Raising the Bar

How Your Immutable Laws Shape More Than Your Business

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Feb 19, 2025

The afternoon sun glints off the chrome bumper of Fancy’s 1978 Jeep Wagoneer as the back hatch clicks shut. Inside are the last few items needed for tonight’s Raising the Bar dinner—an event that started 21 years ago as a scrappy alternative to a one-year anniversary party for Fancy’s Cocktail Lounge and has since become a neighborhood institution. The first Raising the Bar took place in a forgotten parking lot on the edge of town, where Fancy and a handful of her friends transformed a cracked asphalt lot into something special with string lights, folding tables, and a boom box. What began as a simple gathering—sharing cocktails and ideas—turned into an annual night of collaboration, mentorship, and action. That parking lot? Now a thriving dog park, thanks to a conversation at one of those early events between the mayor and a veterinarian whose clinic was two doors down from the bar. Fancy smiles at the memory—proof that the right connections can spark real change.

She wipes her hands on her jeans, glancing into the packed truck and running through the event checklist. Glassware, check. Negronis and No-gronis, check. A stack of menus embossed with this year’s theme, check. She exhales, hops into the Jeep, and feels the deep satisfaction that comes with doing something worthwhile. It’s the same feeling that drove her to open Fancy’s Cocktail Lounge two decades ago, guided by one of her core values—what she now calls her Immutable Laws—Make it Matter.

Make It Matter

Leaving the accounting firm had been terrifying, but staying felt worse. Profit-and-loss statements and financial forecasts were important, sure, but they didn’t build communities. They didn’t create stories. They didn’t make people feel at home.

The phrase "Make it Matter" came to her one late night at the office, staring at a screen full of numbers—figures that quantified everything except the human experience. She had spent years calculating other people’s profits, measuring success in margins, but it just didn’t seem like her work lived in the real world.

That was the night she knew she had to make a change.

She still remembers the scent of fresh paint and the knot in her stomach the night before opening Fancy’s Cocktail Lounge. Every detail, from the deep green barstools to the hand-painted gold lettering on the window, was a declaration of a belief: a well-crafted space and a damn good cocktail could create community. She had gone all in.

She didn’t have the words for it at the time, but looking back, she now sees the thread that ran through everything she did: Make it Matter. Immutable Laws weren’t just abstract ideas; they were her non-negotiables, shaping every decision, big or small. They were the foundation of how she ran her business, led her team, and lived her life. For her, “Make it Matter” meant doing something that lasted—something people could touch, taste, and remember.

She thought about Jamal. When he first walked through her doors, he was a 22-year-old bartender with raw talent but no direction. In those early days, they had spent countless hours closing down the bar and talking about what made the work meaningful. It wasn’t just about nailing the perfect Manhattan or mastering the latest craft cocktail trend (it was 2003 after all)—it was about crafting experiences that stuck with people long after the last sip. Over time, she saw Jamal’s focus shift from showmanship to service. A bar could be more than a place to drink. It could be a home base, a catalyst for ideas, a place where stories began.

Years later, Jamal earned his Advanced Sommelier certification and opened his own bottle shop. Fancy watched with pride as he carried that philosophy forward. But tonight, she’s prouder than ever—because Jamal isn’t just running a business; he’s the one organizing this year’s Raising the Bar event. He took everything he learned at Fancy’s and made it his own, curating a night that will inspire the next wave of connections, mentorships, and transformations.

Building a Business (and a Life) That Matters

Immutable Laws serve as a compass, keeping organizations and individuals anchored to their values even when decisions get tough. Fancy had seen firsthand how they shaped not just her own path, but the paths of those around her.

As she pulls up to the venue—an open-air pavilion in the city’s central park, strung with glowing paper lanterns and surrounded by lush greenery—she spots Jamal and a team of volunteers setting up tables. The hum of anticipation fills the air. She parks, hops out of the Jeep, and stretches, ready to dive in. Grabbing the first box from the back seat, she smiles.

Twenty-one years later, she’s still doing exactly what she set out to do.

She’s making it matter.

Tactical Challenge

Find at least one of your Immutable Laws

Figuring out your Immutable Laws can take time. Use the following method and return to it if needed as you start working out your personal or your business’s laws.

Step 1: Find Your “Hell No” and Your “Hell Yes”

Start by asking yourself:

What absolutely drives me crazy? (If it makes you irrationally mad, it’s probably an Immutable Law.)
What makes me say, “Yes! That’s exactly how we do things around here”?
What do my favorite guests and team members have in common?

Example: If you hate micromanaging and expect your team to step up, one of your Immutable Laws might be “Own Your Sh*t”—everyone takes responsibility, no babysitting required.

Step 2: Watch Your Best People

Who are the guests and employees that make running your restaurant feel fun instead of frustrating?

There’s a pattern—find it.

Do they jump in and help before being asked?
Do they care about doing things right instead of just doing them fast?
Do they treat every guest like they’re a regular?

The people who fit already follow your Immutable Laws. You just need to write them down.

Step 3: Write ‘Em Like You Mean It

Your Immutable Laws should be:

Blunt & Actionable (No corporate mumbo jumbo. Say it like you’d say it in the kitchen.)
Non-Negotiable (Would you fire someone over this? Would you refuse to serve a guest because of it? If not, it’s not Immutable.)
Easy to Remember (If it takes a paragraph to explain, it’s too complicated.)

Examples:

"No Jerks Allowed" – We don’t work with energy vampires. Period.
"See It, Solve It" – We don’t wait for problems to get worse; we fix them fast.
"Do the Right Thing, Even When It Sucks" – If you wouldn’t be proud to tell your mom about it, don’t do it.

Step 4: Actually Enforce Them

Once you’ve got your laws, live by them. Use them in every decision you make.

Hiring & Firing: If someone doesn’t fit, they don’t stay. No exceptions.
Guests: If they don’t respect the house rules, they can eat somewhere else.
Day-to-Day: When faced with a tough choice, follow the laws—not just what’s easiest in the moment.

A rule isn’t a rule if you break it the second things get hard.

Step 5: Let Your Laws Make the Hard Decisions Easy

Here’s the best part: once you’ve got your Immutable Laws, they do the decision-making for you.

If something doesn’t align? It’s a no. If it does? It’s a yes.

No second-guessing. No sleepless nights. Just a restaurant that runs smoothly, attracts the right people, and keeps you sane in the process.