Meet Jean Mann

We recently connected with Jean Mann and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jean, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I started my first business at 23 years old, an in-home cooking service. This was in an era when such services weren’t readily offered.

From the moment I started, my goal was to be reliable to my clients, accommodating where possible and always put out the best product I could.

That experience of being self-driven, and not afraid of creative innovation has informed my work ethic in all manner of business endeavors to date.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m an artist who has continually reinvented herself.

I started an in-home cooking service, and catered feasts for special occasion events.

Later, I became a multi-instrumental singer-songwriter and ukulele teacher.

Visual art has run through all these ventures: illustrated menus, gift certificates for cooking/music lessons, and self-designed album covers for my nine original CD’s.

Naturally these creative areas of my life/.work would one day meld into one another.

Enter, “Creative Gatherings: celebrating the five senses through participatory experience.”

For over two years, I have developed small-group gatherings, in which I lead 3 hour “mini-retreats” with culinary, art and musical components.

These gatherings consist of:

1) demo-ing a tasty, easy recipe (a fan favorite is chocolate croissant bread pudding)

followed by

2) a hands on, all-levels art project (among the favorites: ambient, colorful paper lanterns; how to start a sketch practice)

and wrapping up with

3) a short acoustic music performance while attendees wrap up art projects and enjoy the freshly created culinary treat.

I feel compelled to bring people together for these joyful gatherings in a time when community connection is needed more than ever.

I offered the first events in my 100 year old Seattle, Washington cottage and have since brought these events to private homes and community centers around the USA and one in Brussels, Belgium

I continue to expand the reach of who might benefit from these activities:
reunions
gal/guy pal groups
bridal shower
special occasion/birthdays
book groups
team-building

And more to come!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The three qualities I developed early on.

Take care in offering a quality product or service – pride of ownership

Be consistent: clear communication and reliability helps in developing positive, long-term client/patron relationships

Keep or develop a “child’s eye” fresh perspective – be open to new paths or directions.
You never know where the next brilliant idea will come from!

To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?

my parents instilled:

1) a good work ethic, don’t waste time (or money)

2) importance of recognizing and sharing your gifts

3) be kind.

4) don’t take for granted what you have, including your time on earth.
5) aesthetics of home and life are important.

6) have compassion for others, and especially for yourself.

7) learn something new everyday.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jeanmann.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanmann/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jean.mann.777
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjxCqbcX1TaFTSRZwnSCNtw
• Other: https://linktr.ee/jeanmann