By Donna Marrin

Tell us about your business and how you started it.

The Lunch Lady really started by accident. I wasn’t looking to start a food business. I was searching for a job I could create for myself that would accommodate my son’s therapies. “Some sort of lunch business” was just one possible choice on a list of options that included artificial flower arranging and a scrapbook making service. Like many small businesses, I started from home. In 1992,while collecting EI [I was on maternity leave] I applied and was accepted for the “SEA” [Self Employment Assistance] Program, designed to encourage individuals temporarily out of work to start up small businesses that, in turn, would eventually create jobs for at least one other person. It certainly worked out in my case! It is amazing to think that as a result of the support provided by the SEA program, my little idea evolved into a niche industry that today employs hundreds of people, not only in Lunch Lady kitchens, but in those of our competitors as well. It’s all good!

What was your early vision for your business and how has it changed over time?

Over time, a business goes through many stages and your goals must evolve and change to reflect where you are on the business cycle. I am learning that it does not matter so much WHAT you are selling as what type of business model you are using to sell your product or service. One thing I know for sure is that you cannot stand still. You are either growing or you are shrinking. That nice, comfortable, stable spot that we are all seeking is fleeting and elusive, just like happiness. My initial goal was to keep busy, make a little income and take my son to speech therapy. IT was totally personal and I was able to meet these goals and for this, I am forever grateful. When I made a decision to investigate franchising, my relationship with my business changed completely. I joined with a partner. I was now creating an opportunity for potential franchisees to operate my concept so my goals were centered on building and expanding the Brand. In 2001, when we began to franchise, the goal was simply to sell a franchise. The more we grew, the more I realized we could grow our business and do the RIGHT thing by offering food choices to support healthier food environments at school. This became and still is a key selling feature of the Lunch Lady Brand. Now, after several years of phenomenal growth, our goals have continued to evolve to meet the needs of our growing business. However, for me, life has come full circle. The child whose disability was the catalyst for the Lunch Lady Brand is in his last year of high school. What will happen next year? What are his options?

What are the options for him and many of his peers after Special Ed finishes at age 21?

Many, like Brendan, will not be able to lead independent lives, but this does not mean that they have nothing to offer in the work force. What can the Lunch Lady do to create an opportunity for him? Creating this opportunity for him is my next goal. I have learned a whole lot about business over the past 17 years, a lot of it the hard way, through trial and error.

What has your biggest learning curve been in terms of building your business?

My decision to franchise the original concept was an extension of my belief that “money works best when everyone has some.” I liked the idea of franchising without really understanding the practical reality of it. Running the Lunch Lady Group as a franchise system is not at all like operating the original concept. Being good at one does not prepare you for the other. So this whole experience has been a huge learning curve for me. I have had to learn to identify and accept my own limitations and learn to delegate to others. I have been very fortunate to find excellent partners with skills I am lacking, and to be supported by a dedicated team, who have The Lunch Lady’s best interests at heart.

Describe a day in the life…

When you are an entrepreneur, I am not sure if there is a typical work day or work week. You just do what needs to be done. Your schedule is determined by the number of open items sitting on your desk or floating around inside your head. I have no real quitting time, but I try to organize everything that goes on around the needs of my family and other interests… and the laundry. I am probably actively engaged in my business approximately 70 hours per week, but the reality is that unless you make time to meditate to clear your mind, your business is always on your mind.

How do you find balance between your business life and your home life?

I started the Lunch Lady so I could have a business that worked around my family’s schedule, particularly my son’s therapies. As the first Lunch Lady Franchisee, this worked pretty well. However, as a franchisor, I work year round. So finding time is now challenging and a bit of a struggle. I often need to be reminded to stop working. The boys are now grown but still need my time. My husband and I try to go out regularly for dinner to stay caught up with each other and my Blackberry is supposed to be turned off, but I have been known to linger rather long in the ladies’ room sending emails and checking for messages. Good thing my husband is so tolerant! I am lucky to have a small circle of terrific friends, some of whom I’ve known for over 50 years. We don’t see each other a lot but when we get together, it always seems comfortable. When I have free time just for me, I love to read, listen to book tapes, dance, watch movies, travel, do Suduko puzzles. Mysteries and histories are my “fav” reads and I enjoy listening to people and being inspired by their stories. After years of shunning the kitchen, I now enjoy being there.

Do you have a favourite business tool or resource?

My favourite business tool is my Blackberry because it allows me to be mobile and connected at the same time. My favourite resource is MEDITATION. I believe that often, we are our own worst enemies and that learning to control our own thoughts is crucial to success. I also believe that it is essential to surround yourself with positive people and seek out the advice and guidance of other entrepreneurs and organizations. My own association with the Canadian Franchise Association, for example, has been a fantastic resource for the Lunch Lady. On a personal note, I have been privileged to have spent time with Mac Voisin, founder of M&M Meat Shops, whose advice and encouragement has gotten me through many rough patches when I lost my confidence.

What is the key to your success?

The biggest key to one’s success is believing that one IS a success. A business requires time, patience, and perseverance to develop and grow but most of all, a business needs an owner who believes that success is not only possible but inevitable and is committed to realizing that outcome. I believe that success needs to be appreciated in a more global sense than just a financial one. If you sacrifice your personal values to achieve your business objectives, are you really going to feel that you are a successful person? Here are some things to consider at the end of the day: Does your business directly or indirectly make a positive difference in the lives of others? Do you feel genuine and able to express your own personality? Are you thoughtful by remembering that it’s the little kindnesses that count? Do you measure your words, since once they are out of your mouth, they are public property? Do you take responsibility for your successes and your failures? Do you remember to say thank you? Do you make time for quiet reflection? Do you feel a sense of purpose? Do you make time for family and friends?

What is the one piece of advice you would like to give to others thinking about starting a business?

I have three and here they are:

1. A successful business is created when the germ of a good idea is paired with the patience and perseverance to “work” that idea and see it through. Don’t throw in the towel at the first sign of trouble. It may take several years to become an “overnight” success.

2. Misery loves company and so does success. Surround yourself with positive people who are excited about their own potential.

3. A true entrepreneur is often driven more by passion for an idea than by profitability. Many wonderful business ideas fail or are taken to market by others because no one is managing the details necessary to make the idea viable. Find the skills you need to make your dream a success.

ABOUT RUTHIE BURD Who knew that a chance idea would turn into a distinctly Canadian solution to the absence of cafeterias in elementary schools? All concepts have their humble beginnings, including the Lunch Lady. The business Ruthie Burd founded in 1993 has evolved into a nationally recognized alternative to the home-packed lunch, contributes to a healthier food environment for school kids, has created careers for others [both competitors and her own franchisees], jobs for employees, and generates hundreds of thousands of ‘Hassle-Free” fundraising dollars annually for the schools she serves. So how did a middle-aged Mom raised in Oshawa, Ontario, with a history degree and virtually no food service experience become the Lunch Lady? Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. And so it was when Ruthie Burd found herself contemplating her career options in the early 1990s. She needed to balance her own desire to work with the demands of her young family, including the special needs of her middle son, profoundly affected by autism. Her goal was to work in the morning, taking her children to work if necessary and spend afternoons at therapies and appointments. After reading about a company that delivered sandwiches to office workers, Burd decided she could borrow from the concept to start a business delivering ready-made lunches to parents of school children. There was a challenge. She did not really know how to cook. After the early death of her mom, neither she nor her dad developed an aptitude in the kitchen. They ate out of cans instead. Her Dad, a GM employee and United Church lay minister gave her advice while the daily ration of tinned beef stew was heating on the stove. The “not cooking” was seen more as inconvenience than a deterrent to future success. What she was not prepared for was the reality that no parent or school wanted her service. So in the interim, to pay the rent, she started making lunches for auto shops, doctors’ offices, and seniors. Finally, after nearly two years, one school offered to do a trial run. When all the menus came back, there was only one order. The idea did eventually catch on and today, many schools consider some form of a catered lunch alternative for their students. The Lunch Lady evolved from its humble beginnings in 1993 into the thriving business that it is today. In 1999, the Lunch Lady Group was formed with chartered accountant, Jim Essex, to franchise the concept. Ten years later, a third partner, Stan Newman, former president of Colour Your World, joined the Lunch Lady to head Corporate Development. Today, the Lunch Lady’s founder, Ruthie Burd, is now a good cook, an energetic advocate for healthier school food for kids, the winner of numerous business awards, an active supporter of the Canadian Franchise Association, a dedicated volunteer, the subject and author of various articles, a TV guest, a sympathetic ear for busy parents and an optimistic mom who perseveres daily to create the life she wants for herself, her family and the other members of her growing brand. To learn more, visit http://www.thelunchlady.ca/about