December 13, 2006.
This is a photo from our 2nd Annual JPD Christmas Party, held at a local restaurant with all contract employees, volunteers (yes, some are family members).
How times and employees have changed:
- Ribbon Expert - moved on to bigger and brighter things. She got too quick, too good and ended up leaving after Christmas Rush
- First Painter/Inker - my first contract employee, and a good friend ended up leaving to help coach her son's basketball team and volunteer more in her kid's classrooms. She is also happily expecting baby number 5 this March
- Professional Calligrapher/Inker/Art Manager - took time off to finish school and focus on her degree
- Inker and Expert Dog Painter - had too many jobs, took time off to finish school and focus on her art
- PR/Office Person/ All around helper - needed to focus on graduating, took time off to graduate and move forward with career (has since taken a job for next Spring with TV Station in LA)
- Volunteer - she'll be back, helps out in times of crunch...will hire her when have funds
- Moved business out of the house in February of 2006
- No Christmas Party this year.....1 Year Anniversary Party in February
- Changed the way we 'create' the tiles, eventually eliminating positions that existed in the past
Our company has changed and grown so much in the last year. Only six of the people in that photograph are still with JPD today (one is me, and 3 are family members..ya, ya I know you are saying they can't leave). It seems like moving a business out of a home, and becoming a 'non-home based business' really changes things more than you could ever imagine. Having to deal with rent, and business expenses, and um that rent thing.....it changes your bottom line in ways you never (or didn't want) to imagine.
The last year has brought on many, many changes at JPD. Some that I will eagerly discuss in this blog, others are company secrets that I would have to kill you before divulging (kidding...but um, not really - please don't call and ask HOW we do it, hmmm cause it is proprietary).
I am eager to see what 2007 will bring to JPD, this year alone has brought on many changes and new challenges that we never even imagined a year ago. Being a small business you have to be able to roll with punches, go with the flow, accept the inevitable and move on.
I think the moving on is the toughest part for me. Working with someone is different, you make a friend, you have a common goal, you have camaraderie, you have jokes, you have horror stories (and if you worked in a garage with that person for two or three years...you got to know them real well). And when that friend leaves, you are still there. You forge ahead. You need to make do without that person. Although the move may be good for both, you the business owner, and you the employee....it is still a change. And....all together now, "Change is Good!"
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