What;s a few more days to friends like us!

Evening All,

What a roller coaster the past few weeks have been.

I've sat down a few times to write a blog & let you all know what's going on...yet .somehow the words get as far as my fingertips, but something in my head won't let them hit the keys...all those cliches," if it sounds too good to be true, that's usually because it is". "be careful what you wish for ", keep my fingertips paralysed...."say nothing, not yet" my fingers subliminally obeying my head & not my heart.

It's not just the blog, I'm struggling with...it's Twitter & Facebook too. I think I've just wrapped myself in a big, big blanket of bubble wrap, those thousands of air bubbles protecting me from myself, from possible disappointment...Just a few more days I promise....then I will tell you all.

We've come so far together from my first blogs when I invited you to sit beside me in my little van as I made my way around Dublin, delivering my delicious salads & sandwiches to shops and told you my stories...You have been such good company, I really want to make you proud. I want you to feel part of my success, I want you cheer & yell from the sideline "we knew she could do it." I don't want to let you down.

So just few more days...

I promise.

Shirley x

Karma...please (you owe me!)

         

Untitled

There is a Forbidden Fruit

Of that you may be sure

It grows on many different trees

Something that you will want terribly bad

That always evades you. And you say

If I had that I would be fulfilled.

And you never know all the time

About the invisible Guardian Angel....

 Then some unlucky day all incidents

.....Co-ordinate into a perfect moment

You get what you want whatever it is

And are cast down into Eternal Torment.

I know what I am talking about.



                                         -Patrick Kavanagh

This is one of my favorite poems, by Patrick Kavanagh. The past two weeks have been mental beyond belief. The last blog I wrote was about our crowd funding initiative that we were about to launch with @LinkedFinance. I knew then that I was heading into a scary, scary time. Putting yourself out there ain't easy, even for an open book like me.But then so many other things started to happen as soon as I started the crowd funding, it felt like all the planets were aligning, opportunity, after opportunity, coming our way...could it really all be happening..

I'm writing this with less than three hours to go & we are just over 70% funded. My nerves are in shreds. I refer to the untitlled poem above, as I cannot help but feel what is going on in the poem, is happening to me in reverse . That if my funding comes it it will be the first step of a series of incidents that do indeed "co-ordinate into a perfect moment, that I will get what I want"...

There is such an exciting things happening in the next few weeks for us, I daren't utter it yet...but hey I promise to reveal all in due course...but first I need to hit that target & then maybe, just maybe I'll start to believe....in karma..

89% funded....two hours to go.

Wish me luck.

Shirley

Exposing All....An uncomfortable state of Being

Evening all,

Yesterday Jamie Dornan, the man set to play Christian Grey, announced to anyone who was interested that he objected to the intrusion into his private life by the Paparazzi. He is by his own account, just an actor doing a job...he never signed up for the media attention....poor, poor Jamie. Didn't anybody tell him that if one takes on the role of the most infamous bad boy lover of modern times, then the media attention is part of the package....hello mega bucks, staring role...bye, bye, privacy....

I may sound a touch unsympathetic, but I'm not really Jamie...I understand, I really do. I've been writing my blog as an account of my life as a small food producer for almost a year now, and I too like you have revealed all, albeit it in a somewhat different manner. I've written about the highs of big contracts won & lows of business lost, the agony of unsold produce & the ecstasy of walking into a store to be greeted with empty shelves. I've written about fear, hopes, worry & excitement all of which are part of being an entrepreneur.Yes, I have drawn attention to myself & our business, but I am a "heart on my sleeve" kinda girl, so I suspect that I have revealed no more than I would have done, if we met for a coffee & a chat.

Today we launch our crowd funding loan with Linked Finance.The aim is to get investment from private/public to enable us grow our business. It's a very exciting & scary time cos just like Dragons Den it's an all or nothing situation, if we don't reach the target, we get nada. The spirit of crowd funding appeals to me on every level. The basic premise is that whilst the banks will give a saver 2% (max) on ones deposits, the investor lends the money to fund a small business any amount from 50 euros & have it repaid at a rate suggested by the lender which can be up to 9%. Check out the video if you get a chance, it's brilliant

 http://www.linkedfinance.com

 Of course it would be great to do this on the  QT, no publicity, no fan fare, but that ain't the gig. If I want the funding I've got to shout The Delicious Food Co achievements out loud, I've got to draw attention to our business, show what an attractive proposition we are for investment, let people know how good we are, make them want to be part of our story.

So you see Jamie, you & I are just the same, at this time our appeal is our currency & we both need to work that
I for one am going to dig deep & court the attention, try to enjoy this scary ride & I think you need to think about doing that too.

Here's to you & me Jamie..

Shirley

Desperately seeking ....Attention...

Evening all,

Oh my, what a  funny old  March it's has been.....thus far

Having shared so much of my  demons, my angst, my sleepless nights with you in the past year I have vowed to be a tad more upbeat this year, but I kid thee not it's not easy to be funny all the time. Yesterday was a hell of a day,which started with me, doing a quasi sit in, at Pearse St Garda station, sobbing in my  white delivery coat, pleading for some attention ....(interested...? yeah... bet you are now.....)

Last week Mr Delicious had as accident on the quays which apparently involved a girl playing dodge ball  with the rush hour traffic.She was hurt, but thankfully is okay, and that is what counts, kinda..cos our Mr Delicious was hurt too. I can honestly say that I have never seen him so badly traumatised. He couldn't

speak that evening & to our astonishment, mumbled in a childlike voice..."do ye think you could manage without me tomorrow"

Now that's a first..

The thing about the accident was that because it involved a person, the Gardai take the van  off to be examined, (PSV'ed) which is fair enough. That evening I spoke to the Garda, who showed immense kindness & great concern for Mr Delicious who he said was very shook at the scene. I explained about the van, very small business, need it for work...etc. "I'll see to it straight away, get it on the system, totally understand....blah, blah blah....."

After a week of unanswered calls to Garda A & B, to find out the status of the incarcerated  van, I headed into the station  myself..Apparently the only people who could help were the two amigoes who were off now for 4 days...come back on Friday...

NO I WON'T !.

To cut a long story short the two amigoes hadn't  processed the van. it wasn't even in the system.....

They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned...well try a foodie with a long client list but without her refrigerated van for a full week,just  cos the boys in blue  didn't do a simple job....

Let's just say that two hours later  that van had been PSV'ed & back in the hands of Mr Delicious..

Hell hath indeed.......

X

Them's the Breaks ..She gets the Manor, I get the gate lodge

Evening all,

One of the things about breaking up is tying up the loose ends and today I had a meeting with Mr Big's new food interest, the lady charged with complete control of his new in store kitchen ....& his margins....in short the lady who has replaced me.  Despite her now being  his number one gal, we got on rather well. In fact, she's willing to concede slightly & give me a little bit of my shelf space back It's okay, I always knew me & Mr Big were  never going to be permanent, so it's not a bad deal  If this was a marriage split I'd  say, she gets to move into the manor , whilst I can  live in the gate lodge.

I might also be able help her out in other ways, there's work she doesn't want to do, 60kg of salads per week for the new deli bar, I might get that too  if I play my cards right..samples going in on Thursday...that's how helpful I'm willing to be...

Me & Mr Big may be technically over, he may have a new muse, but  it just might take a little longer to wash this little foodie right out of his hair. 

I'll keep ya posted 

Shirley
x

Thems's the Breaks....We're Over !

Evening All,

One of the things about blogging is keeping the momentum going. I've tried to write a blog every week since I started & have been reasonably successful. When I started I had lofty notions about becoming the next   EL James....hoping that the appetite for erotic fiction of 2012 might be replaced with an appetite for a different kind of fiction...that of my life as a small food producer, my beating heart, legging it around Dublin City filling shelves with my Delicious Food Co produce...

I urged my readers to forget Anastasia....that this was my time....I was the heroine

Somewhere along the way I think I got lost...

Feb has been an interesting month, with some endings of previous blogs playing out. Mr Big of the "Them's the Breaks" blogs from last April has finally, almost one year later got his kitchen up & running and is going to start making all his own salads & sandwiches. We've got on very well me & Mr Big.....he's a nice guy...but  we're over....we'll stay pals & if I'm ever in a bind, I'll call him & true to form he'll either help out or tell me to get lost.....he's very direct my Mr Big, an all or nothing kinda Kerry guy.

This creates a hole in the work load which I'm working to fill.I told you before I can't cook, that's Mr Delicious forte, but I can sell, and every business needs a sales person. So with a new found energy I'm applying the key principles of the sales function....hit the numbers & the business will follow.....believe & it will come...

"Hi my name is Shirley & I'm calling you from The Delicious Food Co...I'm just wondering if.........."

 sell, sell, sell.....

Shirley 

Fifty Shades of Wanting....

Evening all,

I've been tinkering away with this blog for almost a year now & I have to say it's been a lot of fun. Blogs by their very nature are totally narcissistic, that's why they can become a tad (over) self indulgent. I've just had a quick look at the stats over the last year & I find it up lifting & amusing that one of my top three blogs continues to be "Fifty Shades of Delicious", one of my very first blogs.

So much for all my angst & stress...when it comes to it,  it's clear what you are all really interested in & we ain't talking about my food, my demons or cash flow issues..but rather my sleepless nights.

Actually I've been sleeping really well for the past week. I still wake up midway through as I have done for many years now, tot up the balance sheet in my head, but for at least a week now, I've fallen straight back into the deepest delicious slumber, which is full of the most bizarre dreams of fantasy & reality.

I had a very early start this morning as there was a "meet the buyers" event at Dublin Airport. Isn't that the Holy Grail of retail.....21 million passengers, most of them hungry....the shear scale of it...wow.

We started off with a networking session, which was followed by a number of presentations. At the end we were invited to ask questions, starting by introducing ourselves, our business & telling what we do.

Now,  could there possibly be a quicker way to let the assembled crowd know that there was in their midst, a food producer called Shirley from The Delicious Food Co who makes fantastic preservative free sandwiches & salads. I hate speaking to groups but I manned up, muddled through my question to a key buyer. Her answer involved a reference to a sandwich tender they are currently involved in ...this prompted a second question from me as to whether the tender is closed...("yes" was the answer).at which point the key presenter, said good humorously, "clearly we have someone in the sandwich business here today.."..

BINGO 

Later as we walked through a tour of the food outlets, I chatted to the buyer who is from a major food service company.When we arrived back  I guided her straight to my table of product samples...mini salad pots, granola pots, mini hummus pots...I swear to God they looked fab. The buyer was impressed, so impressed that she asked me if it is possible to get a full range of samples & product list to her for a key meeting at her office on Thursday morning....and hey whilst I'm at it....could I include samples of my sandwiches...

..that sandwich tender is still there for the taking ! 

Shirley
x

Getting off The Hamsters Wheel.

Evening All,

Ask anybody who has a small business & you will find certain reoccurring themes like...ground hog day, spinning around on hamsters wheel...endlessness...

Yep...I have subscribed to them all...

When the ultimate boss of a client, who I already supply,  approached me recently & suggested I fill his fridges with my fabulous sandwiches & salads (sale or return),"take the pain & it will happen"  he said, genuinely & loaded with his experience.... I could feel my eyes filing with tears..".I've know the pain I said, I've been feeling it since I started"...& I knew in an instance from his eyes that he knew .. he too understood the pain.

That's the thing about being an entrepreneur....it's full of highs & lows. The biggest thing for us is that it's personal..my product, my work, my care, my love.....& that my dear reader is the thing we need to change...cos do you know what....to the customer ....it's only a bleeding sandwich or salad....

I'm working on that at the moment.I went out with my great friend Crona who is quite a lady, earlier this week.She started her own training company last year Hibernian Training (www.hiberberiantrainingcourses.ie). Crona worked for many years for James Farrell at PDL, they were not only colleagues, but  friends, James was the ultimate pro when it came to the sales function, there is so much to learn from James....

Crona told me  a story of how James having pitched through the public tender process for an existing contract, a contract he had held for many years & which he had put in a phenomenal amount of work for the tender. It went to a competitor...the training manager called James, "come in & I'll talk you through it ...go through your scores" ..."Nah..you're grand" James said....Crona was aghast....but hey...James' logic was spot on..."Listen it's a three year contract..it's gone...I know what we do, I know we're good, on wards & upwards...

N.E.X.T....

Us business owners need to develop a tougher skin..I'm doing that, kinda...We've gotta recognize the real opportunities and move quickly on when we know the potential sale is not going to become an order.

I'm excited about the future... Jan was a good month for sales & we were well up on last year, Business is good....really the only way is up !

Shirley x

What's to say....

Evening all,

Some say "life's a bitch"...and do you know what...sometimes it's true.

Today, life has truly  been a bitch.....today I picked up two new clients... there are some exciting things happening on the business front....but still it's been an awful day.

This time four weeks ago which was St Stephens Day I was sitting with Mr Delicious, our very close friends Cliff & Susan & her brother Declan & his super gorgeous wife Christine (who were over from London with their 2  kids)here in front of a big fire, sipping wine, eating humous talking about our plans for 2014.

I met Declan in Susan's at her child's First Communion  about a year ago. He was great fun, I liked him immediately, probably because he had a lot of Susan's traits..(.ya really gotta meet Susan to know what those traits are, what a special person she is... she's a fun, fun. fun gal...) but   he also had this cynical sense of humour that appealed to me....especially when the red wine ran out...

Last year Declan got one of those rare but manageable cancers & 4 weeks ago as we chatted in front of the big fire, Declan,  dressed like The Fonz in his Daz white T shirt & jeans, we talked about his cancer. For Declan it had been a tough year but he was on a trial drug & felt really good...he looked great albeit thinner than when I first met him.

Things have not been great for Declan since Christmas, with one health challenge after another. Yesterday Susan went to London to be with him & Christine. Today surrounded by his family he died. What's to say...a funny vibrant man with a beautiful wife, four great kids,three bereft sisters...simply not here anymore..gone...

Susan text me today before he died saying it was "unbearable" Does a word  exist that can top that after death.

This blog is an account of my life as a food producer....but way above being a food producer is being a friend, having friends....and I have been blessed with so many, close, close friends...Susan & Cliff are two of those I've been blessed to have in my life Today the dramas of my food producing life are nothing compared to my beautiful friends pain.

There really is nothing more to say.

RIP

Shirley

The Midas Touch (again)

Evening All,

Oh yes, it's been a great start to 2014 even if I say so myself. At the end of last year I decided to dive flawlessly & splendidly into 2014 & I am proud to confirm that I've done that.....not bad for a girl who wouldn't jump off the side of a boat without a life jacket.....I know it's early days, but "start as you mean to go on" & all those cliches spring to mind.

In 2007 before the crash I remember a period when everything I touched turned to gold. A new supplier who picked up one of our brochures from our kitchen passed it on to the next client on his route. This led to a chain of events that was astonishing. That clients' sandwich provider had just that day gone out of business, they called me, I went to see them, leaving with a hefty daily order in my pocket. I found out who the ex sandwich suppliers' other clients were & I called all of them. One of those clients was Ernst & Young who we then started supplying…. this

led to us becoming an approved supplier for a major food service provider, which led to accounts in PWC, RTE, Google,Citibank, Deloitte, ESB....& more..

A random knock of the back door of the kitchen of The Law Society as I was passing one day, led to us providing firstly sandwiches for the in house cafe & later all the catering for their regulations department.

The defunct sandwich provider had made sandwiches for Avoca  in Suffolk St so I called them had a meeting bringing along a selection of our gorgeous sandwiches & before I got back to my car, Avoca had placed their first order with us and so we made sandwiches for the Avoca brand for a few years…..

When the crash came, our top quality expensive sandwiches were a casualty in the sweeping cost cuts that affected everybody….

I remember getting a call from Davy Stockbrokers in 2008 cancelling all orders for the rest of the year. I was indignant ….a stockbroking company cutting out the pastries & sandwiches to save a few bob…it seemed ridiculous…..

The reality was that Davy knew the economic tsunami that was coming our way…they were buttoning down the hatches, doing whatever they needed to survive…

We too, like Davy survived the onslaught…sure…we lost accounts, but we won some new ones…we reinvented ourselves…. we fought back….we even had some great years...

But there is something about this year..The beginning of this year feels for the first time that things have really settled since that economic tsunami struck….I feel we are ready to conquer the world again the way we did in 2007. There is a confidence in the food industry...so we are going to attack this year with The Delicious Food Co brand…already I have secured a new client.. an existing client wants an additional 1,200 granola & yoghurt pots for next week….three occasional clients have booked in nice pieces of business for next week as well….& that’s only week one…all extra business on top of the other daily deliveries...

I went to a presentation last year & the message was simple….”believe & it will happen, ask & you will be given” The thing is you have to believe, really believe, believe it in a way that is part of you…I don’t know where that comes from but having dived off the diving board without my life jacket, into the clear waters of 2014 so splendidly & flawlessly…

I believe.

Shirley 

Navigating the course of 2014.

Happy New Year Everyone,

In case you missed it & as a reminder to myself...a blog I wrote in December finished with the following:

"My brother called me yesterday, he reads endless "motivational" books and has a deeply philosophical view on life, as well as an amazing house, a big job  a beautiful wife & four fab kids.... (ya see they do work....those books)

He suggested that "we"......meaning me of course, get into a different head space for next year, to celebrate the highs & focus on the positives, of which there have been so many for Mr Delicious & me.

So that's what I'm going to do...I'm going to stand on the diving board, side by side with Tom Daley, remove the demons from inside my head....and dive head first,  flawlessly, splendidly into 2014 ...

FREE.....

I'm repeating this as it's something I want to take into 2014 with me, it's how I want to start my year and it's how I want to be in 2014. On paper we achieved great things at The Delicious Food Co in 2013 yet those achievements just never translated into the same sense of success in my own head. Maybe my expectations were too high... That's the thing about success....it ain't always on the spreadsheets...it's  in your head....

So yesterday I got straight back to work.....we finished the year with a whopping 25% increase in sales from the previous year..yes & I do know that "turnover is vanity, profit is king" but the final accounts  aren't done yet....still.... we have a great base going into 2014....I'm no longer the delivery guy....the white (straight) jacket is gone....(see blog Men in White Coats) I'm the boss...I'm holding the reins of this frisky pony that is The Delicious Food Co & we are going to navigate the course of 2014 ...clearing each hurdle with real panache & style...winning

you just watch this space....

Shirley x

A walk in my shoes....

Evening all,

Some people say what they love about blog is my honesty....the beautiful Lisa from Monaco Cupcakes (@monacocupcakes) told me she loves it because she recognizes so much of herself in it as a small business owner...she told me that I express how a lot of SME business owners feel but wouldn't say aloud....on Twitter she promotes my blogs with the hashtag "#walkinmyshoes ".....that's quite a compliment in my shoes........

 Since I started writing in March the blog has reflected my own state of mind...I've noticed that some people who read at the beginning & identified with my anxiety & applauded my honesty seem to withdraw when the blogs become more positive....I've had some senior people, gainfully employed say that they too identified with much of it especially when the going got tough....I think my siblings now know me in a way they didn't before...

I hope the blog has made you smile, I hope if like Lisa  & you are a small business owner, it made you feel that you are not alone.I also hope that like me you had some real highs during the year.....well done to all of us who have kept the pulse of small business beating, with our energy, our tenacity, our creativity....

Next year is shaping up to being a good year, there is a good vibe out there on the ground.....I intend to achieve great things for The Delicious Food Co.....

Just don't expect to see any of us til the start of Jan 2014, we will all be recharging our batteries, lying low....

"Will you have a Baileys with your breakfast love....?"

Ooooooh yes please !

Merry Christmas

Shirley x

Chilli con Carne....Mr Delicious Style....

Evening All

This time two weeks it will be Christmas Eve, my house will be full of our close friend from college & their kids, who will pop in for a festive drink & a bowl of Mr Delicious' famous Chilli con Carne. The chilli thing started as a joke when we first started this festive gig many years ago, as chilli  was the food offering at every party we ever had from the student years....until....well until 4EVR.

 However just like our friends kids, who used to drink juice, but now drink wine & beer....the chilli has all grown up.....

Now its diced beef, marinated for days...with cinamon, chillis, brown sugar & very dark chocolate....each grain of rice is hand picked by Mr Delicious to see if it makes the grade for this special gathering.Without a doubt those few hours on Christmas Eve are my favourite time of the year, every year.

On one level I'm winding down for Christmas, my head is..thinking presents for the kids, getting the house ready....I have grand ideas about having it all painted by Christmas, I even sanded down the bathroom door on my way to bed last night ...as you do..
....prep, prep, prep....

On the other hand, my head is in overdrive planning for next year & The Delicious Food Co.When we re branded the company last year there was a three year plan....at the end of the three years there would be a big payoff....I'm not quite sure if we are in year one of two at the moment.....Did year one start when we first went on sale in shops which was March 2012 or did it start when we first took delivery for our fab & funky labels last December.....

One of the great things about being the boss is that I get to call the shots and so, whilst some might suggest it's kinda cooking the books, I've decided to officially declare that on 31 December 2013 The Delicious Food Co will celebrate it's first full years trading & as we pop those champagne corks on New Years Eve, it will be with some relief that I kiss goodbye to 2013....& rock on in to 2014.



Shirley
x

Free falling towards Christmas & 2014

Evening All,

The last week in November was a tough one in many, many ways....but once 1st December kicks in & Xmas FM  starts broadcasting, deliciously, from the radio, there is only one thing on my mind & that is the last day for deliveries before  to Christmas and the break until we are back on 1st January...

Over the past few years, there have been some great  years & some  incredibly tough ones....it's ironic that this year despite being our most successful so far.....it's been one of the toughest.We have all worked our butts off....& now we are spent  & tired...our batteries are empty..... We have produced, labelled & delivered over 65,000 Delicious Food Co salads & sandwiches & another 40,000 for clients under their own brand. We have catered for over 2,000 diners @ corporate lunches in different locations.... god knows how many sandwich platters we've made & delivered...all done by just four of us from a 500sq ft kitchen & a small Ford van.

I'm proud as punch.

My head has been all over the place this year as I've had to deal with stuff I never signed up for...
The move from my lovely office to home has not resulted in a more chilled me, the yoga thing never quite took off & as for munching on raw carrots & jogging down the canal between closing deals...maybe next year.

The next three weeks will be dominated by whether clients pay us or not...an overdue payment from a significant client may or may not come in ....they can't confirm...emails are not been answered...that leaves me in the same position with my suppliers...if the money owed to me is paid ...happy days...for us & our suppliers... if not...well let's not go there ..yet....I want everybody  paid before Christmas...& I'm going to to make it happen....

My brother called me yesterday, he reads endless "self help" books and has a deeply philosophical view on life, as well as an amazing house, a big job  a beautiful wife & four fab kids.... (ya see they do work....those books)
He suggested that "we"......meaning me of course, get into a different head space for next year, to celebrate the highs & focus on the positives, of which there have been so many for Mr Delicious & me.

So that's what I'm going to do...I'm going to stand on the diving board, side by side with Tom Daley, remove the demons from inside my head....and dive head first,  flawlessly, splendidly into 2014 ...

FREE.....


Shirley x

A Happy Life.....

Evening all,

Yesterday was Mr Delicious birthday and he celebrated by staying in his PJ's all day & watching telly....he was also nursing one hell of a sore head after a wonderful evening with our friends Fiona & Tom who cooked us a fabulous Indian dinner.

Mr Delicious works far too hard. He's up & gone before 5.30 everyday, collecting the bread from The Bretzel & Arun bakeries for our wonderful sandwiches & he's often not home til late.This evening as I cooked my third Sunday roast dinner EVR, I noted that it's been quite a while since he's cooked a dinner at home at all. We have been catering for lunch almost continually for the last month out in UCD, so dinners chez nous has been a selection of delicious leftovers from VIP lunches....Asian Salmon....Guinness Beef Stews, Pepper Pot Beef...Plum Chicken....a choice of two each evening....

You really cannot believe how totally unappetising another leftover catering dish can be after a while. So last night despite a choice of Thai Chicken Curry or Salmon Steaks, when I suggested a "fish & chip" supper Mr Delicious was more excited than had I suggested dinner in Chapter One.....

There is nothing quite like a chip supper, a soft egg, a glass of milk & some white bread, for a lazy day & a hangover...

We had decided to defer the birthday celebrations to today, which involved him going to work early, whilst I printed out endless labels...him coming home to watch the rugby , then going back to work to make sure everything was done & lock up.....My roast dinner was a triumph...given that I did it all by myself......(I told you I can't cook.)...my cauliflower cheese would have given my mother's quite a run for her money...

The kids made a delicious birthday cake...& as he blew out the candles they said ..........."make a wish"....." to be rich" came the chorus from the little darlings....and without a moments hesitation Mr Delicious replied..

"I am rich"

You know something he's right, being rich is not just about the bank balance, it's about quality of life, having fun.....family & friends....but I can't help thinking that an improvement in the bank balance would make life a lot more fun.....& that's the challenge for next year....more focus, more clients, more money,
& lots, lots more fun,,,

What constitutes a happy life?
Enough money to meet your needs
steady work
a comfortable fire
a clear distance from law
a minimum of city business
a peaceful mind and a healthy body
simple wisdom and firm friends
enjoyable dinners and plain living
nights free from care
a virtuous wife who’s not a prude
enough sleep to make the darkness short
contentment with the life you have,
avoiding the sneer, the poisoned sigh;
no fear of death
and no desire to die.
(A Happy Life by Brendan Kinneally)

Have a great week.

Shirley xx

Getting my priorities right...at last....(Stick with me on thisone 'til the end)

Evening all,

Last week I had a quick review of my blogs & recognised some key trends...Mr Delicious..stress..the van....fear...sleepless nights...The Delicious Food Co brand........cash flow.....my house... I pondered how much, if anything I had managed to change....

I know I promised to give up making deliveries & we are working on that at the moment...Web site & social media are being addressed. Already up to end of October we have exceeded last years total sales by 10%. We have stopped to draw breath & are working with the fabulous Johan van de Merwe (www.foodstyle.ie) on tweaking our salad range to introduce bigger, bolder flavours....

With sales up cash flow has improved & I have slept well for two full weeks....now ain't that something....

In my blog," Harry this one's for you"....I said my life is dominated by the highs & lows of my business...that I need to reduce it's dominance in my life....I think I may be achieving that too.

On Wednesday I was due to showcase my gorgeous salads & sandwiches at a food fair for Irish producers in Fresh in Grand Canal Dock...I love the Fresh team:; from day one they have been so supportive of our business, not just in terms of sales but with advice & encouragement. Mr Delicious & Johan had produced a fab new range of salads to launch at the food fair. At 3.30pm, as I headed to Smithfield to pick the food from the kitchen I got a text from my brother to say a beloved aunt who was in hospital had taken a turn for the worst & had little time left.My first thought was that I couldn't let the Fresh client down...I'd go to the fair, display my wares, leave early, leg it to Drogheda, hopefully before it was too late.

But as I drove down the quays it slowly dawned on me that the nearer I got to Smithfield the nearer I was Drogheda....and so I did something I don't think I would have done a year ago. I called the client in Fresh & explained what was happening....he told me to forget the food fair & go to what was important ...my aunt in hospital... and so I bypassed my kitchen & headed in my little van straight to the MI to be with Rose....

When I got there Rose was in an agitated coma, I stayed with her alone after the family had left until after 2.30am...I sang to her, I prayed with her & I reminisced about my childhood that she was so much part of with her.....all the while she held my hand tightly. At 2am the nurses came in to change her medication & they had to prize her fingers from my hand. When I returned to the room she was finally in a deep peaceful sleep'

Rose died peacefully this morning and I have no regrets. On Wednesday with the blessing of the client I did the right thing....and those hours I had with Rose will stay with me always....

I will do a food tasting in Fresh next week....and I have little doubt that my aunt Rose & my dad (the ultimate in plain country grubbers...) will be looking down at me from heaven as I entice my customers to taste my "Roasted Beetroot & Puy Lentil Salad" or "Lemon Chicken & Couscous Salad with Pistachios" and they will howl with laughter....saying "God bless our Shirley...she always did have notions of grandeur..., sure that's not food she's serving down there...at all, at all "

RIP

Shirley x

My Emotional Rollercoaster...

Evening all,

By now you should know, if you've been paying attention, that The Delicious Food Co make mini salad pots/salad bowls & preservative free & spelt sandwiches for the retail trade...We do lots of other stuff, but one thing at a time...as I said before I hope  we are going to be friends , and I'd like you to get to know me slowly..one product range & skill at a time.

The day of a food producer starts with deliveries. I start my day in SPAR Merrion Row, it's a lovely posh SPAR, black shiny marble floor, gold logo...ambitious owner...busy, busy, busy. I have a great position there, two shelves in the front fridge, always sell well there. Next it's off to Mount St (another shiny SPAR) where we sell well. It's as I head off to Barrow St, that the nerves start to kick in...as I unload the van with my box of salads & head for the store, my heart starts pumping...boom, boom, boom faster, faster...I enter, take a deep breathe & confront my fear....yes, yes, yes...my shelf is empty, I've sold well. This is one of those stores that performs erratically. They are an all or nothing crowd in Barrow St...I blame Google all that free food.

The trouble for me is that when sales are slow it's  MY brand that hasn't sold. It feels personal, all those deep rooted rejection issues, crawling to the surface.....was it the "Herbed Chickpea Salad" they rejected...or was it ME....my gorgeous funny brand of lovely produce made with such care & love.

And so it continues Fresh Grand Canal, unload van, head for the store....deep breaths...remember that stuff I read about mindfulness, live in the moment....enter the store...be confident, smile at everyone...this one's not so easy, cos I gotta get past the coffee dock, head high & prepare myself....and there I am, The Delicious Food Co, proud as punch, almost sold out...my shelves waiting to be replenished ...which I do..with all the love of a mother, in the front row of a toddler & tiara competition watching her offspring moulded by her, crowned ....queen of the shelves..

I deliver to 15 shops every day (& growing)...so my emotional roller coaster needs managing.

Mindfulness that's what I'll do...live in the moment...accept rejection if & when it happens...lift one of those unsold salad pots,caress it, absorb the sounds of the store, breathe in... breathe out... slowly, live in that moment of rejection & replenish with new stock,then... hop in my van & leg it to my next store to feel the love.

Shirley x

Bless me Father, for I have sinned (I'm a social media cripple....)

Evening all,

Social media...it's all the rage these days...ain't it..?

A savvy social media manipulator, will have potential customers gagging for their service or product, even before they launch.....they will appear in every weekend supplement...be reviewed to death.... will become the "go to" commentator for every soundbite....become shining examples of how to achieve success in a recession....

Suddenly it won't be enough to know about their product/ service but we will need to see what their living room looks like....as they beam from a double page spread & explain why they love the eclectic mix of vintage furniture with uber modern pieces....and we will all think "wow"...and wonder why we threw out that disgusting sofa...when it looks so good in the savvy social media manipulators pad.....

Facebook/Twitter/ Linkedin/ Blogging..I do them all, but with the exception of blogging, I do them all badly...I'm the ultimate social media cripple...I don't even have a website for God's sake...& that, these days dear reader is the ultimate sin against business & humanity....

It's time to sort this out..it's time to get The Delicious Food Co media profile rocking & rolling....it's time to generate interest..among the great unwashed...those who've never heard of us, never mind tasted us....We want our potential customers to want us as much as any teenage girl wants Harry Styles....

So I'm going to make some changes...I'm going to get my website up & running ....my Twitter a/c (@deliciousnews) will talk more food...less dog..I'm going to work out how to post & paste stuff on Facebook...I'm going to embrace this social media thing...I'm gonna make you "like"me... make you want me...

And before you know it, it might well be me, beaming at you on Sunday morning from my living room spread, telling you how my fabulous living room look was put together, on a shoestring, using furniture that savvy me found in skips that I simply repainted & upholstered....

Now ain't I amazing......

Shirley

x

Worn Out.....

Evening all,

I haven't blogged about business for a bit...personal life just got the the way..the juxta position of fabulous birthday celebrations full of good wishes, love, great pressies, a fab party & having to deal with a rotten bunch of life's frauds, masquerading as good honest people....

I'm worn out.....tired & stressed.

Business has been great...very busy., but with the same old, same old cash flow issues...I'm finding it hard to get the motivation to keep going....if I won the lottery tomorrow I wouldn't turn up on Thursday...I'd stay at home, make my house beautiful, walk the dog & make lovely home cooked meals for my family....I've never wanted that life for myself....until now...

Today being a Muslim feast our amazing staff were off celebrating their culture...Mr Delicious went into work at 4am & got home at 7pm...albeit to a clean house, a home cooked stew & a world champion qualifying footie match on the telly...is there anything else a man needs....

Tomorrow we on top of the usual deliveries we are catering for a lunch for 50 in an office canteen with no cooking facilities at 12 sharp. My client sent me the menu choice for the lunch (non negotiable)

"Option 1.Asian Salmon or Spinach or Ricotta Tortellini in Tomato Sauce

Option 2. Winter Beef Stew or Chicken wrapped in Parma Ham

served with baby potatoes & seasonal vegetables"

"That's four options", I said in dismay ..."No just the two"...she smiled powerfully...."Option 1 & Option 2"

I'm exhausted at the thoughts of getting it all from my kitchen to the venue, keeping it hot & getting everybody fed in the alotted one hour....but it will be done....& I promise there won't be a hint of how tired or stressed this hostess is...not this time anyway

Nite x

Harry ...This ones for you.

Evening all,

Last night I had the best party of my life.It was my birthday & I've just moved into a new decade & celebrated by hosting a big Disco Inferno party for 100 of my close friends & family in The fabulous Odeon Bar It was a super night, great food (of course) & a dance floor that was jammers all night.

The move to a new decade is always a reflective time as we look at what we have achieved to date & look forward to what we hope to achieve in the next.

I often think that I'm an under achiever, that I haven't reached my full potential.....that I should have done that by now. My life is dominated by the highs & lows of my business... last night as the crowd gathered around & sang happy birthday to me, I realised how much I have achieved...how proud I am of those achievements...the family I have, the friends I have, the life I have.

Sure it's tough as the cash  ebbs & flows...it's hard to always stay positive..to see the bigger picture.

So with the big birthday celebrations out of the way..it's back to the beast that dominates my life....time to focus & get that final box ticked...successful business(woman) ..tick....it's also time to acknowledge that its dominance in my life needs to be reduced....the constant worry, isn't going to achieve anything.

Last night as I danced with one of my old college friends, Harry, who I don't see often enough, he told me in his broad Limerick accent that

he loves my blog. He said he loves when he sees a new post, he says its "so me".... he wondered what it sounded like to someone who hasn't met me

I hope that you are enjoying the blog too..Maybe some day you will buy a Delicious Food Co, salad or sandwich, read my daily musing, that you will enjoy it...and then, in a funny way..I think that you too, will have finally met me..

Have a great week.

Shirley x