It was a single parent home. I never thought my mother to be particularly business savvy. I always associated that with suits and briefcases. I knew she hustled and did whatever needed to be done to keep us fed and sheltered.
Recently, I began searching for an aftercare program for my children since I am at work when they get out of school. Apparently, aftercare for two children costs anywhere from $200 a month to $800 a month. After making numerous calls, all programs within my price range (take a wild guess, its on the low end) were booked and I was left without any choices as I couldn't afford and $800 monthly expense on my meager income. After some prayer and thought, I decided to post ads for childcare on the web. I came up with 2 prospects and scheduled interviews with each of them.
One person was a married mom of one child living locally who said she could commit for three months. She sounded super qualified however a bit over qualified. She took leave from work just to potty train her child. I was glad that she was honest about the three month commitment because I imagined she didn't need the money but just wanted a quick stash to supplement her while she was home. The day of our scheduled interview she canceled due to a family emergency. She claimed her cousin needed help with childcare and she decided to do it. I gracefully embraced my rejection and focused my hopes on the other prospect I had.
The other (now only) candidate was a 50+ year old grandmother who retired from the government and supplemented her income doing childcare and pet sitting. She seemed like a great fit. She wasn't looking for a huge sum of cash and she didn't mind taking two hours out of her day to spend with my kids. Sweet! We scheduled for a Monday meeting and on Friday evening, I got the dreaded email that I didn't want to see. "I regret to inform you that I am no longer able to take this job..." What was her reason? Family emergency. Okay, I'm identifying a trend here. This is the excuse sitters use when they want to back out. Perhaps they feel I would have no choice but to understand being that the job itself revolves around family... and they're right. You can't ask someone to help you with your family and then bash them for tending to their own. At that moment, after reading that email, I decided to play the game.
I don't like playing the game. I am a straightforward person, and I prefer not to play games but that doesn't mean I don't know how to play.
The first thing I did was edit the ad that I placed and added an additional $100 to the compensation for the job. The second thing I did was email my only prospect and send well wishes to her family and let her know that I hoped whatever the emergency was, that all would pan out. On my last line, I said:
"Should you know of anyone else that may be interested, please be sure to pass my information along. I have increased the compensation to $$$ per month.
I waited. I hoped I had called her bluff.
The following morning I received an email from her. Apparently her daughter needed childcare and she was going to assist her. Sound familiar? Her daughter ended up finding a neighbor who can help and so she was now free again. Really ? How convenient. She still wanted to meet for an interview. Gladly.
After all that happened leading up to today, I realize my mother was a hell of a business woman. Keeping a family afloat involves a lot of effort, heart, wheeling and dealing. I heard a CMO on a radio commercial this morning and he said that a part of being a business person is learning how to take chances. He likened it to jumping off of a cliff and building your wings on your way down. My mother had so many surprises, but God...did she soar.
-Hopefully thinking kinky.
Recently, I began searching for an aftercare program for my children since I am at work when they get out of school. Apparently, aftercare for two children costs anywhere from $200 a month to $800 a month. After making numerous calls, all programs within my price range (take a wild guess, its on the low end) were booked and I was left without any choices as I couldn't afford and $800 monthly expense on my meager income. After some prayer and thought, I decided to post ads for childcare on the web. I came up with 2 prospects and scheduled interviews with each of them.
One person was a married mom of one child living locally who said she could commit for three months. She sounded super qualified however a bit over qualified. She took leave from work just to potty train her child. I was glad that she was honest about the three month commitment because I imagined she didn't need the money but just wanted a quick stash to supplement her while she was home. The day of our scheduled interview she canceled due to a family emergency. She claimed her cousin needed help with childcare and she decided to do it. I gracefully embraced my rejection and focused my hopes on the other prospect I had.
The other (now only) candidate was a 50+ year old grandmother who retired from the government and supplemented her income doing childcare and pet sitting. She seemed like a great fit. She wasn't looking for a huge sum of cash and she didn't mind taking two hours out of her day to spend with my kids. Sweet! We scheduled for a Monday meeting and on Friday evening, I got the dreaded email that I didn't want to see. "I regret to inform you that I am no longer able to take this job..." What was her reason? Family emergency. Okay, I'm identifying a trend here. This is the excuse sitters use when they want to back out. Perhaps they feel I would have no choice but to understand being that the job itself revolves around family... and they're right. You can't ask someone to help you with your family and then bash them for tending to their own. At that moment, after reading that email, I decided to play the game.
I don't like playing the game. I am a straightforward person, and I prefer not to play games but that doesn't mean I don't know how to play.
The first thing I did was edit the ad that I placed and added an additional $100 to the compensation for the job. The second thing I did was email my only prospect and send well wishes to her family and let her know that I hoped whatever the emergency was, that all would pan out. On my last line, I said:
"Should you know of anyone else that may be interested, please be sure to pass my information along. I have increased the compensation to $$$ per month.
I waited. I hoped I had called her bluff.
The following morning I received an email from her. Apparently her daughter needed childcare and she was going to assist her. Sound familiar? Her daughter ended up finding a neighbor who can help and so she was now free again. Really ? How convenient. She still wanted to meet for an interview. Gladly.
After all that happened leading up to today, I realize my mother was a hell of a business woman. Keeping a family afloat involves a lot of effort, heart, wheeling and dealing. I heard a CMO on a radio commercial this morning and he said that a part of being a business person is learning how to take chances. He likened it to jumping off of a cliff and building your wings on your way down. My mother had so many surprises, but God...did she soar.
-Hopefully thinking kinky.
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