Lately I have been noticing a significant amount of new subscribers to my site. That is a really cool thing when people notice your blog and want to be part of it so thank you all for signing up. I have been in a little bit of a slump of late and I haven’t posted anything for months because frankly I can’t seem to come up with anything but political opinions that I probably shouldn’t share on a regular basis. That being said, some new things have happened that I would like to share in future postings but today I will start with the biggest item first.
Life for me has taken a turn recently, in a great direction, since the sale of our family business this past August. I had been so busy the months prior to the sale working and trying to put together the deal that brought on the new ownership. After 30 years I had been feeling burnt out and wanted to step down from all the responsibility and just stay on to help grow the business for a new owner. Seeing and feeling the new energy since the sale has given me new life. I almost feel like I did when my family first opened except I don’t have the nervousness that comes from starting a new business.
Responsibly can weigh a person down and more so than I believed it could until I realized just how different I feel since the sale. People often say that letting go of responsibility in their life can feel as if a “weight” had been lifted off their shoulders and I can relate to that now. Over the past 30 years I had spent most of my days baking, managing and running the finances of the bakery which never gave me the opportunity to concentrate on any one area and that prevents a business from growing. I always felt that the only way I would ever see this business grow would be to sell it, because I would never be able to do the things necessary to make it happen.
Today, as I sit in sunny Florida, I have time to reflect on the changes and how I feel today about my future in this business. After the last 2 months or so under my new boss, Joe, I have had the time to actually bake everyday for 8 hours. I always felt that if I could just bake I would be able to turn out more product than anyone else which would help to increase sales and perhaps bring more business as we would have more product available everyday. I have been enjoying my new position as a baker and I feel like I am having fun for the first time in a long time. Getting to create and pay attention to the details of baking full time has made me find renewed energy and creativity.
Stepping aside for new ownership raised a question from both my friends and customers who wondered if its weird for me not being the boss but still working in what was once my shop. I guess I had to stop and think about that but it has been such an easy transition that I feel very comfortable where I am at. The new owner makes me feel more like a partner than an employee and having to teach him the many aspects of the bakery business gives us the opportunity to get to know each other better. Besides, the passing of the day to day responsibilities of running the bakery has given me more time to enjoy the other aspects of my life, which is what was most important to me when we talked of what I wanted from the sale. Things like more time in Florida, restoring my Chevelle and having weekends off to do the things most people take for granted were high on my list of what was important when changing ownership. When you work most every weekend for 30 years you miss a lot of things because they all happen on Saturdays and Sundays. I have a lot to catch up on and I am working hard on that now!!!
When I sit back and think about what feels most different about my life, I realize that I actually have moments now when I am thinking about nothing. I am sure that sounds funny but its true. I spent most of my days and nights thinking of the business. Coming home and working on insurance quotes, making sure the money is there for payroll, paying bills, worrying about wedding orders being filled etc..etc…Now I come home and think about what parts I need to order for my car or how I can put a second floor on our vacation home. Yeah I still think about Holidays and how many Stollens we will need to make but it doesn’t constantly burn in my head anymore. The single biggest change since no longer being the”boss” has got to be the peace of mind that comes with free space in my head!
Now as I look to the future of what was once our business, I hope that there will be a place for me as it grows, where I can find a balance between work and free time. Where I can play a significant role and yet enjoy the things I missed out on over years past. Be there when I am needed most but still have time to explore the things I have been wanting to do for so long.
How about that? It looks like I might have found a way to have my cake and eat it too!
The Regular Guy
Good for you! I’m glad the burden has finally been eased.
testing
And I bet your wife is loving the new you and all your free time to play!!!
Glad to hear you are doing well with this change. Sounds like you got a good thing going on, congrats. To be honest, there are times I miss the bakery buisnesss. Perhaps I never realized how much stress is involved in running a family buisness. The bakery buisness is a hard one in many ways. While I was working so many people would say “Oh you work in a bakery, that must be a fun job”. I tell them making cakes and pies at home or for a school classroom is not the same. Any way, I wish you the best and enjoy the Florida sunshine.
TV