January in Review/February's To Do List

Here was my To Do List for January:

Start Couch to 5K (again) on the 10th I tried this once before, and I think I made it two days, but I'm going to try again. Really, I am.
Um, what the heck was I thinking? It's January! This really wasn't realistic at all. I'm moving this to March, when its warmer, lol.

Sunday Clean Up (9th- laundry and guest bath, 16th-kitchen, 23rd-living room, 30-dining room) Since it looks like we will be staying in Alabama awhile longer (knock on wood) I've decided I will go through the house, room by room. Not so much cleaning, cause I hate cleaning, and I'm not really good at it anyway, but re-organizing/de-cluttering/redecorating.
I actually did 3 of the 4 rooms I had planned! I will have to make posts for each room showing what I did, but progress!

Order 200 yards interfacing Not as easy as it sounds, trust me, its rather an ordeal, but I need to do it :(
Done! Of coarse it hasn't arrived yet, because of the super blizzard, lol. Even better, the price went down since the last time I ordered.

Left over pre-made inventory I think I have this figured out what to do with most of the pre-made inventory left over from the holiday craft show season, I just need to do it, lol.
Not so much...

Catch up on sales rep stuff Seriously, if my sales reps don't mutiny on me. Its a lot of tedious little things, missing key chains, some of them moved, etc. But instead of doing it one by one, I've let it pile up into this mass of to do's labeled "reps". Ugh, not looking forward to this one, but very much looking forward to crossing it off my list and having happy reps for 2011 :)
I hired a new rep coordinator and she's taking over much of these responsibilities for me! I'm very excited for this new direction the business is taking, although a little sad, as I forward all the emails from potential sales reps to Jennifer, thinking, as I hire more people, it creates more layers, and I might not get to know the new reps as well as I have some of the current ones (who are awesome, by the way, and some of the best people, who keep me going everyday).

Scraps Not a huge bunch of them this time, but enough to work with. I'd like to go through them and test out some new designs, make a few things.
{Ducks and hides} under a much larger pile of scraps that keeps growing...

New purses I have 3 new things that I want to get into the pipeline this month- a clutch, a child's purse, and a version of the scoop bag we had pre-mades of this holiday.
Nope :(

Taxes Must. Do. Taxes. Business taxes, get everyone's 1099s out to them , file business taxes and our personal taxes.
Haven't done my taxes, but I did get everyone's 1099s done, and January's commissions done as well.

Sadly, this is where I stopped :( I got none of the other things below done on my list.

Skin Cancer Screening Cause I'm paranoid.

Blog Gonna work on the bells and whistles- changing fonts, sidebars, widgets, the whole shebang. Then actually "promote" this little bloggy of mine, see if anybody's interested in reading it.

Labels Need to revisit the purse labels, see if its time to change them up, or keep them the same, and just order more.

Signature tag for emails Totally embarrassed to say, I don't have one. How sad is that? I just need to make one, will probably take 10 minutes. Been on the to do list for-ev-uh.

Form Emails Gonna revisit these to, just see if they need any spiffing up.

Website Updates Nothing major this time, just a few things I've noticed, like the lining fabric jpgs are out of order, wanna add the shipping discount codes to the description of each item, instead just in the headers, etc.

So February's To Do List looks like this:

Post Information for new rep sign ups
File Taxes
Premade Inventory
Scraps
New Purses
Skin Cancer Screening
Blog
Labels
Signature Tag
Form Emails
Website Updates

I actually do have new stuff to add to the list, but to save myself some embarrassment, I'm not going to post it, yet, lol. I'm not going to beat myself up about not getting more done though, I am just going to try harder for this month! Hope you all reading this have a fabulous, fun and productive February- that's my goal :)

Random, I know...

Heard this on the radio today. Its been a rough few days, the seriousness and melancholy sort of fit my mood, sadly.

However, not to be a complete downer, I'll post this as well:

This pretty much sums up the Facebook coomments of all my Texas and Oklahoma friends this past week :)

Blaaaahhhh.....

Still not 100% better, pretty much everyone else has been sick or is sick. What can you do? Trudge on. I'm feeling very determined though, lots to do, like always, but this time I know I will get it all done. Ironically, it was being let down by someone (yet again) that's given me this burst of energy and determination. At first I just wanted to cry, then I wanted to yell, now, I am just ready to move on, and get things accomplished in spite of it all.

I will always be the thing that you can put off doing, I'll never be your priority, I get that now, and its okay. The check's in the mail, right? No, it isn't and it never was and it never will be. But its okay- I'm okay.

Update on Sunday with all the things I accomplished this weekend :)

Off to rough start...

Well, it hasn't been pretty, folks. We caught some sort of bug/germ/flu thing-y and have been passing it back and forth for a solid week now. It started last Saturday with JD, and by Monday I was ready to take all three kiddos in to the doctor, but when I called to make them an appointment, the receptionist told me the office was closed until Wednesday. Wanna guess why? All the doctors went to watch Auburn play in the National Championship game- duh! That's important right? To close your practice and leave your patients with nothing more than a 1800 nurse line. Since no one was gravely ill, a trip to Urgent Care or the ER wasn't really warranted, so we just sucked it up. By Wednesday, everyone seemed to be doing better, but here it is Friday, and we all still have an ugly little cough, and Sophie has started running a fever again. Ugh! I just want my kiddos all better!!!

The highlight of the week was probably the 4 of us trudging through Walgreens (which was plastered with CDC signs warning of flu pandemic breaking out in Alabama), buying cold medicine, a new thermometer, ice cream and Valentine's peeps, sniffling and coughing, to the sounds of Don't Cry For Me Argentina playing on the sound system. I was so out of it, I wasn't even singing along- now that says a lot about how sick I was!

I haven't really accomplished much on my list yet, but I still have high hopes for the month, so I haven't given up yet on that. I guess we'll see where I'm at this time next week.

I did find a great article of new year's resolutions for your small business:

1. Dare to be different.

Be daring and take steps to ensure your company and your products stand out from the crowd. Look at what you did well in 2010 and what you could have been different. Take bold steps to help your brand stand out in 2011.

2. Have a clear purpose.

Make sure you go into the New Year with a clear and compelling mission and ask if you were living it in 2010. Make sure everyone on your team knows what it is, what business you’re in and what is expected of them. Look for creative ways to bring it to life with your team.

3. Listen and have something compelling to say.

Make a commitment to be a better listener in 2011. Commit to listen and then formulate your response. Actively seek your team’s input and feedback for new ideas. Listen to your consumers and understand what makes them tick. Listen to what they have to say and build a relevant and compelling conversation with them. Remember, if you’re not interesting or relevant, people will ignore you.

4. Pick a fight.

When you’ve got an opponent to beat, it increases your motivation to win, so choose an enemy to fight and rally your team around this battle. Make the enemy a competitor, a trend or an element of your internal culture, and put it up on the wall so your team can find motivation and focus in it.

5. Set a big goal.

Set at least one wild and audacious goal for 2011 -- something you’ve never tried before. Outline the goal, share it with your team and challenge them to play their part in achieving it. Make sure you celebrate the small victories and successes along the journey.

6. Inspire your team.

There’s nothing more important than your people, and there’s nothing more engaging than a team who feels acknowledged. Inspire them with your own attention and regular updates on the business. Also bring in relevant speakers and articles to keep them challenged.

7. Laugh a lot.

One of the best motivators for your team is a great work environment, and one of the best elements of a vibrant team environment is laughter. Next year do small things that make your employees smile. Along with laughter and a light-hearted environment, small gestures or events can make a big difference. And the benefits won’t just stop with your team -- they will show through everything that your brand does.

8. Plan the plan.

Commit to setting time aside to plan your year next year ahead. Set two days aside at the end of November every year to plan for the following year. Then take a day out every quarter to review how you’re doing against the plan and revise it where necessary. Every brand needs a plan. Make a commitment to write one.

9. Make friends.

Chart a “circle of love” and identify brands with similar values that you’d like to partner with in 2011. Assign someone to explore potential relationships and collaborations. You’ll be surprised by the results, even just the initial conversations you’ll have about your own brand.

10. Show your appreciation.

Do what your mother told you! Thanking people goes a long way to create valued and appreciated fans -- internally and externally. This year, find new ways to show you appreciate your team, your customers and your partners, in ways that truly make a difference in their lives. You’ll be surprised and delighted by the results.

I like all of these except #4. I think that deserves a post all its own, so I'll have to do that next week, I have some thoughts rattling around in my head about competitors and competition in general, oh, and depending on the seller's reply, maybe even a funny post about scrabble tiles... we'll see, lol.

Good night world, send get well vibes my way please!!!

Hello 2011 :)

I gave up on this blog when JD was born, it just seemed like there wasn't enough time. He is 8 months old now (crazy how time flies), and while I'm certainly not twiddling my thumbs here, bored to death or anything, I feel like its important to make time to blog again. This isn't meant to be an overly personal blog (i.e. not sharing my deepest, darkest secrets here), but instead, an insight into what its like, trying to run a business and a household, with the Army thrown in, ya know, to keep things interesting. I'd also like to use it to hold myself accountable, as far as my "to do" list goes. And if people are actually reading, lol, use it for feedback as the business continues to grow.
So starting off 2011, my to do list is already packed, but I'm very excited. My new planner is already full of what I intend to accomplish this year, all the way up through July. So here's January:

Start Couch to 5K (again) on the 10th I tried this once before, and I think I made it two days, but I'm going to try again. Really, I am.

Sunday Clean Up (9th- laundry and guest bath, 16th-kitchen, 23rd-living room, 30-dining room) Since it looks like we will be staying in Alabama awhile longer (knock on wood) I've decided I will go through the house, room by room. Not so much cleaning, cause I hate cleaning, and I'm not really good at it anyway, but re-organizing/de-cluttering/redecorating.

Order 200 yards interfacing Not as easy as it sounds, trust me, its rather an ordeal, but I need to do it :(

Left over pre-made inventory I think I have this figured out what to do with most of the pre-made inventory left over from the holiday craft show season, I just need to do it, lol.

Catch up on sales rep stuff Seriously, if my sales reps don't mutiny on me. Its a lot of tedious little things, missing key chains, some of them moved, etc. But instead of doing it one by one, I've let it pile up into this mass of to do's labeled "reps". Ugh, not looking forward to this one, but very much looking forward to crossing it off my list and having happy reps for 2011 :)

Scraps Not a huge bunch of them this time, but enough to work with. I'd like to go through them and test out some new designs, make a few things.

New purses I have 3 new things that I want to get into the pipeline this month- a clutch, a child's purse, and a version of the scoop bag we had pre-mades of this holiday.

Taxes Must. Do. Taxes. Business taxes, get everyone's 1099s out to them, file business taxes and our personal taxes.

Skin Cancer Screening Cause I'm paranoid.

Blog Gonna work on the bells and whistles- changing fonts, sidebars, widgets, the whole shebang. Then actually "promote" this little bloggy of mine, see if anybody's interested in reading it.

Labels Need to revisit the purse labels, see if its time to change them up, or keep them the same, and just order more.

Signature tag for emails Totally embarrassed to say, I don't have one. How sad is that? I just need to make one, will probably take 10 minutes. Been on the to do list for-ev-uh.

Form Emails Gonna revisit these to, just see if they need any spiffing up.

Website Updates Nothing major this time, just a few things I've noticed, like the lining fabric jpgs are out of order, wanna add the shipping discount codes to the description of each item, instead just in the headers, etc.

Geesh, that's a lot, Wish me luck!

PS- anybody reading? leave me a comment and introduce yourself, please :)

But I found it on Google...

I know that I had semi-retired this blog, but I need to say a few things, business related, so this seemed like the best place to put them. Call this my public service announcement about copyrights, intellectual property and just plain common sense (with a bit of conducting business with integrity thrown in). I assume most people already know what I am about to say, but every time I see someone commit this type of theft, they always say the same thing:

"Oh, I didn't know that I couldn't use that image, I found it on Google"

Just because you find an image on Google or elsewhere on the Internet does not mean you are automatically able to use it. Google has even released a new tool that allows you to search specifically for images that are cleared for commercial use. Go to Google Images and use the drop down menu corresponding to "Usage Rights" to select "labeled for commercial re-use". Then enter your search term.

When you find an image on Google, it tells you where the image came from! So the idea that "you didn't know" is insulting. As an example, every single one of my images that appear on Google also include my website:


See, right there in GREEN, plain as day:

heroonmyarm.com

And if you go to heroonmyarm.com, you'll find this:

The name HERO ON MY ARM, stylized cartoon logo, all text and images appearing on this website are property of Polka dot Door Boutique, LLC. They may not be used elsewhere without permission.

(Funny thing is, the image in question is outdated, I know. Its missing several camo patterns! I'm in the middle of a major website update, and this image was on its way out the door anyway, lol.)

As business owners, we all work very hard at what we do. Putting together a website is tedious, and time consuming. The shortcut of stealing work others have already done is just plain wrong. Feigning ignorance about it is just as wrong. Its YOUR responsibility as a business owner to educate yourself and not infringe on the rights of others. That you didn't know isn't an excuse. Neither is that you are a really nice person (which, by the way, the Facebook message I received this morning wasn't nice at all, it was condescending and rude).

So there it is, I'm putting it out there. I'm not a bully, and I'm not a bitch. I am military spouse, wife to a wounded warrior, mom to three beautiful kiddos, and small business owner who believes in playing fair and by the rules, and who runs her business with integrity and expects others to do the same.

{Steps down off soapbox, and washes hands of this whole frustrating ordeal, new day, lots of productive things to get done!}

Priorities...

This will be my last post here for awhile.

I just have too much going on to be a good blogger. I haven't given up on the idea of blogging altogether, I'll probably (eventually) be back. But for now, the time has come to officially give this one up.

You can still follow what's up with me, on the business blog:

www.heroonmyarm.blogspot.com

That one isn't going any where!

In the meantime, this is what I've been up to for the last 9 months:

And what will be taking up most of my free time for the foreseeable future, lol!

Business is still incredibly busy, seamstresses are forever in short supply (ugh), the girls are incredibly happy to be big sisters to baby J.D. and life in general is very blessed.

The Army continues to challenge/frustrate/exasperate us, but that's to be expected. We hope that the summer brings us some resolution to the limbo we've been in as far as the Army is concerned. (And maybe a change of scenery!)

So, that's all from me for a while. Oh, and Happy Mother's Day!

-Seneca