Recently I went to one of L.A's hottest restaurants, Giorgio Baldi, in Malibu.

The place was packed. Stars hobnobbed, kissing cheeks and patting backs (I spotted Drew Barrymore, Robert Duvall, and a smattering of rock stars).

This place certainly didn't need any more business, that's for sure. But as we left, there was a waiter standing at the door, wishing us good night and handing us a business card for the restaurant.

Even though this place was making a fortune, the owners were still trying to maximise profits by giving the restaurant's phone number to hundreds of diners a night.

There are two lessons here.

The first is that a little thing like handing out a business card can dramatically increase profits over time (I for one, kept the Giorgio card for future dinners).

The second is that no matter how successful you are, or no matter how many people you feed, it pays to stay hungry.

This article is written by Siimon Reynolds, teacher at The Fortune Institute

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