In this engaging conversation, Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingerman's Community of Businesses, shares insights from his 43-year journey building a thriving collection of co-owned enterprises in Ann Arbor. He discusses the challenges and rewards of fostering partnerships and the importance of internal innovation. Ari emphasizes the role of attention to detail in restaurant success and the dynamics of navigating pricing post-pandemic. His candid approach makes for a lively exploration of business philosophy and sustainability.
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insights INSIGHT
Internal Passion Drives New Ventures
Zingerman's new businesses mostly come from internal prospective partners passionate about ideas. - External ideas often fade as initial enthusiasm wanes and owners move on.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Airport Deli Idea Scrapped
Ari and Paul debated creating a deli in the airport, which Ari opposed due to logistics and cultural differences. - The idea collapsed after 9-11 when the licensing partner pulled out, saving them from a bad decision.
insights INSIGHT
Keys to Enduring Partnership
Ari and Paul sustained their partnership because of shared vision, values, and beliefs developed over decades. - Emotional resilience and a democratic, consensus-driven approach strengthen long-term collaboration.
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Ari Weinzweig shares an excerpt from his book in response to the question about the definition of success
the beliefs book
the beliefs book
on Beliefs
Ari Weinzweig
Ari Weinzweig describes his book as being about the organizational ecosystem metaphorical model.
Managing Ourselves
Managing Ourselves
On Managing Ourselves
Ari Weinzweig
Collection of essays by Ari Weinzweig on the topic of self-management.
Small Is Beautiful
A Study of Economics As If People Mattered
E. F. Schumacher
Published in 1973, 'Small Is Beautiful' critiques mainstream economics by advocating for sustainable development, small-scale technologies, and community-centered economic policies. The book is divided into four parts: 'The Modern World', 'Resources', 'The Third World', and 'Organization and Ownership'. Schumacher argues that economic growth must be balanced with the needs of communities and the environment, and he introduces the concept of 'Buddhist economics', which emphasizes human needs and limitations. The book has been highly influential, inspiring movements such as 'Buy Local' and 'Fair Trade', and was ranked among the 100 most influential books since World War II by 'The Times Literary Supplement'.
Small Giants
Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big
Bo Burlingham
In 'Small Giants', Bo Burlingham explores companies that have rejected the pressure to grow endlessly and instead focus on more satisfying business goals. These companies, termed 'small giants', prioritize being great at what they do, creating a great place to work, providing excellent customer service, making significant contributions to their communities, and finding fulfilling ways to lead their lives. The book highlights examples such as Anchor Brewing, Righteous Babe Records, and Clif Bar Inc., and discusses the benefits and challenges of maintaining a smaller, more personalized business approach.
This week, in Episode 249, we bring you a conversation recorded at our recent 21 Hats Live event in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of one of America’s most influential small businesses. Starting 43 years ago with a highly successful college town delicatessen that they could have replicated all over the country (including for Disney), Ari and co-founder Paul Saginaw have instead built Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, a collection of 12 Ann Arbor-based, collaboratively run businesses each with its own leadership and ownership structure. Together, these businesses produce $80 million a year in revenue. They include a bakery; a coffee company; two event spaces; a roadhouse; a Korean restaurant; a mail-order operation; an international food-tour business; a publishing house that publishes, among others, Ari Weinzweig; and a training center—ZingTrain—that has shared the Zingerman’s approach to business building with more than 10,000 businesses.
In 2003, Bo Burlingham pronounced Zingerman’s “The Coolest Small Company in America.” Bo’s article became the foundation of Small Giants, his book about companies that are more intent on being great than being big. The last thing we did at 21 Hats Live was to sit down with Ari to talk about that philosophy. In his passionate responses to our many questions—responses, I should note, that include a few F-bombs—Ari explains how the Zingerman’s team decides whether to start a new business, how he and Paul made (and re-made) an especially difficult decision about expanding, how he and Paul have managed to sustain their partnership for more than four decades, how they chose a succession plan, how they know if they’re charging enough, why for many years Ari’s mother continued to believe he was a failure, and a whole lot more.
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