Eggs and Agony
Often times when Sana and I are chilling out on the couch, or on FaceTime when I am away, we will talk about a fictional or perhaps not so fictional business that we will operate together.
Usually the discussion is centered around a restaurant, or maybe a coffee shop that is also a reading room, educational type facility, but not so “educational” that learning ceases to be enjoyable if you know what I am talking about.
Well today, I was spending time with my son, and one of his favorite ways of getting under my skin is to tell these horrible jokes. After he told one or two dozen, and I was thoroughly flustered, the word agony came to my mind. And for whatever reason, I thought of a restaurant idea that Sana and I have talked about, and thought “eggs and agony” could be a front runner for our business venture.
OK maybe not a front runner, but it was a funny idea, and the more I thought about it, maybe it’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. The truth is, a business with the most ridiculous name can succeed if it follows certain principles.
And this one if it were to follow the following principles, it could very well succeed.
Community
If the business/restaurant is located in a certain part of a town, and the business focuses on certain pain points unique to that area. For example, it could be located right next to an interstate highway that is always extremely loud, or perhaps underneath the flightline at the local Naval Air Station,.
This is something that patrons can relate to, rally around, the agony of the hardship or inconvenience they endure on a daily basis. People love to complain, even if it’s a lighthearted nuisance like traffic, and a business that makes that pinpoint a focal point of their presence has a chance of winning over patrons in that community.
Respect
People walk into the establishment and they feel appreciated, as though the people working there are not put off by their presence. If a man or a woman appears to be over the age of 40, they are addressed as Sir and ma’am. Check that, everyone is sir and ma’am if they are fully grown. People serving or actual servants of the patrons, not giving an air of “I have better things to be doing with my time than with you.”
Adventure
You see a sign at a strip mall that says Eggs and Agony, and your curiosity is piqued. People would go in just to see what in the world is going on, if nothing else than to buy a cup of coffee because it’s an intriguing name. The geniuses that come up with a name like Eggs and Agony are bound to come up with more creative ideas for the menu items. Keep it fun and lighthearted, don’t take yourself too seriously.
Integrity
People that come into the establishment don’t sense that the people running the place are doing it just for money, or to extract the maximum amount of profits at the expense of service quality. Portion sizes are eyeballed, not using a bunch of fancy measuring equipment to avoid the chance of giving someone slightly more than they are expecting. We certainly can’t have that, can we?
Energy
You walk into the establishment, and people are moving with a purpose, like they have somewhere to be. They are in good spirits, friendly, ready to strike up a conversation. They were in a hurry, but they’re not in such a hurry that they can’t show kindness to people in the place of business.
So while Sana and I will continue to brainstorm ideas for our business, the point is that even the craziest names for a business can succeed if those principles are followed.
Sana and I have been busily recording podcasts on these very topics, and we are getting ready to put the finishing touches on the project this week after I arrive back in Vietnam. But you can listen to what we have put together thus far. Give it a listen here. You can probably take them in on your way to work and back if you play them at 1.5 speed.
https://jnshub.com/crave