Memories of baking cookies with my mom may be one reason I prefer baking over cooking. But cooking is more similar to the way I run my business.
The main difference between cooking and baking (other than the fact that most of us probably associate baking with desserts) is that you don’t have to worry quite so much about following directions when you’re cooking. Not to the letter, anyway.
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Years ago, one of my nieces (the artist I mentioned in the newsletter I did on “patterns”) took a baking class at a local junior college. She was surprised by how much like a science class it was — not as creative as she thought it would be.
I’ve always remembered that and have come to realize that running a business (at least, MOST businesses) is more like COOKING than BAKING.
(In my opinion, the analogies I make in this issue of my newsletter can apply to almost ANY aspect of life, not just running a business.)
Three Principles of Cooking
Take a look at these three principles and see if they help you get a better perspective on things you may be struggling with in either your business or your personal life.
COOKING IS NOT A FORMULA
Everyone prepares for cooking a meal in a different way. There is no “prescription” for the right way to gather ingredients or mix them together. In the same way, each person’s business is different.
Even franchises differ from store to store, since management styles and personalities can’t be cloned.
(Compare this to baking, which is ALL ABOUT formulas. Recipes — whether on a box or in a cookbook — must be followed exactly if you want the finished product to taste right.)
MISTAKES ARE EASY TO FIX | SUBSTITUTIONS ARE OK
I’ve heard people compare cooking to creating a work of art. It’s a great analogy! I remember how easy it was to work around mistakes I made while painting with acrylics. I just needed to paint over the mistakes.
If you forget to include an ingredient in a stew, for instance, you may never miss it. And if a recipe calls for something you don’t like (as in mushrooms, for me), it’s easy to substitute something else. For example, depending on the recipe, I often substitute bell peppers for mushrooms.
In business, we need to see our mistakes as things we can overcome.
Substitutions can relate to changing small things in our business … like steps followed in a marketing plan we weren’t happy with or adding (or removing) a service we offer.
(When baking, substitution is usually NOT an option. Adding a half-cup of salt instead of sugar will lead to disaster with whatever you’re making. The only way to fix that mistake is to toss out the batter … hopefully, before you taste it!)
TRACKING TIME IS NOT CRITICAL
Whether you’re cooking something for 4 hours in a slow cooker or 40 minutes on top of your stove, a few minutes more or less is probably not going to make a big difference. In fact, stretching out the cooking time might even improve the taste — depending on the dish.
I compare this to being patient with yourself and the ideas you’re developing as you grow your business or work toward any important goal in your life.
Heading in a new direction sometimes involves a few “false starts” before something “clicks” and you start making traction in the direction you’re going.
(With baking, timing IS critical. Leaving a batch of cookies in the oven 5 extra minutes can turn what would’ve been slightly brown and soft into hard and crunchy — not my preference with chocolate chip cookies!)
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Just remember to apply the principles of COOKING to your business … NOT baking.
