Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carlie Lara. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Carlie, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
My optimism comes from my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Apart from Him, my heart and emotions go up and down with the seasons of life. However, because He came to The Earth, lived the perfect life I couldn’t live, died the death I deserve because of my sin, but defeated death by rising 3 days later, I am forever saved and will get to be with Him forever in heaven! With that truth at the forefront of my mind, I now, with joy and optimism, live to serve the King of Kings who loves me! The creator of the universe loves me! Wow!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Over the past seven years, I have worked in restaurants, studied restaurants, and consulted restaurants internationally. My goal is to make bad restaurants good and good restaurants great. While earning a bachelors degree in business management, I consult restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by helping them develop a marketing and brand strategy to attract their target customers to their restaurant. More times than not, they have great food and great service. All they need help with is spreading the word! Learning more about these individual restaurants helps me develop a set of principles which make restaurants successful. I plan to file as an LLC in the upcoming year to offer my services to hospitality groups and private restaurants!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Resilience! Gratitude, Discipline. I got into the food and hospitality industry after going through years of gastrointestinal problems- for a time, there were so many foods that I could not eat without being in excruciating pain. But, as I worked with medical professionals, I was slowly able to re-incorporate foods back into my diet. This gave me a new appreciation for food unlike ever before. From a time of prolonged pain grew great appreciation and a passion to do the difficult beginning work to grow a successful career in this industry. There’s always joy to be found in every circumstance, and sometimes it takes time to realize it. By working hard, looking at the bright side, and being the last one to give up, you too can form something great!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
As a senior in college, I am torn between working with an already successful hospitality group post graduation, or to launch my own restaurant consulting career. If you are a hospitality group looking to hire someone passionate about restaurants with lots of experience in creating a great customer experience, I’m your gal! Or, if you are an independent restaurant needing some help getting the word out there, or need a fresh pair of eyes to navigate what’s going on on the inside, I’m also your gal! Through these experiences, I will fill the need that calls my name!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Findyouryumm
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-lara-20a5ab209
