A Loss and a Lesson

I lost a wedding. 

I lost a wedding this weekend because I was honest with them. 

I lost a wedding this weekend because I was honest with them that I didn't have the right skill set to give them what they wanted...

so they found someone who could.

I HATE loosing. The older I get the more I realize how very competitive I am about just about anything I do, and this has been no exception. The very thought of loss makes me want to snarl and growl and snap at myself for not making the grade.

My head knows that you can't really loose something you never had in the first place, there had been no contract agreement made. However, my heart refuses to hear it. Honesty is the best policy for sure, and I have never attempted the sugar art they were requesting and therefore was not certain that I could deliver to their expectations. They were not interested in the alternatives I offered and took their business elsewhere. It was the right thing to do, for both parties, but it doesn't make it suck any less for the loosing side.

While my competitiveness may occasionally fall on the side of my negative personality traits, I do tend to adapt very quickly in most cases to any negative stimulus. If something's not working I usually don't hesitate to adjust my plan of action accordingly. I've missed out on some business because people don't want to drive all the way out to Kasson. I'm working on Rochester pick up location. I lost another wedding because I wasn't offering delivery. I now offer delivery. I lost this wedding because I wasn't offering gumpaste flowers. I'm now on a gumpaste flower learning quest. 

The next day, I learned how to make a rose. My technique still needs a bit of work but I'm very happy with how it turned out none the less.

 Yesterday I learned how to make a carnation. Took me 3 tries, but I finally nailed it.

 Today I did a cala lilly. I can't wait to try these in some other colors.

So far so good I'd say! My plan is 1 new flower a day till I have a good sized base I feel I can offer on Neher Confection's products. I don't really have a certain # of flowers I would like to have available, but I do want a good variety. So, ultimately I'm trying to turn my losses into my future clients' gain which is probably the best thing to do when you loose anyway. I guess a few negatives really CAN make a positive!