And see how we can help turn im jj ramberg and welcome to your business, the show dedicated to helping your Small Business grow. If you watch this program a lot, you know when we usually do makeovers we go into a struggling business and see how our team can help turn things around. This week, we decided to mix it up a bit. We took our experts into a company thats doing okay. Its the kale cafe in daytona beach, florida. With no previous experience, the two owners omar and camille, turned their idea into a Profitable Company but when we lifted the curtain just a little bit, we noticed a lot of what theyre doing is being held together with bandaids and they are itching to expand. Theres no question that they have to get some things in order first so that they have a better chance of success. We decided to give them a your business makeover. Im here in daytona beach, florida, to answer a call from a mom and pop business. So far this couple has beaten the odds by building a profitable Restaurant Business but they have bigger dreams for the future. They need our help to get there. Lets give them a your business makeover. Hi, camille, hi, omar. Whos this . This is zion. Hi, zion. Hi, omar. Hi. How are you. They opened this smoothie shop. Less than a year later they opened a second location. Now they want to lease a space to open a third location but are they ready . Youre ready for a third. Were ready for a third. Were going to spend the day making sure youre ready. Okay. At the end of the day i want you two to feel comfortable, both of you. Yes, yes. Before we got going i went for a tour of their setup. All vegan, 100 . With no training or restaurant experience, they built the kale cafe through a painstaking process of learn as you go. Were always trying to figure out what the best ergonomics are. This is beautiful in here. This is much smaller. Do you feel like you learned a lot in the first restaurant that youve brought into this one . Absolutely. They told me they hadnt planned on opening the second location so soon. But when the opportunity came up, they went with it. We didnt have like a bag of money. Right. You know . But we used all of our income tax return and put everything into it. Leaving the ormond store, we moved on to see their house where camille manages the back office of kale cafe and home schools her five children. You have a crazy, crazy job. Youre home schooling your kids, working. This serves as your office . Your school. And now were in my office. I have to admit, this seems nuts right here. Yes, its chaotic. This is how many hours this person had. The day they worked and then i total that and i type it into intuit. Then it gets typed into intuit. Yes. Under there is a bin of stuff. Theres my receipts. I didnt even see whoa, hold on. I have to pull this out. These are your receipts . With two locations, 20 employees, five home schooled children and a chaotic list of undone chores, theres a lot to do but they are keeping the business afloat and that i pretty sure its profitable. How profitable are you . I cant tell you, jj because we grew so fast. We went from one store in under a year, we signed a lease for the second store. Everything we had we put to put it into the second store. Omar and camille have good instincts but theyre starting to see limits of what can be done without Information Systems to guide them. So when you make decisions right. Do you sit down with your financials and say, can we do this . No, we dont. I am the one that wants to do that. I cannot make him sit still to do that. Today they both get to sit still and go over the numbers with Small Business financial expert chris myers of bodatree. This is produce from the last couple months. These are all my invoice folders. Chris connected all that data and organized it into one big picture of what this means for kale cafe. When you look at the revenue thats being generated by a juice bar an a vegan restaurant, its off the charts. You guys are doing really, really great. Unfortunately revenue alone is only half the story. The other half is expenses. You guys made about i think 265,000 came into the business. Which is phenomenal. You spent about 256,000. Right. To get that. All right . Youre spending, you know, basically everything to get to a 3 profit which is about 8,000. That doesnt sound great. Its actually not all bad. When chris looked closer, he found that much of that high cost came from paying Retail Prices at supermarkets. Instead of getting cheaper bulk rates from restaurant suppliers. The good news is, you can eliminate a lot of the publix, eliminate a lot of that other stuff we have in here. Turns out when chris first pointed this out a few weeks ago, camille jumped on it, setting up accounts with bulk suppliers, even before our film crew arrived. It was like a truck from heaven. In fact, during our interview, a delivery truck arrived with her second order. This is coming all the way from pennsylvania. Finally, chris used the software to system what their business might be worth if they can bring their costs in line with similar businesses. If you were to get those costs more in line with the industry, that is going to create 500,000 of value for the business. I mean, thats a huge increase from where you are today. Right. In terms of that. Now you know what you need to do. Now we have to figure out how to do it. Youve been speaking to dean max for quite a while now. Yes. Dean has given you great ideas. Lets catch up with him. He can check in to see how youre doing and take you on the next stage. Two weeks before our cameras got here, camille and omar met up with dean on their own to ask him questions. Camille told me one of deans questions got her thinking. He asked us about the unit cost. Im like we dont know the unit cost because the measurements arent written down and the purveyors arent skin. The dean suggested they create a recipe book for each cook in each store to follow. This controls the unit cost and keeps the quality consistent between stores. And the impact of this on camille was enormous. I started crying. Because like i just i felt like this freedom, because i knew that the only way for us to really duplicate and be strong and effective was to have this recipe book that we havent been able to get together for three years. As they examine the inventory with dean, camille was showing off how much money shes started to save this is 80 for the same 50 pounds. Theres your profit right there. You are talking about when youre talking about your bottom line the talk about bulk buying turned to inventory management. Dean says you need a system that ties recipes to sales to inventory. Its going to tie in how much you need. How much you need to have on hand and how much youve sold. Hes talking about his Software System which tracks all of the factors that camille and omar are continuing to struggle. Show me, show me, me show me. Dean shows them the system he uses, which is called eyenalyze. I can look at my costs, labor or product costs and determine where i need to be more productive. Those are your two biggest things that go out of control. With a system that flags price changes like this, the owners can be proactive with the vendors. The Company Might have charged you double by accident. Youre going to call them an say, hey, you guys, you know, you charge me 5 more a pound. Youre on your game now. Right. Before you might not have caught that. And those are these little safety nets that you need to run this business at a different level. Camille and omar start to see how this will change the way they run their business. Thats what weve been doing, guesstimating. Right. This is not going to keep you from having problems. Youre going to have waste, theft, loss, youre going to pay too much for something at some time. What it will allow you to do is be responsive very quickly. Both chris and dean notice the veggie burger was one of their top sellers but when chris saw they were paying retail to buy them frozen, dean offered to share his recipe and modify and make from scratch for a fraction of the cost. I want you guys to make it your own. I want to make it kale cafe. Well come up with the best recipe for you guys and this is going to take you to a better product cause and more profit. Dean suggested a cookoff between omar and ka keel to choose the tastiest recipe to replace the store bought ones they now use. Dean and i were the judges. I feel like i waon one of those tv chef competition. I love you dear but the competition is on. This is where it gets ugly. Lets go. Oh, yeah. Game on. All right. Want to grab yours . Yes, i do. Okay. Okay. So good. Oh, my god. Thats good. That is really good. I see you smiling. I think its yours or maybe not. Either say green or red. Ready . One, two, three. Green. Green. We both went green. Thats omars. Was it yours . Was it yours . Finally we introduced them to safe singleton. Hi, dave, how are you doing . Good to meet you. A Small Businessmener it from score, a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to helping Small Business owners grow their companies. With so many daytoday demands, camille told us its hard to stay on top of the longterm goals and thats where dave comes in. My job with you guys is really trying to help you keep focus after they leave because theyre gone now. Yes. We have to be kind together. Checking in, being accountable. Yes, be accountable. Camille has already figured out how dave can help her. Right now, dave, i think whats going to be critical is setting concrete goal for when we want to have things done by. Ill make a master goal list of all the things we want to accomplish before the next store opens. We started the day with a question. Will camille and omar sign a lease to open the third store . Our two experts had their opinions. Should they sign the lease today . No, not day. All right. What do you think . Its a tough one for me because i havent seen the new spot. You know, if a location is you know its going to be so great, they might want to jump on it and just fly with it. But in the end, the only opinions that count are omars and camilles. Now that youve looked into your numbers, see what you have to do, do you feel ready to sign the lease or put the brakes on . I feel ready. I feel we could do a lot of these things to save more, increase our margins. Im ready to go forward. And camille, you always thought that. Always, always. How do you feel . Do you feel any better about it . I feel better. You do . I feel better. You feel like you can do this all at once . I feel like i feel like we can do it. Somehow, some way. We always find a way. With our children in tow, well move forward. As you just saw in that piece, he can connected omar and camille up with a score volunteer who will continue to serve as an adviser to them. This is a free service. Theyre more than 305 score chapters throughout the country. Weve invited ken yancey, the ceo and the Vice President of marketing and communications to tell us a little bit more about what they offer and how you can utilize their services. Its so good to see you both. Thank you, jj. Good to see you. Good to see you, jj. We live in a little bubble here on the show where we know so clearly what you guys do and we talked to so many entrepreneurs who have been helped and Small Business people by your services. When we walk out a little bit, we phone out a lot of people dont know score exists. Ken, if you can just tell us in a nutshell, what do you do . Sure. Omar and camille are going to benefit from 11,500 volunteers, businessmen and women who donate their time to help Small Business owners start and grow. As you pointed out, available in 305 communities, the service that we offer is primarily free and starts with the onetoone mentoring. Its available to any Small Business owner on just about any topic related to starting with growing, managing, buying and selling a business. Regardless of your Business Life cycle point, regardless of the size. Its available. All you need to do is hop on the web at score. Org or go to your nearest chapter. How do i know im getting somebody who can help me, who knows my industry or knows the issue im facing. . Sure. Every score volunteer has been there, done that expertise. Theyve been through the challenges and have come out the other side. And you can search on score. Org to find the right person that fits your needs, whether it is a specific industry or a topic that youre struggling with or looking to take your business to the next level. We make sure that you are paired with the best fit, no matter what. You can come back to score time and time again. We can bring more people to the table to meet your needs and to help answer your questions with over 11,000 volunteers, we have the expertise to get you the help you need. Who are these volunteers, ken . Former Business Owners, retired executives. They may be still actively working today, jj. About 30 of our volunteers are still actively working. Theyve been trained in mentoring and certified by score in the process theyre doing. And theyre generous enough to provide their time and talent and wisdom on behalf of their community. It works extremely well. Omar and camille, we hooked them up with someone who will stay with them for a while. Hes going to really get to know their business and help them through. Is that a typical interaction or is it more one off questions . You know, score is here for the life of your business. We really want to help from the time you have that business idea to when youre ready to exit or sell your business. And we supplement the mentoring that we provide all of the people we see with other educational resources. There are thousands of workshops across the country that are put on by our local chapters and volunteers. And there are a wealth of resources online at score. Org to help the in between times when you arent meeting with your mentor to, you know, fill that gap, answer specific questions and bring more questions back to your mentor so that you can continue on and meet with score for the life of your business. It is such an amazing free resource out there. Just a brain trust of people who have been through the issues that some of our audience might be facing right now. We so appreciate you taking the time to come on in and tell us about score. Thank you both. Great pleasure. Thank you, jj. Thank you. You dont have to be at a formal networking event or a business event to make connections for your work. You can basically make connections anywhere if you just think a little outside of the box. Chelsea cross. Com gives us five great under the radar places to find your next business contact. One, coffee shops are popular spots to meet people and get work done. So chat with someone in line or as you wait for your drink. Two, stick around after a weekly religious service to mingle with fellow parishioners. It can be a valuable way to learn more about your own community. Three, hair salons. Stylists spend a lot of time talking to their enclutes. So next time youre in one of those chairs, be sure to talk to them about what youre up to. Your hairdresser may be able to connect you to a valuable contact. Four, gyms and Fitness Studios are filled with people at all hours of the day. So whether youre walking on a treadmill or waiting for a yoga class to start, strike up a conversation. And five, weddings. Dont limit yourself to the guests at your table. Make a point to chat with others. With a range of ages and back grounds all in one place, you never know what opportunity is waiting for you. When we come back, the pros and cons of viral versus traditional marketing. And police in this Community Save their favorite doughnut shop when they buy the business. Will your business be ready when growth presents itself . Our new cocktail bitters were doing well, but after one tradeshow, we took off. All i could think about was our deadlines racing towards us. A loan would take too long. We needed money, now. My amex card helped me buy the inedients to fill the orders. Opportunities dont wait around, so you have to be ready for them. Find out how American Express cards and services can help prepare you for growth at open. Com. I would love to know what marketing techniques you suggest for an entrepreneurial business, in particular, whether its worth doing some sort of viral splash gorilla marketing or if more traditional techniques are recommended. I find in marketing a newer business that gorilla Marketing Tactics are the strongest and give you the best results. Number one because you have a lower budge tote use but number two because you want third Party Endorsements versus somebody seeing your name or logo on a sign. The strategies can be useful when you find influencers to talk about your brand or use your product and service so they can share it with other people in their circle and as theyre sharing it, theyre giving their endorsement, which gives so much more credibility and validation without spending millions of dollars in order to get your brands recognition. A few years ago, we did a story on keplers book store in the bay area. On the brink of having to shut down, the Community Rallied behind the company and kept it alive. There are heartwarming stories like this that happen all the time. In claire, michigan, the only doughnut shop in town was on the verge of closing its doors. As nbcs Kevin Tibbles tells us, the police came in just in time to save the day and keep a whole lot of people happy. Reporter this is the kind of Police Lineup people drive for miles to join. Here in claire, michigan, walking the beat means a quick stop at cops and doughnuts, a century old bakery saved by the nine members of the local constabulary. We werent going to let that happen. What did they do . They bought the place. Now visitors can take a bite out of a cop cake, a felony fritter, a night stick or a blue goose, named for a patrol car, all made by a fifth generation baker whose wears have turned this joint into a mustsee destination. Are we ready for doughnuts . Yay they bring them in by the bus load. What do you think about a bunch of cops opening up a doughnut shop. Thats most unusual. Whats the verdict . I love it. Its awesome. The great thing about cops and doughnuts, hear, repeat offenders are welcome. Can i have another fritter, please . Reporter in small town america where so many store fronts are boarded up, thanks to cops and doughnuts, claires downtown is booming once again. It wasnt just the doughnuts we were afraid of losing, it was that sense of community. If you want to know whats going on in town, this is the place to be. Its a gathering place. Get in here. Visitors are interrogated or at least welcomed. Some have their mug shots taken or peer out from behind bars. There isnt a cop cliche that hasnt escaped the clever folks in the souvenir shop. Dont glaze me, bro. Apple, please. Reporter these days, to serve and protect just might mean something with sprinkles on top. Kevin tibbles, nbc news, claire, michigan. We now have the top two tips you need to know to help your Small Business grow. Lets introduce our board of directors and get their advice. Rod kurtz is a media strategist and startup adviser and ken yancey is back with us as well. Good to see you. Good to see you as well. Lets start with you, ken. One piece of advice for our entrepreneurs and Small Business owners. Sure. Jj, i believe firmly in the importance of planning and having a plan. Every Small Business owner, regardless of size or where they are in their Business Life cycle, needs to set goals, needs to have a plan that includes metrics that are measurable. They need to work that plan. We know that once you plan, as soon as your plan hits reality, about 20 of it is not correct. That puts you 80 ahead. And you can adjust. It will get you where you want to be as a business or as an individual, and we are addicted to it at score and we think that all Small Businesses should be addicted to it as well. First of all, i like your optimistic numbers, that 20 of it is wrong. It caught a chuckle from me and ron. Depends who youre talking to. Here on the set. But i also think it is incredibly important because it makes it easier to get your team on the same page. If you have a plan, everyone knows where youre trying to go. Yes. Absolutely critical. I think that its very healthy to actually allow your team members to participate in the planning process. To let them help you determine what the right metrics are, let them invest their mind share and their knowledge and their time in the results of your business. Its incredibly important and will be very, very valuable for your organization. I agree. Rod, you started a business not that long ago. Four years if you can believe it. 20 wrong . Depends on the day. Depends on the day. I should have asked you, 80 right . Ken is always my friend in d. C. I think thats great advice, planning obviously is essential and things never go according to plan. Sometimes you learn in that process, which is interesting. Right. All right. Tip from you . My tip. As you know, i like a little offbeat advice sometimes. My tip is to take a field trip. What i mean by that, if youre a business owner, take one afternoon a month, leave the office, preferably leave your phone at the office and go to a museum. Ill tell you why. Because we are so tied up in the daytoday of our businesses and we exercise the same muscle over and over and if youre crunching numbers all day and you go to an art museum, youll just free up a whole lot of mental space. If youre on the creative or marketing side, and you go to a science museum, youll see how things work. I guarantee not only the break from being in the office and taking an afternoon off, going to a cultural place like that, youll come up with new ideas. I discovered this myself probably close to a year ago. They were doing the mad men exhibit in queens at the museum of the moving image. It was the last day of the exhibit. Im like, i have to catch this. I took the afternoon off, dropped everything. I was engaged with it all afternoon. I didnt necessarily come back with a Million Dollar idea but i felt refreshed. Its something i now try to do once a month. I just went to a popup art gallery, walking back from a meeting, whatever i have to do, i can leave it aside. For Business Owners out there, that say i cant do it, i cant take an afternoon off. If you cant take one afternoon for yourself to recharge and refresh, youre not running a very well run company. Make the time. Mini vacation. Great. Thanks both of you. So good to see you both. Yes, you, too. Your biz selfie comes from Roberta Weissburg who owns Roberta Weissburg leathers in pittsburgh, pennsylvania. Shes been designing and repairing leather apparel and goods for more than 35 years. Pick up your cell phone, take a selfie of you and your business and send it to us at yourbusiness msnbc. Com or tweet it to msnbc your biz. Dont forget to use your biz selfie. Thanks so much for joining us today. Heres one thing i learned this week. Dell released a study where they rank cities on how well they foster an environment for high impact female entrepreneurs. The city throughout the world came out number one was new york city. A lot of people were surprised by this but not me. And i wasnt surprised because i feel like theres a great environment here, of course, for funding and great talent here but i also think theres a very Good Environment of women helping women. I go to a lot of womens dinners where people come from Different Industries and one thing we always do at the end is everyone goes around the table and says, this is something i need. And inevitably, theres someone else around that table who can help them. That kind of environment gives people a kick start to their business. Its just a short cut for helping them grow. So i encourage all of you, whether youre sitting around in a group of women or a group of men or a group of women and men, when youre at a dinner like that, thats a little bit formal, give a chance for everyone to say, this is what i need. And give a chance for other people at the table to help them. Now wed love to hear from you. If you have any questions or comments about todays show, just email us at yourbusiness msnbc. Com. You can also click on our website, openforum. Com yourbusiness. Weve posted all of the segment theres today plus a whole lot more. Dont forget to connect with us on all digital and social media platforms as well. Thanks again for joining us today. Im jj ramberg. Remember, we make your business our business. Will your business be ready when growth presents itself . Our new cocktail bitters were doing well, but after one tradeshow, we took off. All i could think about was our deadlines racing towards us. A loan would take too long. We needed money, now. My amex card helped me buy the ingredients to fill the orders. Opportunities dont wait around, so you have to be ready for them. Find out how American Express cards and services can help prepare you for growth at open. Com. You too. Stuff keeps happening particularly on friday. Todays friday news was very, very serious and laugh out loud, spit coffee out your nose. So here goes. Couple of weeks ago, funny thing happened in wisconsin. Republican president ial candidate donald trump went to the milwaukee area after that city had a bad couple of nights of violence in the streets. A Police Shooting left feelings raw, led to a lot of anger on the streets of milwaukee. In the middle of that violent upheaval in that city, donald trump went to milwaukee to go talk about race