I'd spent the better part of the week looking at applicants for the position I had created and no one seemed to have what it would take to fill the job. I took an idea a few years ago and opened my first retail store. It took a little while for me to find the market niche to be successful but once I did everything took off quickly. In fact it took off so well I now needed someone to help me control it. I had already opened a few more stores and while they were doing well, they were not as dynamic as the original store. I had decided to find someone to help me understand the market before I lost the opportunities I'd made happen.
I'm a twenty five year old single woman who has always wanted to be her own boss. I am a little over five foot two inches tall with a proportional body. My hair is dark and hangs to my shoulders and I've been told that I have a pretty face with spectacular eyes. I know I spend more time in bars and pubs getting hit on so I gather I am either attractive or look like and easy lay. At any rate I am a pretty tough boss and often hear my employees referring to me as the queen bitch. I'm not proud of that and maybe someday I can soften that image but for now this business is my baby and I am the mean mother hen who is nurturing it.
My last interview for the day, and probably the week too was an older guy with some impressive work history. As I reviewed his resume prior to his visit I realized that he has the work experience and training that I was looking for but wondered if his age would be a hindrance to his understanding the product lines and customer base I was marketing. At least he looked better then the younger just out of University types I'd been overwhelmed with. Mentally I decided to give Kevin a shot in the interview, to be positive and look for his good points instead of looking for reasons why not to hire him.
"Kevin, welcome I'm Gina. Come in and sit down."
"Thank you Miss Gina, you have an interesting business going. I imagine you have some exciting opportunities in front of you."
We shook hands as we made that exchange and then intrigued by his remarks I said.
"Tell me Kevin, what do you mean by opportunities?'
"Well I have taken some time to look over your business. After all I need a job and I need one that will be here for a while so I wanted to see how stable your outfit was. I think the idea you have is brilliant. I see what kind of foot traffic you already have and other then the locations of your stores you seem to be doing pretty well."
"So you think the locations I've selected are problems?"
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to be offensive Miss Gina."
"Well, then perhaps you need to explain this comment. I set those up myself and they are doing pretty good."
"I do apologize and yes each of the locations is good in and of themselves, but as parts of the whole they are poorly placed, much too close to one another and I would guess that while they are doing OK, they are not doing what this location did when it opened. Am I right?"
He was right and I didn't notice that in my haste to open up and grow. I chose to stay close to keep my time and costs down and was basically just undercutting my own market. Kevin might just be the person who could help me take this operation forward.
"You're hired."
I suddenly said and surprised him.
"I'm not one to wait around for waiting sake, Kevin. I read your resume and checked out your references before I set up this interview. Your observation earlier was so on target and I never saw it till you said it. You are the kind of person I need to help me grow this business. Will you take the job?"
"Miss Gina I'd be pleased to work for you. This looks like a place where I can really use my skills."
After agreeing on salary and perks I looked at him and said.
"One last thing. In front of the employees, I would appreciate it if you would refer to me as Boss or Miss Ward, but one on one please just call me Gina."
"I will if Kevin will be the title you use with me."
So Kevin started the following Monday and when I came in I found a report from him. I read through it and liked it completely. He made suggestions on closing a couple of the stores I'd opened and moving them to other locations. The justifications were well presented and I sensed he was right on track. I went looking for him and found him in the warehouse chatting with the staff there.
"Kevin, can I see you for a minute?"
"Sure Boss!
I followed him to my office and found myself staring at his ass as he walked in front of me, I quickly chastised myself and tried to ignore the slight tremors in my body as I imagined him on top of me in bed. Back in my office and seated behind my desk my mind returned to the business at hand.
"Kevin this report is sensational when can you begin?"
"I've already done some preliminary investigation of the leases etc and if you're willing to put it in to action I will start now."
I agreed and he left. I didn't see much of Kevin for the next six months. He was on the road working the changes he's suggested and I was busy tending to the stores making sure the products were where they needed to be when they needed to be there. I began to see in the next few months some increases in sales. That surprised me, particularly with the closing of a few stores. I realized that Kevin's initial analysis of them being too close had been right and the volume from the remaining stores more then exceeded the previous totals. As his new locations came on line business tripled and soon I was in need of hiring more people to keep up with all the new activity. I hired people to manage the stores and to supervise the purchasing and distribution and still I found my days busier then I had ever imagined they could be.
When Kevin called and asked me to meet him in one of his new proposed locations I went. I needed to get out and this would be a nice way to do it and still have my fingers in the business. This location was close to the beach and I figured I could get some time to work on my tan and maybe even relax a bit.
When I arrived at the hotel Kevin was in the lobby and after letting me check in we drove off to the new location. I loved the center he'd selected and saw right away the potential. He and I negotiated some very favorable terms with the landlord and at the end of the day I was so pleased with his activities I asked him to join me for dinner.
"Sure Boss."