It all started when I received an email for a job interview for a Gelato Shop in South Carolina. It was ten hours away from where I used to live in Miami. I did not apply or even know about this company. So many years later and I still don’t know how they found out about me. I was relieved. For the last couple of months, I had sent out hundreds of job applications, and none of them had gotten off the ground. Then this one fell from the sky out of nowhere. A lucky break for once. Suffice to say, I desperately needed and wanted this job opportunity. I was asked to apply for the position of store operations manager. I didn’t even have the experience for it. I had a corporate background as an associate and analyst.

I knew that I had to compensate for my shortcomings by setting myself apart from the other candidates. I had to bring something to the table that only I could bring. I searched for an arrow in my quiver. In school, I had won an award for a business plan I prepared, so I decided to create one for this company. Perfect. It would show that I was prepared and knew the small company beforehand, and it would offer tangible proof of my qualifications and abilities. I researched the company, market, and industry they were in. I packed for the trip and got in my car to go to the job interview. With me was a concise, thirty-page business plan and concept paper. It is always more persuasive to show rather than explain the initiative, thoughtfulness, and passion that you can offer an employer. I think any hiring manager would appreciate someone who will show the drive and willingness to go above and beyond. I also like to think that doing so makes it impossible for an employer to turn me down (or at least make them regret it if they did).

I showed up to my interview, where I met with the owners and key members of the leadership team. They expressed hesitation at my lack of relevant experience. In the end, however, they saw my potential and knew that it would outweigh my weakness. I received a job offer, which would be the beginning of my long journey in small business.

When looking back at the sequence of events that transpired in my professional career, I honestly didn’t have a roadmap or a fixed destination in mind. One step just naturally led to the next one. I based my decisions on the logical next move, one after the other. It was a series of navigations, treading water and jumping at the right time. I consider work experience to be the most important thing when you start your own business, especially when it’s in the same field. In that way, I’m not the best advocate for formal education (unless you pursue a career in a technical field). The lessons from this job had more applications in business and in life than the lessons I learned in school.

THE GELATO SHOP

The Gelato Shop was tucked away in a small commercial center which was designed to feel like a quaint village in the forest. The greenery was perfectly manicured and water fountains carefully maintained. At the same time, the giant pine trees surrounding the cluster of one-story structures evoked the natural growth of the woods. It was idyllic, pristine and picturesque. A strong sense of community permeated among the merchants with themed events and activities which were scheduled through the year.

The inside of the Gelato Shop reflected the whimsy and wonder that we sought to elicit from everyone who walked in our doors. The store had cheerful, peach-colored walls with lemon yellow accents and azure countertops. Pendant light lamps which matched the countertops warmly illuminated the space. Under the antique silver Milan ceiling tiles were stainless steel tables and chairs purposefully imported from Italy while depictions of famous landmarks served as the backdrop.

The piece de resistance was the gelato case or dipping cabinet in the center of the shop and visible from the outside. In it were pans of gelato in a rainbow of colors like art to be admired, appreciated and consumed, quite literally. We rotated among forty flavors of gelato and sorbetto. This excluded the seasonal flavors which customers looked forward to around the year. For fall, there were flavors like Pumpkin Spice, Cinnamon, Pumpkin Nutella Pie, Apple Pie and Coffee Cake. For winter, there were Winter Mint, Candy Cane, Bourbon Brown Butter Pecan, Grapefruit-Cranberry and Italian Eggnog.

LEARNING ON THE JOB

I soon learned how tough my first year in the Gelato Shop would be. Since I didn’t have practical experience in store operations management, I found myself learning while on the job. I’m sure that my co-workers were frustrated with my steep learning curve. Something that was common sense to them seemed alien or unknown to me. I feel like I came close to being fired a number of times in that first year. During my first week, my car broke down, so I called out of work. I didn’t know how big of a deal that was. In my mind, I prioritized fixing my car so that I would be able to get to work reliably and quickly in the future. However, how would the Gelato Shop open if no one was there to do it? That incident taught me to take a different approach. Find a ride to work and fix the car after the work day. For most companies, a new employee might be considered disposable at that stage, since they have not invested in their training. I am sure that it made a jarring second impression.

Another time, I was manning the store by myself. A restaurant across the street called to place a delivery. I closed the store, left a note on the door, and delivered the gelato. When I got back, my manager was there. She was furious. She told me never to close the store during hours of operation. Instead, call someone for help. Got it. After those incidents, I made sure to make up for my mistakes. I needed to learn as fast and work as hard as I could. I was committed to catching up, even just to reach the level where I needed to be. Most jobs are about being prepared, anticipating your manager’s needs, and handing in your deliverables in line with their expectations and timeline.

I will admit that while the financial compensation left something to be desired, the lessons I learned in small business were priceless. They say when you get a job; it is either to earn or to learn. One is good. Both are better. The owner-president of the Gelato Shop was generous with teaching me everything about running her business. In that sense, I was training how to be an entrepreneur, as it covered all aspects of business, from day-to-day operations to accounting to inventory management to human resources to technology and everything in between.

In addition to routine work, I was also tasked with projects that had to be completed within a reasonable timeframe and budget. The ongoing project list included repairs, asset purchases, store improvements, and much more. These projects often started as ideas from the owners or us employees. Then they would get approved and assigned a person to carry them out.

One simple thing that resonated with me was that bills had to be paid just on time—not early so as to preserve cash flow, but not late either so as to incur late fees. I have taken this way of approaching bills to my own business as well as my personal finances. The owner of the Gelato Shop was incensed if bills were paid late, particularly if late fees were incurred. She taught me diligence, mindfulness, and organization when it came to bills payable. I don’t think I’ve ever paid a bill late since.

She also believed in awards and recognition as a tool for marketing. To this end, we participated in contests, competitions, fundraisers, and charitable events. Besides the intended purpose of these events, it kept the company’s name current and on top of people’s minds.

My last important takeaway from this job was related to documentation. Everything needs to be documented. You never know if you might need to circle back to it in the future. The act of documentation will save you a lot of grief, headaches, and possibly even money. It might even prevent conflicts and legal bills in your future.