As I sit here writing in my journal, I am doing so from the dining room table in my brother’s home on the beach, STILL not moved into my new digs.  My new home builder, Vintage Estate Homes, has provided only delay after delay, coupled with terrible communication.  This has been one of the most frustrating experiences of my life.  Why all the delays?  There can be only one answer, and that is, this company employs poor business practices.

I have always believed good business practices comes from the top … from that one person who occupies the top square in the company organization chart.  In my company, that square has my name in it.  I take pride in delivering not only excellent customer service, but also making sure the talent I hire is at the top of their field.  I empower those who work for me with as much information as possible in order for them to make informed, accurate decisions.

A large part of Choozi Entertainment’s business plan has to do with ‘talent’, as the people Choozi hires has to represent well the work we create.  In entertainment, the vetting process differs from normal business hiring, as we have the luxury of an audition process.  This process pretty much guarantees you are not going to have many “unknowns” pop up from the people you hire.  The audition process also relies on word of mouth, most especially from those of us who create the entertainment.  The norm is to talk to each other when we see the names of people we know on the resumes of those who audition for us.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been contacted by other producers and directors, in order to get my pov regarding the work ethic of a specific entertainer.  We in entertainment share freely what we know about each other … things like, is the talent known for breaking contracts?  Is the talent known for drinking too much or doing drugs?  Does the entertainer create conflict in the dressing rooms?  Is the talent responsible where their costuming is concerned?  Do they hang up their garments, or toss them on the floor?  As innocuous as that may sound, it is a clear indicator of that entertainers work ethic.  I only hire entertainers who take pride in every aspect of what it is they do, and not just what they do onstage.

I realize in business settings, most especially in administrative office settings, it is difficult to vette an employee past what they tell you, what their references tell you, and what a past employer is allowed to tell you by law.  Also, interviews are always conducted ‘one on one’.  Not at an audition!  At an audition, let’s say a dance audition, you are dancing alongside other candidates.  You can see immediately who your competition is, who is good, who is not, and how you fit into the criteria of what the producer or director is looking for.  Wouldn’t it be interesting, then, if interviews for potential employee positions were done in a group setting, the way auditions are?  One of the best things about the audition process is the producers and directors have the opportunity to compare candidates to each other right on the spot.  They do not have to go back later to jog their memory regarding maybe an answer given by a candidate they liked, in order to compare it to the new candidate sitting in front of them.

Of course, good salaries are important to attracting the best talent to you.  As the expression goes, “you get what you pay for.”  I have found, however, that attracting the best talent to you can also be dictated by who that person is sitting at the top of the company food chain.  A well managed company, with good communication processes, oftentimes will attract the best talent at a lesser salary.  In entertainment, we will oftentimes take a cut in pay in order to work with someone we know we will learn more from, or someone we have heard is simply easy to work with, or fun to work with!

Whenever I have to do business with companies that have poor customer service, I know immediately it is because of two things … the person who sits at the top is a bad manager with bad communication skills, and the salary provided his/her talent is not adequate for the skill set required of the position.

…and so I sit, enduring the latest delay to my home and to my business.  My next journal entry will hopefully be from my new office.  Until then …