Great News for the Restaurant Industry!

Many franchisees at Patrice & Associates are moving our of their homes into an office space. It doesn’t have to be expensive and it doesn’t have to be a fancy storefront. Just interacting with professionals and sharing ideas – getting out of the house – plays a big part in the growth of an entrepreneur.  Some Chambers of Commerce offer office space from $50 – $75 a month.

By AARON NATHANS
The News Journal of Wilmington, Del. WILMINGTON, Del. (AP)

It’s a place to take a seat and get things done, to bounce ideas off one another, and occasionally laugh together and get the brain ready for inspiration.

This is the coIN loft, at 300 W. 9th St. in Wilmington, a “co-working” shared workspace for entrepreneurs at the very beginning of their business process. For $50, a member can visit five times in a month. If they want unlimited visits and the use of a desk, with WiFi. it’s $200 – far less than renting office space. For that price, they also get the use of a conference room, the confines of a groovy old downtown Wilmington row building, and the buzz of youthful energy around them. “Pay when you need it, don’t when you don’t,” said co-founder Wes Garnett The second- and third floor facility was buzzing on a recent afternoon, as some members sat at their borrowed desks, headphones plugged in as they created videos and Web pages for clients. Others watched the television/computer screen at the center of the room, watching a YouTube video of a guitar player picking superfast. “We skate the line between professional office and coffee shop, clubhouse,” Garnett said.

“We’re entrepreneurs that realize working with other entrepreneurs is better than working by yourself.” A worker can be right at home working from home, but “every once in a while, the walls begin to close in a little bit,” Garnett said. Garnett and Steve Roettger met in 2008 at a fi.nancial planning firm, where they both worked. They left and founded a marketing firm named Verge, which continues, now based at the coin Loft. Around that time, Roettger was reading Entrepreneur magazine when he saw an article on co-working. They founded the coin Loft in 2009. Wilmington did not yet have such a facility, and it was tough to get it off the ground, its founders said, especially in a state where many college students leave after graduation, and because no one nearby had heard of the concept. ‘It was tough finding people,” Roettger said. But folks liked the concept after they got used to it, Garnett said. Today, there are 26 people who pay, periodically; 11 come on a daily basis. There’s a conference room that members can reserve, complete with a sign reading, “Please feel free to use the glass.” There’s plenty of writing on the glass. Since the coIN Loft opened, Garnett and Roettger launched other products in collaboration with other members of the coin Loft and the University of Delaware, including uSeed, a platform that allows students to raise money for business startup projects from people they know.

After businesses get their sea legs at places like the coIN Loft, they can move on to an incubator like the Emerging Enterprise Center at the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce. Once businesses have a plan, can afford six months of rental space and are starting to bring in revenue, they’re welcome to seek membership, said its program manager, Michael Tentnowski

I love this article and the trend where companies are moving back to the “human” personal contact with customers.  This is a direct correlation to our Mission Statement at Patrice & Associates:  “Recruiting is not about money, it is about helping people find jobs.”  If all industries treated people as important customers rathern than commodities this world would be a better place.

Albertsons LLC has announced that it will be removing all of its self-checkout lanes inside its grocery stores. The company is pulling all the self-checkout lanes from the roughly 100 of its stores that have them. MSNBC reported that the move is “in an effort to encourage more human contact with its customers … The move marks a surprising step back from a trend that began about a decade ago, when supermarkets began installing self-checkout lanes, touting them as a solution to long lines. Now some grocery chains are questioning whether they are really good for business.”

There are also recent reports that both Kroger and Publix are reconsidering the whole issue of self-checkout. “We just want the opportunity to talk to customers more,” says Albertsons spokeswoman Christine Wilcox.
“That’s the driving motivation.” Shortly after the announcement, SUPERVALU was quick to distance its Albertsons stores from those of the aforementioned by publishing a press release stating it will NOT be removing self-checkout lanes.  Many other retailers have implemented this technology, including non-grocery companies such as Home Depot and Lowes.  From a customer experience perspective, reports have been split on functionality and ease of use. Many times, an associate is needed to step in and assist, especially with
large orders that tend to occur at grocery stores, bucking the ‘increased customer interaction’ theory. However, there’s always going to be a proportion of shoppers that are opposed to a full self-service model start to finish.

Many job seekers are afraid of being  rejected by potential employers. This situation can cause job interview  performance problems. In fact, pre-interview anxiety is a normal  human behavior. However, these fears can be controlled and  handled effectively before the interview takes place. Fears and Nerves before a job interview can  display in many forms: dry mouth, sweaty palms, shaking, heart palpitations and sweating.

You are not alone – many interviewers  feel some of these symptom’s before an interview and it is perfectly normal. However, there is a solution to these  pre-interview nerves – your tasks during the 24 hour before an interview. This is the right time to get mentally  prepared and calm down.

So, what are the things to do before a job interview? Where is the Job Interview check list?

Read further.

How to relax before an interview: how to  calm down before an interview

You can practice pre-planned activities for  calming your nerves before an interview. The way you control the regular stress  that appears hours and minutes before interview can improve significantly your performance. Here are some suggested ‘things to do before  an interview’ in addition to things we should not do (i.e. don’ts):

1 Day before an interview – the evening  before your job interview

• Preparations before interview:
Prepare a list of your achievements to remind you of how great you are. Review  the related frequently asked job interview questions and answers.

• Make your final job interview test:
Pretend that you are sitting in the interview room and actually performing. You  know how professional you are. Practice your sales pitch one last time.

• Imagine: Think about the traveling  route that you are going to drive tomorrow. See yourself in the interview room,  hear yourself speaking with confidence.

The night before the interview

• Get enough sleep – at least 8  hours. Make sure that you wake up physically prepared and mentally refreshed.

The interview day: Morning or 3-4 hours  before the interview

• Dress for success: power-dressing  (i.e. dress code factor) can help boosting up your confidence. It also  impresses your interviewer.

• Eat wisely: don’t full yourself  with too much food for energy reserve. Eat as you eat regularly.

• Document Check: check your folder  one last time. Check (and read) documents like resume and job description to  have it fresh in your mind.

• Needless to say: Don’t drink  alcohol before interview, don’t smoke 2 hours before the interview and don’t  take medications/pills before interview. It smells and it feels.

• Prayer before an interview: if a  pray helps you to relax and calm nerves so pray.

Traveling to the interview

• Arrive early at your job interview  and spend some time to freshen up. You don’t want to be caught in a  traffic jam with no spare time left.

• Mind the time before the interview
–   arrive 30-45 minutes so you’ll have enough time to arrange your  thoughts and relax.

• Listen to music: what sort of  music do you like – pop, power songs, relaxing songs? Turn on the radio and  select your favorite radio station.

• Fresh air: Blast the air  conditioner (or open the window) for fresh and crisp air. It will awaken your  senses

Car parking or 30 minutes before your job  interview

• Positive thinking and ‘happy  thoughts’: no time for self-doubts. All thoughts should be positive. Close  your eyes and pretend to feel happy and you feel happy – that’s the formula.

• Breathing: breathe for four counts  and hold your breath for four counts.

• Visualize your activities before  actually performing them: athletes use this tactic to concentrate on their  mission. Before the interview, see yourself shaking hands, smiling, speaking,  making eye contact and generally being comfortable with yourself – If you think
it, it will happen.

Go into the building

• Restroom check: first thing to do,  getting into the interview building is going to the restroom. Wash your face,  wash your hands and smile to the mirror. Take your time.

• Drink fresh water: no Coke.

• Cell phone: turn off your cell  phone.

• Take slow/deep breaths: take deliberate  and controlled breaths to regulate the amount of oxygen in your body –  it helps your mind focus better.

Good Luck!!