May 10 2023
20: Creating a Civic Gathering Space | Manny Yekutiel, Manny’s
“The least understood thing about opening a public facing business is the feeling of it, the emotional journey you have to go on”—Manny Yekutiel is the owner of Manny’s, a civic and political event space with a bookshop, coffee shop, bar, and restaurant, located in San Francisco.As you’ll quickly find out, Manny is not your traditional business owner, and this is far from a traditional interview. Having worked in the world of fundraising for political campaigns, Manny is charismatic and persuasive, with a knack for convincing people to go along with his ideas… like asking me to take my shirt off during the interview – you’ll have to listen on to find out what happens there.After burning out from his career in politics, Manny set out to use his skills to create a gathering space for the civic-minded, using food and drink as the great equalizer to bring people together. We discuss his journey to make a reality out of his vision, touching on topics like his unconventional approach to fundraising, the business’s four primary revenue streams, the pros and cons of partnering with a culinary nonprofit to run the kitchen early on, loneliness as the number one hurdle he had to overcome, and the least understood aspect of opening a brick-and-mortar business.Please enjoy this fun, quirky, and informative interview with Manny Yekutiel.––Where to find Manny’s:Website: https://welcometomannys.com/IG: @welcometomannysFB: @welcometomannysTwitter: @welcometomannysYouTube: @welcometomannys––Where to find Manny:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manny-yekutiel-2523b843/IG: @emanuelsethFB: https://www.facebook.com/emanuel.seth.9Twitter: @manny_yekutiel––Where to find Bryan:Website: https://www.myfirstrestaurant.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-tublin-03548910/Twitter: @btublin ––Where to find Kitava:Website: https://www.kitava.com/Instagram: @kitavakitchen––Referenced:Farming HopeManny’s Op Ed in the SF ChronicleCivic Joy FundIn this episode, we cover:Manny’s path from political campaign fundraiser to opening a restaurant & event spaceHow getting one investor to commit early helped him raise all the money he needed, and how he would have structured the investment differentlyManny’s four revenue streamsWhy Manny purposely doesn’t maximize revenueHow partnering with a culinary nonprofit helped Manny get the space up and runningLoneliness as the top hurdle Manny had to overcome after openingThe least understood aspect of opening a brick-and-mortar businessHow Manny’s role in the business has changedOn The Fly Segment
