I once heard a joke on YouTube about Korea’s three untouchable ‘sacred cows’: Yoo Jae-suk, Kim Yuna, and CEO Baek Jong-won. Perhaps because of that, when I first picked up this book, I thought it might just be the autobiography of a successful restaurant owner. The author’s promise to generously share all the know-how on starting a restaurant and managing a franchise also made me wonder, “Will he really reveal all the core secrets?” But as I followed his candid, unvarnished storytelling, I found myself listening intently, already feeling like a prospective entrepreneur preparing to open a restaurant. The valuable ‘golden nuggets’—like considering key money when securing a location, setting appropriate menu prices, deciding whether to offer delivery, and managing staff—were insights you could only gain through hands-on experience. The content was so rich it might feel overly detailed to those uninterested in the food service industry.

His early struggles, the failure during the IMF foreign exchange crisis, and the journey to recovery might seem like a common narrative for successful entrepreneurs. Yet, he candidly confessed the circumstances and reasons for his failures, sincerely hoping readers would learn from them. While it naturally included indirect promotion of his own franchise business, his closing remarks, already looking toward overseas markets, revealed the mindset of a pioneer moving ahead. In Korea, where retirees make up a significant portion of new restaurant owners, this book transcended being mere promotional material for the ‘Baek Jong-won’ brand. By transparently sharing his know-how, it became an indispensable essential guidebook for aspiring entrepreneurs. It offers concrete solutions on the mindset needed for entrepreneurship and how to weather difficult times, making it a ‘hands-on’ book that delivers living mentoring to everyone from aspiring entrepreneurs to current business owners.