How do you step into leadership when you’re completely unprepared?
As Avery Ward stepped back into his family’s restaurant, what looked like a beloved community staple was quietly unraveling beneath the surface. With his father incapacitated, no systems in place, and the business spiraling toward collapse, Avery found himself working 80-hour weeks just to keep the doors open while questioning if any of it was sustainable. You’ll hear how that breaking point forced him to rebuild everything from leadership to systems to trust and transform a fragile operation into a scalable business.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
00:02:45 — Why lack of systems left the company facing bankruptcy, sale, or closure
00:04:45 — How stepping into leadership at 21 revealed deeper operational failures
00:07:20 — What happens when culture breaks down and standards disappear
00:10:30 — Why doing everything yourself creates a ceiling you can’t escape
00:12:30 — How simple systems like checklists can radically improve consistency and training
00:17:50 — The mindset shift required to move from operator to true leader
00:21:30 — Why learning to let go and build structure is the key to sustainable growth
Thank you to Avery for being on our show.
Learn more about Avery Ward and Little Italy Ristorante:
https://www.littleitalygroveport.com/
Get a grip on your business with Traction by Gino Wickman—the proven system to help you gain clarity, accountability, and results:
https://www.eosworldwide.com/traction-library
Tap into the ENRG of entrepreneurs growing together. Join a local chapter (75+ cities + virtual) and gain connections, community, and access to the EOS Conference: https://enrg.life/locations/
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This episode was produced by Story On Media: https://www.storyon.co/
About ENRG
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