Cracked Cauldron Spillings

A friend and potential investor in the Cracked Cauldron responded with some advertising suggestions.

Yanno, we have great friends. I think, without their support and enthusiastic cheering, compiling this bakery would have been much more stressful.

Any of you out there reading this who are starting new businesses or are contemplating new businesses - cherish those friends.

They will be the chipper word just when you think things are impossible, and they'll send you really bad advertising puns in email. And when you open, they'll be first in line.

Don't discount them at all.

And besides friends, look to your families. There are surprising talents among them, talents they will gladly share with you.

For example: Manager's brother (I know, I know, he's my son, but we're pinpointing her relatives) has developed an amazing artistic ability and is designing some awesome graphics for the Cracked Cauldron. Manager's aunt has spent years in insurance, and is willing to help select the policies that will be best for the business. Manager's other aunt has spent years in real estate, and can help interpret rental agreements and such. One of Manager's godfathers is an attorney. Her father and her grandfather are both in the law enforcement field, and have helped her get her Concealed Carry Permit. They're also helping her with burglar-proofing suggestions, and other things she would need to know to keep her business safe.

There was once such care taken to prevent nepotism in the workplace. I remember, when I was much younger, having to sign legal forms stating that no one in my family worked for this company or that, and there were dire penalties for not coming clean about it.

But, honestly, I think the dangers of nepotism are overrated, and I've seen a change in company attitudes towards hiring people in the same family.

For a small business like this, being able to rely on the skills and talents of family members could be the boost it needs to truly succeed.

I suppose it depends on the family. Manager is lucky to have family members who just happen to be in fields where she needs their expertise and years of training.

And is it really nepotism, if no one actually works in the Cracked Cauldron?

And beyond that, she has friends who are getting degrees and certifications in helpful fields. Reliable friends, because not all her friends are dependable when it comes to working.

We expect her friends to hang out at the Cracked Cauldron, spend money drinking coffee and eating pastries there, and bring in more friends to be customers. They know we expect that of them. Since that's something they want to do, and well within their abilities, they are happy to oblige us.

Besides, if they want to see us anymore, they'll have to stop by.

So, cherish your friends, and if they ask what they can do to help - they can be guinea pigs, and they can always bring in more customers.

Cherish your contacts and friends and family.