Where did JC Navarrete go?
I just looked at his website and he's still listed as in the business.
We had a chat with him on Friday (and several emails back and forth in the interim) and he seemed to have gone AWOL. He didn't show up for his classes on Monday. We had one of the guys call him and leave a message that he could try to call back but he didn't get back to us. I told him I'd give him until Wednesday and after that it would be out of my hands.
On Wednesday, he was still listed as on the business, but yesterday, he was listed as on leave. When we asked to leave a message, we got no answer.
We've lost all contact with him. I don't think he was a real good fit for our firm. We are trying to put together a group of people who can step in immediately to handle the volume of clients and work that JC did. JC worked for us two days a week, Monday and Thursday, one-one. This allowed me to run the business on those days while he handled the clients.
We have been having trouble filling his slot on Wednesday afternoons since last summer and I told him that if he wasn't going to be able to take care of the clients, then he could work somewhere else. Well.the business has had a busy month, and the week between Christmas and New Years Eve, our phone systems crashed and we couldn't handle incoming calls. Then, some of our new recruits broke off and went elsewhere.
We have been working hard to get our phone systems updated, so that we could handle calls again. Now that I have had a chance to look through the books, I see that we need to replace the old hardware soon anyway, so that is one more reason for wanting to hire more people.
There are a lot of things to do. Our web site isn't online yet. It will be coming on line shortly. We also need to make some changes to our accounting system.
Also, I want to bring on a couple of guys from our firm so that I can delegate work to them. I have been doing all the work for over two years now, and I would like to have a team around me.
At this point, I am taking a break from recruiting until the 1st of the year.
Where is Michelle Relerford now?
Michelle (Dow) is now in her fourth week of vacation. She was originally to have been off for three weeks, but then, during the week of December 14th she changed her plans and decided to extend her leave for three more weeks. She returned to work at the end of January to celebrate her daughter's birthday. Her new daughter, Madison, was born on the 8th of February.
Michelle has been home with her new family for eight months now. And though it seems like we don't see much of her these days, it hasn't all been boring, or stagnant! We are excited to announce the third annual Dow Holiday Cookie Exchange! Join us December 17th-19th at The Birches at Lake Murray to join our annual cookie exchange. This event is in celebration of being a part of the Dow Network of Homes and brings together neighbors from around the lake who love cookies. We invite anyone and everyone to join us. Come meet your neighbors, have cookies, and spend time with the children you help raise.
The Birches at Lake Murray will be open December 17th-19th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm for this event. We are located at 10001 Old Lake Murray Road, Greendale, IL. You may also bring your own decorated cookies and we will supply the necessary supplies. Please RSVP to Michelle at DowNetwork@gmail.com to confirm attendance.
Our children are out and about with friends and family during the winter months and as much as we love our out-of-doors life, our days get shorter, colder, and drearier. The warm breezes and cool nights of the autumn can become our worst enemy during the bleak, dark winter days. It's not easy being out all day in the elements when you only have time for a 5 minute shower in the morning and 5 minutes before bed. But the cold weather calls for some hot soup and homemade pie!
We recently had some time to relax at a gathering hosted by another friend, Jennifer. She had a big old fashioned pot full of steaming chicken noodle soup simmering on the stove. Her house smelled so good I asked if I could join her in her kitchen to enjoy it.