Cereal Bowls, Businesses, & A Funny Rant

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Location: Miami, Florida.

Time Of Year: 2006-or-so.

Setting: A Place Called...

Yes, this is a business discussion, but first, read the funny stuff!

The Cereal Bowl T' Was It's Name

I once mentioned in a previous article in this 90 Day Content Challenge series that I worked for both Toyota and the Seaquriam. And yes, I initially spelled "Seaquriam" wrong.

Roughly two months after leaving The Seaquriam, I was invited to a local hangout spot to conduct business. Oh, it was a rough concept, and yet I still remember it.

So, what was The Cereal Bowl?

Imagine This In Your Head...

You are a Miami tourist, bypassing the back-alley streets of South Beach, when suddenly, a building spots your eye. It reads in big, pink letters: "The Cereal Bowl."

You would go in, and yes, quite literally order from a counter (where I resided) up to four (four! Oh, boy! What fun!) different types of a cereal of your choice. You would then pay.

Ever order cereal behind a sneeze guard? I have.

You would then be redirected, after paying and receiving your change, to a small counter on the side, where you could fill your bowl of cereal with lukewarm milk, and eat it...

…with a middle school spork, all while sitting in a hand-shaped chair (see below).

They Had A Good Location...

Why did this business fail in two years or less? Let us examine the facts: they had a premium location, more than likely exceeding the average $10,000-a-month retail cost...

…they had a fun idea, too.

…yet, this does not dictate creativity. Thus, why did they fail? Novel idea, novel concept, and novel location...what went wrong? Let us drill down the idea first...

We Cannot Quite Ignore...

Now first, we cannot ignore the fact that this idea was awkwardly unstable, at best. I recall the first day there, and I recall ringing up only around ten or so groups.

Noted: no one ever came back twice, reserving less opportunity for repeat customers, which represent at around that time 40 percent of a company's income .

They would awkwardly order up to four cereals, among them, all of the oldies: Honey Nut Cheerios, that brand featuring the tiger, and that other brand featuring the parrot.

Or was it a rooster? Again, creativity has failed to beget novelty, as I cannot recall the brand message of what company sold using a bird of any nature (then again, I never eat!).

Then, in a darkened silence (and to my partner's constant amusement), they would sit there, grown men and women intact, eating cereal in the middle of a café-style location.

It Screams Profit, Right?

The funny part is, I never quit. I quite literally stopped coming in there one day. I never received a resignation letter, nor was I ever formally fired, nor did I ever officially quit.

"Friends" moment:

Joey: I'd like one cup of coffee, please.

Cashier: Don't you work here, Joey?

Joey: Oh, no, I quit. I never told you?

This is where the tiny comic book bubbles direct above our heads: they had novelty; they had a great location...how could they fail? Well, that leaves us to note something here:

Unfortunately, creativity does not scream profit at that time, nor now.

A Recent Study Found...

Studies have not confirmed this, and really it is more of a theory, but one article in particular points to the notion that creativity sells, but only when in its due context.

And there is nothing but contextual distortion found in this idea.

You see, as human beings, we are driven to the idea of "creativity sells." As an example, Theodore Levitt , in a recent article in the Harvard Business Review the following:

"Too often, 'creativity' means having great, original ideas. Their emphasis is almost all on the thoughts themselves. Moreover, the ideas are often judged more by their novelty than by their potential usefulness, either to consumers or to the company."

-Theodore Levitt

Creativity Holds No Accountability

Recall the notion that I never quit, nor was I fired. I stopped - showing - up, and this is why most creative businesses, despite the novel notions, fail from the ground-up.

Creativity was and is a great thing to possess, especially then. Hot Topic was reaching its peak metalhead market; Spencer's was becoming one of the fastest-growing chains around...

It was a fun time to be sixteen, until somebody got stabbed at The Sunset Place mall I would frequent...and then, it was not so fun nearing that point in time...

…but if you cannot practice in a business setting, wholeheartedly enriching the spirit of the employees, and not using their key input, or holding them accountable, you will fail.

Two years after I left, they shut down.

Creativity Versus Conventionality

You see, creativity is a burden many businesses lack, but guess what? Consumers, on average, desire convention over creativity . An example is the below:

This location rested next to a convenience store. That convenience store had more customers in one hour than The Cereal Bowl had in an entire month.

Why is this? Well, no one wants cereal served to them. It's that simple.

Sit In The Seat Of The Passenger

Remember when airplanes installed TVs in their headrests? Recall how fun it was to visit Disney World? Remember how fascinating it was to watch MTV?

I think we all do.

Remember when you ordered cereal with marshmallows from behind a sneeze guard?

I think we can all sufficiently agree that this does not ever happen...ever.

It is an unfortunate reality, but business and creativity do not quite mix, both in my own opinion but also, backed by neuroscience, which can be quite fun; you should try it!

"Ever see a human foot with four toes before?"

-"The Office"

Creativity & Logic Do Not Collide

The human brain functions on two different neurological levels (and yes, I have proof) between creative insight and candor-esque logic.

The right side of the human brain is considered the creative part of our brain. It is the idea that causes a middle-aged man named "Fox The Trot" to open a cereal store.

The left side of the brain controls logic and reasoning. It is the grouchy owner of the same business, and it hates cereal, but it does love counting money.

In retrospect, this store had neither of the two functions. Nope, not even creativity. They pivoted a sad, fast food idea and changed burgers to cereal.

All they were missing was the pimply teenager working the register...oh, wait...

I was the pimply teenager.

I Give Them Credit For Trying

Now, I do have to make mention here: before I had worked at The Cereal Bowl, I once eaten there. Believe it or not, Honey Bunch mixed with Froot Loops is not so bad.

So, before I continue...well, whatever this is, I do want to make note that I had a fun experience working there. It was interesting watching grown men and women eat cereal.

Especially while sitting on a chair shaped like a hand...

But Credit Be Darned!

The average repeat customer rate represents 40 percent of a a business's mainstream of profit. And that was the problem here: they had nothing to drive anybody back to their business, and then, two years later, the recession hit. So, the lesson here?

Don't open a store two years before a recession...?

You see, as a former Business Consultant and the owner of...well, a lot of weird companies that absolutely depended on creativity, I have often asked myself:

How would I have fixed this business if I were there now?

I have never come to a solid answer, and to be frank, their failure may not have been so much a business issue as it was merely the byproduct of bad times.

We were facing a horrible recession, and though I hated the idea, I do give them some credit for trying to start a trend that, in hindsight, lasted four years.

And yes, I tricked you. This one was for my own amusement, but take it as a telltale story: if you want to come up with a creative idea, do it! But do some checking first.

Lean Six Sigma

One simple word and one simple book that could have saved them:

Lean Six Sigma and "The Lean Method" by Eris Ries.

If they had measured reticulated, had asked customers what they wanted, and had done some minor twists in demeanor, success may have come...then again, some businesses just suck...

I hope this made you laugh as much as it did for me!

And RIP "The Cereal Bowl," you will surely be missed.

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