We were lucky to catch up with Adam Peterson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Adam, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
There came a time when I simply, for lack of a better term, disregarded the risk. There is risk in anything, the cliche of walking out the door in the morning and getting hit by a bus – venturing into the world each day is a risk and everyone breaks down that barrier for the most part. It dawned on me that all these ‘risks’ are simply self-imposed barriers. If I believed, really believed in what I had to deliver, it wasn’t a risk at all.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I opened The Normal, a bbq restaurant and cocktail bar, in 2023 after over a decade in the hospitality industry. The goal was to create a space that delivers the highest quality product in the area while also redefining the traditional restaurant pay structures and operations. The Normal is truly a chef-driven establishment as I am at the forefront of each step from menu creation to prep to plating.
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?
I have an unabashed thirst to attain knowledge that will allow me to advance and better myself at my craft. I never went to culinary school, I was selling copiers, but you can truly be anything you want if you dedicate yourself to learning every nuance of your trade.
There has been a constant refusal, whether it arises from stubbornness or not I cannot say, to back down in any situation where I have thought I’m right and it hasn’t been reciprocated. I am here today because of an annoyingly persistent dedication to my vision of what I can put into the world.
Connections, true connections, with like-minded people within your field are priceless. Who are the influencers, who are the leaders? Identify these people – there is a world of entrepreneurial opportunity available but most never bother to look.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
I have developed a better understanding of, and tolerance for, that which I cannot control; and I speak to this in my personal life as much as my professional. I may not always have my “wants”, but there is acceptance that if I persist and execute then anything that is “needed” in the true sense will manifest.
Contact Info:
- Website: thenormalbbq.com
- Instagram: @thenormalbbq
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenormalbbq?mibextid=eQY6cl
Image Credits
Keith Walters Photography
