christmas cards

Tis the season and the christmas cards are rolling in fast. Collecting the cards this year has become a lovely part of the afternoon routine for my family- checking the letter box, bringing in the pile, opening the cards, talking about who they're from, what's on the front, why we don't have snow here at christmas...Cards are really helping build the Christmas momentum in our house.

However, since we own a business we are getting a lot of cards from people we deal with, suppliers and such. I have to say, a card from a business is not such a joy. Maybe I feel like this because our first card was from the broker who sold us the business (who gained about $5000 from the transaction) with whom we have had no contact since. Then a card came from the accountant's office, signed by everyone in the office. Which is nice, but currently we are still waiting on our tax figures from our 'swamped' accountant, but apparently she's busy signing christmas cards. Then a sales man who I deal with sporadically dropped in a card. But he was really only checking out what we are using and if there is a sales opportunity there.

I do realise that christmas is a massive marketing tool. Every business book recommends sending a christmas 'something' to your customer data base to remind them you exist. But isn't christmas supposed to be about something else? Family, friends, personal reflection during a sacred and spiritual time. It's not the best opportunity for people with whom you have an account to 'remind you they exist'. I get those reminders every month..

What about those who don't participate in Christmas? I have received nothing from my Indian drygood supplier, nothing from the Jewish papergoods people. What about the faux pas of sending them a card? In our multicultural world, it's potentially a very bad decision to use a religious holiday as a business opportunity. What say you on that, marketers?

So, I've decided that a business custom thank-you and New Year acknowledgement on the Christmas statement, along with our holiday trading hours is the most appropriate action for us. I'm comfortable with it and it's as sincere as I can be. Afterall, it's just business.

betrayed

Staffing is a constant, ongoing issue in the small business world.
Getting
1. the right people to
2. do the job you want them to do
3. for the money you can afford to pay them

is a multi-factor nightmare.

At the moment in my shop I have five people employed who fulfill one of the three criteria. I would not be alone in finding it difficult to secure the best people, since they rarely present for the jobs I have to offer.

So I have invested considerable time in getting my staff up to speed, on food safety, operating procedures, company policy, customer service goals, minimum acceptable work levels. Some of this stuff is so obvious, I really do loathe having to tell my staff about it. I get embarrassed when someone has not noticed something obvious that requires their attention because IT'S THEIR JOB.

I have one staff member who has pushed and pushed for more hours and changed work circumstances, and got everything she's asked for. Today I found out that she has handed her resume to a casual staff member to get assistance in looking for other work.

This is the first real conundrum for me as an employer. When I was an employee jumping from job to job with no loyalty was all part of hospitality work. It was one of the privileges of having skills to sell. Now as an employer, having it done to me is really shocking. For a start this employee does not have skills to sell. The time I have spent training, the effort I have made to give her the work she asked for, relegating other staff so she can get her hours, I expected a bit of loyalty, but no. I don't get loyalty or commitment or anything but a FU behind my back. I'm hurt and annoyed.

How do I react? Currently I have a useful person doing a consistent job. I need this in my business right now. And so far as the future, I had plans to offer her the full hours she wanted and develop my business with her as part of that core team. I don't want to do this now. But perhaps she's going looking because she doesn't know what I may to offer her. Perhaps she simply doesn't like the job.

I have another staff member who is a consistent but sloppy worker, and who cannot change her behaviours or attitude, as much as I coach her, encourage her, put up with her. Her attitude is the pits. She often comments that customers are being difficult (asking for things we sell, for crying out loud!), and she sneers at people. I have made a huge effort to train all staff about our bread so they can speak knowledgeably when serving, but listening to her talk to customers, she doesn't care. At all. I tolerate this because she turns up every day at 7am, 5 days a week and I need this in my business, because it's something I cannot do. Presently I'm desperately trying to find a way for her to exit the business. I'm sure she has no idea about this. So she will eventually feel betrayed for her loyalty, once she is aware of our plans.

Some of my problems are about communication. I am absolutely not good about confronting people in the moment or after a problem has passed, or taking people aside for a talk, pointing out failures, doing any of that 'one minute manager' stuff. And I need to, because putting up with the mediocre is costing me time, wages and the end result is my customers are affected, so my business is affected.

I often think about how I feel when people I know come into my shop. Mostly I'm embarrassed about the run down, dusty way it often looks, the grotty plates on display, the smeary glass and badly displayed (divinely delicious) bakery items. NO WAY should I feel like this, when I pay people to sort out these things. Shiny, clean glass, beautifully displayed food, with the correct name and price on them and happy, happy service is all we have going for us, and some days we do even have that...

These staff have gotta go.

Blogging recommenced!

Oh my goodness. Yes, I'm back. Well, it's only been what, 9 or so months since I last posted. Surely some of you out there are still checking in with me?! Thanks if you are!!

I see from the last post that you are waiting patiently to find out all about my baby. Well he did arrive, and so much more I'm going to give you the abridged version so we can get on with the real business of blogging.

So, on the 29th October last year Lucien Robert arrived. A beautiful, huge baby rushed into the world (truly, waters broke at 9:50 pm, he was born at 11:30pm. Phew!) and commenced his delightful reign over our lives.

Two weeks later we learned that the business the baker works in was for sale. Interesting. And if it could not be sold by Christmas, the owner would close and everyone would be out of a job. Hmmm. Alarming.

So we tootled off to the bank, baby tucked under one arm, financial history under the other, and by January we were business owners. Yes! A bakery of our very own.

I'm hoping you can see now where the last nine months have disappeared to. Three months of new baby and harrowing business purchase negotiations then without a pause the running of our own business, with two children and seriously mortgaged. Things got real interesting...

I've decided that the focus of my blog is going to be about the business. Previously it was about saving money as a home maker. Now I'm going to talk about business making as a home maker. What we have learnt in the past six months I never, ever read in any small business books, nor was there any mentor who could help us with the serious decisions we faced everyday, and still do face.

This is of course the first lesson of owning your own business- no one is going to tell you how to run it. There's no management manual, no book of accounting, no decision making checklist.

The point is, I talk to my hospitality friends who run businesses, I talk to accountants and lawyers, to people who advise big business, but a guide about owning a hospitality business is difficult to find. Perhaps we can build one together.

I'll also be posting about my family and stuff I cook, since that's really what I'm comfortable talking about. So keep checking in. I'll do my utmost to reward your interest!