Thanks for the Memories!

What will you remember most about 2010?

When I posed that question to the Vmeals team, I got (not surprisingly) a good cross section of the human experience. There were weddings and break-ups, births and cancer treatments. There was illness and injury, struggle and triumph.

We saw loved ones deployed to Iraq and safely (thankfully) returned home.

We set goals - individually and as a group. Some we made, some we missed.

We said good-bye to a couple of good long-time Vmeals employees who moved on to new opportunities and challenges, and we received several new team members for whom Vmeals became a welcome new career chapter.

We remember starting the year shocked at the devastation in Haiti, cheering for US Hockey team in the Olympics, and grieving the Gulf oil spill. We were astounded by Tiger Woods, Jesse James and Mel Gibson (again).We discoved a new gadget lust in the iPad. We believed in miracles as we watched the Chilean miner rescue.

Isn't it fascinating to look back? Check out the LA Times' year in pictures for a great recap of what we were all talking about in 2010. You'll see some of that here as we look back on some of our blog posts through the year. I've picked one from each month that I think represents what Vmeals is all about.

January: We were moved by Haitians in need.
February: We were inspired by the Olympics.
March: We jumped on the bacon bandwagon by saving our customer's bacon.
April: We observed Administative Professionals Week. She's not your father's secretary!
May: We gave you some building blocks for time management.
June: We showed you how easy arranging meals can be.
July: We celebrated Festive Foodie Fridays.
August: We secretely admired the Jet Blue employee that took two beers and jumped.
September: We went back to school with a Nook giveaway.
October: We celebrated our 10th birthday with Cake and presents.
November: We were feeling thankful.
December: We made a list for Santa and tried to convince him how good we'd been.

Have You Learned Your Lesson Yet?

The end of the year always has me feeling a little reflective as well as thoughtful about the year to come.

What will you remember about 2010? I’ll remember a number of personal and family milestones. I’ll also remember it as a tough year for business, but a defining one. We came to grips with a new normal and realized we couldn’t wait for the economy to put wind in our sails – we’d have to start rowing, and it would be hard work. We'd have to get inventive, innovative, resourceful. We’d have to stop whining and get to work.

If you didn’t lose a job, you may have felt more beholden (and not in a good way) to your present job. Salary freezes and pay cuts and dwindling budgets have been common. And the most tired phrase of the year? You need to do more with less. I’d like to do more with more. How about you?

But it’s not all bad news. I like to think of the tough times as character building. Challenges, hardships and obstacles have a way of showing us who we really are. Our focus becomes sharper and we understand what is important and what is distracting. We learn that our limits may not be as limited as we believed.

We learn valuable lessons – and I’m not talking about from all the failure, but rather from our success. We discover that we can do more than we thought we could do, so we learn to keep pushing ourselves further - when and where it really counts.

So what lessons have you learned in 2010?

2010 Word of the Year-Is it yours?

Merriam-Webster recently announced their pick for Word of the Year for 2010: austerity (meaning enforced or extreme economy). The runners up: moratorium and shellacking.

Does that sum up 2010 for you? Has the economy produced a culture of austerity, a moratorium on certain activities or spending you once enjoyed? Have you taken a shellacking on some front this year – lost a job, taken a pay cut or perk cut? Have you had to give up your gym membership, vacation, cable TV?

I hear it all over. Many of our customers have lost their job or had their budgets slashed. Many of our provider partners are feeling the pinch, and we get more and more inquiries from prospective restaurant and catering partners who are looking to us to help them salvage their business. Vmeals is pleased to have been able to weather this storm, but we’ve certainly tightened our belts around here too.

I ran into an old friend the other day. A few years ago she quit her (good) job to stay home and keep the books for her husband’s home improvement business. Now she is working half a dozen odd jobs – daycare, cleaning, sitting with the elderly - to make ends meet. Frankly, I would have been surprised to hear that her husband’s business was booming, but the struggle was still startling even in its familiarity.

Then there was the annual meeting at my church where the pastor and council described the budget shortfall and the tough choices about programs and staff we were going to have to make. All I could think was, “I am so sick of this.”

Aren’t you sick of it too?

I’m not sure what the answer is, but I think we should start setting our intentions on a very different word for 2011 – something like prosperity or growth, innovation or imagination. What do you think it should be? What will be your word for 2011?

Dear Santa, From Vmeals

Dear Santa,

On behalf of all of us here at Vmeals, we’ve been real good this year (well, most of us-but we’re a team so we’re sticking together on the naughty/nice thing). We hope you’ll find it in your heart to bring us a little something.

You must have a soft spot for Vmeals. It’s obvious you love a good meal, and nobody knows better than you do what a big job it is to manage so many deliveries. At least most of our orders are for 12 noon instead of 12 midnight!

So here's our wish list. I see some trends here…

The guys were no-frills: Jon and Anthony, our answer men in customer service, and Peter, our sales rep in New Jersey and Philly are looking for some cash in their stockings.

For Andrew, our technology ninja, only one thing could trump the gift of cash: a full night’s sleep. (He has a baby at home.) Those of us a little further down the path helpfully informed him that once his kids are old enough to let him sleep through the night, those pesky mid-life changes may not. I'm sure you can relate to sleepless nights, Santa.

Mike, our sales rep in Houston, is a Montana native. His wish is to see snow again. Surely you have some of that to spare at the North Pole!

The women in the office tended more towards gift requests that would give them some relief from the daily grind. Dawn, our business manager, Heather, our sales rep for northern Virginia, and Melissa, our community manager all wish for warm breezes and tropical drinks in some island paradise.(Note: Do not do a Google image search for “cabana boy” – too disturbing.)

In the same vein, our master juggler and plate spinner (aka COO), Laura would like a live-in, uniformed housekeeper. Depending on how old you are, think Hazel or Alice from the Brady Bunch. See how blissful life could be skipping arm-in-arm with your spouse and child and...maid?

Shayna, our sales rep in Atlanta, and I are going for the toys. We’d both like an iPad and some fabulous accessories – a Coach bag for her and a full closet of shoes and boots for me. At least after eating one's weight in Christmas cookies, the shoes and purses still fit. Am I right, Santa?

And then there are those relentless Pollyannas on staff who wish for things like good health, world peace, random acts of kindness – um, OK.

Seriously, we all so feel to full, so blessed here that it was harder than you might think to answer the question: If you could ask Santa for anything, what would it be?

Eric, our sales rep in Baltimore and DC wished for good health for his children. Helle, our menu wizard wished that every child in the world could have one gift to open. Kathy, our bean counter, wished for acts of kindness. Mary Pat, our Richmond and Charlottesville sales rep wished that people all over could feel whole and at peace (and a gym membership would be nice too).

If Vmeals were handling this order, we would submit it, make sure it is accepted, confirm the delivery is on schedule and then notify the recipients. But, you go ahead and do it your way, Santa. You're pretty good at your job too.

Love,
Vmeals

P.S. What's on your list?

'Tis the Season for a Few Stay-Healthy Tips

‘Tis the season – to get sick.

Winter has a sick reputation as cold and flu season, and I imagine there are a lot of reasons for this: the change of weather, the stress of the holidays and the germ incubator of humanity hunkered down in warm, airtight spaces.

I have a pretty hearty immune system from 16 years of child rearing and time spent in daycare centers, so I don’t worry much about getting sick – that is until I do get sick and then I am plunged into an abyss of despair and terror that I will never recover – but I digress…

If you spend any time thinking about all the possible ways you could get sick, you might also find yourself obsessing to the brink of insanity. Don’t. Instead, take a few basic precautions that will give you a fighting chance to get through the season in good health.

Take Care of Yourself

You know how the flight attendant tells you to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others? Well, that advice applies in most situations, and staying healthy is an inside job. Keep your immune system strong and ready to defend you by getting enough rest, drinking plenty of fluids (holiday cocktails don’t count), getting some exercise, and eating well – you know what that means: lean protein, whole grains, more fruits and veggies, less sugar and fat (and if you’re like me, just less).

Wash Your Hands

Hand washing was one of the most revolutionary practices in medicine, greatly reducing the risk of infection and death. Wash, wash, wash, and go ahead and use that hand sanitizer for good measure. Not only will you decrease your chances of getting sick, you will be doing your part as a good citizen to disrupt the contagion chain. Yes, your hands will get dry, and dry cracked hands are super sneaky spots for germs to hang out. So make sure you have some lotion on hand (literally). You should probably go ahead and stock up on your favorite sweet smelling creams and lotions in the name of public health.

Mind Your Environment

It may be common sense but use serving utensils at party buffets, don’t share cups, and don’t eat out of that bowl of snacks on the bar. No matter how diligent you are about hand washing, there are going to be plenty of others who are not. There are the obvious danger zones like door knobs, handles, keyboards and telephones. Taking a swipe at these with some disinfectant wipes is time well spent. It is also a good idea to keep tissues and hand sanitizer nearby as a visual reminder to sniffly coworkers who swing by your desk.

Most importantly, relax. There are so many good things to enjoy this time of year, don’t let yourself become phobic about germs. The stress will work against all your other good habits.

What tips do you have for staying healthy?

Vmeals can help reduce your stress. Let us help you arrange your office party or lunch for your next board meeting or year-end strategy session.

What does your holiday card say about you?

Does your company send out holiday cards?

It may feel like a landmine in these days of political correctness and multicultural sensitivity, but the truth is it’s nice to have a sort of universal occasion to celebrate. Even though we may not all observe the same religious beliefs or practices, we can take advantage of the holiday season to observe what we do all have in common: an appreciation and respect for humanity, the hope for peace, and the desire to experience joy.

Some may view the corporate holiday card as just another crass, commercial expression of the season – another grab for attention in a noisy marketing bazaar – but I am less inclined to think so in light of the way “personal” card exchanges have evolved.

Is it just me or has the Christmas card become a competitive sport? This is especially true if you have kids. How about the holiday letter? The ambitious put together an annual family resume of awesomeness to bring distant friends and relatives up to speed. You must know that these letters are usually accompanied by lots of exasperated eye rolling and the sure knowledge that there has got to be more interesting news than music lessons, varsity letters, exchange students, and promotions. In fact, there’s probably a lot more illness, job loss, and plain old mediocrity to look back on for most of us.

In the age of Facebook, we may not have quite so much catching up to do. Technology has made it pretty easy to create a family photo card that looks fabulous, so now the stakes for the “perfect” Christmas card are higher than ever. If you are feeling a little convicted right now, you’re in good company. I have been one of the biggest offenders and one of the worst card snobs.

When did the holiday card become all about us instead of serving as an opportunity to express our esteem and warm wishes for others? This is why I think the corporate card may be even less riddled with subtext than some family cards. The company card isn’t an annual report hailing all the successes from the past year. The company card simply says: Hey, we’re glad you’re in our world. We appreciate your business.

So this year I think I’m going to quit my job as art director for my family’s annual marketing piece and spend more time just letting friends and family know what they mean to me. Who's with me?

What do you think? Do you think friends and family want to hear more about you or from you? Is there any value in the corporate holiday card?