My top 10 highlights from the episode:
1. I've always believed in doing one thing and doing it better than anybody else.
2. If you try to be all things to all people you’re not anything to anybody.
3. We have a lack of founders in big businesses, especially in the restaurant business. When I was a kid it was run by founders. Founders care about their people, they care about their customers, they care, care, care.
4. Nothing ever happens unless someone pursues a vision fanatically.
5. People will say just delegate. Delegate? What kind of word is that? Work with great leaders, but still be in the details. You should be in the details. People used to tell me— the experts again — you won't always know these things are going on. You can't do these things when you get big. Well, I'm bigger than all of them now.
6. I approve every site, every location. Every one.
7. [On someone competing head to head with him] It's so personal to me. You better get up early in the morning, you better work late at night because this is what we do. This is part of my DNA. It's a representation of my family. So you better come with all your guns if you're going to compete with Raising Canes, because this is my world.
8. Putting cash in is the easy part. You making your brand successful is hard.
9. When you create and do, you're never gonna stop creating and doing because it's part of what you are. It's part of your DNA.
10. People ask what's your exit strategy? I don’t have one. I wouldn’t sell.
Listen to #383 Todd Graves and His $10 Billion Chicken Finger Dream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the web.
There is now a monthly option for Founders Notes. You can read and search all of my notes on history's greatest founders. (I have over 20,000) You will also have access to Sage the AI assistant that lives in Founders Notes. You can ask Sage a question and it will read and summarize all of my notes and highlights for you. Use it to supplement the decisions you make in your work. Get access to Founders Notes here.
5. People will say just delegate. Delegate? What kind of word is that? Work with great leaders, but still be in the details. You should be in the details. People used to tell me— the experts again — you won't always know these things are going on. You can't do these things when you get big. Well, I'm bigger than all of them now.
6. I approve every site, every location. Every one.
7. [On someone competing head to head with him] It's so personal to me. You better get up early in the morning, you better work late at night because this is what we do. This is part of my DNA. It's a representation of my family. So you better come with all your guns if you're going to compete with Raising Canes, because this is my world.
8. Putting cash in is the easy part. You making your brand successful is hard.
9. When you create and do, you're never gonna stop creating and doing because it's part of what you are. It's part of your DNA.
10. People ask what's your exit strategy? I don’t have one. I wouldn’t sell.
Listen to #383 Todd Graves and His $10 Billion Chicken Finger Dream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the web.
There is now a monthly option for Founders Notes. You can read and search all of my notes on history's greatest founders. (I have over 20,000) You will also have access to Sage the AI assistant that lives in Founders Notes. You can ask Sage a question and it will read and summarize all of my notes and highlights for you. Use it to supplement the decisions you make in your work. Get access to Founders Notes here.