Small Business Stories - Abos Pizza

Alex Fees: I’m Alex Fees on SBTV.com. We are coming to you from Denver, Colorado, sides of a small business guru conference hosted by non other than Michael Gerber. The title of the conference is “Exploring the E-myth.” Now with me here now is Gunther Mueller. I got that right Gunther? Gunther Mueller: You got it right Alex. Alex Fees: Gunther is himself an entrepreneur, also someone who follows Michael Gerber’s precepts and concepts and philosophies, correct? Gunther Mueller: Correct. Alex Fees: Tell me about Abo’s Pizza. Gunther Mueller: Abo’s pizza produces legendary New York pizza. Alex Fees: Legendary. Gunther Mueller: Legendary, yes. Alex Fees: Not just any old, one of the newbies. Gunther Mueller: That’s right. The best New York pizza, the side of the Mississippi. Alex Fees: How many Abo’s are there? Gunther Mueller: There are 18 of them all in the Fort Ranch right now. It started in Boulder Colorado in 1977 and I own two of them. Alex Fees: Okay. You say along the Fort Ranch, what that does mean? Gunther Mueller: That’s like from Fort Collins to Highlands Ranch. Alex Fees: Okay. Gunther Mueller: We call it here in Colorado Fort Ranch. Alex Fees: All right. Then you’ve been owner operator of Abo’s for how long? Gunther Mueller: Owner for 5 years. Started the first one August 4th 2002. Alex Fees: Well Gunther, tell me about your life before entrepreneurship. Gunther Mueller: Very similar to Michael Gerber’s life actually. Alex Fees: Really? Gunther Mueller: I’m 41 right now. I’ve done pretty much everything under the sun and sails, the fine dining waiter, the commercial fishing in Alaska. Worked on the valley’s oil spill for a while. Alex Fees: Gees. You’re all over the map. Gunther Mueller: Yeah then traveled in Hawaii for a while, just pick some beautiful spots in United States; to live and to work and travel around and just ski bum for four years, skied about 130 days a season. So just done a lot of things. Alex Fees: Well Gunther, that’s quite a resume. Tell me how Michael Gerber’s philosophy has kind of get in the way you do. Gunther Mueller: The basis of this philosophy is that to have a business is to support your life and so you’re not, if you’re scoring your businesses life but for your business is for more what you want and you know when I first read the e-myth, I didn’t want to apply a shot; that was in the book. And so I build the pizzerias and the other businesses that I have to support my life and there is always room for improvement on a, you know. Alex Fees: Gunther, you give a website to give a bit more information about Abo’s pizza? Gunther Mueller: Yeah. It’s abosnypizza.com or abosnewyorkpizzasoldout.com, either way. You’ll get there. Alex Fees: He is Gunther Mueller; Abo’s pizza. I’m Alex Fees on SBTV.com, small business is our only business.