into the business because he loved food and was seeking a challenge outside his job training corporate executives in soft skills...

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Patel's own experience as a franchisee for Smokin Joes between 1994 and 1997. He got into the business because he loved food and was seeking a challenge outside his job training corporate executives in soft skills.

Starting doubts

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Giants like Smokin Joes, Domino's and Pizza Hut had already introduced weekly innovations and promises of quick delivery, so Patel had to figure out how to distinguish himself from the others. He came up with meal combinations.

Money problems

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He had little money to start with, so he chose to deliver rather than have sit-in restaurants. There was also no money for marketing, and word-of-mouth was painfully slow. So in the first months he himself hand-delivered fliers.

Other obstacles

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He did not have a menu that instantly conveyed Garcia's edge. He had at least nine months of constant run-ins with the municipal corporation, faced punishing competition from the big players such as Domino's and had no profits.

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Leadership

: Patel allowed staff to take their own decisions.

Vision

: He was very clear about who his customers would be - people paying monthly instalments on loans for cars, bikes and homes.