Blessed (The Dark Billionaire, #7) (3 page)

Jennifer had never tried high end food and was curious to know how it tasted and how it felt. This was a new experience she wanted to try. She had already been to expensive and trendy places with Bruce, but it was her first time in a Michelin starred restaurant. She was excited and couldn’t wait. She secretly hoped that she could get some inspiration and steal - no, borrow - a few ideas, but she knew that it would be quite a challenge.

Other than the food, Jennifer also needed to have Victoria’s advice on the recruitment process. Indeed, Vicky had been managing people for years and knew how to select and choose people. Her insights were more than welcomed for Jennifer who was slightly intimidated by the idea of judging people. She had been on the other side herself a few years ago and from what she could remember, it wasn’t fun at all. The memory was still fresh in her mind.

She could clearly see herself searching online for a job, desperately sending hundreds of resumes, hoping and praying that someone would appreciate her profile and give her a chance, and finally, spending sleepless nights waiting for an answer. And then, there were the interviews, the sweaty palms, the tight stomach, the dry mouth, the fast heart beats, and the overall anxiety of being assessed as incompetent or not suitable for the job - whatever it really meant.

Jennifer had been interviewed by nearly a dozen employers before landing a job with Wilson Corp. It had been a great victory at that time and a huge relief. Today though, it seemed like a small achievement, almost insignificant and it made her smile. She had really grown up and gained in maturity. Now, it was her turn to select candidates and decide which ones were the best investments for her business.

In theory, it looked easy but Jennifer didn’t feel right about doing it. She was too self-conscious; too worried about the way others would feel about her decision. She didn’t want to hurt people and was afraid to appear cold and mean. She wanted to be a boss, but a good boss - not a ruthless one.

Another thing that was bothering her was her obvious lack of experience. She didn’t feel comfortable in this new role. Cooking by herself and dealing with clients directly was different. It was a personal interaction and she knew she could deliver. However, evaluating someone’s ability to be her employee was different. She couldn’t stand looking at someone in the eyes and tell them they were no good.

She was afraid to be too nice and hire the wrong person; and at the same time, she was worried to hurt people’s feelings by being too demanding. No wonder why most people thought that bosses and business owners were assholes; it wasn’t an easy position. She wanted to be in good terms with everybody but couldn’t afford to be soft. What was she supposed to do?

The taxi eased to a stop in front of the restaurant. Jennifer noticed that all the clients seemed sophisticated and quite wealthy. It was something that she could feel now, just by having a quick look at someone. She wasn’t judgmental - she had just developed a certain ability to determine people’s social ranks without even trying. It was automatic and unconscious. She didn’t know when exactly she had started to be so observant but she knew that being exposed to many rich clients as a private chef had sharpened her skills.

She walked to the door and was greeted by a maitre d’ who asked if she had a reservation. She nodded and gave Victoria’s name. Indeed, Vicky had chosen the place and booked for them. The maitre d’ nodded immediately and didn’t even check. He seemed to know Victoria or to be expecting Jennifer. The latter was very unlikely, so Jennifer decided that the staff of the restaurant was familiar with Vicky. They walked inside a high ceiling room with mirrors on the walls and surprisingly, just a few tables. Jennifer had expected a very busy and crowded place but it was the complete opposite.

Victoria raised her hand when she saw Jennifer and smiled. The maitre d’ called a waiter who brought them the menu for drinks.

“Hi Jen, how is it going?” Vicky said.

Jennifer smiled and sighed. “It’s going pretty well; too well, actually.”

“How is that possible?”

“Well... I’m overbooked and overwhelmed.”

“That’s a nice problem to have, don’t you think? Better be in that position than desperately waiting for the phone to ring...”

“Yeah, I know. I’m not complaining. I’m glad but I’m just...”

Jennifer paused, looking for the right word. Vicky waited and raised her eyebrows, encouraging Jen to continue.

“Frustrated,” Jennifer finally said.

Victoria chuckled and shook her head. “Still doesn’t make sense to me. What are you frustrated about? It’s taking off, you should be thrilled.”

“That’s the problem, Vicky. It’s taking off and I don’t want to let it go. It would be stupid to drop everything now.”

Jennifer kept silent.

“But?” Vicky said.

“Bruce helped me to open my cooking school. He’s found the location for me. It’s a warehouse and it’s very big.”

Vicky whistled in admiration. “Wow... I didn’t know that. Congratulations, Jen.”

Jennifer closed her eyes and shook her head. She felt almost embarrassed. “Don’t congratulate me yet. I didn’t do anything.”

“It’s still an achievement. You’re getting closer and closer, Jen.”

“I still need to setup everything.”

“Bruce isn’t going to help you? He’s selling Wilson Corp. right? He should be more available...”

“I don’t think he’s into it. And to be honest, I feel like he’s done too much already. I don’t want to bother him anymore. I should be able to handle everything without asking for his help.”

“One step at a time...”

“Well, that’s the problem. I don’t think I can move one step at a time because of all the clients I get as a private chef now...”

Vicky rolled her eyes and nodded. “Aw... I see. Now, I understand what you mean. You want to get started with your cooking school but you can’t.”

“Basically, yes. That’s why I feel overwhelmed. There’s so much to do.”

“All right, don’t panic. There’s no need to rush. I understand that you want to launch your school as fast as possible but the good thing is that you’re in a position of strength.”

“Strength?”

“You already have a thriving business, Jen. You rock as a private chef, that’s huge. Cash flow isn’t a problem, which is a huge roadblock for most business owners. You can afford to take your time, so slow down. And no matter when you start, you already have your first students.”

Jennifer frowned. “No, I don’t. What do you mean?”

“Come on, don’t tell me you didn’t think about it...”

Jen shook her head and shrugged. “Think about what? I don’t get it.”

Vicky sighed. “Jen... Don’t you realize that all the clients you get as a private chef are your clients no matter what?”

“Mmm... yes. But it’s different, isn’t it?”

“Look. The hardest part in any business is always to get a new client. That’s what I do at Doyle Brothers - I have to find new accounts, which means I have to convince them that we are the best option for them. That’s a lot of work and it takes time. They have to get to know me and I have to gain their trust. Only then, can we work together.”

“I think I start to understand...”

“Yes. You don’t have to do that anymore. At least, it’s not going to be as hard as you think because your clients already know you’re a great cook. It won’t be difficult to convince them that you can run a successful cooking school and be a good teacher. How many of your clients have asked you how you cooked your dishes, honestly?”

“Half of them, at least.”

“You see? Now, what if you told them that they can learn with you because you offer classes? How hard do you think that would be to convince them?”

Jennifer closed her eyes and raised her hands in the air, palms up. It made so much sense she wondered why she hadn’t thought about it.

“Vicky, I feel so stupid. You’re right, I didn’t think about that. It was standing right in front of me and I didn’t see it.”

“It’s always like that,” Vicky said with a smile.

“I had a few questions to ask you, but I think I’ll be okay now.”

“You can always ask...”

“I think I needed to receive a boost of self-confidence more than anything else, and you did just that. I was scared but I shouldn’t be. Like you said, I should be thrilled. I have everything to be successful.”

Victoria sent her a wink. “That’s what I wanted to hear. You start talking like a winner and I like that.”

“Thank you, Vicky.”

“You’re welcome. Well, I’m starving. Should we start ordering?”

“Absolutely.”

J
ennifer had received more applications than she had expected. At first, she felt excited. Her lunch with Victoria had been extremely helpful and allowed her to see her own situation from a different and empowering perspective. Jennifer was now armed with determination and the will power to start working on her cooking school, no matter how challenging it was. It was the opportunity of a lifetime and she couldn’t afford to be weak. She knew that others would kill to be in her shoes and she had to wake up.

More than twenty people had replied to her job offer. It was a very good start. Instead of checking all of them right away, Jennifer decided to be aggressive. She realized that nobody had ever replied immediately when she was looking for a job and she needed to wait. She had to see as many resumes as possible to make a better decision. Therefore, she chose to keep posting the job offer on several websites and spent a few hours dealing with that part of the process.

Then, she went to bed and took a nap. She had only a couple of hours to sleep. Indeed, she had to cook for a client that night and needed to rest. For the next two weeks, Jennifer split her time between private receptions and looking for the perfect candidates. Her motivation was still high but after a while, she started to slow down. It was too much.

She had called and interviewed thirty six people on the phone. Eleven of them had clearly made an excellent first impression and convinced her that they would be the perfect match. She scheduled eleven appointments to meet every single one of them. After meeting the first candidate, she realized she needed to have a clear process to determine who was really good and who she could work with.

Therefore, she spent an afternoon designing a series of tests. First, she would ask the candidates to introduce themselves. Of course, she already knew about their background but the purpose was to determine their communication skills. She didn’t want to hire people who weren’t able to talk about themselves with confidence. Jennifer was looking for teachers and teachers had to convey a certain authority to get the student’s respect.

Then, Jennifer needed to assess the candidates’ passion for cooking. She understood that people needed a job to pay the bills and there was nothing wrong with that, but she wanted to be known for the experience she would provide to her students. Therefore, her employees had to be people with great personalities and a true desire to help others, by passing on their knowledge of food. That step of the recruitment process was the hardest and the trickiest, because it was very subjective. She had no way to accurately measure someone’s passion; it wasn’t something tangible. Of course, enthusiasm played a huge factor but some people could fake it and some very passionate people could simply be introverts.

Jennifer scratched her head. She could be misled very easily on that one and didn’t know how to make sure she was right. For now, she decided, her only option was to rely on gut feeling. Her instinct would tell whether or not to trust a candidate.

Then, the final step would be a cooking test. It was the most obvious one and the least forgiving. There was no room for opinions, feelings or gut feelings. The candidate didn’t have much of a choice. Their dish was either good or bad. The bad cooks would be sent home and never called again. The mediocre ones would be put on a waiting list - just in case. And of course, the good ones would be asked to come back for more.

On paper, it looked great. Jennifer was proud of her. It would make her life so much easier, she thought.

Unfortunately, half of the candidates she had contacted didn’t show up. Jennifer was appalled. These people had been wasting her time. Were they really looking for a job? More importantly, did they really expect to be taken seriously with such an unprofessional behavior? Jennifer felt upset and took it personally. It wasn’t right; these people had no idea how hard it was for her, she thought.

Among all the candidates she actually met, none of them satisfied her expectations. Jennifer couldn’t believe it. It was mind-blowing. She couldn’t find anyone and slowly lost hope. There was always something wrong: not enough experience and lack of confidence; too much experience and lack of humility; too expensive; too shy; not passionate; not hard working; good cook but not interested in teaching; one of them had a criminal record and was an ex-murderer; one of them was a foreign woman who worked illegally; one of them could only work part time and never on the weekends...

After a month of intense work, Jennifer had absolutely nobody on her A list; nobody to call back to give them the good news. One night, she felt exhausted and canceled the reception she was supposed to organize. It wasn’t a new client and they told her it wasn’t a problem, even though Jennifer knew it was. She couldn’t keep up with the work load and felt like she had no choice. A few days later, she canceled another one. And another one. She knew she had to do something or her reputation would suffer from it. She had already caused more damage than she could tolerate. She called Bruce for help.

“Baby,” she said. “I want to quit.”

“Why? What’s wrong?” He said.

“I just canceled another one.”

“Ouch... That’s really going to hurt your business, you know that?”

“I can’t handle it anymore.”

“Did you hire an assistant like we talked about?”

“I was about to, but I’m not motivated enough.”

“You need to learn how to delegate, Jen. It’s the typical beginner’s mistake. You’re trying to do everything yourself and you know what’s happening right now?”