One of the best bits of business advice I have ever heard was ?If you find the right fit for your team but don?t have a position for them make one!?? Last year Gemia, or Mia as we call her, came to me wanting to learn some of the back end work of what we do as photographers. It just so happened that after opening our escape room and moving people around we had an opening in our production department. This is the part of the business where we print, frame, mount, then hand finish all of the beautiful portrait products we deliver to our customers.?

Now I know what you?re thinking.?Didn?t I just read a blog post from Sam about all this?? Well, yeah you did. ?Unfortunately, our new Studio Manager wasn?t the right fit for our business and it forced me to look a little deeper.? What I didn?t realize was the right person was right in front of me. There were a lot of reasons I never considered Mia for this position but on the last day I worked with my last recruit I found myself missing the conversation and laughter that I normally had with my team.? The same conversation and laughter that just that day Mia reminded me was necessary for the morale of our team.?

The biggest reason I never considered Mia for the position was because I knew that working for me would take her away from her family. Being the mother of 5 children I know how important that is especially to her.? I decided I would offer her the position anyway and let her make the decision for herself.?So without further ado, I want to welcome Mia to the team.? Or at least a different part of the team anyway.? I am excited to have a trusted and fun associate by my side.? Someone I trust wholeheartedly.

A little about Mia?.? Well, a little won?t do.? She is an incredibly talented woman with a huge heart and passion.? An incredible seamstress she has built a business designing clothes for children & women and then selling the patterns and instructions for other interested sewist. Check out her blog Phat Quarters.

Among other things did I mention she has 5 kids?? 3 girls and 2 boys and as a family, they love to get out and adventure on a regular basis.? Waterfalls is a passionate chase they frequent.? It reminds me of the song waterfalls by TLC and anytime I think of her and her family the song plays in my head.? ?

Of course, my favorite thing about Mia is she?s a very simple human.? With her new job, we have introduced her to iPhones and an Apple MacBook Pro.? She has since said she doesn?t think she could ever go back but my favorite moment the other day was when I realized she had no knowledge of who the Kardashians are or even what LuLu Lemon is.? Every day is a new adventure with Mia and its fun to introduce her to knew things.?

What kind of person would I be if I didn?t share a little about Gary her husband…? Gary is the Waterfall chaser I mentioned earlier and passionate about outdoors and baseball.? The San Francisco Giants to be exact.? Mia on the other hand is a Dodgers fan and so you can imagine the tension that adds during baseball season and their family upbringings.? Mia loves baseball but I wouldn?t say she?s a diehard fan but I figured tilting this blog post Bringing her up for the minors was really fitting.?

Really the whole point of this was just to formally introduce you to Mia and tell the world how excited I am to have her by my side as my new Studio Manager and Assistant.? So welcome Mia.