I will never forget the first 70-degree day that I had at my former restaurant, La Iguana. I had owned the place for just a few months, and I had the largest patio in town. When the weather turned just right on a random February day, I drove to work just in time to see a line of people forming out the door and around the block. My stomach dropped to my feet. I didn’t have enough food, enough drinks, enough staff, enough cash to make change in the drawers, and there was a light bulb out in the women’s bathroom.

I called every staff member I had. I barked at them to get their butts over to the restaurant and “Bring your friends!” If their friend had a pulse and fogged up a mirror, I put them to work. I had no processes, no policies, no procedures, no formal way of doing anything, and who in the hell was responsible for that burnt out light in the women’s bathroom???

Why am I telling you all this?

Because sometimes, you just have to hire Mr. Right Now. You have to have some temporary help to get you through the uptick in business.

That first year in business wasn’t a complete disaster, but it was close. For as much business as I had, I bled money. Most people that I hired did not last long, but I got through it. And then I got smart and organized.

If you are frantic, with more workload than you can handle, hire Mr Right Now. Just know that it is temporary, because the skillset that you need when you are crazy busy, is not the skillset that you need when things are running more smoothly. Get through today, and then focus on hiring Mr. Right for the long term.

And check to make sure the lightbulb is working in the women’s bathroom.