Posted by socrates on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

For my interview, I spoke with Simone, the owner of Food Sicily in Cefalu’. He is a very busy man, but he was able to take a few minutes out of his day to talk about business, food, and life in general. It was interesting to see how his mind works as a business owner and how he goes about building the brand as an Italy business owner compared to an American one.

Simone is born and raised in Cefalu’, which is where he has pursued most of his business ventures. Before starting his Food Sicily shop, Simone had been involved with a few other business opportunities such as a small casino in Cefalu’. Once he built up enough capital, he opened Food Sicily, a small food and drink shop just a block from the beach. The store is small in size, but offers a wide range of products, both hot and on the shelves. You can just pick up a sandwich for lunch or you can do all of your groceries there. Simone spends all of his time actively involved with the shop, whether meeting with clients, selling food, or making deliveries. He keeps his family very involved in the business so he can have full faith in his employees. Simone had many of the characteristics of a small business owner who is raised locally and runs the business with his family. However, Simone also has the vision and ambition of a large business owner looking to expand his brand.

Simone frequently touched on how marketing and building the brand is his favorite part of owning a business. He also said that seeing his vision coming to fruition is one the reasons he owns his own business. He specifically mentioned festivals in the fall as way to get exposure for his shop. However, Simone did not get to this point without very hard work. It was very evident in just the hour or so we were there that Simone is constantly running around or making calls in order to make sure everything is going smoothly. This struck me as one of the main differences of business owners in the Unites States as opposed to in Sicily. Simone was extremely involved, functioning as the owner, manager, deliveryman, or sometimes even the cook. It seems to me that business owners in the United States take a much more laid back approach, often delegating jobs to various employees.

Another unique aspect of entrepreneurship in Sicily is the x-factor of tourists. Tourists come into a vacation spot with little knowledge about local food or grocery spots so marketing and exposure is crucial. Simone said that tourists compose of most of his sales, especially in the summer and fall. This may explain the tourist aimed Food Sicily store name. The location of the shop and signs around town also serve to draw in tourists who may not have an idea about where to shop.

Simone was an impressive businessman who clearly had a very high motor and a strong idea about what he wants to do. He said he may even pursue a role in local government when the next election comes around. He was an involved, yet not over-managing owner who had a good sense about his customers needs. I enjoyed talking with Simone very much and I was very impressed with his work ethic and vision.

Here is the audio of our interview:

Interview Audio