I have met with a situation not unlike this in the past so I’m speaking from experience here, and my advice is:
Let him shine, because the majority of business problems are caused by half-assed/resentful/ignorant staff!
You have a treasure here, a guy willing to go the extra mile and then some with his own knowledge, and I can understand it bites your ego but you really need to let this guy be doing his thing because he evidently loves the work and the opportunities, and he’s going to make your shop a desirable place to go for help, more than if he was just some sullen lout clock-watching and secretly sneering at your customers.
That’s him sorted.
You?
Book below, plus pick an area of magick he’s not so hot on and dive in, that way you’ll not be competing and can enhance the stuff your business offers.
Excellent book to get you back on top of things: The Science Of Being Great. It’s out of copyright so there are also PDFs readily available.
First off congrats on starting your venture second stop worrying get on earn some dollars and benefit from someone elses knowledge, your employees are assets first and foremost and it seems like you have an extremelty valuable asset for your business in this guy so he knows more than you ? so what ? unless you are stupidly busy all the time then when its quiet learn from him listen to what he talks about with customers use it as a learning tool to improve your own knowledge you will probably find that alot of people that come in will not be experienced in these arts so will look up to you and your staff for answers to simple questions if more knowledgeable people come in and you cant answer their question then direct them to your employee and join in where you can but most of all listen and learn if i go in to a shop and ask a question they will get more respect from me if they say i dont want to give you bad advice so let me see if so and so is free rather than trying to bluff their way through an explanation.
If you started a business as an ego booster then you are not in it for the right reasons throughout life there will always be people who will know more than you never be afraid to admit “you dont know” but “i’m interested to hear what you have to say about it” and so on.
What a brilliant tool for learning you have as it will put you into contact with a huge range of people from all sorts of paths and influences good luck with it !
WOW, you got NO reason to feel bad just because this guy is enthusiastic then, you’re doing the real bricks and mortar work without which nothing else get a chance to thrive!
Thank you Kheldorallon…
Not ego driven but passion driven. Ego I believe is the driving force behind all of our everyday actions? Otherwise we would never get out of bed. Or at least I wouldn’t…lol. I can be lazy, but not with my shop. That’s one thing I can take great credit for and be proud of. Danizeil made this manifest with will, and hard work.
Congrats on your business! It looks like a great place. I have to drive little over an hour to go to shops that are a lot smaller than yours. I’d frequently visit yours if it was near me haha
Wow that looks epic Danizeil you know what you cant go far wrong if you are so passionate about something you make it happen to the extent you have there massive respect to you fella
This is a blessing in disguise. Your company might have failed fast if you didnt have this employee who is motivated and knows this information. Now what you need to do is basically become his trainee. FYI You dont have to tell him that. Pay attention and take notes on all the products and why he recommends them. When customers ask questions make notes and write them down with the answers. You are having a successful business that is teaching you more about magic? Maybe offer some classes with your employee teaching for extra income using the supplies you sell. You take all the classes and learn just like the customers.
Within a short time you learn at least half of what he knows and a few years you will know most of what he knows.
This is not a dilemma by any means this is projection and jealousy - forgive me if that is harsh.
Use him - he is GOLD - he’ll bring in the punters. Release the jealousy, do what the hell you have to, to get past it. If you hamstring him, he’ll soon realise that he’s the UNIQUE SELLING POINT and may well go off and start up on his own. Use this time to build your own knowledge and become the eminence gris - the backroom power.
Is this your first venture? Unless you are planning to do everything yourself then you need people like your employee so don’t allow your own faults to compromise your business. I’ve seen this happen in small businesses and in large corporations and HE - in bigger organisations you end up with a car crash of a line manager who has a history of employees who ‘left under a cloud’. Sure they did… I know different.
Best advice - get over it really quickly if you want to stay in business and acknowledge any and all ideas this person has.
Best thing is to keep studying even if it’s bits and pieces it is still valuable. Also having knowledgeable staff is a good thing listen to what they say and look it up as part of your on going research moderate envy is ok it will drive you to gain you employees knowledge and drive.
A young guy was once sitting with Henry Ford, in Ford’s office. Over the course of the conversation he pointed out to the young man a desk phone with 50 patch buttons. He explained to the young man that each button connected him immediately to someone who knew more about something then he did. He explained that the ability to do this was essential to his success. Why? Because there was no way any one individual could do what the team could accomplish with relative ease.
Learn what he knows. Learn things he does not know. If he specializes in something in particular then find something different that compliments that in your store and become the one to speak to on the subject. And do not sell yourself short. You said you feel like you are just the investor, but consider what a feat of magick it is to take something from concept to physicality. If you had not done what you are doing then would your employee even have the job? It all takes time.
Are you the brew master/craftsman? If not then you are denying yourself an awesome, regular excuse to be practicing and performing magick in the creation process. Brewing oils and tinctures, blending and experimenting with new incense formulas, pouring custom candles for specific situations, etc. It can also speed your learning. It is one of the most important reasons I advocate creating one’s own tools.
Also consider that the person working for you may at any time not be working for you, for a variety of reasons. At some point you will have to carry on, so that should be one hell of a motivator for you as well. Use the situation to your advantage while the advantage is present.
100% correct - you may need to cover or find a replacement at some point due to health issues or family commitments.
A business owner or manager can not and has no business being jealous or envious or negative about his employees. I’m sorry but all your initial investment will be lost if you allow that to happen and don’t allow the right people to do the job.
You will have enough work to do - trust me and you can then improve your own ritual workings as others have pointed out.
I actually have a good deal of knowledge of the products we offer as I have been in occult retail since 1994. I worked for a metaphysical shop for about 1 1/2 years then and decided to go back to college. Then I worked more recently in the Bronx with a friend from way back making Incense and helping her with Witch-fest and other endeavors. My issue is lack of knowledge…i.e. Someone asked me the origin of baphomet. I explained the symbolism behind the goatheaded figure, and she continued, “but what country is the origin?” I said “Well the depiction your looking at is by Eliphas Levi, but I’m not sure which country or when.” My employee chimed in with “oh, he’s from France, and mid such century…blurb blurb”…
You get the idea. It’s little things like that. I can’t tell you about Kabbalah, the tree of life, or Tibetan rituals, but I can work awesome fucking candle magick! But I feel stupid for not having all the answers and beat myself up pretty bad sometimes. I have to say, I’m in a much better place this evening than I was is morning.
Thank you! I guess I may have taken a risk, but I decided to go for it and display my sigil plaques that I’ve been working on. One for Lucifer and Azazel, and the other for Belial to whom this shop is owed and dedicated.
@Danizeil87–you have so much occult knowledge from this line in your post alone, and you don’t even know it. The Roman Catholic Church is steeped in occultism, you were doing every Sunday, man! Think about it. I bet you know more about angels and saints than your employee. You definitely understanding, in a deep and rich way, the purpose of ritual and how it works in ones life. I would guess that you are very familiar with Catholic mythology, you would be able to guide people through the myths of their lives, especially if they are from a Christian background.
Thanks guys for empowering me…! My employee is an asset and a good friend and Magician. I was just in a bad place the day I posted this, feeling sorry for myself for other things in life I thought I had failed at, and like I usually do, piled whatever else I could on top to make it all worse. I got through that day, and will take all of your advise from each of you. I realize I know more than I give myself credit for. But I guess somewhere along the way I learned to think I was bad at everything I did. Psychotherapist on forum??? Lol.
moderate envy is ok it will drive you to gain you employees knowledge and drive.
it just looks utterly beautiful. Great.