--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was so terrified that the business…" description: "\"I was so terrified that the business would not do well and that there would be no way that I would be in a position to pay my dad back this $80,000. At..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/818/steve-ells-9755_business_i-was-so-terrified-that-the-business-wou_895955.png" --- # I was so terrified that the business would not do well and… ![“I was so terrified that the business would not do well and that there would be no way that I would be in a position to pay my dad back this $80,000. At Stars, as a line cook, I think that I was making $10 or $12 an hour. So $80,000 - to have to pay that back was incomprehensible.” quote by Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/818/steve-ells-9755_business_i-was-so-terrified-that-the-business-wou_895955.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/818/steve-ells-9755_business_i-was-so-terrified-that-the-business-wou_895955.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/818/steve-ells-9755_business_i-was-so-terrified-that-the-business-wou_895955.png) > “I was so terrified that the business would not do well and that there would be no way that I would be in a position to pay my dad back this $80,000. At Stars, as a line cook, I think that I was making $10 or $12 an hour. So $80,000 - to have to pay that back was incomprehensible.” [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Facing huge debt can feel overwhelming, but confronting it directly is essential. **In simple terms:** Big debts feel scary, but act on them. Key Takeaway Address financial stress head‑on. Themes finance stress responsibility Mood anxious reflective Type advice cautionary When to use this quote - loan repayment - budgeting - career shift - business planning Key Concepts risk management financial planning Questions to Reflect On - How can you break down large debts? - What support can you seek? A Different Perspective Fear can paralyze decision‑making. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Cook Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cook-think-1195823/) [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Line Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/line-cook-1195822/) [Pay Incomprehensible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay-incomprehensible-1195821/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/) [Terrified Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified-business-1195820/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [While the set-up of my home kitchen looks very different from that of a restaurant, theres one thing that has remained from my years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sohla-el-waylly/while-the-set-up-of-my-home-kitchen-looks-very-different-from-that-of/) [Sohla El-Waylly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sohla-el-waylly/) > [I will tell you, I'm a lousy cook, but I think I'm a pretty good judge of a good meal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barney-frank/i-will-tell-you-i-m-a-lousy-cook-but-i-think-i-m-a-pretty-good-judge/) [Barney Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barney-frank/) > [I personally love shows that change the lives of people that go through the show. 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I didn't know what the fast-food rules were.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/you-know-i-hate-to-borrow-apple-s-tag-but-think-different-really-from/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [The economic model was formed by the constraints that I had: a small space, relatively inexpensive building materials, relatively inexpensive investment, a very efficient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/the-economic-model-was-formed-by-the-constraints-that-i-had-a-small/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [When I started on the very first day with just one restaurant, we used to pick oregano off the stems and chop them. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/when-i-started-on-the-very-first-day-with-just-one-restaurant-we-used/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [We have two day-parts, lunch and dinner. We don't have breakfast. We don't have drive-thru. We don't have late night. We don't have 24-hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/we-have-two-day-parts-lunch-and-dinner-we-don-t-have-breakfast-we-don/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [If we really want to change the way Americans eat, we need to make delicious, sustainably-raised food accessible to everyone. Most people are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/if-we-really-want-to-change-the-way-americans-eat-we-need-to-make/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [Our investors are here for only one reason: great returns. They want to make money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/our-investors-are-here-for-only-one-reason-great-returns-they-want-to/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [One of the pivotal moments for me was realizing that our 'food with integrity' approach at Chipotle was satisfying my passion. That's about bringing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/one-of-the-pivotal-moments-for-me-was-realizing-that-our-food-with/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [When our folks focus on exactly what is needed to succeed in the restaurants, they should be able to lead themselves to restaurateur level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/when-our-folks-focus-on-exactly-what-is-needed-to-succeed-in-the/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [I'm very much looking forward to relentlessly focusing on ensuring an excellent guest experience, removing unnecessary complexity from our operations, championing innovation, and pursuing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/i-m-very-much-looking-forward-to-relentlessly-focusing-on-ensuring-an/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [When our employees walk in in the morning, they see food. They have to cook. At the restaurants, we chop cilantro, onions, and limes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/when-our-employees-walk-in-in-the-morning-they-see-food-they-have-to/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [We want to show all of our customers that the industry standards that we had been employing before - which are considered great standards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ells/we-want-to-show-all-of-our-customers-that-the-industry-standards-that/) [Steve Ells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ells/) > [The earliest recollection I have of being in the kitchen and cooking was in the third grade, and we lived in Germany. 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It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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