E12 - Guy Vaknin (Beyond Sushi)
In this episode we speak with Chef Guy Vaknin, a vegan entrepreneur, owner of Beyond Sushi - a NY Sushi Chain that currently serves over 2 million people.\n\nListen on RealLifeSuperPowers website: https://reallifesuperpowers.com/podcast/guy-vaknin-beyond-sushi/\n\nGuy had a lot of experience working various jobs in the restaurant business. But before going all in he enrolled in college to study computer engineering. Then, like many entrepreneurs we speak with, the college system didn\u2019t feel right and he dropped out after 3 months. In his unique case, his father, who was already in the business, encouraged him to drop out and join him in business.\n\n6 years later, after working alongside his dad, who enabled and empowered him to fail and experience the real world, he felt ready to open up his own business and Beyond Sushi came to life. He realised there\u2019s business potential in the vegetarian food business and despite most people around him telling him he\u2019s insane, he took all his money, loaned more from his father and invested it all, fully believing in his idea. When he opened the first restaurant he had 1000 USD left in his bank account, it HAD to work or else he\u2019d have to close and go back to working for his father.\n\nGuy says that when you\u2019re unique you draw attention. It\u2019s then a matter of executing at a high level. He\u2019s referring to the restaurant industry but we think this can be applied in all industries.\n\nHe\u2019s a master at pitching. Not long ago he was on Shark Tank and got the sharks to invest 1.5 million dollars for 15% in Beyond Sushi and 30% in another business he\u2019s working on. He shares insider tips on how to pitch. Among other things he says it\u2019s important to show business potential and back it up with numbers \u201cthe numbers don't lie\u201d.\n\nHe knows how to combine creativeness with pragmatism, listening to him can be very inspiring for creatives trying to figure out how to ground their passion.\n\nWe hope you enjoy your listen.\n\n\nZooming out, if you like listening to this podcast, make sure to subscribe so you don\u2019t miss new conversations with peak performers, serving as a reminder we can all tap into the best versions of ourselves.\n\nYou\u2019re also welcome to follow Ronen and Noa on Linkedin\n\u2022\tRonen Menipaz on Linkedin\n\u2022\tNoa Eshed on Linkedin \n\nAnd if we may ask for a favor - please leave us a review on your native podcast app.\n\nSome further resources:\n\u2022\tReal Life Superpowers podcast on Ctech\n\u2022\tThe podcast website