Puzzle pieces

When I'm really freaking out about bike stuff - specifically bike shop stuff - I remember what Jay (one of our owners) told me once:

It's just bikes. It's not that big of a deal.

Alternately, I've also been told this, by Matt (one of our buyers):

Have you ever considered that you're being too ***ing sensitive about stuff like that?

Good points, both of them. If nothing else, it helps keep things in perspective. (But no, I wasn't being too sensitive in that particular instance.) But there's one area where most of my worry lies: staffing. Mark ... somehow ... created a nice foundation upon which the current staff is built. We have part-timers who have been here way longer than me, and in reality I've only hired four people.

Granted, all four have turned out very well, which makes me 4-for-4 and should help ease the burden of potentially screwing up the staff. But it's that potential that makes me consider and reconsider everybody I interview.

I really like our staff. It's a nice blend of grown-ups and younger types with a lot of different experiences and backgrounds. And everybody gets along and works well together and has fun. More importantly, they like being here. They want to help us succeed. I don't take that for granted.

So as I look through this pile of applications, which offers little except contact information, I'm trying to make sure I don't screw this things up. While it would be easy to remove an irritant should one find its way in, I'd rather not open the door to begin with.