I am wondering if I can reopen this thread.
I have closed down my business about 3 years ago (more or less), after taking a job as a cafe manager at a museum. We needed a steady income and I needed to either grown my business and invest money, or go back to infancy, which is what I did, sadly.
Anyway, my job allowed me some freedom and I am pretty comfortable, and I even get to bake something fun from time to time (this is a public museum, expectations are pretty low and so are the amount of money that flows in).
I have just recently been contacted by the HR of a local company, they do baked goods and fund raises. They have a chocolate line, that is quite outdated and more like old fashion American candy, and it looks like the owner wants to revamp it, to a more modern Artisan line.
I have met with them twice, the atmosphere was pleasant, but I have to say, they have a consultant, which is a French pastry chef well renown around and is an instructor to the local culinary institute, and his energy was pretty contagious.
Sorry, long story short, I am very excited about the idea to finally be working with chocolate again and to the opportunity of learning again, but I am uncertain about the company (I got a great vibe from the chef, but that always happen when I am around creative professionals, that always have a million of tips to give).
They said I would make more than I currently do, but its only because I would be working more hours during the busy months (55-65 weekly). The hourly pay is the same, and I think their schedule is not nearly as flexible as my current one.
Ok I forgot to mention, that what makes me uneasy about accepting this position (sounds nuts, I have been looking for something like this for the past 4 years now!!), is that the the owner insisted regarding sales and client retention. Now I don't mind some customer interaction here and there, and there are the trade shows, but I am afraid I will be doing more of the sales than I am comfortable with. That is not an area where I feel comfortable or enjoy. They mentioned potential new sales bonuses, which could be good, but not sure what to expect I guess.
And one last thing, I have talked to a friend, which happens to know the company and has a friend that worked for them as a sale rep for many years, and she had nothing good to say about them, how they treated her and some other unpleasant things. That combined with my gut feeling, made me almost turn down the offer right away.
I will be meeting the HR lady today (which has been nothing but pleasant to me, as everyone else in the company, to be fair), to visit their chocolate kitchen, which I will be supervising and creating new recipes etc., so I am hoping to get more information on the daily work flow etc, get vibes from the people that are working currently in the kitchen and so on.
The problem is that I don't have a clear picture of what I will be doing and that makes me nervous.
I should mention that I am no spring chicken and getting older has made me less flexible of uncomfortable situations (not to mention, potentially losing a job that has allowed me freedom of time and schedule, even though has dulled my creativity and my drive, and its hot in the kitchen!!😵)
One thing is for sure, after reading this thread, I need to negotiate a better pay, thing that I hate doing, and apparently it is a struggle that 60% of women have in common 😞
I will report back after the visit. Any suggestion, tip, comment, advise 2 cents, are very welcome and encouraged :-)
Thank you!
