“Experience is the best teacher”, so the popular mantra goes. Yet, in the world of business, nothing can give you fresher knowledge better than to learn from your fellow food truck owners/operators.  Their real-life experiences, character traits, business strategies, etc, are bursting with business lessons any entrepreneur can profit from.

You might be wondering why success is too easy to reach for some but too hard for others. Well, one thing is clear – there’s no hidden formula. Success in any kind of niche, more so food trucks, can be attributed to your ability to apply in real life the knowledge you gain from diverse sources. Becoming accustomed to and growing with your food truck business only means you deeply understand your own venture.

What Every Food Truck Owner Should Know: 5 Business Lessons

Disaster strikes anytime

No matter how prepared you are before the venture, you’ll still run the risk of ‘breaking things’ in a manner of speaking. Case in point, you’re in the middle of serving a consumer. Without warning, your oven breaks down and you haven’t even finished your cooking.

Another point, it’s a bright sunny morning when you started. By noontime, hungry eaters in a long queue are now eager to grab a bite. Unexpectedly, rain starts to pour and there’s no roof big enough to cover all those heads!

What we’re saying is, don’t panic if things go awry. Instead, be innovative with your solutions and you’ll see, things will eventually get back on track. There will always be bumps on the road that you cannot control. Therefore, it will be less painful if you come prepared. It’s just a matter of getting used to such ‘disasters’ but once you’re able to break through them, you’d be amazed you have developed some kind of resiliency!

As with the broken oven’s case, it’s wise to have a spare one tucked away in your pantry. In case of unexpected rain, it’s also good to keep a few large umbrellas for extra protection.

You cannot please each and every customer

“The customer is always right” has been an age-old maxim observed by a majority of businesses probably because there had been some regulations behind it. This is meant to protect the rights of every customer.

Makes sense, however, this does not ring true at all times. Sometimes, customers may not be right. When they are clearly wrong, it’s never your obligation to please them. You don’t have to bend over backwards to their demands. The situation worsens when they start throwing hurtful words to your staff.

At times like these, you better learn how to apply some ‘democratic’ skills you deem are of great use. In actual circumstances, you can give your customer the benefit of the doubt but never sacrifice or compromise your employee’s self-esteem. In short, never put your staff in a bad light when obviously the customer is the one who makes a mistake.

Admin matters are not obstacles

There’s no business venture that doesn’t have administrative requirements. Of course, all entrepreneurs somehow go through the process of securing permits and licenses, paying for insurance, wages, utility bills, taxes, buying ingredients and supplies, paying for repair, and the like. These things shouldn’t be regarded as barriers but instead, instruments of success.

Your mobile kitchen cannot exist for long without admin. While there are legal requirements you need to accomplish, there’s also the inventory that needs to be checked. Nonetheless, don’t let these things get you down. 

Now, if you think your admin is taking up too much of your time, it’s always helpful to outsource a Virtual Assistant that can do all these for you. Free yourself of the burden. What you must do is focus on the core of your business, that is, increasing your sales.

Don’t take marketing shortcuts

In the food truck venture, taking cheap shortcuts in marketing is a big mistake. If you want small victories, like making your kitchen-on-wheels known to the local community, never hesitate to spend money for a real-good marketing campaign. After all, you want to spread the word fast, so it will be worth it to go for some pricey promotions for once in your life. The downside to cheap marketing – it can also make your food truck look inferior.

Money isn’t the only goal

If becoming a millionaire from operating a food truck is your only goal, what else could motivate you if things don’t happen as planned? Quickly, you’d get discouraged! Hence, don’t think of your restaurant-on-wheels venture as the fastest way to get fame and fortune. It won’t happen overnight.

Instead, make room for learning new things, making new experiences and learning from your mistakes. Advance your skills and put them to good use to earn success. Likewise, broaden your definition of success – one that doesn’t only revolve around money.

True, time is gold, not only in business but also in real life. Why not practice monetizing every task you do in your food truck? This is how you determine the cost of doing all those things. And if you find out that it’s expensive if you yourself are the one doing them, perhaps, it would be sensible to hire someone who could perform them for less.

It’s better to familiarize yourself with these lessons early on in your undertaking. Lastly, what other food truck owners should know is that Used Vending has the widest selection of food trucks for sale. Check out this page and find the vehicle that best suits your needs and budget.