Crystal Trino's Journal Sep 26 2006 Entry

September 26. Tuesday Night.

Hi Journey.

I don’t like to go and even remotely play like the heavy Journey; but sometimes when you’re the boss you just have to make what my dad would call a command decision.

Viv asked me to boost her base yesterday. I said no. The only one I plan on handing out a raise to right now is Joni, and it’s not because she’s pregnant. It’s because when she works harder--and smarter--all she receives is part of the bi-annual bonus. There’s no commission tied to her production, the way there is for Shelly and Dana and Viv.

What I did agree to do with Viv was re-evaluate the commission compensation, and possibly build in a bit more margin for Dana and Shelly and her. We’re probably overdue for a slight altering of our structure, anyway.

She took it OK; didn’t pout, and didn’t back into a defensive posture right away.

I suppose I should be grateful for that, but actually Journey it just worried me a bit more. It probably means she has something else on her mind.

Or up her sleeve.

Bloom team meeting went well today. Everybody liked my idea to create a contest to send a client to the The London Design Festival. Everybody except Joni. She suggested we send them to Dining by Design at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, instead.

That’s my Joni, always the frugal one. But the team voted her down. Lord knows I love Chicago, but for a contest it’s much more enticing to send a client someplace she can’t merely drive to in a day or fly to in an hour. So, London it is.

Nothing back from Sid, yet. But I only mailed my letter yesterday, and I suppose it won’t even hit his mailbox in Manhattan any before Thursday or Friday. I can wait.

BizTap meeting on Thursday. Bridgette rang up yesterday, begging off from attending. BizTap isn’t as important to her these days, especially with all the national sales reps she oversees at the paper company. But she does like to keep her hand in with the local networking. She confided in me once that you never know when you might find yourself out of a job and need some quick local help to land something, fast. A kind of bridge job, I think they call it.

Anyway, she had a lead for me on a local bank that’s thinking about overhauling three of their branches. Apparently they like the way the First Charter Bank came out, and one of the vice presidents knew Bridgette and asked if she knew of any design firms that could do a good job.

Wouldn’t it be sweet revenge if I could win that business back for Shelly? I know one thing, there’s no way in the world we’re going to let Derrick, Isaac, Robinson and Trent beat us out on this one. I’d practically give away the work, just to get a local bank as a client.

Hey, I said practically--I haven’t completely lost my mind.

Goodnight, Journey