What Bob Marley and Sushi Can Teach You About Entrepreneurship
Lean into what inspires you
We’re all hoping our ideas catch fire. What will go viral or be the next trend?
Welp, you can’t predict that, so you can stop trying.
As creators and entrepreneurs, we need to communicate with people. However, we don’t need to connect with everyone. Not everyone will vibe with your work, and that’s a good thing. You want super-fans, not people that delete your emails without opening them.
How do you do it?
You do more of you — every day.
Take a nod from my favorite sushi hut. This restaurant tells you all you need to know about working from a place of love.
Sit down and eat sushi with Bob Marley in a grass hut. The servers feel like family, and they welcome you with open arms. There are only ten tables and a sushi bar, so there may be a wait. It’s worth it.
For the better part of a decade, a tiny sushi hut near me has been serving up tasty rolls for a fantastic price. My favorite part? The restaurant is Rasta and Bob Marley-themed. Like, on a whole other level.
I like Marley, of course, and I enjoy reggae, but it’s not even my favorite thing in the world, and I have to go there regularly. I have to have my sushi hut fix.
The owner, a cool dude from Japan, is behind the counter almost every day. He took a trip to Jamaica, and it changed his life. Now, his sushi hut is full of all his favorite things.
He plays Bob Marley and reggae exclusively. The entire place is decked out in Marley posters and his favorite photos. When I say decked out — it’s wall to wall Marley and Rastafarian colors. Everything is covered in posters of Bob and photos of his time in Jamaica. There is practically no inch of wall or table left bare.
He loves dachshund dogs because they are everywhere too. They adorn the menus’ corners, and they have several rolls named after them. His logo is a peace sign striped with recognizable green, yellow, and red stripes. The menu also features rainbows, peace signs, and beach photos.
This is the best sushi hut ever!
The menu is fun, and it has a ton of personality. The item names follow the theme of the restaurant. The following is a snapshot of the names of some of the rolls.
- Red Stripe
- Smokin’ Jamaican
- Funky Kingston
- Rude Boy
- Trench Town
- Catch a Fire
This place has a line out the door. Yes, the food is good, and it’s considerably cheaper than most sushi places, but the overall vibe is out of sight! The customer dedication wouldn’t be nearly as high if the walls were blank and the music was straight radio-play.
It’s the personality that gives this place its punch.
What can a little sushi hut tell you about entrepreneurship? It can remind you to do your thing, no matter what it is!
This guy loves reggae, Marley, Jamaica, the Rastafari movement, dogs, and peace. He’s woven it all together to bring a small sushi hut to life. It’s authentic to who he is, and the love is palpable. You can feel it.
He has recently opened a second location. He’s got a second sushi hut on the map! His recipe of combining sushi with what he loves resonates.
People will respond to you positively when you do what you love and show up as your authentic self every day. As long as your work is positive, you will get it back.
Copying and following trends doesn’t work if you’re playing a long game. People crave something new and different. They want a unique angle. You provide that; no one else sees the world the way you do.
Tell your stories, teach people what you know, and be genuine. The world wants to hear what you have to say. You can’t fake it and get a smash hit. That’s why colossal chain restaurants feel so stale. It loses its luster when you try to replicate something like that en masse.
It can be Bob Marley and sushi or a gift shop combined with a nursery (also a thing in my neighborhood). Whatever it is, when you love it, other people will feel it and be drawn to it. We succeed when we learn to bet on ourselves. Do more of you, less of everything else.
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