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Private Club Radio Show
401: Getting Your Reindeer: Anahi Perez on Creative Risk-Taking
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In this episode, we chat with Anahi Perez, clubhouse manager at North Shore Country Club, about her incredible journey from beverage cart attendant to powerhouse club leader. Anahi’s all about big ideas and making magic happen—like turning the basement into a haunted house and finally getting real reindeer for Christmas! She shares her passion for creating unforgettable member experiences and building a culture that feels like family. Anahi also opens up about how strategic marketing (MarCom) can transform a club, why a happy, balanced team makes all the difference, and why she’s a big believer in taking risks and getting creative. Tune in for a fun, inspiring conversation packed with tips and stories to elevate any club experience!
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Clubhouse Manager Interviews Anahei Perez
Speaker 1Hey everybody, welcome to the Private Club Radio Show, where we give you the scoop on all things private golf and country clubs from mastering leadership and management, food and beverage excellence, member engagement secrets, board governance and everything in between, all while keeping it fun and light. Whether you're a club veteran just getting your feet wet or somewhere in the middle, you are in the right place. I'm your host, denny Corby. Welcome to the show. And in this episode I am chatting with my new friend, anaheim Perez, the clubhouse manager at North Shore Country Club in Illinois, and we talk about her journey, starting off working on the BevCart to now clubhouse manager and all of what entailed through that whole process. She's very passionate and has this drive and commitment to, I think, like a lot of us are trying to. I don't want to say reshape how clubs approach things, but just the progression, the forwardness, the newness, uniqueness, the Marcom movement, that is, of how clubs approach their events, their community, their marketing, their everything, and so we talk about the importance of Marcom. We also touch on the topic of culture and balance and work and how to make everything work, focusing on prioritizing cultural fits and well-being for teams, and one of the best takeaways from the episode is that, with enough drive and going after things and taking some risks and taking a leap of faith, that's where the best results come from and because one day you will get your reindeer, just call back to the episode.
Speaker 1This is a great story, great episode. I know you're going to enjoy it. If you haven't done so already, sign up for the newsletter. Head on over to privateclubradiocom. The box pops up. There's some thanks to some of our show partners you're going to hear about a little bit later Concert Golf Partners, golf life navigators, kenneth's member vetting and myself. Denny Corby the Denny Corby Experience, magic, mind reading and comedy. It's one of the most fun event nights you're going to have, guaranteed Now, booking into 2025. If you want to learn more, head on over to dennycorbycom. Enough about that, let's get to the episode. Private Club Radio listeners. Let's welcome Anahai Perez. So what makes your Halloween event so much fun?
Speaker 2So our basement becomes like the haunted basement.
Speaker 1What it's terrifying.
Speaker 2Adults are terrified. It's already scary. It's a basement. Adults are terrified. It's already scary. It's a basement in a clubhouse and then our maintenance team goes all out. They love Halloween. So there are adults that will not go down there and you can see the kids that are brave and go through all of it. So that's wild. You know we have the usual offerings everybody else has.
Speaker 2you know, pumpkin carving pumpkin decoration, bouncy houses and everything else, um, but for us to casual and think of like going to a pumpkin farm, but in the country club I like it.
Speaker 1I like it. How long have you guys been doing that for? Oh?
Speaker 2Oh, years Since, before I got here.
Speaker 1Oh, so it's always been a big.
Speaker 2We've just gotten bigger. We go bigger every year. That's our niche. You give us, we'll top that. Hold my beer.
Speaker 1Hold my espresso, martini, that's funny.
Speaker 2So what's the big thing for 2024?
Speaker 1like what was your thing for for this year, for this year, for the whole year, oh or no, no, so for for the halloween thing there's.
Speaker 2So they made a coffin. It looks like a real coffin and it's hidden. So we've changed it up and it looks like a real coffin. Someone's going to go in there and pop out of there. So I've seen this thing come together and when they first pitched it to me, I'm thinking sure make it, whatever how it's going to be. I go in there and I saw I was like, oh, that looks like a real coffin, so it sounds huge.
Speaker 1I think I was driving to. I used to go to school in Boston many, many, many, many years ago and I would make the trek from Pennsylvania to New England, boston once, twice a month easy. And I remember there was a truck for a casket company and on the side and on the back it just said keep texting and driving.
Speaker 2Hey, get a point across.
Speaker 1It made me. I have it. I have it on my phone somewhere. I have to find it. But yeah, keep keep texting and driving. I was like, well played, well played.
Speaker 1I was like, well played, well played, but yeah. So I've been excited for this chat because you do a lot for the club industry, you do a lot for the community, you do a lot for the youth, you do a lot for education, you're big on community building and, yeah, it's something that I think we need a lot more of and I'm happy to see that you're doing a lot. Real quick, give us the you know, the 30,000 foot view, the two minute story. What got you to clubhouse manager at North Shore Country Club?
Speaker 2Oh God, what got me my kids, my kid got me my kids, my kid, I, I wanted, I want to make sure that he had a future and I wanted him to um be able. I want to be able to provide that for him. Um, but also because I started as like the beverage cart girl and the summer help, you know um I now can go back and be like, oh, I should.
Speaker 1No, this needs to change and you can't change it when you're at the bar.
Speaker 2You gotta, you gotta, move up there and do it. Um, so when I know that I'm we're mad, I go in and like what do you mean? You can't do that? Yes, you can Like, and I tell people you know, I was the beverage cart girl that didn't know the difference between a Pinot Noir and a vodka soda Like you can do it.
Speaker 1Come on, it couldn't have been that bad.
Speaker 2Yes, I remember working in the restaurant at my first club and someone asked me for a Grey Goose and something and some wine.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2I wouldn't have known the difference. I just knew how to take the order and say it back to the bartender, and the bartender would just grab it to me If he messed up. I would not have been able to say anything.
Speaker 1How old were you when you first started in clubs and?
Speaker 22021?.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2You know, most 21 year olds don't know the difference between like a, the difference between a Grey Goose Martini and perhaps a Sauvignon Blanc that is in a certain area of Italy. Why would you know that?
Speaker 1Yeah, and then at what point were you like? I think I'm going to stick in clubs.
Speaker 2The first time that one of my managers got got sick and it was a small event. I've done many events like that and they're like can you just do this? Uh, we're a little busy downstairs, this should be a no brainer. I'm like, yeah, I know the chef and I know how to get through it, got it, I got it. I got through it Cause I knew the staff, I knew the chef. I've done several of those small baby showers. I'm like, yeah, I can do this. Now, even to this day, I have days when I'm like I have no idea how I'm going to do this.
Speaker 2And I go through. Okay, I've been here, I've been here before. Just get through it. Just try it before you walk out.
Speaker 1Yeah, commit, first, figure the rest out later. Now, did you grow up in the Chicagoland area? Yeah, okay, I'm from Chicago. That's a unique, fun city area.
Speaker 2I call it the Willis Tower I. If you're a Packers fan, you know you come to Chicago, you get what you ask. You know that's what it is and don't start a conversation about pizza or baseball unless you're ready to have a sit down.
Speaker 1It can get very heated yeah.
Speaker 2I'm from the north side and I'm a White Sox fan, which is that's a topic of discussion.
Speaker 1I went to this was pre-pandemic, had to be 2000, maybe 16, 17 I did a. I was doing a doing a club show and then for some reason I stayed like an extra day and I just went on like ticket master and I got like a I believe it was an eight dollar, ten dollar ticket to the white socks game, all the way up just, but it was like the beer was $15. I was like, oh, the beer is more expensive than the ticket, but it was so much fun, the stadium was fun, the people were fun, it was just a really good time.
Speaker 2Hey, we like our baseball, no matter what Chicago likes their baseball. They like their sports. Yeah, and we can handle the weather, it's fine.
Speaker 1And you are a brand new CCM right this year. Congrats, congrats, thank you. How?
Speaker 2was that whole process Nerve wracking, A lot of studying, a lot of practice. And I recall that after I took the test I called my GM at the time. I called him. I said I'm sorry, I think I failed the test. I didn't tell him that I was taking it that day. I told him I'm going to take it I'm not telling you what day it is because I don't need any added pressure and so I took it. I thought I failed it, Called him. I said I'm sorry, I think I failed the test. I I'm going to have to take this class all over again. And three days later or four days later, I get the email in my office and I just start screaming like a crazy person in my office. When I got that I was like yes, what made you think that you failed?
Speaker 2It's a hard test. It takes a while, and it's a hard test, it, you know it, it takes a while and it's very easy. It's very easy, simple, to just like double, like second guess yourself and not sure if you did everything that you could. So, but I am one of those persons that, like I know what I know, and I'm you know, if I don't know it, I'm not going to sit here looking at it for two hours.
Speaker 1Yeah, so what was, what was the hardest part of the test? Like, what was like, what was your what? What section were did you struggle the most on?
Speaker 2Oh, membership, that that's what membership. But it is that marketing component and the terms. That's where I struggled, because I can. I'm like what does it mean? What is that? I don't use that terminology here. We use this terminology at the club, so um, but that's it.
Speaker 1What, what, uh, what, what area did you kill it?
Speaker 2Not food and beverage. Not food and beverage Um, it was actually a governance. So that's the one. I really I thought I would do amazing in food and beverage and I did fine. I was very surprised. I did really good in governance and um golf like, but I've been in country clubs for a while so I was like okay, that made sense, yeah. Yeah, I mean, you're pretty much your whole career has been in, been in country clubs for a while.
Speaker 1So I was like, okay, that made sense, yeah, yeah, I mean, you're pretty much your whole career has been in, been in clubs right for the most part for the most part, private clubs yeah, and then you've been at, uh, your current club for what? Seven, eight, nine years you you've been there.
Speaker 2We're teetering on the eight now that's awesome. Now did you start off club clubhouse manager there yeah, so I was a club manager, but we had a different structure back then. So we restructured a couple of times. So back then the clubhouse manager reported to another person. Now the clubhouse manager reports to the GM directly. So we've restructured as most clubs do.
Speaker 1Yeah, what was the reason for the restructure? Just to make it more efficient soon? Yeah, what what?
Speaker 2what? What was the reason for the re restructure? Just just to make it more efficient or Streamline it? Focus on other departments. We added more departments, so now we have like HR Mark in person. We didn't have those. When I started, it was a team of four, and so now there's like a whole gang here.
Speaker 1Well, so obviously then, that means the club is must be doing better, you must have more members.
Speaker 2Like everything must just everything's bigger, I'm telling you. We're bigger and better every year.
Speaker 1How? How many memberships do you have now and for, or like? Where did you start at and then where are you at now?
Speaker 2Oh, so we're at like five, 10 now you know FMEs, and maybe we were at 430, something back in 17. Don't call me on that number.
Speaker 1Yeah, zero quotes. When did you start? Because I remember when we first chatted it was a lot on the Marcom side. When did that start becoming a bigger component of your? I don't want to say beliefs, but like when. When did that start becoming a bigger? Um, well, I don't know, I can't even think of the word right now, but like when. When did that start becoming a thing for you?
Speaker 2Um, so that's always been in my belief, you know, because I was in retail for a while and when I was in retail, that was when that company was going through a rebranding. So I got to see what that meant for a company and I was just like, why don't clubs do this? You know, social media was also something I grew up with. Clubs weren't doing that, and so it's always been on my mind. The club here specifically didn't start that fully embracing it until maybe 2020, when we got our first Markham person. We had some people working through it and getting our feet wet with it, but not fully invested.
Speaker 1Yeah, it's definitely, and that's what I really enjoy too is people are now seeing and realizing, like this is not an admin position, like this isn't just, you know, a part time. This is like someone, this is a career. Like this is a I don't want to say a lifestyle, but it's like a, it's a way of life potentially. I mean just you know the mindset of it. Would you remember what you, what you learned or what you took away from watching the corporate rebrand and what you took into the club space?
Speaker 2Yeah, the brand, knowing the history of the brand, recognizing the brand and like everything from the color scheme, the roots, why everything was selected the way it was. And then I had known the brand for a while. So I was like, oh yeah, that that makes complete sense. I never knew that, but it makes complete sense. And as they were transitioning and the choices that were being made, I was just like you're staying true to your brand. This is. You're just making it modern, more embraced, because at that time they want to embrace the millennials. Like makes sense.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2And that's the same thing here. I always go into clubs. I'm just like. Before any employee walks into their first day, they should know what the club is for. Why are why?
Speaker 1And do you take that and instill that when you work with the new hires and work with new people and it's not just even staff, I'm sure it's members also you have to instill into them what the brand of the club is and what the mission is and the values and all of that as well.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, Well, there's. Here's the thing. There's two brands, really right. There's what the members see and then there's what the employees feel with it and something you know you have to make sure that they're you're aware that there's the brand that the members see, they have their perception, and then there's the brand that's in the employees as an employer. So that's two very big components. So you have your values for your members and your values for your employees, and that's important. We were really important for us the culture here of our employees as well as the culture of the members. Now, member culture is driven by its board. Employee culture is driven by us. We have full control over that.
Speaker 1What does it look like for your club from the member side and then from the employee side?
Speaker 2Well, it's big families for the member side. Big families, um, that is number one. It's in our mission statement. But even if I was to tell you right here, they're all somehow related to each other. They've grown up literally with each other. They like, oh, I remember that when they were adult, I'm like when they got married, I'm like I knew really like, and oh, we're married, they're cousin, they're my adult. I'm like when they got married, I'm like I knew really like, and oh, we're married, they're cousins, they're my cousin.
Speaker 2I'm like I didn't know this and I've been at clubs before. I hadn't seen it as ingrained as it is here, and it's just like. This makes sense and they generally care about each other. They know they call each other, even if it's like the younger ones or the older ones, like, you see them, like, oh, I knew his kids when they grew up and they go here. I'm like, oh, you know this, I know this because I see them. I didn't know that. You go way back, um, and on the other side, you know, everyone's like, oh, we, we have a big thing here for employees of don't overwork yourself, you are not saving lives. We have really good workers and it's just like give it grace, we can figure it out. If everybody needs to be here at every single moment in time, something's wrong, so something's going to come up from time to time. Whatever your best is at today it's your best, that's okay. Maybe tomorrow your best is better.
Speaker 1Have you always been that way and felt that way, or has that been a shift as well in you and your leadership and your personality?
Speaker 2Absolutely not. So I started in this industry when they told you you have to pay your dues and you've got to work. You know, especially as you're going up, you got to pay your dues. So working 14 days straight and 14 hour days, that was normal. You know they call it the a hundred days of hell.
Speaker 2I'm sure you've heard that before but it just didn't seem right and I I personally have had a challenge sometimes dealing with it, but I've been blessed that I had enough support to continue to do that. Um, being a parent, not everybody has that and I was just like how are other people doing it? Because I've been blessed. If they don't have it, how are they going to move forward? So it's been a shift when you go from being um as you go from the bottom of the like the chain to the top and now you're responsible for making sure that their success. But it's like no, I have to make sure that they're happy with their life so that they don't feel like they have to move out of the industry to get their fill of life because they're like, oh, I have to work. No, we don't, I can do it or somebody else can do it, you're going to stay in this industry if you feel like it fulfills your life goals. Like don't just work on your professional resume, work on your life resume.
Speaker 1What are you doing to work on your life goals, like, don't just work on your professional resume, work on your life resume.
Speaker 2What are you doing to work on your life resume? Well, so, um, I have a 15 year old that will be going to. It's going through um high school and then we're going to start looking at colleges pretty soon. Actually, have one um on Saturday, so that's wild.
Speaker 1Wait, looking at colleges at 15. Hey, it's all about the mindset. Wow, I don't think I looked at colleges.
Speaker 2I was like 18, you know, I didn't either, um, but it's a topic he and I've always discussed, and so for him it's a no-brainer, it's just. Yeah, college is after, it's's just yeah, college is after. It's not like what am I going to do after high school. It's just like going from first grade to second grade. You don't think about it, you just do it. So, that's a wrap.
Speaker 1I want to get back to your MarCom, because that's something you're very passionate about and that's something that you're building and doing a lot with in the Chicagoland area. Right, what? What made you start what? What put that on your radar more? And? And what are you doing to bring that more to light? And what are you doing in the industry to, you know, bring more awareness to it?
Speaker 2Well, I, you know I've had a lot of support from the um, our CMA chapter, here. They we've always been very grassroots in this area of like. If there's a need, we'll just figure it out and put it together. The other side was I remember when I started in this industry that the people around me might not work. They've supported me, they've guided me, they've given me advice on things and it's a phone call away, a text message, an email, whatever. That's always been. That's how I've gotten to where I'm at and anytime I go to anything that's CMA related, I always find my people. There's my tribe.
Speaker 2But, we talk a lot about operations and becoming GMs and things like that. Well, a Markham person wouldn't necessarily be interested in any of that, because they have their own niche of interest and their own challenges, have their own niche of interest and their own challenges and, quite frankly, it's new for the clubs. So they're the pioneers. They need their people too, they need their village, they need their tribe, and so if you put them all together, they may benefit just like all of us have in the past of like learning from each other's experiences. I think during COVID is what was like the biggest thing. We didn't know how to handle every change in COVID, but we call each other what are you doing? I'm doing this, what are you doing? How did that go? Well, that didn't go work and we'll hear our club. So don't do that Same thing. It's our network and while there isn't necessarily a confined space for them yet, if you just start it it will come. You know, feel the dreams here.
Speaker 1How big is your MarCom community now and what are you doing? And actually, how did you start it Like? So, was it just like? Was it just like a conversation? Like, do you guys meet monthly? What's that group look like, you know?
Speaker 2it started with another professional, one professional that I know in this area. She was at a different club and she had been on the operation side, moved over to the Marcom side and she she asked for help and support with us and I was like, okay, let's go with it and she had like her small group that she already talked to because she'd know them.
Speaker 2And I'm like I don't know those people, but I know many clubs and I'm sure that if I just call and ask to be connected to the person in charge of communications, I will talk to that person, or if I email them, they will respond back. It's just what private club people do, and so now I think we're like 15, 20 people that regularly attend or communicate between each other, and sometimes it gets up to 30, depending on whose days and how they all movement here and there. But that's a good number to have because we're all in this area. There's like the city clubs, there's the the city clubs, there's the country clubs, there's the yacht clubs, and so there's a little bit of difference between our clubs. But maybe we can learn from each other or or at least say like, what are you doing on camera? How do you do this? Did you see the updates? Do you like it?
Speaker 1it's the worst. No, I'm kidding it.
Speaker 2For some it's like, oh no, that's super easy, you just go here here. And it's like, yeah, I couldn't have figured that out, thanks.
Speaker 1There are some Canva wizards out there.
Speaker 2I don't ask me to be one, but I just want to connect them to each other. Because that's what I do. When I don't know how to do something, I go call somebody else like how did you do this? Or is this my idea? Does this sound great, you know? And if there is no solution, at least you don't feel alone.
Speaker 1You know, and that's what community is about.
Speaker 2Yeah, so that's how I feel about it. Cma has always given me a community, and so let's build more communities around it.
Speaker 1Coke or Pepsi.
Speaker 2Pepsi.
Speaker 1Oh God really.
Speaker 2Oh yeah.
Speaker 1Oh, all right, I think. I think we're done. I can't, ok, no.
Speaker 2Wait hold on.
Speaker 1Canned Coke or bottle glass bottle Coke? See, I don't, I don't experience glass bottle Coke much. I did in Mexico and it was very good, but then, if you really want to break it down, now are we talking like McDonald's fountain diet Coke, because that's a whole different, because that's a whole different end. That's a whole different game.
Speaker 2Yeah, two liters not the same as the can, not the same as the glass bottle, not the same as the fountain or the gun.
Speaker 1Nope, nope, nope, nope. What have been some of the biggest learning lessons from building your MarCom community?
Speaker 2Yeah, communication Okay to get a hold of people. Some people are still email, some people a phone call, some it's a text.
Speaker 1And we say people, are you meaning members?
Speaker 2I'm talking professionals, talking to the professionals.
Speaker 1So not even the member side. We're talking professional side.
Evolution of Marketing at North Shore
Speaker 2Okay, members, paper, email text, phone calls, and somehow you will still not get through all of them, and so you learn to accept that that is okay, as long as you, if you know that you did your best, you put out the information multiple ways, you made it accessible, it's okay. And any feedback that you get of like, well, could this have been a? Okay, we can see it, we can shoot for next time, that's okay. I'm not going to get 100%.
Speaker 1Have you always had this? What's the word I'm looking for? I want to say energy, but this, like almost like a calmness, like have you always had this like stoic, a little bit Like it's okay?
Speaker 2Hey, it is what it is, no no, Um, I always used to shoot for perfectionism and everything to be great, uh, prim and proper. You know the best of the best, yeah, Actually.
Speaker 2I ended up in North shore, um, and my bosses would be like aim for perfection. But I accept that you won't always get perfect, and when I'm going to get perfect you tell me I can't do. I'm going to do it. But when you start looking at things like communications, development arts, those things continue to develop. So you're never going to reach 100, because what is 100 today will be 110 tomorrow and 120 the day after. So you just have to keep shooting to improve, keep shooting Like that's what it is. And there was a point when I was just like all right, I finished all the goals that I wanted. Now what? Now I have this, so I got 100%. Now I don't feel fulfilled, I have nothing else to do anymore. And so I realized that I like the challenge and I like to keep on Like. I like the moving target. So if the moving target is keep improving, you're going to keep improving. So you just accept that, okay.
Speaker 1Did having the kid help. I'm sure that had to teach you patience and it's okay.
Speaker 2And a little bit, every day a little bit of patience, a little bit of baby steps forward yeah, but I think being in the private industry is what really drove that, because we kept growing, we kept growing, and so it was never the same every year. You know, um, and so you just learn to be gold like surf, ride the waves. I don't know if you serve, but like just ride the waves, enjoy that, get wet a little. Um, how my kids actually a lot more calm than I am, so that's that may have influenced me in that direction, but yeah, ooh, interesting, interesting.
Speaker 1What's the MarCom journey been like at North Shore Country Club?
Speaker 2Oh, it's been really interesting. We're actually in a time of forming, so-.
Speaker 1Go on.
Speaker 2We did not have a marketing or communications component until maybe my second year here and it was very part-time, very um reactive, less proactive, and then as can you.
Speaker 1Can you just go into what that means a little bit being reactive and not proactive when it comes to Markami stuff?
Speaker 2We didn't have a strategy, we didn't have branding guides. We used whatever logo, whatever font looked good If we were going to market an event. It was more like, oh, we should market this event, we know we have this calendar of events and we should communicate in this way. It was, oh, members like email, send an email out, send another one, and it's just like you know how many people like will tell you you're emailing me too much, stop emailing me, um, or we'll say, yeah, I get enough junk mail, stop it. With the flyers, and some people are like thank you for the flyer. So we were just whatever feedback we would get then we would react at the time. We were then eventually able to put in a person and invest in that person to have the communications component as one of their to-dos, with strategy, with organization, with skill, with fun, and so that developed A couple of years ago.
Speaker 2We actually ended up getting a very talented person here, jillian. She is amazing at what she does because she's very well organized, but also is very creative, and so she took it to a different role of all. Right, this is our brand, this is what this tells you. Don't bombard them with this. We have good usage. Right here, she was giving statistics and giving us knowledge. So now we were again proactive, strategic, strategic, not just shoot from the hip and let's see what happens. And so now we've gotten to a level of don't just do for the sake of doing, plan out successes, plan on what it's going to be, because that's the right way of doing things. Um, it's thought out, um, and here's the other side of it. You can't go when something doesn't go well, you can't say, oh well, we should have marketed. No, we did, we did, and that had its rates, you know?
Speaker 1uh that's no. I think that's a really good point there I was just talking with Ben Lorenzen about this too, and some other people. You put on the events or whatever it is. You do it, you promote it, you put it out, and whoever shows up, as long as they have a good time and you and the staff have a good time. So if it's not the biggest turnout that you expected, oh well, as long as everybody had fun, you may have lost a little bit. Oh well, you know, it's not going to be the first, not going to be the last. It's just about having fun for the members and showing them that hey, we're going to try some stuff, we're going to try new things, we're going to continue doing fun old things, but at the end of the day, we're here to have a good time.
Speaker 2Well, and here's the other side that Julian really brought up there's a marketing component after the event.
Speaker 1Ding, ding ding.
Speaker 2So it's not just the beginning, it's the end. And how do you tie that all together?
Speaker 1And using the marketing, the collateral, the things from that event to when you do it again, go look how much fun this was and then using it to promote the next one, and you know, giving it one, two, three different tries to see. And then at that point, I think, after you know two or three times of trying something, if for some reason it doesn't, you're like, okay, well, you know, was it us, was it them? You know something. If for some reason it doesn't, you're like, okay, well, you know, was it us, was it them? You know what, what, you know the who, what, where, when, why is that's when you can really figure it out. But I think just doing it once you can't get a full feel for if it was really a you know success or or not well, we as managers can think it's a success or failure.
Speaker 2Trust me, we've been there. We're like oh, that didn't go well. And then I was like oh, that was phenomenal, and it's just like yeah, okay, you're the ones that say it you know, were we at the same event no um, and will you have some answers absolutely like? But hey, I have a pictures and a bunch of emails from a lot of members that said it was great and she, j Julian, utilizes all of that information very well, like all the pictures that we gather it's.
Speaker 2It's getting us to a different level of user resources in the best way possible.
Speaker 1Now, how long has Julian been with you in the club for?
Speaker 2Julian's been with us for actually um a little over a year. She will actually be leaving us here next week, oh no.
Speaker 1So we're in the search for the next person that is. That's a. That's a sad, but also a good place to be. Yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, it's exciting in the sense of, like, jillian got us to a different level and so we don't. We now know this is where the level starts. It doesn't come from down here, it starts here, and that's exciting yeah, what are you so now?
Speaker 1so now, knowing all of this, what are you looking for in this next person coming in? So, because you know, you've been at the club seven years, you've seen this progression of Marcom, you've seen what the club can do with someone who's designated, who's in that spot. You've had a person who's done it well, obviously Unfortunate that she's, you know. Moving on to, you know, greater pastures. She's not dying. That sounded like she was dying. Greater passion, no kidding, but like. So now, you as you as a group, you as a whole, what are you now looking for? Cause, cause, I'm sure what you were looking for a year, year and a half ago when you brought her on, I'm sure it might be different now you know that you've had a good person in place. What are you now looking for? And what's? What's? What's that next step for you guys?
Speaker 2So the this is the bit. The best thing about Jillian and this is what I'm also looking for in the next candidate is her willingness to push us outside our comfort zones and our boundaries. You know, um, because it's changing in it and outside of our industry. It is utilized heavily in many ways that we don't utilize it in our clubs, and so when she would have a case for something, you would know that she would have it and she was comfortable making us uncomfortable and I love that about her because it just pushed us to be better. And so someone that has that drive of like, let's get better, let's do more. If, even if you say no, I'm going to come back tomorrow and say and ask again that drive, it's a drive, it's grit, um.
Speaker 2The other side is Jillian. She was a good cultural fit for us. So that's the other side. I look heavily on cultural fit for our group. It's what makes all of us really happy, and happy is what makes them want to come back. So whenever we have our ops meeting started, we have the usual like I'm doing this, this and this, tomorrow I'm doing this, but then we have fun in there, we joke around, there's good energy, I like that?
Speaker 1Did she come from clubs or was this her first club?
Speaker 2No, she came from clubs. She came from the East Coast, and so now she was in the Midwest and so that was awesome.
Speaker 1Now she's going to California. She's working her way across.
Speaker 2Oh no. No, she's not going terribly far, but she came from a city club, so that was also the transition of a city club into a country club.
Speaker 1And that's a cool perspective coming from not just the club space, not just another golf club country club, but coming from a city club, because that's a whole different animal. Yes, especially because a lot of the members of city clubs are also members of a country club. They're usually members of both as well. So it's yeah, that's a whole different animal, and to do that effectively and well is very difficult.
Speaker 2You know she had for every event that we had that was larger and typical for the country club to have. She had like curiosity and she had some joy in it. And then I want to say a sense of like a wonder, you know, because she had never done it after. Wonder, you know, because she had never done it after. I remember her first, uh, independence day event with us. She was so like this is amazing, you put people there and all these kids are. I'm like, yeah, that's typical, but her wonder of the event, like in curiosity and love of it, I was just like, oh, I remember that and that's what we need. Like that, that's a good thing to have the fascination with it that is the golden nugget, right right there.
Speaker 1No, it is true, just to have that, that, that sense of wonder, that curiosity is huge, huge, um, that's where innovation comes from. When you start to you, know you, I, I think back to you, know me, and like magic, that's, that's all. Magic is just being curious and finding out. Oh, I didn't know that this thing can do this, or you know, it's just, it's like like, like, tinkering, it's just like oh, I wonder what happens if I flip. That's oh, what happens if I go here? Oh, I get zapped. Okay, not gonna do that again, but at least, like you know, you know, but that's just where creativity and stuff comes from. So, oh, that's solid.
Speaker 2That's great because I've done these events so I can do the basic of it. But that extra spice just helps us go to the next level.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2It's like having cookies, like chocolate chip cookies and adding salt to it. Try it what. Try it what. Try it.
Speaker 1Salt to chocolate chip cookies.
Speaker 2Just a little bit of sprinkle before you bake them.
Speaker 1Now okay, okay, okay. So when you eat watermelon, do you put salt on the watermelon?
Speaker 2I'm Mexican, I put tajin salt on the watermelon.
Speaker 1I'm Mexican, I put that here. So I I did a uh, I did a group in Texas and uh, it was the uh um, the state department of Texas health protective services. I was doing a thing for them and uh, I think I did like a uh Instagram of putting like salt on my watermelon. He's like Tahin. So I had, like, I went and found I was like this stuff is game changer. It was so good, um. And then I was just down, down in mexico and it was everywhere like it's, it's usually come off the plane. They like sprinkle you with it.
Speaker 2It's amazing, okay all right, so did I make up for the pepsi thing now uh, yes, yes, we, we are now back to even.
Speaker 1We are, we're back to level.
Speaker 2It's uh, I wouldn't, it's, we're, we're back to level the one thing that I would like to say is I would like our professionals to get uncomfortable and to be happy about it. There are so many things that we like to be in control of, but, like, real success comes when you just try something new, go through the discomfort, see what, let it come to you. It might not be that bad. Let you know. Let your hair down.
Speaker 1I feel like we were that way during the pandemic and it's going to be very hard to get back to that point. I don't think we'll, I don't think we're going to be as creative as we were during during that time.
Speaker 2You know, I would challenge that.
Speaker 1Please do.
Speaker 2I get because it's not a good reason. Give me a good reason to not. Give me a good reason not to have some joy. Or like we, we got uncomfortable and we did it great. Like the, the, the club, like the club business just got better. So why not embrace that?
Speaker 1I. I think it's, it's hard for it. It was because, like limitations, force creativity I think to. For that I think it's, it's hard for it. It was because, like limitations, force creativity I think to. For that I think it forced. I think being forced it'll. We won't be as creative as we were. For that what? Six, seven, eight, nine months?
Speaker 2Right. What I'm getting at is surround yourself with the creative people. If you're not a creative person, open your mind to listening to the one kooky idea. I tell this to my staff one day you'll get your reindeer. So, side story For many years I wanted for a Christmas event. I wanted to bring reindeer, like we had gotten the Santa. We'd gotten like all the characters or whatever. I wanted real reindeer. And every year I'd ask can I get reindeer? No, can I get reindeer? No, every year during covid I asked for reindeer and someone brought me ponies with antlers. So I lost a little discredit. A little like didn't go well for me for the next couple of years when I asked it. But one day I wore them out Like they're like fine, get your reindeer, got reindeer and it was awesome to have the reindeer here and I'm sure the members loved it.
Speaker 1The kids must've freaked out. It was probably. They probably then went to themselves. Why do we wait so long?
Speaker 2to bring in the reindeer. So that's what I'm getting at. It's like if you're not the creative person, then get comfortable with bringing the person that is creative and a little to the left on how you think, and just listen to them. Say yes, for one thing, just try it. One day you'll get your reindeer.
Speaker 1That might end up being the title of the episode.
Speaker 2This beverage cart girl somehow ended up being here, you know, and got a reindeer.
Speaker 1Yeah, and I think that's going to be the clip that starts the episode now. So you just you knocked it out of the park. This is awesome. I want to thank you so much for coming on. I really appreciate this. Thank you so much for coming on. Thank you for all you do for the industry, for Chicago land, for the Marcom people, for the industry for Chicagoland, for the Marcom people, for the club people. Keep doing it, keep killing it, and I'll talk to you soon.
Speaker 2All right, dan Take care. All right, enjoy your tahini.
Speaker 1Hope you all enjoyed that. If you did a like, share, subscribe With a friend, a colleague, your team. A five-star rating is always appreciated. It means the world costs nothing. And if you want to throw a review, even better. That's this episode. Until next time, catch you all on the flippity flip.
