Good morning, friends!

Another week later and here we are….time really flies doesn’t it?  TIme has always moved quickly for me, especially since opening the bakery back in January, but now…. nothing compares.  I think the feeling of time moving quickly is a good thing- it means you’re busy, doing things, have things to get done and look forward to, but I think my feeling of time moving quickly also stems from feeling like there isn’t enough time to get everything done.  At the end of a day where I have worked 8+ hours in the bakery and then spent 3-4 hours responding to messages and organizing routes, but every single email is opened and answered and every instagram message is responded to, I finally feel like I am floating in water instead of trying to keep my head above it.  The feeling doesn’t really last long though- by the next morning, by inbox has messages and orders and IG is telling me that I have 20+ unread messages.  And yes, these are all GOOD THINGS.  I am THRILLED that we have a good amount of business right now, when things really could be so, so, so much worse, yet… sometimes…it’s a lot.

But…today is Monday and it’s my day off to relax.  My phone has been on airplane mode since 6 pm last night and it is currently 9:30 am here.  I did, as usual, peek into my inbox to see 29 unread emails, but mostly new orders that have come in.  It’s not the ORDERS that have come in that give me a mild sense of unease/anxiety, it’s constantly feeling like I want people to be happy- like I need to keep tabs on whether we have received messages that “XYZ was not included in my package and here are attached photos to prove I was charged!!!”… I try to respond to those right away, but again, I try to remind myself that the bakery is a business, not a person, and as a customer of other businesses, I don’t expect them to reply insanely quickly.

Speaking of those types of messages, we only received like….3 of them this weekend…and they were minor, which is pretty good!  We double and triple check the orders before they get sent out, but we still miss things and for every 100 really great, positive messages that we get (and we get a lot, which is so nice), the negative/accusatory messages are the ones that really stick with me….but I guess they would stick with anyone.  Like I’ve said, I have never handled criticism all that well….

It has made me think a lot about small businesses and how I talk to people/ write to people.  For example, we ordered a shipment of American products and a couple of the products came slightly damaged (and this is not the first time it has happened) and so when I went to send them an email, I really thought about how it should be worded in a kind, non-emotional, non-I WANT MY MONEY BACK!- kind of way.  Because it’s not their fault, things happen, and getting those types of emails myself puts a huge pit in my stomach.  I didn’t even attach photos and asked if they would like photos attached, because MY general sense is that I trust people when they say something is wrong, and the photos (in the first email) feels very “here is the evidence of what you did wrong” to me.  For example, on Friday, a girl sent us an email with an attached photo of her receipt that she had ordered 8 bagels and only got 6, with photos of the bagels, and included an EYE-ROLLING emoji in the email.  We immediately sent the delivery driver back with her extra bagels, but…was the eye-rolling and all necessary?  And when one of our peanut butter jars was delivered completely exploded, and the lady sent pictures of it, it looked…really bad, but I would have sent her a new package/returned her money regardless of whether she sent photos or not.  I don’t know, maybe I am just overly sensitive.

All of that got me thinking to ways that I (and YOU!) can help businesses now and whenever!

1. Leave 5 star Google and Trip Advisor reviews, or don’t leave a review at all.  Leaving a 5 star rating and comment can help a business immensely, while leaving a 4, or lower, has long-lasting effects (affects?).  While you might think your 4-star rating is more appropriate, I think it can cause damage you don’t intend to do.  If you really like the place, but there are things they should work on, leave a 5 star rating and in the comments, leave your 4-star review.  If you have something negative to say, send it in a kind-worded email.
2. Purchase giftcards and gift packs for your friends, not for yourself.  We have had SO many people send gift packages in the last few weeks, as well as purchase gift cards for other people.  It’s a good source of income for us as well as a great way to do something nice for someone.
3. When you like something, TELL THEM!  If you ordered something from a place, whether it be a pizza, a cake, a bouquet of flowers, a hot dog, and it really made your day, write to them and TELL THEM!  Those types of messages do wonders.

There is more I could say, but I will leave it at that!

In other news, I just finished reading the book Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman and…the book is COMPLETELY different from the TV show.  It’s more about her life before leaving with hardly any information about after she left.  Completely, completely different.  I actually purchased the book to read on my Kindle, which is something I never do, but I have been so busy and drained lately that I decided to “treat myself”.  At the end of the book, Amazon recommended other similar memoirs and I clicked on a couple to see what they are about,…and the price…. and they are over 20 bucks each!  But I am tempted….sneaky, sneaky Amazon!

Luis and I are also watching Fauda and it gives me nightmares, but we are VERY sucked into it.  We are just about finished season 1.

And lastly, I told you I would update you on the matzo balls and since you have all been waiting oh so patiently…they were delicious.  Olive oil does great things for matzo balls!  My only complaint (seriously) was that they were too airy for my taste.  I like really dense matzo balls…maybe it’s because that’s how Mom makes them 😉

Time to get Monday rolling…starting with breakfast.  I ate dinner at 5 pm last night (American time!) and I am STARVING!  I don’t know how those intermittent fasters do it.  After breakfast, more of the usual Monday fun… 🙂

Have a nice week!