Shawn Wachef is the founder of Cali BBQ.<\/p>\n

Shawn and his team have defied the odds and gone against the grain to build a thriving restaurant business.<\/p>\n

Where location, location, location is the mantra for restaurants \u2013 12+ years ago Shawn started a business in a poor location during the recession.\u00a0 They found a way to mold their business model even with a poor location.<\/p>\n

Most recently, during the pandemic, he grew his business by adding a ghost kitchen, allowing to serve more people while managing cost more efficiently.<\/p>\n

Now $25 million dollars in sales later and over 2,500 great Yelp reviews, not only have they built a thriving BBQ restaurant business, but they have also positioned themselves as a media company by using media to grow their business and help other businesses do the same.<\/p>\n

When it comes to social media marketing \u2013 Shawn says keeps it simple \u2013 he tells us what makes people \u201cstop\u201d in their tracks when reading social media content and what it takes to create great content.<\/p>\n

Lastly, Shawn shares with us why mental health care is so important for business owners.<\/p>\n

Episode highlights:<\/p>\n

3:10 \u2013 Shawn’s story of how they opened a barbecue company in San Diego<\/p>\n

7:40 – Shawn’s explains how to make media marketing easy<\/p>\n

8:14 \u2013 Overcoming a poor location \u2013 Shawn saw an opportunity<\/p>\n

9:05 – Shawn’s thoughts when the iPhone was first introduced<\/p>\n

10:30 – What’s a ghost kitchen?<\/p>\n

10:20 \u2013 During the pandemic Cali BBQ expanded by adding a ghost kitchen<\/p>\n

12:00 \u2013 The benefits of a ghost kitchen<\/p>\n

16:45 \u2013 Mistake\u2019s business owners make in the digital marketing space<\/p>\n

20:24 \u2013 Shawn discusses the importance of mental health care for a business owner<\/p>\n