Jeanne-ology: Business Meetings
Hi There - it’s time for Jeanne-ology. As usual, I never know what Jeanne is going to write about and so I’m always just as surprised as you. Let’s see what is in store for us this week. Enjoy - Rebecca
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Hello Thursday readers! As usual, Rebecca made sure I would remember to write the blog tonight. Of course, I said. NO PROBLEM. (Rebecca editing to add: insert nine eyerolls after the “no problem” for a more accurate portrayal.)
This week, she and I have been trying to find some time alone without the staff, husbands, or children/grandchildren around. We’ve desperately needed to discuss items needing attention for the shop, such as employees leaving, new staff hiring, and most importantly, when is she going on summer vacation? (Rebecca editing to add: She is a super fan of focused conversations, wherein I tend to have one long continuous conversation covering all topics over the span of days. A meeting is our attempt at a compromise.)
All of these topics have been mentioned to me, but I have a tendency not to lock down on this information until necessary. Today was the day. I suggested we go to Addison’s to have our meeting. We could eat Nachos Bianco and make the entire conversation easy. (Rebecca editing to add: Jeanne SUPER LOVES Nachos Bianco. If she is ever in a coma, I’ll bring an order Nachos Bianco to snap her back to reality. Once I tried to recreate them at home and it was a total fail, much as I expected. All that said, I am certain that she was interested in lunch and not a meeting because Jeanne SUPER HATES meetings.)
Rebecca rolled her eyes, does that mean no? Evidently it did. We went to Starbucks and found a small table. There really was no room for her and I to both look at the computer, but that was the only choice of seating. Rebecca would pull up stuff on the computer and turn it around for me to view. The turning around and around of the computer wore me out! Maybe someone needs to market a laptop lazy susan for small spaces. That would have come in handy today. (Rebecca editing to add: In my defense, I rolled my eyes because it was 10:36 am and I still hadn’t finished my coffee, much less considered lunch. I don’t throw any shade at her lazy susan idea though.)
She and I view issues in different ways. We have learned to set boundaries so that our conversation will be more productive between us. We need to contact vendors to get bid proposals on new equipment we will need in our potential new location. If Rebecca had her way, we would buy a new double stack oven and nothing else. In fairness, I have no problem thinking of any new gadget or equipment to make our baking experience faster and more enjoyable. She spoke, I sighed. I spoke and she rolled her eyes. (Rebecca editing to add: This is 100% spot on when it comes to how we work together. I lean toward the pragmatic and she is in a veritable showcase showdown of equipment purchasing. You remember that old game show “Let’s Make a Deal”? She totally wouldn’t leave until she took the prizes behind ALL THREE DOORS.)
Thankfully, we really did come to a conclusion on what was reasonable. We made a list of equipment and sent it out to interested parties. Mother and daughters usually can work things out if there is a lot of love involved. Otherwise, we could have ended the meeting as divided as this country is now. (Rebecca editing to add: Truth. Though that was a very dramatic metaphor, right?)
We also looked at rolling ingredient bins and other storage containers. I worry about the flow of the bakers and the supplies they need to get their job done easier. I suggested a rolling can rack. She didn't say a word, but looked it up and said, "is this what you want?" WHY YES, I DO. She busted out a belly laugh and thought I was crazy. That ended out rolling can rack conversation and nothing more was said. (Rebecca editing to add: Um, how extra is it to have an entire rolling rack related to canned goods? If you looked up “extra” in the Urban Dictionary, there Jeanne would be with her rolling can rack.)
All in all, we accomplished a lot. We now have a clearer picture of our to-do list. The one topic we didn't discuss was the date she and her family had set for vacation. That came up when we were walking back to the shop. The date she gave me was when Sydney, Katie, and Sam leave PJP for bigger dreams. The date she and the family chose was when we would be training a new hire. At that moment, the thought occurred to me that mothers and daughters never really work things out. (Rebecca editing to add: SHE WILL BE FINE FOR A WEEK. Maybe I’ll call from my destination and have an order of nachos bianco delivered to her.)
