Don’t Become An Absentee Owner

I often hear that the pressure of owning a food truck business can be overwhelming. And while everyone is entitled to a life, a vacation and some down time, too much of a good thing can be bad. Too much time off leads to vendors becoming an absentee owner.

Despite the fact that you have a great concept, park in prime locations and a mouth-watering menu, when a food truck owner is not around to protect and watch over their investment, not only does the business suffer, but your employees do too.

Avoid Becoming An Absentee Owner

You might have a great team, but if you do not have a willingness to mentor, if you are rarely in the truck to observe, provide direction, motivate and teach that team, then how do you expect them to help grow your mobile food business?

No one likes or works well under a micro-manager. At the same time, a food truck cannot survive for long with an absentee owner. Vendors take the time to find a balance. There are plenty of outside forces that you have no control over. This includes competition, bad publicity and increasing food prices. What you can control is you!

Remember this simple business philosophy. If you take care of your food truck business, the business will take care of you. Also, if you take care of your employees, they will take care of you and your food truck business.

If you are not focused on or devoted to your mobile food business, if you are not fully committed to the success of your food truck then your business will not be successful. If you are not able to handle the pressures and challenges that come with owning your own food truck, if you try to manage your truck and your employees from your home or office, and if you don’t spend time marketing and promoting your business, you will never be seen as an accomplished mobile food vendor.

The Bottom Line

As any successful vendor knows, owning a food truck is a huge commitment to long hours. It includes working weekends and sometimes no time off for weeks at a time. If you’re looking for a nine-to-five job, owning a food truck is not for you.

Have you seen or worked for an absentee owner, we’d love to hear your stories. Share your thoughts on this topic in the comment section, our food truck forum or social media. Twitter | Facebook

By Richard Myrick|2019-04-22T09:17:41-04:00Apr 22, 2019|Business|

About the Author: Richard Myrick

Richard Myrick is an architect by degree (Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan) who began his career in real estate development and architectural planning. In September of 2010 he created Mobile Cuisine Magazine to fill an information void he found when he began researching how to start a mobile hotdog cart in Chicago. Richard found that there was no central repository of mobile street food information anywhere on the internet, and with that, the idea for MCM was born. Richard also wrote the "Running a Food Truck for Dummies" available in bookstores everywhere and Amazon. You can reach out to Richard by email at: [email protected].