Congratulations, you are a successful restaurant owner/operator (or artist, or musician, or sales rep, or wine retailer)! You watch your P&L statements like a hawk. You pay your employees fairly and on time. Your vendors appreciate their relationship with you for the same reason. You open multiple locations, each building more success for the other. You are making money, sometimes pretty incredible amounts of money.

Then a strange thing happens: Sometimes those in the industry (or around you and even those closest to you) can’t handle that you’re obviously successful.  They might event get snarky and turn on you.

For some reason this is especially pervasive in the restaurant world. Many people, including some restaurant critics, seem to feel validation and honesty are only possible if you’re constantly struggling, never meeting your deadlines or your bills, and continuously fighting the fight. “They are a true artist” as if artist are not allowed to make money either.

What I’m saying is this: once you are successful, and the public knows you are successful, there are some that will then ignore you or knock you down because you’re no longer part of their tribe or club. Get ready for it. It’s also a small price to pay for admission into a greater life for yourself.

Enjoy your success, but take note of who changes in your world because of it.