A walk in my shoes....

Evening all,

Some people say what they love about blog is my honesty....the beautiful Lisa from Monaco Cupcakes (@monacocupcakes) told me she loves it because she recognizes so much of herself in it as a small business owner...she told me that I express how a lot of SME business owners feel but wouldn't say aloud....on Twitter she promotes my blogs with the hashtag "#walkinmyshoes ".....that's quite a compliment in my shoes........

 Since I started writing in March the blog has reflected my own state of mind...I've noticed that some people who read at the beginning & identified with my anxiety & applauded my honesty seem to withdraw when the blogs become more positive....I've had some senior people, gainfully employed say that they too identified with much of it especially when the going got tough....I think my siblings now know me in a way they didn't before...

I hope the blog has made you smile, I hope if like Lisa  & you are a small business owner, it made you feel that you are not alone.I also hope that like me you had some real highs during the year.....well done to all of us who have kept the pulse of small business beating, with our energy, our tenacity, our creativity....

Next year is shaping up to being a good year, there is a good vibe out there on the ground.....I intend to achieve great things for The Delicious Food Co.....

Just don't expect to see any of us til the start of Jan 2014, we will all be recharging our batteries, lying low....

"Will you have a Baileys with your breakfast love....?"

Ooooooh yes please !

Merry Christmas

Shirley x

Chilli con Carne....Mr Delicious Style....

Evening All

This time two weeks it will be Christmas Eve, my house will be full of our close friend from college & their kids, who will pop in for a festive drink & a bowl of Mr Delicious' famous Chilli con Carne. The chilli thing started as a joke when we first started this festive gig many years ago, as chilli  was the food offering at every party we ever had from the student years....until....well until 4EVR.

 However just like our friends kids, who used to drink juice, but now drink wine & beer....the chilli has all grown up.....

Now its diced beef, marinated for days...with cinamon, chillis, brown sugar & very dark chocolate....each grain of rice is hand picked by Mr Delicious to see if it makes the grade for this special gathering.Without a doubt those few hours on Christmas Eve are my favourite time of the year, every year.

On one level I'm winding down for Christmas, my head is..thinking presents for the kids, getting the house ready....I have grand ideas about having it all painted by Christmas, I even sanded down the bathroom door on my way to bed last night ...as you do..
....prep, prep, prep....

On the other hand, my head is in overdrive planning for next year & The Delicious Food Co.When we re branded the company last year there was a three year plan....at the end of the three years there would be a big payoff....I'm not quite sure if we are in year one of two at the moment.....Did year one start when we first went on sale in shops which was March 2012 or did it start when we first took delivery for our fab & funky labels last December.....

One of the great things about being the boss is that I get to call the shots and so, whilst some might suggest it's kinda cooking the books, I've decided to officially declare that on 31 December 2013 The Delicious Food Co will celebrate it's first full years trading & as we pop those champagne corks on New Years Eve, it will be with some relief that I kiss goodbye to 2013....& rock on in to 2014.



Shirley
x

Free falling towards Christmas & 2014

Evening All,

The last week in November was a tough one in many, many ways....but once 1st December kicks in & Xmas FM  starts broadcasting, deliciously, from the radio, there is only one thing on my mind & that is the last day for deliveries before  to Christmas and the break until we are back on 1st January...

Over the past few years, there have been some great  years & some  incredibly tough ones....it's ironic that this year despite being our most successful so far.....it's been one of the toughest.We have all worked our butts off....& now we are spent  & tired...our batteries are empty..... We have produced, labelled & delivered over 65,000 Delicious Food Co salads & sandwiches & another 40,000 for clients under their own brand. We have catered for over 2,000 diners @ corporate lunches in different locations.... god knows how many sandwich platters we've made & delivered...all done by just four of us from a 500sq ft kitchen & a small Ford van.

I'm proud as punch.

My head has been all over the place this year as I've had to deal with stuff I never signed up for...
The move from my lovely office to home has not resulted in a more chilled me, the yoga thing never quite took off & as for munching on raw carrots & jogging down the canal between closing deals...maybe next year.

The next three weeks will be dominated by whether clients pay us or not...an overdue payment from a significant client may or may not come in ....they can't confirm...emails are not been answered...that leaves me in the same position with my suppliers...if the money owed to me is paid ...happy days...for us & our suppliers... if not...well let's not go there ..yet....I want everybody  paid before Christmas...& I'm going to to make it happen....

My brother called me yesterday, he reads endless "self help" books and has a deeply philosophical view on life, as well as an amazing house, a big job  a beautiful wife & four fab kids.... (ya see they do work....those books)
He suggested that "we"......meaning me of course, get into a different head space for next year, to celebrate the highs & focus on the positives, of which there have been so many for Mr Delicious & me.

So that's what I'm going to do...I'm going to stand on the diving board, side by side with Tom Daley, remove the demons from inside my head....and dive head first,  flawlessly, splendidly into 2014 ...

FREE.....


Shirley x

A Happy Life.....

Evening all,

Yesterday was Mr Delicious birthday and he celebrated by staying in his PJ's all day & watching telly....he was also nursing one hell of a sore head after a wonderful evening with our friends Fiona & Tom who cooked us a fabulous Indian dinner.

Mr Delicious works far too hard. He's up & gone before 5.30 everyday, collecting the bread from The Bretzel & Arun bakeries for our wonderful sandwiches & he's often not home til late.This evening as I cooked my third Sunday roast dinner EVR, I noted that it's been quite a while since he's cooked a dinner at home at all. We have been catering for lunch almost continually for the last month out in UCD, so dinners chez nous has been a selection of delicious leftovers from VIP lunches....Asian Salmon....Guinness Beef Stews, Pepper Pot Beef...Plum Chicken....a choice of two each evening....

You really cannot believe how totally unappetising another leftover catering dish can be after a while. So last night despite a choice of Thai Chicken Curry or Salmon Steaks, when I suggested a "fish & chip" supper Mr Delicious was more excited than had I suggested dinner in Chapter One.....

There is nothing quite like a chip supper, a soft egg, a glass of milk & some white bread, for a lazy day & a hangover...

We had decided to defer the birthday celebrations to today, which involved him going to work early, whilst I printed out endless labels...him coming home to watch the rugby , then going back to work to make sure everything was done & lock up.....My roast dinner was a triumph...given that I did it all by myself......(I told you I can't cook.)...my cauliflower cheese would have given my mother's quite a run for her money...

The kids made a delicious birthday cake...& as he blew out the candles they said ..........."make a wish"....." to be rich" came the chorus from the little darlings....and without a moments hesitation Mr Delicious replied..

"I am rich"

You know something he's right, being rich is not just about the bank balance, it's about quality of life, having fun.....family & friends....but I can't help thinking that an improvement in the bank balance would make life a lot more fun.....& that's the challenge for next year....more focus, more clients, more money,
& lots, lots more fun,,,

What constitutes a happy life?
Enough money to meet your needs
steady work
a comfortable fire
a clear distance from law
a minimum of city business
a peaceful mind and a healthy body
simple wisdom and firm friends
enjoyable dinners and plain living
nights free from care
a virtuous wife who’s not a prude
enough sleep to make the darkness short
contentment with the life you have,
avoiding the sneer, the poisoned sigh;
no fear of death
and no desire to die.
(A Happy Life by Brendan Kinneally)

Have a great week.

Shirley xx

Getting my priorities right...at last....(Stick with me on thisone 'til the end)

Evening all,

Last week I had a quick review of my blogs & recognised some key trends...Mr Delicious..stress..the van....fear...sleepless nights...The Delicious Food Co brand........cash flow.....my house... I pondered how much, if anything I had managed to change....

I know I promised to give up making deliveries & we are working on that at the moment...Web site & social media are being addressed. Already up to end of October we have exceeded last years total sales by 10%. We have stopped to draw breath & are working with the fabulous Johan van de Merwe (www.foodstyle.ie) on tweaking our salad range to introduce bigger, bolder flavours....

With sales up cash flow has improved & I have slept well for two full weeks....now ain't that something....

In my blog," Harry this one's for you"....I said my life is dominated by the highs & lows of my business...that I need to reduce it's dominance in my life....I think I may be achieving that too.

On Wednesday I was due to showcase my gorgeous salads & sandwiches at a food fair for Irish producers in Fresh in Grand Canal Dock...I love the Fresh team:; from day one they have been so supportive of our business, not just in terms of sales but with advice & encouragement. Mr Delicious & Johan had produced a fab new range of salads to launch at the food fair. At 3.30pm, as I headed to Smithfield to pick the food from the kitchen I got a text from my brother to say a beloved aunt who was in hospital had taken a turn for the worst & had little time left.My first thought was that I couldn't let the Fresh client down...I'd go to the fair, display my wares, leave early, leg it to Drogheda, hopefully before it was too late.

But as I drove down the quays it slowly dawned on me that the nearer I got to Smithfield the nearer I was Drogheda....and so I did something I don't think I would have done a year ago. I called the client in Fresh & explained what was happening....he told me to forget the food fair & go to what was important ...my aunt in hospital... and so I bypassed my kitchen & headed in my little van straight to the MI to be with Rose....

When I got there Rose was in an agitated coma, I stayed with her alone after the family had left until after 2.30am...I sang to her, I prayed with her & I reminisced about my childhood that she was so much part of with her.....all the while she held my hand tightly. At 2am the nurses came in to change her medication & they had to prize her fingers from my hand. When I returned to the room she was finally in a deep peaceful sleep'

Rose died peacefully this morning and I have no regrets. On Wednesday with the blessing of the client I did the right thing....and those hours I had with Rose will stay with me always....

I will do a food tasting in Fresh next week....and I have little doubt that my aunt Rose & my dad (the ultimate in plain country grubbers...) will be looking down at me from heaven as I entice my customers to taste my "Roasted Beetroot & Puy Lentil Salad" or "Lemon Chicken & Couscous Salad with Pistachios" and they will howl with laughter....saying "God bless our Shirley...she always did have notions of grandeur..., sure that's not food she's serving down there...at all, at all "

RIP

Shirley x

My Emotional Rollercoaster...

Evening all,

By now you should know, if you've been paying attention, that The Delicious Food Co make mini salad pots/salad bowls & preservative free & spelt sandwiches for the retail trade...We do lots of other stuff, but one thing at a time...as I said before I hope  we are going to be friends , and I'd like you to get to know me slowly..one product range & skill at a time.

The day of a food producer starts with deliveries. I start my day in SPAR Merrion Row, it's a lovely posh SPAR, black shiny marble floor, gold logo...ambitious owner...busy, busy, busy. I have a great position there, two shelves in the front fridge, always sell well there. Next it's off to Mount St (another shiny SPAR) where we sell well. It's as I head off to Barrow St, that the nerves start to kick in...as I unload the van with my box of salads & head for the store, my heart starts pumping...boom, boom, boom faster, faster...I enter, take a deep breathe & confront my fear....yes, yes, yes...my shelf is empty, I've sold well. This is one of those stores that performs erratically. They are an all or nothing crowd in Barrow St...I blame Google all that free food.

The trouble for me is that when sales are slow it's  MY brand that hasn't sold. It feels personal, all those deep rooted rejection issues, crawling to the surface.....was it the "Herbed Chickpea Salad" they rejected...or was it ME....my gorgeous funny brand of lovely produce made with such care & love.

And so it continues Fresh Grand Canal, unload van, head for the store....deep breaths...remember that stuff I read about mindfulness, live in the moment....enter the store...be confident, smile at everyone...this one's not so easy, cos I gotta get past the coffee dock, head high & prepare myself....and there I am, The Delicious Food Co, proud as punch, almost sold out...my shelves waiting to be replenished ...which I do..with all the love of a mother, in the front row of a toddler & tiara competition watching her offspring moulded by her, crowned ....queen of the shelves..

I deliver to 15 shops every day (& growing)...so my emotional roller coaster needs managing.

Mindfulness that's what I'll do...live in the moment...accept rejection if & when it happens...lift one of those unsold salad pots,caress it, absorb the sounds of the store, breathe in... breathe out... slowly, live in that moment of rejection & replenish with new stock,then... hop in my van & leg it to my next store to feel the love.

Shirley x

Bless me Father, for I have sinned (I'm a social media cripple....)

Evening all,

Social media...it's all the rage these days...ain't it..?

A savvy social media manipulator, will have potential customers gagging for their service or product, even before they launch.....they will appear in every weekend supplement...be reviewed to death.... will become the "go to" commentator for every soundbite....become shining examples of how to achieve success in a recession....

Suddenly it won't be enough to know about their product/ service but we will need to see what their living room looks like....as they beam from a double page spread & explain why they love the eclectic mix of vintage furniture with uber modern pieces....and we will all think "wow"...and wonder why we threw out that disgusting sofa...when it looks so good in the savvy social media manipulators pad.....

Facebook/Twitter/ Linkedin/ Blogging..I do them all, but with the exception of blogging, I do them all badly...I'm the ultimate social media cripple...I don't even have a website for God's sake...& that, these days dear reader is the ultimate sin against business & humanity....

It's time to sort this out..it's time to get The Delicious Food Co media profile rocking & rolling....it's time to generate interest..among the great unwashed...those who've never heard of us, never mind tasted us....We want our potential customers to want us as much as any teenage girl wants Harry Styles....

So I'm going to make some changes...I'm going to get my website up & running ....my Twitter a/c (@deliciousnews) will talk more food...less dog..I'm going to work out how to post & paste stuff on Facebook...I'm going to embrace this social media thing...I'm gonna make you "like"me... make you want me...

And before you know it, it might well be me, beaming at you on Sunday morning from my living room spread, telling you how my fabulous living room look was put together, on a shoestring, using furniture that savvy me found in skips that I simply repainted & upholstered....

Now ain't I amazing......

Shirley

x