1934 Harry Johnson's new and improved Bartenders' Manual

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23. A TIP TO THE BEGINNER.—HOW TO MAKE MONEY. Any one going into our lino of business starts, nat urally, with the hope and intention of realizing profit; hut it is not as easy as is generally supposed to make money and become very successful, although, more or less, every one imagines that he j)ossesses all the qual ifications required to conduct a thriving business. I have found it so, especially, with first-class bartenders, head-waiters, stewards, and hcad-cooks; the reason be ing that they think they have full knowledge of the business, in all its details.. The fact that they are per fect in their specialty is not a proof nor a guarantee that they will be successful in managing a general business. On the contrary, it is the men who are so self-confident that usually fail. I have had in my employ thousands of people, bartenders, waiters, etc., and among these have been many brilliant men in their particular specialty or calling. But it is a sad truth that only a small percentage of these men, who have afterward begun business for themselves, have succeeded. There are various reasons for their fail ure. In some cases, these capable men were generally over-conceited, and that characteristic is not sufficient to give a control over all the different lines of our business. It does not necessarily prove, at least, that one has the qualifications to be a "boss." Others, such as very clever bartenders, who worked for a number of years in a first-class place and becoming very pop ular, came to the conclusion that the large extra trade there was entirely on their own account. They were led astray by taking a notion that they ought to open a similar estal)lishment in the vicinity, because they were laboring under the conceited impression that all their friends and acquaiirtances would follow them, and give them exclusive patronage. I don't make these