It’s 830 am on Valentine’s Day and even though my office is in the back of one of the stores, it is hard to concentrate on anything other than the buzz that is Valentine’s in a cupcake business.
But the truth is that I actually don’t have anything Valentine-related to do until 10 am when I will be working behind the counter, evidence that I don’t work in my business, I work on it.
The team is so amazing: last year was our biggest Valentine’s ever with 84 online orders but this year we capped the online orders at 134, with even more phone/email/walk-in advance orders. PGB is a well-oiled machine, even on its busiest day of the year.
Usually I really like being responsible for the strategic part of the business – there are some hits and some misses but it has always been fun. Right now, though, part of me wishes that I did in fact work “in” the business. Leaving aside for the moment that I could never catch up to my team on their ability to run the place, there’s a part of me that currently craves making boxes. The last couple of meetings regarding the protein cupcakes have been disappointing, I am not sure where to go with another idea I have (or whether I should even act on it) and trying to figure out how to get one of the stores HACCP-designated (aka able to manufacture products for wholesale distribution) is like pushing string up a hill.
I am whining, yes. This is now the time to listen to motivational podcasts and get myself going. The team does not need me making boxes or otherwise messing around in their operational world. But my point is, making the decision that you want to be the strategy person means (in my experience) you will spend days wondering what you are doing.
Glad to be working on the counter today.
