Mondays didn't work.

Here it is Wednesday and I was trying schedule my blogging for Mondays.  I found Mondays just don't work for me.  It seems that Tuesdays don't work either!  I was so busy today that it's 9:40pm and I realized that I still hadn't blogged this week, so I ran to the computer before heading off to bed to write a little something. 

I just read the book, "Midas Touch," by Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki.  I'm starting to get the whole idea about running a business instead of just having a job.  They are two completely different things.  Running a business helps to create jobs for others.  Having a job means that you do the work yourself or with others.  You need to work on a business, instead of in a business.  Your main objective should be to promote your business, otherwise there won't be any customers to keep it running.  It's very daunting to think of all the things that need to get done in order to run a successful business.  I'm going to have to sleep on this tonight in order to digest everything I've learned and to figure out which I want to be...a small self-employed company or a large business. 

My daughter brought home a strawberry shortcake tonight.  It reminded me of Spring.  Here we are on February 29th and we still have not have a big snowstorm where I live in Maryland.  Spring is literally around the corner and flowers are starting to bloom.  The trees already have buds on them and the birds are singing like crazy every day.  It's been great not having to shovel snow!

Let's see how Wednesday's work for blogging next week.  It's trial and error until I find the right fit. 

I hope the rest of your week is a sunny one! ~Terry  

     

Hair Accessory Line

Here are a few of the new hair accessories from our new product line.

I'm still here!

A long time has passed since I last posted and a lot has happened.  I finished the eleven Irish Dance Dresses in November and once they were done I had back surgery the day before Thanksgiving to remove two discs from my neck and had them fused. 

The one down side of surgery is the recovery period.  You are so limited with what you can do, but you still want to do everything.  I was really good during my recovery and did what I was told.  I rested and was very careful not to lift anything heavy. 

Thank goodness my family was so great with helping me in and out of the recliner, cooking for me, waiting on me, and pampering me.  I was even tucked into bed each night...very sweet.  I also want to thank all the women who brought dinner and desserts over to my family during this time.  The food was so good and they didn't just bring food...we got complete meals.  What a treat!

There is an upside to the recovery period, however.  I was able to stock up on many books and I took the time to read them from cover to cover.  I'm currently reading four books at the same time.  It's my equivalent to changing channels on the TV!  When I need a break from one, I'll switch to the other.  

I love business books.  Most of my classes in college dealt with business theory and the fundamentals of business.  I prefer the real life stories of how people started businesses, had to overcome problems, and prospered.  Social media is something that almost all the books talk about.  A great tip I just got from one of my seminars is to pick one day a week to update your social media.  When you pick one day a week you can make sure you have it scheduled and then you won't forget to do it.  It's so easy to put social media on the back burner, when you're trying to make  your production goals, but in order to connect with your customers you really need to keep them informed.  So, I'm not sure what day works best for me, but I put every else aside today to sit down and blog.

I also do a lot of research on the Internet.  During my "down time" I discovered Pinterest.  What an amazing website!  It's a feast for the eyes and if you need inspiration, this is the website to visit.  I happened to show my daughters this website and they are now hooked on it.  We are a family of handmade gifts and projects.  We constantly talk about different gifts for upcoming holidays and events.  Creativity is key and this website has a wealth of creative ideas.

Since I'm still recovering, I needed to refocus my business.  I'm not able to sew at the sewing machine for any length of time, so I decided to start a new product line that allowed me to create without needing a sewing machine.  We are no longer doing alterations, but we are now making hair accessories.  We had our first show last week at the C. Milton Wright Fashion Show in Bel Air, MD.  We received such positive responses about the new product line, that it looks like it was a good move.

I will be posting photos shortly.