My partner was in the kitchen seven days a week. I covered the gaps across everything else.
Nobody rang us. There was nobody to ring. We were already in the building.
I thought that meant I was being responsible. The venue was running and the regulars kept coming back. Nobody needed to ask us anything, because we were standing right there.
But it was not quiet because the cafe could run without us. It was quiet because we never left long enough to find out.
There are two kinds of owner who can’t switch off.
The first gets contacted constantly when they’re away. A message about tomorrow’s roster. A supplier who did not deliver. A staff member who wants a decision the manager could have made. You can see the problem, because it follows you home.
The second never gets contacted, because they never go anywhere. No calls on a day off, because there are no days off. The venue looks fine. It has simply never been tested.
I was the second kind. That is harder to spot, because nothing is ringing to tell you something is wrong.
The cost is the same either way. For us it was the trips that did not happen and the plans we did not make, because making plans felt irresponsible when the cafe needed us to be available.
So this week, find out which kind you are.
If you get contacted when you’re away, keep a log for five days. Every call and message from staff and suppliers. Mark each one: a decision someone else could have made, something that should have been written down, or a real emergency. Count the first two.
If nobody ever contacts you because you’re always there, run a different test. Pick one half day and stay out of the venue. Tell your manager the day before, and keep your phone off unless it is a real emergency. When you get back, write down what was handled without you, what went wrong, and what you were asked the moment you walked in.
Either way, you will know something you don’t know now. Count how many things only you could have handled. That number is the size of the problem.
Can your venue run without you? Take the 5 minute Owner Freedom Audit.
Next edition: Five decisions your manager should make without calling you.