It all started with a single spring roll cart that was transformed into a food truck. Now, Toetti offers stunning food trucks in various sizes and featuring every imaginable dish. Tosca and her team love nothing more than creating a custom, creative concept. “That really energizes me,” says Tosca. “I want to know: what do you have in mind? And then I’ll make it happen.”
As an entrepreneur, Tosca sees opportunities everywhere. She usually doesn’t think twice before taking action. That has many advantages, but also significant drawbacks. Tosca explains: “I’ve always jumped right in. That drive is good, but I find it hard to slow down sometimes. Yet, when I take a moment to pause, I actually come up with solutions that make my business run more smoothly and allow me to generate more revenue.”
"My growth ambitions didn't align with the way I was running my business."
Headless chicken
In 2022, Tosca had her best year yet. She generated over 200,000 euros in revenue with Toetti, but that financial success also took its toll. “I had taken on way too much work,” she says. “That was because, at the end of 2021, it was still uncertain whether festivals and events would actually go ahead, so I planned my schedule for the coming year completely full. I thought: if the festival doesn’t happen, I’ll still have a decent season. I didn’t expect that everything would go ahead.”
Her customers were satisfied, but Tosca herself was on the verge of burning out. “I had no overview, did everything myself, and was running around like a headless chicken,” she concludes. “That year, I realized that my ambitions for growth didn’t align with the way I was running my business. I didn’t yet know how I should go about it.”
Staying the Course in Turbulent Times
Tosca didn’t have to think long about who could help her with that. She had already come across the book *Straight-Line Leadership* back in 2019. “It immediately spoke to me,” Tosca says. “But before I’d even read a single page, the pandemic hit. That was, of course, a major blow to everyone in the hospitality industry.”
She then saw an online ad announcing that Straight-Line Leadership was launching a series of live broadcasts to help entrepreneurs navigate these challenging times. Tosca: “I started following them. That helped me enormously to keep seeing opportunities and keep pushing forward, while other entrepreneurs in my industry really couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. So after the busy summer of 2022, I thought: if those broadcasts were already so valuable, what would happen if I signed up for a membership? So that’s what I did.”
"They step in whenever I need them, without me having to hire any staff."
Unexpected benefits
The entrepreneur wanted to bring more peace of mind into her life, but her membership in Straight-Line Leadership unexpectedly gave her so much more. “I always thought I had to choose between more time in my schedule and more revenue,” says Tosca. “And if I had to choose, I’d still pick more time, because I’m not just an entrepreneur—I’m also a mother and a partner. Then a consultant from Straight-Line Leadership said, ‘But what if you could have both?’ So I asked, ‘Okay, what needs to happen?’” Straight-Line Leadership provided Tosca with concrete tools to get started.
Smart partnerships
And that paid off. “My goal is to generate 3.5 tons in sales this year, and I’m well on my way to achieving that,” she says. “That’s a 75 percent increase, and at the same time, I feel much more at ease than I did last year. I really didn’t think this was possible before. And it’s all because I slowed down, took a critical look at myself and my business, and made different choices.”
In part, this meant forming smart partnerships. “After I started Straight-Line Leadership, I teamed up with a chef,” Tosca explains. “He’s a sparring partner and takes care of preparing the dishes for me. I now bring in expertise instead of doing everything myself.” She also entered into a partnership with an event venue and gathered a group of reliable freelancers around her.
Win-win
Partnerships like these save the entrepreneur a lot of valuable time. Tosca: “When you consistently work with the same people and partners, eventually a single word is enough. That works really well. For example, the event venue I partner with already knows exactly what I need in terms of power and other equipment, so we can get started right away. And it works both ways: they also enjoy working with us because we can adapt quickly and think along with them. The freelancers and food truck companies I work with step in whenever I need them, without me having to hire employees. And that’s convenient for them too, because I provide them with work. It’s a win-win situation in every way.
"Sometimes you want things to be different so badly, but you just keep going round in circles in your own head."
Focused energy
Tosca used to think she had no choice but to handle everything herself. “My standards are high, and I’ve always had satisfied clients. I thought I was the only one who could maintain those high standards. Now I know I can do that even when I outsource tasks wisely. By delegating work, I incur slightly higher costs, but I gain time in return—time I can use to secure new projects and focus on what I’m really good at.”
Tosca finds that she’s now much better at channeling her energy. She’s learned to focus on what matters to her. “If I hadn’t been a member, the revenue I’m going to generate this year wouldn’t have been realistic,” she says. “I get distracted pretty easily, but at Straight-Line Leadership, the focus is always on achieving your goals and what you need to do to get there. Of course, I still get sidetracked sometimes, but I always come back to my goal. And then you see that everything suddenly starts moving very quickly.”
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