With excitement, allow me introduce today's guest, Founder/Partner at Blackstone, 30Hop, Tin Roost, Tribute, and The Iowa Athletic Club- Erik Shewmaker. After graduating from The University of Iowa Tippie College of Business with a focus in Finance, Management, and Entrepreneurship, Erik spent the first year out of college as a Customer Relationship Manager for Great America Leasing before re-connecting with long-time from Matt Swift about opening a restaurant. That restaurant Blackstone opened in 2007. 15 years later Erik is now a partner in 6 different restaurants and running his own landscaping and edging company, Essential Edging. Check out episode 898 with Ben Smart as mentioned in today's episode! Check out episode 900 with Matt Swift as mentioned in today's episode! Check out episode 889 with Jake Brewer, CFO of Miso Robotics as mentioned in today's episode! Today’s feature affiliate: Bentobox. In need of a restaurant website? Click this link to find out why so many of my guests use Bentobox! Show notes… Calls to ACTION!!! Join Restaurant Unstoppable Network and get your first 30 days on me!  Connect with my past guest and a community of superfans. Subscribe to the Restaurant Unstoppable YouTube Channel Join the private Unstoppable Facebook Group Join the email list! (Scroll Down to get the Vendor List!) Favorite success quote or mantra: "Little things make big things happen." In this episode with Erik Shewmaker we will discuss: Focus on finance Partnerships Bartending Opening a restaurant Taking over a failing restaurant Building several restaurants within one mile of eachother Training The importance of the pre-shift Establishing culture Ego and humility Today's sponsor: At Popmenu, we know that in today’s world, a great hospitality experience usually begins online. Keeping the conversation with guests going beyond the meal also requires simple, powerful, fun technology capable of expression through all kinds of channels. Our team takes pride in helping restaurants put their best foot forward digitally so they can focus on what they do best. We think PDF menus are super boring, we believe 3rd party platforms have had too much say in how consumers find their next dining experience and we deeply feel that sharing your beautiful menu doesn’t have to be so difficult, time-consuming and expensive. As a listener of the Restaurant Unstoppable, you'll receive $100 off your first month of Popmenu! 7shifts is a modern labor management platform, designed by restaurateurs, for restaurateurs. Effectively labor management is more important than ever to ensure profitability and restaurant success. Trusted by over 400,000 restaurant professionals, 7shifts gives you the tools you need to streamline labor operations, communicate with your team, and retain your talent. Best of all 7shifts integrates with the POS and Payroll systems you already use and trust (like Toast!) turning labor into a competitive advantage for your business. Restaurant Unstoppable members get 3 months, absolutely free. Knowledge bombs Which "it factor" habit, trait, or characteristic you believe most contributes to your success? Attention to detail What is your biggest weakness? Taking things too personally What's one question you ask or thing you look for during an interview? Adopt a conversational tone and then flip it to a technical question to see their reaction Looking for people that we want to hang out with because what we do is fun What's a current challenge? How are you dealing with it? Evolving our structure to facilitate growth Share one code of conduct or behavior you teach your team. Everything we do is for the guest What is one uncommon standard of service you teach your staff? Attention to detail What's one book we must read to become a better person or restaurant owner? Atomic Habits by James Clear GET THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT AUDIBLE.COM  What's one piece of technology you've adopted within your restaurant walls and how