Happy Halloween!

Congratulations to those brave souls who completed the Chicago Marathon, I hope your toes have healed by now! I’m impressed by your achievement and envious of your dedication. I’m still committed to my personal fitness goal.

I have no intentions of running a marathon! I just want to lose a few inches in some very specific places! I asked my Trainer yesterday if he could “fix my face” pull up a few sagging parts, since he has exercises to pull everything else up! LOL I have yet to re-capture my 18 year-old body but I’m still keeping the faith that I can get pretty damn close!

Lately I have been very busy preparing for my big Halloween Party. I’m known for my off the wall parties. Last year I was so busy with the Café, that I didn’t have time to plan a Halloween Party My friends let me know just how disappointed they were, in no uncertain terms! I don’t normally have a theme but this year it’s a Zombie party! I wonder if that has some subconscious meaning…lol 

Right now I’m beat because I’ve put so much into planning and decorating for the party. I want my guest to have a visual experience. From the time they step onto the front porch, I want them to believe that they are in another place. I have borrowed tips from one of my customers, Jason, who is an extremely talented Theater Designer, to create a dramatic Zombie Graveyard right in the middle of Englewood! I’ll be the innocent (OK, maybe not so innocent ) girl wearing a poodle skirt from the 50’s complete with musical notes, ankle socks and a big surprise which I can’t reveal now.

My regular morning coffee customers, I call them my family, asked me if I enjoy having these outrageous parties since it puts so much stress on me? My answer was a definite yes. I want my guest to have the same experience that my customers experience at the Café.

That experience is:

• Make it Memorable – create an emotional experience for your customer or your guest. Make them feel the environment was created specifically for them and them only. For example, for the Halloween Party, I created a plan for every room in the house, consulted with an expert to execute the plan and have scenery in every room that will stimulate their five senses. At the Café, I have staged a lounge where you can sit, relax and enjoy the sweet sound of Jazz playing in the background.

• Create a Happy Environment – make it a place where people feel comfortable and protected, to step outside their normal life and do things that they would be afraid to do otherwise. They will be grateful for the chance to stretch, to grow and explore in a safe place.

• Keep Happy People Around You – they help you to live longer!

Have a safe, happy and entertaining Happy Halloween to all!

This is the title of the 1992 children’s book written and illustrated by two- time Caldecott Award Winner – awarded to the author of the most distinguished American children picture book – Chris Raschka. The book playfully tells the story of Charlie Parker’s unique Saxophone playing style. His style created a new jazz movement known as be-bop. Chris makes a connection between be-bop and current day hip-hop.
I share this book with you because it’s a wonderful way to introduce the importance of Jazz to children, besides being a beautifully looking book. However, the book has a different meaning to me. For me, it tells the story of an artist who challenged himself to create a new style and had the confidence and courage to put it out there for others to enjoy. Charlie Parker was an innovator. He took his expertise and pushed the limits to create a new and different sound. When the critic’s – which included some of his own Jazz musicians – were saying the music was confusing, disorganized and beneath the stature of Jazz, Charlie Parker continued to play his own unique style. Later he teamed up with Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis to popularize the sound. If you ever heard the song “Salt Peanuts” or listened to” Nights in Tunisia” you’ll understand why be-bop became popular. Search Google for books on Innovation and you’ll see headings like:
• Path to
• What is
• The Innovators Index
• Innovator DNA
• Myth’s about
• Innovator’s Dilemma
What does it take to be an Innovator like Charlie Parker?
First, you have to be good at what you’re doing before you can explore others areas to innovate. You can’t push the limits if you don’t understand what the limits are.
Second, have a vision about what it is you want to create. Where do you want go? What do you want to push?
Third, have courage to stand up to the critic’s. You are creating something new, different, and mildly upsetting, expect some resistance.
Fourth, collaborate with others for improvement. Find people to share your vision with. Allowed to play with it, process it and build upon your idea.
Fifth, have some fun in your new creation. Continue to play with it, expand it, improvise upon it and improve it.

Charlie Parker Played No Trombone
This line appears in the book. I take this line to heart because it reminds me to be who I am. When I was researching to open Donna’s Café, all the business plans, advised me to find my competitive advantage. Moreover, they said that this competitive advantage had to be sustainable. Well, I have concluded that I am not Starbucks and I have no desire to be anything like them other than to be profitable. When I walk in Starbuck’s I see all the customers working on their computers, screaming out private information in a public setting on their cell phones and very little conversation being exchanged amongst the patrons. That’s upsetting to me. I think it’s a lost opportunity if people don’t make a connection. My competitive advantage is: a safe place to connect, to nourish the soul and that respects your wallet.
My vision was to create a sanctuary where people dropping off their kids at daycare can rest before starting the rest of the busy day, a place where professionals can network , and information be can exchanged with nutritious food that warms the soul at an reasonable price.
My vision is in its second year. Every day I’m presented with a challenge that will test my courage and conviction. I rejoice in the knowledge that I’m one day closer to fully realizing my vision of creating something unique that I can leave behind for my family. Please, come into the Café and have some fun with me. Collaborate with me to help me improve. Remember, Charlie Parker played Be-bop, be yourself and follow your own vision and have some fun doing it.

I check this blog to see if anyone has posted a response and no one has. I’m thinking it must be pretty boring!

I was chatting with a friend of mine and he said I should just post what’s on my mind.

But being a business owner requires that I not post everything that goes through my mind without censoring it first…lol

So I will be taking a stab at posting what runs through my mind, I’m pretty sure there will be lots of backspacing. I’ll read it and decide that it’s too controversial to post. But get through this I will, so come along on this ride, let’s see where the tracks take us!

I drove a lot in my former job, I either drove very slow or very fast there really was very little in between unless I was transporting a prisoner in for processing. Now I drive more or less with the rest of  Chicago’s drivers and I gotta tell ya a lot of those drivers are very unsafe,  careless and dangerous!

Turn signals, used to indicate your intent, not using them is a traffic violation. This means when you enter and exit a parking space you need to use your signal. When changing lanes, you must use your signal. Exiting your vehicle into traffic is a no-no, you do not have the right of way, you must yield to oncoming traffic. I’ve seen it, getting slammed by a car while you’re getting out of your car is not pretty!

If this sounds preachy then you’ve totally missed the point I and more than a few others will continue to loudly cast aspersions upon you and your continued existence!

This has been a Health tip delivered in an alternative manner!