From Banker to Confectioner

From Banker to Confectioner Success Story > From: Job To: Startup From Banker to Confectioner “It was just a job and I'd lost every passion for it.” * From Banker to Confectioner Lavinia Davolio couldn't see herself in her career long term, but it wasn’t until the financial crisis hit that she decided to do something different. Here’s how she's launched her own businesscombining hertrading floor savvy withher love of cooking. What work were you doing previously? I'd worked in investment banking for nine years. I used to work on the trading floor dealing with derivatives. What are you doing now? I run Lavolio, the most successful luxury Italian confectionery brand in the UK. How did you feel about your work before you decided to make a change? Pretty much every stereotype that you hear about investment banking is true. It's a fast-paced environment where you have to keep focused and constantly make decisions under pressure. I had some amazing colleagues at times, and at other times not so much. Ultimately I felt that it was just a job and that I had lost every passion for it. It was a job that I could do pretty well, but I didn't see myself doing for the rest of my career. Why did you change? With the financial crisis I decided to leave the industry and to follow my passion for food (and for everything sweet!) by launching my own luxury sweet business. I'd grown up in a very small farming town in Italy, not far from Bologna. We were in the countryside which meant that most of the ingredients we used were home grown. My love of cooking and of food comes from that early age and I still love to prepare everything from scratch. Imagine having a crop of asparagus, or peaches, or whatever was in season, and having so much of it that you would have to come up with many different recipes and ways of cooking the same ingredient. I really cherished this opportunity to use my creativity in the kitchen and I have been cooking pretty much ever since. When was the moment you decided to make the change? At the time it felt like failure, but in reality it was a huge opportunity for change. There was a big reshuffle in the bank where I was working that prompted me to leave and explore a different career. The very next day after this happened, I had enrolled in cookery school to train as a chef and as a patissier. I felt no hesitation at that time. How did you choose your new career? When I'm in the kitchen I feel that I'm in my 'zone'. I get huge satisfaction in seeing the individual ingredients come to life in a recipe. I love applying my creativity, I love the concentration required and the pressure, and I also love eating and entertaining â€" to me, it made absolute sense to pursue a career as chef / patissier. Are you happy with the change? I count myself as one of the luckiest people around. I work every day in a business that lives because of my obsession with proper confectionery, made with true creativity and honest ingredients, and that also links back to my heritage and my childhood in Italy. I love the fact that working in food means I can create meaningful connections with our clients and with our suppliers on a daily basis as we all share a huge passion for food. What do you miss and what don't you miss? During my investment banking days I worked under huge amounts of pressure. I took decisions while meticulously handling vast sums of client money with all of the responsibility that comes with that. The fast-paced environment taught me to be resilient and to learn new skills quickly, because it's very competitive. I really miss that environment, but every single lesson learned in my banking career is helpful now as an entrepreneur, and I feel that I have a lot more to learn â€" now more than ever! The main difference is that the learning opportunities of an entrepreneurial journey are unrivalled and in all honesty are the bit that I enjoy the most, particularly in the continuous exchanges I have with more experienced industry professionals. How did you go about making the shift? I'm really glad that I made the decision to 'try first' and that I went to cookery school shortly after leaving my banking career. It gave me an opportunity to understand what life as a chef would really be like, to learn first-hand about the profession, and this experience really helped me in making the informed decision that I wanted to do something related. The idea for Lavolio confectionery then came to me while experimenting in the kitchen. What didn't go well? What wrong turns did you take? It's quite hard to predict what flavours our customers will choose and, since there are more than 30 flavours in our signature Italian confectionery, it's not exactly easy to plan the production and demand. One of the hardest lessons has been having to learn how to manage the complexities of the supply chain when dealing with a delicate, handmade and perishable product. It's an absolute joy when everything goes smoothly but you can't always expect this to happen. I've found it very stressful at times having to deal with the unexpected; the fun part is coming up with a solution. How did you handle your finances to make your shift possible? I had saved money from my job, and I started small by working from home. Everything at the start was small-scale and proportionate to a micro business; even my first employees used to come to my home. I've invested everything into growing the business, and I've done it organically, step by step. What was the most difficult thing about changing? Going completely out of my comfort zone, by knocking uninvited on people's doors. Mind you, if I have a box of Lavolio in my hand I feel like I have a secret weapon; it's always been undisputedly welcomed and so many doors have opened thanks to my product. What help did you get? Through the very act of knocking on people's doors I found a network of very supportive mentors and inspirational entrepreneurs that have been incredibly helpful and encouraging. I've recently graduated from the Innovating for Growth programme, a three-month support programme held at the British Library that gives entrepreneurs help with scaling up their business. What resources would you recommend to others? It can feel very lonely at times having to take every single executive decision on your own. The good news is that there's so much help available if you reach out for it. Many entrepreneurs are happy to give back and lend you a helping hand in times of needs, be it offering advice or sharing their experience. Build your personal support network: reach out to people or companies that you admire with social media and LinkedIn, and follow up with them. What have you learnt in the process? Some people say that I've been brave to launch my own luxury sweet business but I simply turned a change of circumstances into something positive. I believe it came at the right time in my life. If I look back to that time, it felt like an easy decision because I was following my heart and my passion. However, it's not been an easy journey. I feel like I'm learning something new every day, and I really enjoy learning â€" it's the best part of being an entrepreneur. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? If you're passionate about everything sweet, are full of energy and love talking to people, then starting a confectionery business could be perfect for you. My advice would be to put your customers at the heart of everything that you do and ensure your product tastes fantastic. Try to make sure that the wow factor is well communicated on your packaging, don't be afraid to reach out to people, and always carry a box of your product with you! To find out more about Lavinia's business, visit www.lavolio.com. What lessons could you take from Lavinia's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

When Great Employee Quit Let Them Fly or Buy Them Back

When Great Employee Quit Let Them Fly or Buy Them Back Let’s face it, finding good recruitment consultants is a challenge we all have to front up to. Some agencies go down the rec-to-rec route and throw money at the problem, with mixed results. Some rely on a referral scheme and many others rely on direct advertising to attract the right individual. The thing is, is that it doesn’t matter how much time or money you spend in sourcing a consultant. The fact remains  that  you have no idea how productive they are going to be or whether they will be with you in five years’ time. Hiring new consultants is like investing in en primeur Bordeaux wine. You might have the benefit of some snippet of information from an expert or two at purchase, but in reality the proof is in the drinking down the line. It could be the best investment you have ever made. Or you might have a healthy stock of cooking wine for a winter stew! The bottom line? Good consultants are a rare breed and they should be cherished at all costs. Well, nearly at all costs. More later. Great employee resigns. What now? First of all, I believe in always carrying one consultant too many in each division within your recruitment business. Employees are always going to move on and to save that “pit in the stomach” feeling when someone sends an email at 8am on a Monday morning requesting a meeting, be prepared. You won’t feel quite so bad plus it strengthens your negotiating hand. Secondly, we are talking about a good consultant. A top-billing, easy to manage, glass half full individual. In other words, you want to keep him/her. So buy him/her back. No question. How? Firstly, you need to understand why the individual is leaving. Is it money? Lack of promotion opportunities? Have they fallen out with a fellow team member? Some reasons will be resolvable and some won’t be. You need to know why and you need to listen. You might not like what you hear, but now and again you might just have a eureka moment and realise how your business has changed or how you as a manager have changed and there could be a win, win. You also need to know whether the consultant has signed a contract elsewhere. If so, why are they moving to a competitor and what are they being paid?  Once you have assimilated this information, you need to move quickly and come up with a solution. Be prepared to think outside the box. Where to draw the line There is a point at which you need to let even the biggest biller move on and that is when they believe they are bigger than the business. No-one can ever be bigger than the business, regardless of how small the business is. There have been some great Business Owners and Sports Managers who in the past have made highly controversial decisions by getting rid of their key staff or sports stars. In many cases, the reason was that the person in question thought they were bigger than the business/sports club. If this was left to continue, the Manager/Owner loses respect from the other team members/employees and the success of the team/business suffers (although trust me in the short-term you’ll be blinkered by the financial and perceived reputational loss caused by the departing individual). So, ask yourself the question â€" when negotiating with an individual who has handed in their notice, what can you do to make them stay, without going a step too far? Avoid losing talent in the first place The final point is a simple one. Invest in your staff and create a structure where Consultants never want to move on in the first place. Yes, you will lose staff who relocate or change careers, but if you lose a member of staff to a competitor, then you need to ask yourself why? And don’t be too proud to make the changes needed to stop it happening again! About the author:  David Morel  is Managing Director of Tiger Recruitment, a leading recruitment company in the secretarial/administrational arena.

Im Not Lucky, Im Good. My St. Patricks Day Epiphany

Im Not Lucky, Im Good. My St. Patricks Day Epiphany The following is a guest post by Heather Monahan.  Her bio follows. I found myself thinking about St. Patrick’s day this year and realized that the luck of the Irish struck me differently than it had in years past .   As a good Irish girl, I have always celebrated with friends and made sure to wear my green and consume green beer while listening to Irish music.   Growing up in Boston has a way of making you a big fan of St. Patrick’s Day in the conventional sense.   This year when I realized the luck of the Irish was upon us, I also realized that I have never been particularly lucky.   What is funny is how many times in the past that I have chalked up my success in life to luck and specifically to being a lucky Irish girl.   This was an epiphany moment for me.   As you gain experience in life and confidence you are able to see things differently, this is why I am writing today.   Years ago when someone would compliment me on how I looked, I would chalk it up to having good genes.   If someone was to tell me how excited they were that I was promoted, I would tell them it was because I was a lucky Irish girl.   Throughout my life, I have realized that I never took credit for what I had done or who I had become or even how I presented myself when others complimented me.   It is almost as if I felt I didn’t deserve the compliment or wasn’t able to accept it because I wasn’t sure how I had actually achieved it. Now that I am 42 years old, I see things for what they are.   I have worked insanely hard my entire life, while friends vacationed, I worked.   I got married much later than my friends and had a baby in my thirties; these choices were made because I wanted to advance my career and myself first and foremost.   I realize that I look the way I do because I make myself a priority and I invest in myself.   I get up at the crack of dawn to do a boot camp most people would consider torture.   I put time and effort into getting ready when I am so tired I can barely wake up for my alarm.   As a single mother I have managed a routine in the morning that allows me to get my son ready for school and get myself ready as well.   We can never leave the house later than 7:20am but somehow we make it each day.   We are a team.   There have been many opportunities that have presented themselves and at times I have let them pass but now I jump on them and take advantage of each one.   I believe in my own unique talents and listen to my intuition as opportunities arise.   I am now empowering myself to be the boss of my life and am standing in my power unapologetically.   Not much that I do is easy.   My life is a lot of work.   But I finally realize that I am where I am in life because of the work that I put in and good that I put out there for others.   I am happy today to say that while I am Irish and will enjoy a green beverage, I am not particularly lucky but I am really good. The Author Heather Monahan, runs Heather Monahan LLC, a mentoring group that advises women on various workplace topics.

Decorate Your Apartment An Update on My PROGRESS

Decorate Your Apartment An Update on My PROGRESS Hi my dear friends! You may remember, from this post, that I made it my goal to actually try some of the things I pin and read on blogs.  My goal in doing all this is to make our house feel more like a home. I started with some Pinspiration: You will see some similarities: neutral textures, ceiling-sweeping curtains, black curtain rods, glass lamps, large lamp shades What do you think?  So many pretty details, right?! Next up is my original to-do list.  You will see that I have made quite a nice dent.   Check out the items I have knocked off my list, so far.  (Yay!) -decide on picture frame layout to offset sliding doors non-centered placement -select pictures for frames -glass base lamp and neutral shade -neutral, textured curtains -black curtain rod (round ends) -price out couches (?) -stencil for an accent wall -select color for stencil -hang curtains (high and wide) -investigate pillows My finished items so far

Over 50 and Long Term Unemployed - What Do You Do - Career Pivot

Over 50 and Long Term Unemployed - What Do You Do - Career Pivot Over 50 and Long Term Unemployed What do you do if you are over 50 and long term unemployed? At six months the moments of self doubt start to creep in. Will I ever work again? When will I feel useful again? When will this end? Baby Boomers in general, but particularly men get their self identifies from their work. I remember when I worked for IBM and many would identify themselves as IBMers. It was who they were. In 1993, when many of my older colleagues were told to go retire, it killed them. They lost their identity. What I learned from my experience at IBM was I am not what I do. My job does not define me as a person. Is this you? Are you looking for a full time job? My first question to you is why? If you have been unemployed for over six months you should start considering working for yourself. If you are over 60 this is a must. Listen to the most recent episode Am I saying there is age discrimination? YES! Get over it! We are rapidly moving to a contractor based economy. Check on the article from Business Insider 40 Percent Of Americans Will Be Freelancers By 2020. This change will no be easy! I know, I know you have to have full time employment for the benefits. That is a myth. My wife and I are both in our late 50’s, and we pay about $700 per month for high deductible health insurance. My wife’s coverage comes the State of Texas High Risk Pool. A state run health plan where she cannot be rejected. I know, I know you need group coverage. Group coverage is the most expensive kind of health insurance and if you received a W2 from last year, you will see what you employer spent. It is a lot! What we save in one year from having to pay COBRA covers the deductible. We just have to stay out of the hospital for a year. Start thinking seriously about working for yourself. Keep looking for a job but consider contracting, temp work and preparing to start a business. How are you going to find your next gig? I sure hope you are not looking on job boards and submitting your resume. I am working with two clients right now. Both are product managers for large high tech employers. Client A is in his early 40’s and started two years ago greatly expanding his network through his professional affiliations, his religious affiliations and work. He currently has well over 1,000 LinkedIn connections. Client B is in his late 50’s and when I started working with him late last year he had about 200 connections on LinkedIn. He has a very small network of people he can turn to for help. Pretty typical of most baby boomers. Both clients have MBAs and are well respected. Client A put out the word quietly he was looking. He is being contacted every week by recruiters. Admittedly, most of these are for jobs out of town or in an industry he does not care for. He is being contacted and had an interview this last week. Client B is periodically being contacted, but it is pretty quiet. The difference is client A started two years ago. Building a network takes time. We are in a referral economy. Your network will get you your next job, contract, customer,……. This is an area where many baby boomers struggle. As a general rule, we are pretty private. This whole thing about putting ourselves out there on social media is pretty ……. uncomfortable. I know, I know you think this social media business will pass. It is not going away! What are you doing about it? Volunteer and other activities When you are long term unemployed you have to be involved in activities that: Build your self esteem Build on your brand image Create a portfolio of your life work Improve your marketable skills Volunteer for a Cause Nothing will build self esteem more than volunteering for a non-profit that delivers programs or services for a cause the you care about. As part of Launch Pad Job Club, which I have served on the board of directors for over six years, we have created a program called Leap to Success. This program does short term projects for non-profits. You can do the same. If you are: Amarketing person, offer to do a marketing campaign for a non-profit. An operations person, check out the local food bank or Habitat for Humanity or …. Afinancial person check out a local micro lender. (We have multiple of these in Central Texas, including PeopleFund and Accion, where they make micro-loans to typically minority owned small businesses who cannot qualify for regular credit.) There are lots and lots of options. All of these you can put on your resume and keep you current. Write a Blog If a recovering engineer, like myself, who could barely read coming out of high school can write a blog…… well…. Get some help in setting up the blog. There are lots of people in your community will help you for free. When you start to blog write on a regular schedule. Promote your blog on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Yes, you will have to learn how to promote on Social Media! Social Media is here to stay. GET OVER IT! There are a lot of free resources like the Hubspot Webinar and White-paper pages What better skill to acquire when long term unemployed than social media. Jim Adcock, my good friend and fellow Launch Pad Job Club board member did a series of guest posts on this blog last year on how his blog has made him a respected member of the Sharepoint community but more importantly has kept him employed! Write a Book or an E-Book In writing my book, Repurpose Your Career, I discovered the world of publishing has changed forever. I got help. Gudjon Bergmann who has a business called Communicator Blueprints and has a book called THE AUTHOR’S BLUEPRINT â€" THE EASY WAY TO WRITE NON-FICTION. I followed Gudjon’s process in coming up with the title, chapter list and other processes in writing my book. What I love about Gudjon is he is extremely practical. He says when writing your first book â€" write a book and not THE book. If you write an e-book the cost in minimal. There are lot’s of low cost and near free resources on publishing an e-book. Think what a hiring manager might think when they google your name and you come up on Amazon.com! Whether your next step is a full time job, contract work or an entrepreneur working for yourself, you will have created a name for yourself while your are Long Term Unemployed! Do you want to stay Long Term Unemployed or do you want to feel valued, respected and needed? As the Nike slogan says Just do it! Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Things I enjoyed about Reboot6 - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Things I enjoyed about Reboot6 - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Reboot6 is now over, and Im totally beat from being the Open Space host. Its the first time Ive hosted this many people in Open Space, but it went very well (if I do say so my self). Heres what I enjoyed most about Reboot6: * The excellent speakers * Cory Doctorows armoured T-shirt possibly the coolest T-shirt in existence * Marc Canter singing * Reboot posts totally dominating blogbot this weekend * The first beer after the conference man it tasted good * The excellent mood and energy even 10 or 12 hours into the conference * Thomas hosting * Microsoft showing up with 20 people, 3 X-boxes and a big screen TV and being cool abut being semi-slammed at the conference * The barbecue * The openness that went into both the planning and the execution of the conference * The Honorary Reboot Award Winner, the guy who singe-handedly brought the internet to Denmark (or is that brought Denmark to the internet) in 1982. A quote from him: I did say back then, that this thing might even become bigger than the fax. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Finding the Best Professional Resume Writing Services

Finding the Best Professional Resume Writing ServicesIf you are considering getting the professional resume writing services of Houston, TX, well, then you've made a wise decision. The last thing that you need is to suffer through a rough translation to English, or not having any idea what it means, of course. These professional service companies can help you in most cases, especially if you're interested in making your resume stand out from the rest.In order to get the best professional resume, you need to make sure that you are making use of the right kinds of services and writers. The best Houston professional resume writing services are able to achieve this by using the best translators in the business. They're able to convert your Spanish resume to English, with the understanding that this is a fairly tricky task.You may have thought that you can simply hire someone to work on your resume. However, that could cost you a whole lot more than you anticipated. Houston is a relativel y large city, and it has some quite notable areas, which are not accessible by the public. It would be difficult for even the most experienced person to work on every area in the city.Therefore, you should think about hiring a professional resume writer. There are many things that they can do for you. However, you will need to ensure that you find one who can really get the job done. With the right kind of service, you will be able to be assured that your job application will be transformed into an excellent job opening.Houston is home to many top companies, and if you are considering a career with these companies, then you may want to consider speaking to them first. Even if you don't ultimately hire them, it's important that you get recommendations from previous clients. The best Houston resume writing services will have you covered in these regards.Remember that most companies will simply use a language translator when you speak to them in English. This is not necessarily a bad t hing, but a lot of companies will get a completely different idea of how you speak and write, or do not understand the extent of the change. When this happens, they might not know what you're saying, which can result in poor communication between the two of you.For the best professional resume writing services in Houston, look at the local writers, as they are generally more knowledgeable on the topic, and are therefore more likely to give you the information that you need. Sometimes, these skills are based on a specific type of language or dialect, and this is something that should be noted in the initial contact with the company.