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I can finally say this without worrying about surprising anyone at work (I had prevented talking about it on Twitter and Facebook as it would be poor form for my co-workers and coordinators to hear through my Social Feeds that I was planning on quitting), but I have put in my two weeks' notice at Bell, as I will start working with COBS Bread as an Assistant Bakery Manager, as of July 28, 2011. :D
This has been something I've been working on for a great amount of time. Back in March I approached COBS with wanting to go into their Manage-To-Own program. Some of their stores are Corporate-owned while others are Franchised. The Manage-To-Own gives people like me (with not a lot of money to purchase a franchise outright) the chance to train in the Management system, and Profit-Sharing until they have enough to purchase the store, at which point is becomes a Franchise store.
I've seen them springing up all over the place recently, and I'm impressed with their simplistic, "we bake bread and only bread" mentality. It's been a dream of mine to own a store where you work with the smell of freshly-baked bread every day, and this dream will finally be starting at the end of the month.
When COBS got back to me, it was revealed through the interviews that I don't have a lot of management knowledge, but I really have been eager to work with COBS. As such, I've been given a position at the Bloor West Village store as an Assistant Bakery Manager, where I'll be shadowing the current Manager there (Rachel), and I'll be handling many duties - being an Assistant Manager of a store means that some days I'll be in the back handling orders and balancing books, but I'll also have to work the front of the store (retail) and some days I'll have to be baking - essentially, doing what needs to be done!
Mark (the West End Manager for Toronto's COBS Bread Bakeries) has laid out a rough plan where my first week I will be working the front/retail to get a feel and knowledge for all the different products, then for the next few weeks I'll be working the Baker area, which means I'll be working the midnight shifts for a couple of weeks following the retail week. It's not in stone yet; in a week or two I'll sit down with Rachel and work out the first couple of weeks, and perhaps maybe I should get acquainted to my co-workers as well. :P
Their signs read "Baked Today. Sold Today" - they give the leftovers every evening to local charities. They have a small poster on their wall that lists all the charities they donate to every night (written in fairly small print)... it's really impressive. :) They've upped their signage and brochures a lot recently.
My final day at Bell will be on July 24th, a weekend shift. It'll be quiet and somber to leave on the weekend when no-one else is around, but I have a duty to finish up my work with Bell. It was kinda strange to have to tell my coordinator (Steve) that I was leaving (and there's not a lot of people above Steve right now at Bell, something's going on), and as I'm still kinda nervous about the new position and completely different direction for my life, I think Steve had more enthusiasm for my future than I did, when I was talking with him. ^^ I'm sure it will sink in eventually.
And once I got home after the whirlwind morning/early afternoon (meeting w/COBS, Strawberry picking, drop Christine off at work, hand in my resignation), I then made cakes for a Saturday delivery (it will be resembling Bullet Bill, hopefully! It's not complete yet), and Strawberry Freezer Jam, then later told my parents. I feel good. :)
Then, I realized, man, this is pretty worthy of a post, isn't it? XD
This has been something I've been working on for a great amount of time. Back in March I approached COBS with wanting to go into their Manage-To-Own program. Some of their stores are Corporate-owned while others are Franchised. The Manage-To-Own gives people like me (with not a lot of money to purchase a franchise outright) the chance to train in the Management system, and Profit-Sharing until they have enough to purchase the store, at which point is becomes a Franchise store.
I've seen them springing up all over the place recently, and I'm impressed with their simplistic, "we bake bread and only bread" mentality. It's been a dream of mine to own a store where you work with the smell of freshly-baked bread every day, and this dream will finally be starting at the end of the month.
When COBS got back to me, it was revealed through the interviews that I don't have a lot of management knowledge, but I really have been eager to work with COBS. As such, I've been given a position at the Bloor West Village store as an Assistant Bakery Manager, where I'll be shadowing the current Manager there (Rachel), and I'll be handling many duties - being an Assistant Manager of a store means that some days I'll be in the back handling orders and balancing books, but I'll also have to work the front of the store (retail) and some days I'll have to be baking - essentially, doing what needs to be done!
Mark (the West End Manager for Toronto's COBS Bread Bakeries) has laid out a rough plan where my first week I will be working the front/retail to get a feel and knowledge for all the different products, then for the next few weeks I'll be working the Baker area, which means I'll be working the midnight shifts for a couple of weeks following the retail week. It's not in stone yet; in a week or two I'll sit down with Rachel and work out the first couple of weeks, and perhaps maybe I should get acquainted to my co-workers as well. :P
Their signs read "Baked Today. Sold Today" - they give the leftovers every evening to local charities. They have a small poster on their wall that lists all the charities they donate to every night (written in fairly small print)... it's really impressive. :) They've upped their signage and brochures a lot recently.
My final day at Bell will be on July 24th, a weekend shift. It'll be quiet and somber to leave on the weekend when no-one else is around, but I have a duty to finish up my work with Bell. It was kinda strange to have to tell my coordinator (Steve) that I was leaving (and there's not a lot of people above Steve right now at Bell, something's going on), and as I'm still kinda nervous about the new position and completely different direction for my life, I think Steve had more enthusiasm for my future than I did, when I was talking with him. ^^ I'm sure it will sink in eventually.
And once I got home after the whirlwind morning/early afternoon (meeting w/COBS, Strawberry picking, drop Christine off at work, hand in my resignation), I then made cakes for a Saturday delivery (it will be resembling Bullet Bill, hopefully! It's not complete yet), and Strawberry Freezer Jam, then later told my parents. I feel good. :)
Then, I realized, man, this is pretty worthy of a post, isn't it? XD