Welcome, and thanks for checking out our Starting Up a Startup series! I continue my chats with local business owners and entrepreneurs in Part 1 of my interview with Brian Palmer. Brian is the owner of The Palmer Company, a plumbing company in Salt Lake City, Utah. The echo you hear is not my complete inability to properly edit, or the silly little camera I use, but rather it is the sound of working in an unfinished bathroom. This interview is conducted in a bathroom that Brian is currently putting the finishing touches on.

In this episode, Brian talks about his introduction into plumbing and the transition into local business ownership. Through hard work and the ability to build rapport with his customers, Brian got to the point where he was able to break himself free of working for another business so he could do his own thing.  If you are looking for a great plumber with fair prices, and a self-given nickname of “The Honest Plumber,” call Brian at 801-870-3344 and tell him RoyalAnts sent you!

Starting Up A Startup - The Palmer Company Owner: Brian Palmer Part 1 from Royal Ants on Vimeo.

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Imagine you’re working on something that has been two years in the making. You have a wicked awesome UStream channel running and then the power goes out at the condo you’re renting in Park City. What would you do? Pack it up and go home? If that was your answer, then shame on you. I’m taking away your entrepreneur merit badge.

However, if your answer is to hunker down in a coffee shop and just get it done, then grab your laptop and head down to the cafe with us, because that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re packed into the Java Cow cafe & bakery here in wonderful Park City, Utah working away. We’re not letting a silly little power outage stop our progress.

This is less than ideal, but we’re making it work. Here’s a few quick updates about what’s going on.

Coat: Working on user profiles and intergrating the social aspects and drinking a milkshake.

Adam: Touching up design work while waiting on Coat to finish up so they can integrate some more of their work, and drinking a hot coffee.

Ryan: Updating people about how if we get 20 people watching the UStream tonight at 7 p.m. he will shave a reverse mohawk into his hair. He’s drinking an iced mocha. 

Shua (me): I’m working on the RoyalAnts FaceBook Fan Page (come join), drinking an extreme toffee coffee and eating a blueberry scone.

That’s the quick and dirty for right now, as soon as the power is back we’ll be broadcasting live from the condo once again!

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Ever wonder what it takes to get a project across the finishing line? Ever wonder what happens when you put four friends working on said project into a Park City condo and force them to work on it for 72 hours straight? If so, you’re in luck because we’re doing it and we’re broadcasting the whole thing with updates, tips, info and more, and it’s all happening Friday, April 17th through Monday, April 20th.

We will have videos, pictures, blog posts, and a Ustream channel running with the whole thing. What’s so cool about that? Well, if you’re a budding entrepreneur and you’re wondering what it’s like working on a project like this with your friends, tune in and you can find out. Or if you’re a sociologist who hopes to study the working dynamic of a group of late 20s male when cooped up together for several days, tune in and you can find out that, too.

So, please visit us on the RoyalAnts Ustream channel (it’s not pretty yet), on twitter (@RoyalAntsJosh @RoyalAntsRyan @AdamCW @Coat @RoyalAnts) and here on the blog.  For those of you who don’t know exactly what RoyalAnts is going to be, well, you will find out all the details this weekend. We are going to get this thing done if it kills us… and it just might.

Josh “Shua” Peters

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Cucina Deli in Salt Lake City

The first thing I noticed about Cucina (once I got inside) was the very homey decor that gave it a great vibe. The next thing I noticed was the killer menu. Dean Pierose, the owner, has taken great pride in his menu and it shows. I had the Tuscan chicken sandwich, and so far it’s the most delicious thing I’ve eaten all week.

Cucina has been around for 13 years and has had record sales the last eight years in a row, even since Dean has been the owner. It did see a three-month dip around November to January, but luckily it hasn’t been hit very hard by the economic times, which is good to hear.

Dean is used to the restaurant business. He used to go around the country building and opening Chili’s restaurants. He was very successful doing it, so what made him walk away from such a lucrative job?

He got sick of it. He got sick of the corporate environment and dealing with all the bureaucratic b.s. that comes along with it. It was the driving factor behind starting his own business — and it shows in how he runs the place.

After going through a failed attempt at hiring a manager, Dean had the great idea to let his employees manage themselves. He took some of his top employees and made them stand-in managers when he’s not there. They get paid more during that time and it gives employees the chance to manage their own jobs.

The employees make their own workplace policies. Any time there is a problem, Dean gathers his employees and together they figure out the best course of action. That’s just plain awesome.

He doesn’t dock employees’ checks if the till is a little under, gives them a FREE meal every shift, gives rewards for a job well done, and recognizes those who step up to the plate when a problem or tough situation arise.

It sounds almost too good to be true, but Dean says he wouldn’t run his business any other way.

Being located in the Avenues, I was curious about who Cucina’s target demographic was and, according to Dean, “Our demographic are the people who enjoy great food.” Simple as that.

I kind of feel bad that I didn’t know this place existed, since I used to live in the Avenues only a few blocks away.

Dean has grown his business from a little deli in the Avenues to a successful catering business that caters directly to 90% of private jets that leave Salt Lake City International Airport, as well as catering for events throughout the valley.

While it sounds like it’s been a dream trip for Dean, there have been some problems. The biggest has been walking the fine line between running a successful business based on this very personal model and becoming an unstructured mess.

It may be tough, but it sounds like he’s done an excellent job.

Cucina has two locations, the one I visited is the original location at 1026 E. Second Avenue, Salt Lake City,  (801) 322-3055 . There is also an Old Mill location at 6322 South 3000 East, (801) 365-2222.

The restaurant does have free wireless access, so you can bring your laptop and get some work done while enjoying some great food in a relaxed atmosphere. Make sure your laptop is charged, though, as outlets are not very plentiful. They also have some delicious sounding options for our vegetarian friends.

If you’ve ever visited Cucina, we’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below.

Thanks for reading,

Josh “Shua” Peters

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