Forks in the Road

Mix two countries, one war, ten parts hard work, a couple of mentors, a pinch of luck, a dash of ingenuity, a pound of persistence, and a man who wouldn't quit; and you get a delicious story spanning six decades of entrepreneurial endeavours. Enrico Ianni-Palarchio offers up sage guidance in entrepreneurship through tales of his colourful, tragic, and triumphant life in Southern Italy and Northern Ontario. His stories are flavoured with Italian proverbs, and his own sayings; teaching entrepreneurs to believe in themselves, find opportunities, overcome adversity, plan effectively, and market creatively. The book also shows you how to honour customers and employees, smile at problems, and handle all of the forks in the road. Whether you are in the food industry or not, this book is a recipe for laughing, for learning to be an entrepreneur, and for living a good life. Rico, has always done it his way, like Richard Branson, though he has been a bit quieter about his success, that is, until now. While also in the food business, unlike Gordon Ramsay, Rico has never cursed a day in his life. Taking from another great Italian, Leonardo da Vinci, who said: "It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things," Rico "happened" to a lot of things. In 1973, Rico had four different businesses operating at once. In 1981, he had six businesses operating successfully. At his peak, he was employing over 200 people. While he sold or divested some of his businesses, his influence is still felt across the community, through people he mentored having opened their own businesses and with the family members now running his operations including Paesano's Butchery and Food Market, Rico's / Good Old Dad Foods, and Rico's Catering. Ashton Kutcher says: "The life we see around us was created by people no smarter than us. Build your life, don't live one." This book allows you to take inspiration from Rico, towards doing just that. You simply need some tenacity and elbow grease to be like the man who never quit.