True Story: I worked as a sandwich artist.

And I still use lessons learned there in my job at AT&T Business. 

When I was 12 years old, my family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma from the UK to start a new life. Yes, there was quite a bit of culture shock. But, it was there in Tulsa where my parents began their career as small business owners of a franchise sandwich shop. When I became a young teen, I had to pull some strings, but eventually got a job there as a sandwich artist. ?? As any small business knows, it’s all hands on deck, so I was put to work!

And I loved it. I remember taking real pride in being a sandwich artist. And by “artist,” I mean artist. I wanted to create the most aesthetically pleasing patterns of meat, cheese, vegetables and condiments possible across a 6-inch or 12-inch loaf of bread. There was a signature cut to the bread that would hollow it out perfectly and create a channel for my masterpiece. For me, the beauty was in the symmetry. How could I create the perfect pattern so that the customer tasted a perfectly-constructed sandwich in every bite? You might think I’m kidding – I’m not ??

I learned so much about business and leadership working as a teenage sandwich artist, yet I had no idea how much these lessons would shape me. In honor of Small Business week, I thought I’d share 5 lessons I learned, and what I still put in practice today.

1. Customers are priority #1.

Customers would come in. They’d tell me what they wanted - and it was my job to give them something better than they expected. There was a reason why we had an incredible number of repeat customers - because we took care of them. In every job I’ve ever had since, customers have been THE priority.

 2. Listen to those around you.

My bosses were my parents, so I had to listen to them. But I also listened to how they spoke to their customers. I listened to how they dealt with setbacks. I listened as they weighed the pros and cons of every investment decision. Today, I continue to listen and learn – every day – I want to continually grow in everything I do.

3. Do the work in front of you.

As I said, I enjoyed taking the time and care to construct beautiful sandwiches. And that was all that mattered, doing the work in front of me, one sandwich at a time. I was too young to realize how this would become a life lesson, but later as I was starting out my career at AT&T, I received this exact piece of advice from two key mentors: Charlie Hubbard and Juan Flores. They both told me, “Don’t worry about what’s ahead. Keep your head down. Do the best possible job you can do in the job that you’re in, and good things will come.” It has served me well throughout my entire career, in every job that I’ve ever had.

4. Improve results.

During peak periods at the sub shop, such as lunch, we changed our process to a production line. This allowed us to serve the customers better, and faster, so they could get back to their jobs. The idea of optimizing efficiency while improving customer experience is something that I’ve looked for in every role that I’ve had ever since. In my current role, the solutions we bring to market must help our customers do the same. For our small business customers, our recent #LikeABoss series offers practical tips and tricks to help small businesses do just that.

5. Be a good person.

I watched as my parents treated everyone with kindness and respect. This really came to life for me in the tenure of my parents’ employees. They literally had employees that worked for them for over 10 years. Being good to each other is essential, in a business of any size. We need all hands on deck to steer the ship. And it’s not just good business - it’s the right thing to do.

I loved being a sandwich artist. And in retrospect, I realize how many lessons I learned during that time. My parents were amazing, and while I wasn’t thrilled to be working at the family business as a teenager, I now recognize how fortunate I was and that it influenced me in so many ways.

These days, I’ll admit I work through lunch more often than not. But you can bet if a sub sandwich is dropped off at my desk, I’ll unwrap it immediately to examine its construction. ?? And for the record, my favorite sandwich is the veggie max.

Enjoy Small Business Week and support your local sub shop, your favorite bookstore or whoever you like to visit in your neighborhood.

Keywords: #SmallBusinessWeek #SmallBusiness #SmallBiz #entrepreneur #leadership