Looking for Satisfaction : A Biography (of opinions)
A Life of Discovery and new places
I have lived in California for many years. Originally born in England I moved to the US as a child growing up all over the East and eventually the West Coast. After completing much of my lower education in the American system we returned to Europe where I was privileged enough to go to an American High School in Zurich, Switzerland. Needless to say it was an experience that shaped my life and gave me valuable insight into international cultures.
Returning to California was quite a shock; especially coming from a High School with less than 200 students from over 100 different countries, I completed my High School and College Education in San Jose, California on Campus' of several thousand students. My focus was primarily on Business Finance with a minor in Economics. My Masters study in Traditional Chinese Medicine was of a more eclectic nature and fit my more personal desires for knowledge.I continued my studies outside of school by working directly with many of the worlds top Information Technology Analysts at Gartner Group and Dataquest. With 4 years of apprenticeship in IT answering client inquiries, by reading, understanding, and providing them with the necessary research. I eventually settled into a specialty of Client Support, Call Center/Help Desk design and management. Practically, I was able to apply my education by developing and managing the department the West Coast Hub for all communication into Gartner. I was given the opportunity to work with some of the most knowledgeable minds in the industry giving solutions to enterprise wide problems facing their technology clients.
With the evolution of the Internet; Customer Care became more than just answering the telephone. Email quickly replaced the phone as the preferred solution resource. With the new revolutions the industry evolved. I was asked to join Commtouch Software. Sequestered in a secret office in Silicon Valley I became the companies specialist in Client and End User Support. Our team developed End-user Technical Support, Client Services, Billing, Domain Management, and Hosted Email for the B-Messaging module of Microsoft’s B-Central Business solution. While satisfying I began to realize that life needed balence, and 60+ hours a week in a startup environment was becoming too much. I was ready for a change, saw the industry was quickly evolving past email into live chat. NewChannel (Live Person) was the next generation of Sales and Support on the internet. Thorugh a live chat window that poped up on clinent websites they allowed sales representatives to select the best visitors on their site to communicate with, avoiding live, in browser contact, while helping those who are most likely to make a purchase. Based on customer-defined rules, NewChannel automatically analyzes Web visitors' behavior and identifies the most qualified prospects. Sales representatives could then proactively select and invite visitors to a consultation, effectively bridging the gap between the sales representative and the prospect right there on the screen. IT was another startup, but I was woring on their Alpha and Beta product.
It was cutting edge: Now the sales representative could interactively discuss the product or service with the visitor to further advance the prospect through the sales process. This functionality shortens the sales cycle by reaching out to the customer when they were ready to discuss and potentially make a purchase. As the second NewChannel Client Services Consultant in the company, I worked with an assigned group of customers including MTS Canada, Intel, Dell Computers, Victoria Secrets, and Harley Davidson, and was responsible for the implementation, training and ongoing technical support of the NewChannel application service for each of those companies.
The primary function of the Client Services Consultant was to provide post sales support to customers. This role fit me well, it called for a candidate with proven troubleshooting skills who was able to be part of a team responsible for providing timely and effective technical support to all their customers by analyzing, isolating and resolving complex software, hardware and operational issues. It was another startup, but what I knew, and it was a chalenge all the way up untill I was asked to move to New York City....I saw an oportunity for change. Hello Direct had become part of GN Netcom and had been rebranded as the leading developer and direct marketer of desktop telephony products. quickly becoming a highly recognized and respected brand name in their industry. Their target market was profitable, they were pioneers in providing telecom products to underserved market segments such as telephone-intensive professionals and small- to medium-sized businesses and call centers. It was a perfect transition; their telecom hardware sales growth in the call center industry and my knowledge from designing call centers at Gartner and Comtouch opened up a wide variety of opportunities for me in all areas of the company. I settled comfortably into the inbound sales team as one of the top grossing representatives.
My call load required me to contact or "touch" no less than 80 to 100 customers per day and maintain a monthly average of no less than $50 per call. It was easy and fun! I had a distinct advantage over the other sales executives at Hello Direct as I clearly understood the wide variety of needed each client had and was able to quickly grow and develop a wide account base with companies like Island DefJam Records, the San Diego Convention Center and The University of Washington. I could offer training, educated assistance in upgrading telecom infrastructure, and offer innovative solutions to their problems. I made it a policy to not just make sales; but instead ask "What is it you are trying to do?" and be a resource rather than simply an order taker.
I set the pace in my department writing papers, giving training classes, and haviing that live customer intreaction by still working on the phones whch was something I loved.. We were known for doing things a little differently. They were the first to sell directly to individual target market. We did direct sales through an award-winning catalog, an outbound telemarketing group, and an award-winning internet web site; all of which i had a hand in. Hello Direct became the preeminent internet marketplace for telecommunications and we provide critically needed interface expertise, technology, and products.
Returning to California was quite a shock; especially coming from a High School with less than 200 students from over 100 different countries, I completed my High School and College Education in San Jose, California on Campus' of several thousand students. My focus was primarily on Business Finance with a minor in Economics. My Masters study in Traditional Chinese Medicine was of a more eclectic nature and fit my more personal desires for knowledge.I continued my studies outside of school by working directly with many of the worlds top Information Technology Analysts at Gartner Group and Dataquest. With 4 years of apprenticeship in IT answering client inquiries, by reading, understanding, and providing them with the necessary research. I eventually settled into a specialty of Client Support, Call Center/Help Desk design and management. Practically, I was able to apply my education by developing and managing the department the West Coast Hub for all communication into Gartner. I was given the opportunity to work with some of the most knowledgeable minds in the industry giving solutions to enterprise wide problems facing their technology clients.
With the evolution of the Internet; Customer Care became more than just answering the telephone. Email quickly replaced the phone as the preferred solution resource. With the new revolutions the industry evolved. I was asked to join Commtouch Software. Sequestered in a secret office in Silicon Valley I became the companies specialist in Client and End User Support. Our team developed End-user Technical Support, Client Services, Billing, Domain Management, and Hosted Email for the B-Messaging module of Microsoft’s B-Central Business solution. While satisfying I began to realize that life needed balence, and 60+ hours a week in a startup environment was becoming too much. I was ready for a change, saw the industry was quickly evolving past email into live chat. NewChannel (Live Person) was the next generation of Sales and Support on the internet. Thorugh a live chat window that poped up on clinent websites they allowed sales representatives to select the best visitors on their site to communicate with, avoiding live, in browser contact, while helping those who are most likely to make a purchase. Based on customer-defined rules, NewChannel automatically analyzes Web visitors' behavior and identifies the most qualified prospects. Sales representatives could then proactively select and invite visitors to a consultation, effectively bridging the gap between the sales representative and the prospect right there on the screen. IT was another startup, but I was woring on their Alpha and Beta product.
It was cutting edge: Now the sales representative could interactively discuss the product or service with the visitor to further advance the prospect through the sales process. This functionality shortens the sales cycle by reaching out to the customer when they were ready to discuss and potentially make a purchase. As the second NewChannel Client Services Consultant in the company, I worked with an assigned group of customers including MTS Canada, Intel, Dell Computers, Victoria Secrets, and Harley Davidson, and was responsible for the implementation, training and ongoing technical support of the NewChannel application service for each of those companies.
The primary function of the Client Services Consultant was to provide post sales support to customers. This role fit me well, it called for a candidate with proven troubleshooting skills who was able to be part of a team responsible for providing timely and effective technical support to all their customers by analyzing, isolating and resolving complex software, hardware and operational issues. It was another startup, but what I knew, and it was a chalenge all the way up untill I was asked to move to New York City....I saw an oportunity for change. Hello Direct had become part of GN Netcom and had been rebranded as the leading developer and direct marketer of desktop telephony products. quickly becoming a highly recognized and respected brand name in their industry. Their target market was profitable, they were pioneers in providing telecom products to underserved market segments such as telephone-intensive professionals and small- to medium-sized businesses and call centers. It was a perfect transition; their telecom hardware sales growth in the call center industry and my knowledge from designing call centers at Gartner and Comtouch opened up a wide variety of opportunities for me in all areas of the company. I settled comfortably into the inbound sales team as one of the top grossing representatives.
My call load required me to contact or "touch" no less than 80 to 100 customers per day and maintain a monthly average of no less than $50 per call. It was easy and fun! I had a distinct advantage over the other sales executives at Hello Direct as I clearly understood the wide variety of needed each client had and was able to quickly grow and develop a wide account base with companies like Island DefJam Records, the San Diego Convention Center and The University of Washington. I could offer training, educated assistance in upgrading telecom infrastructure, and offer innovative solutions to their problems. I made it a policy to not just make sales; but instead ask "What is it you are trying to do?" and be a resource rather than simply an order taker.
I set the pace in my department writing papers, giving training classes, and haviing that live customer intreaction by still working on the phones whch was something I loved.. We were known for doing things a little differently. They were the first to sell directly to individual target market. We did direct sales through an award-winning catalog, an outbound telemarketing group, and an award-winning internet web site; all of which i had a hand in. Hello Direct became the preeminent internet marketplace for telecommunications and we provide critically needed interface expertise, technology, and products.
With my "batteries" recharged; I wanted Independace> I took a risk that proved to be more work that Startups ever were. I followed my passion and what I had studies in college.
There are many aspects to running your own business. It takes more than just being a great body worker or massage therapist. I have seen many people underestimate the reality of being a therapist and quit because they can't start a thriving practice. Most people think that having a career in massage will be this wonderful thing because you get to help people. There is much more to it than that. ITs a full time job often requireing you to have "a side gig" for when times get tough.
Massage as in any other profession is a contract between the practitioners and the public so that the public can get a reliable, trustworthy service we must consider ethics. There are two possible relationships between the massage therapist and the client:
Where the therapist simply carries out the client's wishes, with no significant decisions, providing the treatment as requested.Where the client transfers all decisions to the therapist, so that the therapist determines and carries out the treatment in consultation with the client.
The primary responsibility of the therapist is ensuring the health and safety of the client. Work must be carried out with due care and diligence.
Becoming a massage practitioner has enriched my life greatly, but there have been some ups and downs along the way. Click Here to read more about my experiences and some of the lesser known facts and real life situations that you may find yourself in the middle of in your practice. These are mostly examples of real life situations from my practice or close friends practices.fter selling my Clinical and Commercial Massage Services I completed several consulting projects and eventually accepted the official position of Assistant Community Manager. In 2006 I took on a position as the Assistant Property Manager at Heritage Village Apartments in Campbell which is a 143 unit property.
My basic responsibilities included, leasing and marketing vacancies; collecting and posting rents; serving tenants notices; moving tenants in and out; scheduling maintenance; and solving resident issues positively. My primary responsibility was is to improve the overall property. This included evaluating rent increases/decreases and new pricing, determining unit improvements vs cost/profit, improving resident services, community relations, and acting in place of the manager for up to a month at a time. As an example of my impact; we added several resident services programs on the property which included special discounts at local business'. Special gym memberships and newsletters to bring the community together. Developed Marketing Material, a Web Site, and Resident Documentation for the residential side of the property. I Evaluated Policies and Procedures, Unit Pricing and Increases, Unit Upgrades. Consolidated and computerized resident and property information, and finally Implemented Resident Fitness Center Program.
I was hooked; I learnt everything I could and excelled. I was informed that the Community Manager would be taking a 2 month leave ad wad drommed head first into upper managemet, I loved the control and the thrill of being able to thake ownership. With my understanding of the property I was a good choice to fill the position and worked my way up quickly becomming the Community Manager at Park Plaza in Mountain View. I soon realized there was a tremendous amount of responsibilty being in charge of a large commnity of families and homes. An apartment community manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of an apartment community and its staff and has commercial accountability for planning, organizing and directing all apartment community services, including front-of-house (reception, concierge, leasing), community outlets (pool, laundry room gym) and housekeeping. In larger apartment communities like mine the community manager assigns responsibilities to department managers. They often have a specific remit (resident services, accounting, maintenance, gardening) and make up the general management team.
I enjoy all aspect of apartment management whether it be taking in rent and serving notices, handling tenants’ problems, turning over vacant units, or helping determine improvements to the property. Since I tend to take ownership of problems, and believe in proactively over reactivity. It was just like the old days and my previous experience in the hotel industry became a key advantage as there are many direct similarities although at a much different pace. I have done it ever since, learing as many different aspecto of the industry as possible. spending a year learning maintenace and remodeliing by working for multiple construction an remodeliing companies then returning to work for larger management companies like Essex Property Trust during the BRE merger.
Since 2015 I have worked for myself as a contracted consultant
There are many aspects to running your own business. It takes more than just being a great body worker or massage therapist. I have seen many people underestimate the reality of being a therapist and quit because they can't start a thriving practice. Most people think that having a career in massage will be this wonderful thing because you get to help people. There is much more to it than that. ITs a full time job often requireing you to have "a side gig" for when times get tough.
Massage as in any other profession is a contract between the practitioners and the public so that the public can get a reliable, trustworthy service we must consider ethics. There are two possible relationships between the massage therapist and the client:
Where the therapist simply carries out the client's wishes, with no significant decisions, providing the treatment as requested.Where the client transfers all decisions to the therapist, so that the therapist determines and carries out the treatment in consultation with the client.
The primary responsibility of the therapist is ensuring the health and safety of the client. Work must be carried out with due care and diligence.
Becoming a massage practitioner has enriched my life greatly, but there have been some ups and downs along the way. Click Here to read more about my experiences and some of the lesser known facts and real life situations that you may find yourself in the middle of in your practice. These are mostly examples of real life situations from my practice or close friends practices.fter selling my Clinical and Commercial Massage Services I completed several consulting projects and eventually accepted the official position of Assistant Community Manager. In 2006 I took on a position as the Assistant Property Manager at Heritage Village Apartments in Campbell which is a 143 unit property.
My basic responsibilities included, leasing and marketing vacancies; collecting and posting rents; serving tenants notices; moving tenants in and out; scheduling maintenance; and solving resident issues positively. My primary responsibility was is to improve the overall property. This included evaluating rent increases/decreases and new pricing, determining unit improvements vs cost/profit, improving resident services, community relations, and acting in place of the manager for up to a month at a time. As an example of my impact; we added several resident services programs on the property which included special discounts at local business'. Special gym memberships and newsletters to bring the community together. Developed Marketing Material, a Web Site, and Resident Documentation for the residential side of the property. I Evaluated Policies and Procedures, Unit Pricing and Increases, Unit Upgrades. Consolidated and computerized resident and property information, and finally Implemented Resident Fitness Center Program.
I was hooked; I learnt everything I could and excelled. I was informed that the Community Manager would be taking a 2 month leave ad wad drommed head first into upper managemet, I loved the control and the thrill of being able to thake ownership. With my understanding of the property I was a good choice to fill the position and worked my way up quickly becomming the Community Manager at Park Plaza in Mountain View. I soon realized there was a tremendous amount of responsibilty being in charge of a large commnity of families and homes. An apartment community manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of an apartment community and its staff and has commercial accountability for planning, organizing and directing all apartment community services, including front-of-house (reception, concierge, leasing), community outlets (pool, laundry room gym) and housekeeping. In larger apartment communities like mine the community manager assigns responsibilities to department managers. They often have a specific remit (resident services, accounting, maintenance, gardening) and make up the general management team.
I enjoy all aspect of apartment management whether it be taking in rent and serving notices, handling tenants’ problems, turning over vacant units, or helping determine improvements to the property. Since I tend to take ownership of problems, and believe in proactively over reactivity. It was just like the old days and my previous experience in the hotel industry became a key advantage as there are many direct similarities although at a much different pace. I have done it ever since, learing as many different aspecto of the industry as possible. spending a year learning maintenace and remodeliing by working for multiple construction an remodeliing companies then returning to work for larger management companies like Essex Property Trust during the BRE merger.
Since 2015 I have worked for myself as a contracted consultant
Daily moments
Embrace daily moments
Overall my favorite experience and most challenging position was becoming the Estate Caretaker for prvately owned Chateau Mijoba Estate & Vineyards; supervising all caretaking aspects of a private estate including a large primary residence and multiple vacation properties located in Southern California and the Caribbean. I work directly with the owners to plan and execute the overall management of the primary estate, its extensive grounds, elaborate art, antique, and wine collections, and have some involvement with the 9 additional sub-properties. My primary focus was always the safety and security of the home as well as the owners. The overall maintenance of the primary residence, security and comfort of the owners and their guests, their personal belongings , and co-ordination and scheduling of service for the entire estate.
Put simply a caretaker or keeper is a person that has the responsibility of the maintenance of the property, buildings, and the smooth running of an estate, especially when done in the absence of the owner. This includes making sure the heating/cooling system is working, painting, gardening, plumbing, carpentry, car maintenance, cleaning, portering goods, moving furniture, doing repairs, ordering materials, and charge of maintenance equipment. A caretaker may be asked to assist with heavy cleaning duties within the house, and may also be responsible for caring for animals or performing regular errands during their trips away.
The maintaining of the property, and the owners private information are obviously of most importance, giving them the peace of mind of knowing that their properties are being looked after while they are away and proactively ensuring that regular maintenance takes place. My time was spent managing and scheduling the household or I may have simply been to execute the daily maintenance of the household personally. I did everything; my responsibilities included, but were never limited to general household management needs, such as cleaning and maintenance (hands on or scheduling of), entertaining and etiquette, care of clothing and packing for travel, identifying issues, and care of fine china, silver, crystal, artwork, antiques, and cars. Put simply I acted as a House Manager helping to keep the properties running smoothly so the owners could worry less about their management and letting them enjoy themselves more.
My responsibilities did not include finances or planning and allocation of assets which was a welcome change to Apartments. On occasion I would travel ahead of the owners to get a property ready for their arrival and bring the property "up to speed" on any necessary maintenance needs, changes, or special service requirements. I was often required to call upon my previous experience in Property Management, Customer Care, Client Services, Food and Beverage Management. A position such as this requires you to be well-trained in multiple modalities and have excellent judgment regarding decisions about household maintenance and management such as hiring service people and providing direction to other resources.
These duties include:Overseeing the operation and maintenance of the estate and its multiple residencesMaintaining daily operation of the householdEnsure proper care and cleaning of the estate and its outlets. Maintenance of the driveway, pathways, patio and outdoor living spaces. Including scheduled care of formal gardens ( ensuring irrigation and lighting is working, mowing, planting and landscaping), the pool, spa and gazebo areaManaging the calendarOrganizing and running large events and partiesBooking travel arrangementsMaintaining household securityManaging designated improvement and renovation projects
When the owners are "on property"; in addition to the overall supervision of the home my duties expand to include concierge type services where I may perform the following responsibilities. This could range from basic guest services to arranging entertainment, local tourist trips for guests, tasting from the estate wine cellars, or anything from a simple dinner for eight to planning a grand formal gathering for fifty.
Put simply a caretaker or keeper is a person that has the responsibility of the maintenance of the property, buildings, and the smooth running of an estate, especially when done in the absence of the owner. This includes making sure the heating/cooling system is working, painting, gardening, plumbing, carpentry, car maintenance, cleaning, portering goods, moving furniture, doing repairs, ordering materials, and charge of maintenance equipment. A caretaker may be asked to assist with heavy cleaning duties within the house, and may also be responsible for caring for animals or performing regular errands during their trips away.
The maintaining of the property, and the owners private information are obviously of most importance, giving them the peace of mind of knowing that their properties are being looked after while they are away and proactively ensuring that regular maintenance takes place. My time was spent managing and scheduling the household or I may have simply been to execute the daily maintenance of the household personally. I did everything; my responsibilities included, but were never limited to general household management needs, such as cleaning and maintenance (hands on or scheduling of), entertaining and etiquette, care of clothing and packing for travel, identifying issues, and care of fine china, silver, crystal, artwork, antiques, and cars. Put simply I acted as a House Manager helping to keep the properties running smoothly so the owners could worry less about their management and letting them enjoy themselves more.
My responsibilities did not include finances or planning and allocation of assets which was a welcome change to Apartments. On occasion I would travel ahead of the owners to get a property ready for their arrival and bring the property "up to speed" on any necessary maintenance needs, changes, or special service requirements. I was often required to call upon my previous experience in Property Management, Customer Care, Client Services, Food and Beverage Management. A position such as this requires you to be well-trained in multiple modalities and have excellent judgment regarding decisions about household maintenance and management such as hiring service people and providing direction to other resources.
These duties include:Overseeing the operation and maintenance of the estate and its multiple residencesMaintaining daily operation of the householdEnsure proper care and cleaning of the estate and its outlets. Maintenance of the driveway, pathways, patio and outdoor living spaces. Including scheduled care of formal gardens ( ensuring irrigation and lighting is working, mowing, planting and landscaping), the pool, spa and gazebo areaManaging the calendarOrganizing and running large events and partiesBooking travel arrangementsMaintaining household securityManaging designated improvement and renovation projects
When the owners are "on property"; in addition to the overall supervision of the home my duties expand to include concierge type services where I may perform the following responsibilities. This could range from basic guest services to arranging entertainment, local tourist trips for guests, tasting from the estate wine cellars, or anything from a simple dinner for eight to planning a grand formal gathering for fifty.
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Providing multiple meals that are custom designed for the owners' particular requests and requirements. These meals are cooked fresh or packaged and stored, so that they may eat them at their leisure in the future. Preparation of the meals requires a knowledge of wine and food. Including the planning of menus within a weekly authorized budget for the menu, the purchase and stock of refrigerators and pantry to ensure freshness and likes of the owners and their guestsOrganizing and running large events and parties. Coordination or preparing for events at the primary residence as well as arrange catering to the other properties if requested. Set, Serve and Clean up as appropriate for the number of persons and have the ability to supervise other staff when needed.Maintaining the wine cellars with inventories of estate produced and additional domestically wines. Demonstrating a solid understanding of wine and food pairing, setting and serving of meals and drinks.The preparation for and receiving of guests using presentation skills that can be adapted to the level of formality of the eventPerforming valet duties for the owner at home and while traveling; running household and/or personal errands for the owner or guestsScheduling and managing service vendorsResponsibilities are not limited to the above as each experience requires its' own unique approach to personal service and to the household.
It is important to have excellent judgment regarding decisions about household maintenance and management such as using service people and providing direction to other vendors maintaining the properties. The level of “hands-on” involvement can vary from full participation in gardening and cleaning When dealing with multiple residences it is essential to have skills and experience that include, but are not limited to cleaning and maintenance (balancing hands on or use of outside resources), entertaining and etiquette, identifying needs, care of clothing and packing for travel, and care of the estates assets; fine china, silver, crystal, artwork, antiques, and cars.
Assistant to the Winemaker
As an added benefit I also have the opportunity to assist in the production of the estates five private label wine varieties all created using grapes selected from local Bay Area and Central Valley vineyards. A winemaker is a general term, also known as an enologist or vintner, and oversees the entire production process of creating wine, including grape harvesting, crushing, fermentation, aging, blending and bottling. They combine scientific concepts with practical experience to alter a wine's chemical composition and make key decisions based on the levels of acid, sugar, sulfur and sulfite within a wine.
And thats how I got to where I am today.....
It is important to have excellent judgment regarding decisions about household maintenance and management such as using service people and providing direction to other vendors maintaining the properties. The level of “hands-on” involvement can vary from full participation in gardening and cleaning When dealing with multiple residences it is essential to have skills and experience that include, but are not limited to cleaning and maintenance (balancing hands on or use of outside resources), entertaining and etiquette, identifying needs, care of clothing and packing for travel, and care of the estates assets; fine china, silver, crystal, artwork, antiques, and cars.
Assistant to the Winemaker
As an added benefit I also have the opportunity to assist in the production of the estates five private label wine varieties all created using grapes selected from local Bay Area and Central Valley vineyards. A winemaker is a general term, also known as an enologist or vintner, and oversees the entire production process of creating wine, including grape harvesting, crushing, fermentation, aging, blending and bottling. They combine scientific concepts with practical experience to alter a wine's chemical composition and make key decisions based on the levels of acid, sugar, sulfur and sulfite within a wine.
And thats how I got to where I am today.....