We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Fanchon Jones a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Fanchon , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

I’d like to think that one of the first things people notice about me is that I do a lot of things differently. Whether it’s parenting, human resources or cooking and baking. I’ve always tried to put my personal spin on things in order to yield above average outcomes. I always try to lead with kindness and empathy first. Which is what’s missing in many industries today.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

First and foremost I’m a mother of 3. I currently work as a Human Resources Director for a major chain Restaurant. My background and passion was and always will be Culinary Arts. I’m a classically trained and educated Chef. I hold 3 degrees. 1 in Culinary Science and the other 2 in Business Management. I consider baking my hobby but it has also become a side business for me. I’ve loved to cook and prepare food since I was 7 years old. It was always exciting for me to watch my mother and grandmother prepare for big family dinners and events. I’ve even dedicated years of my life to family recipes that my grandmother never got to share with me. I started with a basic recipe and worked at it year after year for at least 5 years until I got my sweet potato pie to taste just like Grandma’s used too and I know that she’d be proud. Now at family functions my siblings, nieces and nephews, my children, and our elders look forward to my cooking. It’s almost as if they’ve passed down the symbolic torch of host and cook of the family to me which I carry with great honor and pride. I love helping people. At my day job I pride myself on doing more than Human Resources. It’s important for me to make an impact. I’ve helped multiple people gain employment that were struggling with homelessness. Taught life skills to young adults going through highschool and college. As well as acted as a mother figure to more than 100 young adults. I’m most proud of how impactful I’ve been in many people’s lives and they have also impacted mine immensely and have helped me grow to be a better person.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

My advice for both would be to always show empathy, kindness, and be transparent. I’ve found that those 3 things will take you a long way with people. Plus in my opinion it is always better to be respected. Rather than feared.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding parts for me is seeing the genuine happiness in people. Sometimes what comes natural to me with helping someone, is sometimes viewed as above and beyond for the person on the receiving end. I love the satisfaction and immense joy that it brings to my heart. Knowing that I’ve made an impact.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Momboss950
• Facebook: Fanchon Jones