We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elan Wenzel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Elan, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
Reflecting on my past, I learned my work ethic from watching people in my circle; I’m an observer. As a youth, I didn’t enjoy putting in the work. I typically went for the low hanging fruit. One of my first memorable experiences of working hard was the summer between Sophomore and Senior year of high school. My grades were slipping so I elected to take summer school. It paid off, and inspired me to continue to apply myself throughout my Senior year. The work put in for studying and paying attention helped raise my GPA. Although, by no means did I have a work ethic yet. Fast forward to Culinary school. I almost dropped out, and thinking back, there was a real potential I could have been kicked out. I would ask to go home early and would do the bare minimum in terms of tasks. But I was fortunate to have some students and teachers take me under their wings. They had to explain to me that doing your best doesn’t mean asking to go home early when you’ve simply accomplished the bare minimum. They explained “when you finish your work, ask for more!”. I was encouraged to join the competition team and become involved in the steering committee. I even joined an ice carving club. It all paid off, not only with my skills, but the work was recognized, and I received apprentice of the year upon graduation. I started recognizing these qualities in the people that surrounded me. I looked up to them, emulated them. It was empowering.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
With my background as a classically trained chef, and having fallen into Sushi in ‘99 and subsequently training Sushi in Japan in 2004, having made sushi for over 20 years and cooked for 30, it delights me to share my passion with my customers. The experiences in Japan solidified in my mind, that my path would be sushi and knives for life. Having seen Knife shops with wall-to-wall cutlery and tools. It inspired what I’m doing with Element Knife Company today. I started Element Knife Company by essentially taking a paycheck and buying some knives and turning those profits back into the company. We’ve continued doing that over and over since 2008. Element Knife Company is a grassroots endeavor and our focus is support and education, sentiments deeply instilled in me from those early years as a culinary student.. I don’t consider myself a salesman, but rather a guide to help answer questions, direct people, and make suggestions. Our website has an extensive learning section with diagrams, terminology, explanations, etc.. Additionally, we support our local restaurant industry and really, I consider them peers, and offer deep industry discounts, half-price sharpening services, and free lessons for Knife sharpening to anyone in Colorado who is attached to the restaurant industry. You don’t have to be a chef or a cook. If you are a delivery driver, front-of-the house or dishwasher, we consider you family. As we move into 2024 we will be adding a Knife skills class in addition to our already popular knife sharpening classes. We will also be adding a demonstration area in which customers can try using our knives and other tools. It’s important to Element Knife Company, that as we grow, part of that growth always includes support and education. I believe people are hungry for knowledge and learning new skill sets. It seems to be the trend as prices rise across-the-board, people want to learn how to cook and sharpen their own knives, and understand the tools that they have purchased.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Easy!
1.) Always show up on time and work hard. This isn’t only for your boss, which is important, but because really if you think about it, you agreed to certain parameters at a certain price. But, it’s for yourself. You deserve to determine what and where your thresholds are. They are not identifiable if you don’t push yourself, This helps you recognize what you’re capable of and in turn, empowers you to realize your potential.
2.) Persistence is key! Let me repeat that. Persistence is key. Education and talent are important and can be learned, but are lost without determination. Do not allow yourself to become disillusioned and discouraged.
3.) Always take care of your mental and physical health. I’m not saying it has to be a perfect balance all the time, but these are imperative.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
There is some balance in my opinion. Ultimately, I do feel that leaning into your strengths and seeking help with your deficits is a sound approach. I have learned not to waste time and money fumbling through tasks I foolishly thought I could quickly pick up. Certain things are just better left to the experts. Of course, when time affords, it’s always good to grow by learning new techniques and skill sets. I think it’s prudent, because there may come a time in any aspect of business operations, when you have to step up. There was a time I was determined to learn how to write code for my website. I called upon my Web developer, and after a handful of lessons, I thought I had it down. Nope, several weeks later I had forgotten everything I learned. But one day, when I have enough time, I think it would be a worthy skill set to grasp.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://elementknife.com/
- Instagram: @elementknifecompany
- Facebook: @elementknifecompany
- Yelp: Element Knife Company
