Secrets from the Corner Office: Sabrina Hosang Jordan of Caribbean Food Delights
The series will feature interviews with prominent business leaders in the Hudson Valley including Joseph Rand of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate | Rand Realty, Sabrina Hosang Jordan of Caribbean Food Delights, Courtney Boniface of Cane & Boniface, John Wickes of Ira Wickes Arborists, Ann Byne of the Byne Group, Steve Botto of Steve Botto Landscaping, Sheldon Horowitz of the Safe Harbour Group and many others. Each of the interview participants will answer the same five questions so that readers can get consistent insight into the thinking of the Hudson Valley’s most successful business people.
Here is the interview of Sabrina Hosang Jordan of Caribbean Food Delights.
What one decision/event had the biggest impact on your business?
Our business has been blessed with many impactful events, but of them all, being the first Jamaican beef patty manufacturer to produce the Jamaican microwaveable beef patty would be considered our biggest accomplishment to date. Since its inception, our company has seen phenomenal growth in both domestic and international markets.
What is the best business advice that you ever received?
You would be surprised, but of all the many great business advice, there is none like my father’s: “Be honest, upfront and do the right thing, so that you can sleep at night!” He also stressed the importance of having a quality product and excellent customer service.
What is the one thing that you know now about your business that you wish you knew sooner?
If only we knew we would outgrow our 103,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility sooner, we would have acquired three times the space.
What is the secret to good hiring?
When you want to attract the right candidates for employment, you need to start them at the going rate for their position or you may lose them to another company who is offering more. Most people will be on their best behavior during the interviews so it’s not always easy to predict what kind of employee they may turn out to be but eventually they will show their true colors. When you do find someone who works well with the company and is good at what they do, they must be paid well or they will always be looking for something better elsewhere.
With all of the demands on your time, how do you organize your day?
I tackle the easier tasks first to get them out of the way. Then focus on the more difficult ones. On days when I have meetings, I make sure not to schedule them consecutively because it’s good to have a little break between each. I also don’t accept every invitation I receive, so that there is ample time for family life, which is very important to me. Every day won’t always go as planned, especially when running a business, but I try to get as much done as possible on days when things are running smoothly.
