Holy Crap it's Been Awhile!

When I started this blog, it was my intention to write daily about the positives and negatives of starting my own business. But as time progressed through my class at Learning Initiative, and running the business itself, I came to the conclusion that for me, daily blog writing was not possible. Writing for me is part of what I do, and I cannot toss out a blog when the moment suits. I need to feel the creative writing flow, so that I can share my experiences, challenges, and successes of running my very own business.

It's been a lot harder then I thought. There were times when I've been downright scared, worried about the decisions I've made; have they been the right ones, will I be able to continue this for the rest of my working days, can I keep up with the influx on the information highway. I never thought running your own business was easy, but I did not realize the psychological strain it would cause.

I have great clients, and I love the work I do for them. I do however wish I was doing more. Trying to educate everyone on what I can do for them, for their business is not easy. Trying to figure out how my town responds to marketing tactics and social media has been interesting - we are so far behind in so many ways, but like any type of change, it's tough to change the way people think, the way they do business. When it comes down to hard earned dollars, people aren't always ready to take a risk, especially if the risk is new. Trying to educate people to lead the way is not easy.

When I look forward to this business, I know it can be successful. I know with the skills, passion, creativity, and detail I can provide, that I am on the right path; it's just trying to get others to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and move forward into a big scary world of virtual existence, and social media domination. Now is the time for where I live to catch up to the rest of the world who are already so far ahead on the information highway. By working with my clients and educating them on what I can do, and eventually getting them to think outside the box, and take those leaps, I can help people do more for their business then they ever thought.

It's time for people on both sides of the virtual coin to have confidence in what the future holds. It's time for me to take more leaps then I have in recent months. Running your own business will continue to be scary, and hard, but I know with the belief I have in myself, it will eventually pay off.

In My "Spare" Time

What do you do in your spare time? Besides taking time with good friends and my dad, I devote quite a bit of time to an organization called Keep A Breast, an organization that dedicates themselves to youth in hopes of eradicating breast cancer through music and art and social awareness. Here is an article I had published back in May about the organization.

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In the next couple of months, Sudburians are going to see and hear more about Keep A Breast Canada. A unique non-profit organization that creates plaster forms of the female torso, customized by fine artists and auctioned to raise consciousness and funding for breast cancer. Combining sculpture, philanthropy, and symbolic artistry, the one-of-a-kind plaster forms of the female torso are customized by artists and auctioned to raise funds for breast cancer programs all over the world. Through these programs Keep A Breast strives to eradicate breast cancer by inspiring young people to adopt lifestyle choices that have long-term health benefits.

KAB (its loving moniker), has been heavily active in the United States since 2001, and became a legal charity in Canada in 2008, after its first appearance at the three day Pemberton Festival.

Co-founder Shaney Jo Darden said this about why she started KAB all those years ago “When our co-founders mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, we wanted to do something to support the cause, but we weren’t sure what,” Darden recalls. “That’s when we realized there wasn’t really anything out there for us. We’d been doing art exhibitions and fashion shows for years, so we decided to go with what we were good at. We started doing plaster casts of breasts, sent them out to artists to be painted, raised money by selling them, and it really took off.”

With the support of highly visual surfers, snowboarders, skateboarders, musicians, and artists; Keep A Breast hopes to reach out to youth and educate them about their bodies and their surroundings through educational and awareness programs. Canada is striving to reach a point financially so that they can produce the programs they have designed to directly involve and educate Canadians.

Keep A Breast is not only unique in its delivery, it’s effective, focusing their presence at festivals, concerts and events that attract our youth – KAB hopes to teach youth about breast examinations, living a healthy lifestyle and knowing your body. Travelling with the Warped Tour each year has KAB reaching out to thousands of younger adults and teaching them about their bodies.

Next time you see someone walking down the street wearing a I “heart” Boobies t-shirt or bracelet, don’t be quick to judge, it is in fact a Keep A Breast t-shirt (part of the I Love Boobies campaign), and it’s a great conversation starter to teach you more about Keep A Breast and their mission of eradication breast cancer, through art, music, education and awareness. You can check out Keep A Breast online at Keep A Breast or join the Facebook page KAB Canada FB Page.

Michelle Murray is on the board of directors for Keep A Breast Canada after becoming involved with the charity during the 2008 Pemberton Festival in Pemberton BC.

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Keep A Breast Canada is preparing for their second event in Sudbury this summer. The 2010 Summerfest. With myself and a couple of amazing and devoted volunteers manning our Educational Booth, KAB CAN will continue working it's mission out to the people of Northern Ontario....

This is an organization that allows my passion to soar. It's an organization that takes a heavier edge to a disease that affects men and women of all ages. Check out the website, or join us on Facebook!

When Your Business Changes Direction

From idea to inception; I'd imagine myself working for small business owners, helping them with copy, PowerPoint, and maybe a few promotions. I never thought my business would grow locally in the beginning, and I never thought of which direction my business would grow right off the hop - more so, I had never imagined it growing this quickly.

I WAS WRONG - REALLY WRONG

With the business plan in the can, and my business cards on their way....I was slowly preparing for a soft opening. Devising plans on how to generate business, both locally and globally. I mean I am virtual...I have no walls... It now seems that I may have to change my focus from global, to strictly local. From small businesses to one type of business.

REAL ESTATE

When researching my business prototype, and trying to find a niche market, I talked to friends and family involved in different business ventures; trying to get a handle on what really needed help out there in the "big bad world," when it came to Real Estate, I was getting conflicting reviews - some people told me I couldn't do a thing, while others were panting with baited breath, waiting for the moment the proverbial doors to my business swung open so they could employ my services. I wanted to go this direction, but the negative comments from some far outweighed the others....

Until this week.....

With the ink still wet on my business plan, I have made the decision to go full boar into the REVA business. A REVA is a Real Estate Virtual Assistant, and is a guarantee to save Real Estate agents time and money by taking all those extra hours they put into the administrative side of their business and allowing agents to focus on what they are best at: The buying and selling of homes for their clients.

In the last week, the accolades I have received are great, but the client base is greater. With three agents already signed on to Virtually There, and prospects richer then a gold mine I am floating.. The road I wanted to travel down months ago, finally opened it's gate and welcomed me in...

From VA to REVA in one week....

Business is a funny game, and I'm ready to play.

Commute-tacation Breakdown

For the most part, our days consist of waking up, making coffee, having a shower, and getting ready to go work. Driving in bumper to bumper traffic, looking for parking, and finally making into the office with only minutes to spare. This is how many people start their day. This was (at one time), how I started my day.

BUT NO MORE

I now work from home. I can dictate my start time, my break time, my lunchtime. I can wear Betty Boop pyjamas, hoodies, or get dressed all professional like. I can listen to music, or have complete silence. My environment is geared to exactly what I want, and how I want it. If a friend calls, I can answer it...My day is built around my schedule. It may seem to the casual observer, that my life is fairly lackadaisical; running with the wind, going with the flow...That however is a preconceived notion.

I STILL WORK FULL TIME

Many people view self employment as fun time....Easier schedules, more time to communicate with the outside world; extra time to run errands, get that holiday baking out of the way, but in essence, it's not. It's far from all the fantasy ideas many people have about all those "lucky" people who get to stay home, and hold video conferences online while Regis and Kelly remain muted in the background. Many people who work from home face depression, loneliness, and the constant need to exceed far quicker then individuals who travel to and from an office each day. Already I find myself explaining to friends all the things I did in a day, so I can prove to them I was putting my time to good use.

A colleague of mine has friends who constantly stop by his shop throughout the day to have a beer with him. This colleague; when plagued with too many friends and less billable hours has to explain to his buddies he's working, the statement occasionally fall on deaf ears. Many people cannot register that others who work from their homes, are also putting in a 35-40 hour work week (sometimes more). The comprehension is simply not there!

My day starts at 6 o clock in the morning, by eleven, I am ready to take some time, and my afternoons can sometimes run until nine or 10 o'clock at night! Sure I can break up the day, go to Starbucks with a good friend, but all those hours I've "goofed" off, have to be repaid tenfold.

Working from home means the job is always there...Sure you can close the door to your office, but if you are unable to shut it down at the end of the day (and few self employed people are), and watch television without going back in there, you are doing OK. Walking out of the office at five o'clock for the long commute home may be taxing on your nerves or your vehicle, but for the most part, you can leave work at the office. Here at home, work is always a pillows throw away.

Whether you work from a building 20 minutes from your front door, or in the same living space as your home; work is work...It takes time, motivation, hard work, and dedication.

Casual Wednesday & The Perils of Working from Home

My boss is pretty cool. There's always coffee to drink, music on the air, and if I so desire; the permission to wear my Hello Kitty flip flops around the "office." All in all, the atmosphere around here is pretty casual.

MAN - It's gonna take some getting used to.

I've always wanted a job where travel is minimal, and parking is cheap. I have that now, but to get used to the fact that self employment is my work, and what I do for roughly 10 hours a day (right now), is my job, is a tough nut to accept. Sure my client base is building, and one day I may be so busy, I'll look back on this blog, laugh and yearn for the "good 'ole days." However, for now, getting used to the concept that my office attire can be considered casual wear each and every day is strange. Don't get me wrong, I like that I'm sitting in a sexy negligee, eating bon bons, and wondering if Stefano DiMera is still alive.....

But I digress.....

I love my alone time - As I get older, the time I need to myself grows. I'm content, comfortable, and it's a necessity. However, I am noticing that combining work, and home into one, could be a problem if I do not implement the right plans to alleviate such feelings of seclusion. I've read several blogs about individuals working from home, and as the pros and cons weigh in - each blogger states the worst part of a home based business is being alone through the day. Whether it's missing a simple chat with colleague, or receiving positive feedback on a job well done. Already I can feel the motivation slipping to spend all day working from home, and although I know it's been such a short time (and an important time), this is the time where failure could feel imminent, because of the infancy of the business.

We are our own worst critics. All of our successes and failure are solely on us. We cannot blame anyone for things falling apart. Poor planning, and decision making isn't derived from what others have done....so that being said - I need to get over these feelings, and create answers to these "problems."

I will need to look at getting out of the house as a break to the day, and not as slacking off. I need to schedule "me" time, and bask in it....Not look at it as a trip towards failure. I need to know I'm not alone (even though I'm physically alone), and that hundreds if not thousands of people, have felt, feel or will feel the exact same way.

Even though the world of unemployment and self employment currently feel like the same thing. I know I should learn to enjoy this growth and time of change for what it is.

TEMPORARY

"The Boss" of Me

When I was working a 9-5 job in an office in Whistler, I proudly added to the collection of personal coffee cups a mug I purchased at a Bruce Springsteen concert (Bruce is my absolute musical idol). It was heavy, it was large, and it had the faces of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. To me, life (and coffee) couldn't get any better then that.

The mug, is my office mug. When I moved back to Ontario, I packed it up with visions of bringing Bruce to my next workplace, placing the mug lovingly amongst the other 9-5 mugs. However, things did not go as planned and the jobs did not come; Bruce sat in my cupboard, patiently waiting to be brought to a new office Instead, I was given the chance of a lifetime to become self employed. To start a brand new business with the help of the Ontario Government. That being said, Bruce has not moved from the cupboard for over 6 months.

Until Monday

Monday, bleary eyed, and groggy, I made my trip to the kitchen for my daily dose. The Business Development Course was over, and edits of the business plan were in full swing. The final steps to the final presentation to Employment Ontario. I now had no class to go to in the am, and had to re-adjust life as a self employed person. Working for myself, by myself.....Long days at the computer with no conversation from colleagues. Nobody stopping by my desk to chat about the weekend, and no tasks waiting for me that I myself did not create. Monday brought forth a different type of work day. One completely decided by my actions and decisions.

It's always been about me when it came to Virtually There. The marketing, the promotion. The logo and design. The clients, and fees....everything, but when you are sitting a class day after day for six weeks, the thought is there, you know whats coming; but for me, it wasn't until I was making my morning coffee Monday where it all hit me. My future is now completely in my hands. My paycheque, my business successes, everything. It was a little freaky, and a little scary.

Thinking about all these things before my eyes had even fully opened, I looked into the "office" and thought - this is my workplace now....this is my commute. This is where I make my dreams and my future come true.

I looked up into the cupboard, and reached back to my faithful mug. I poured my coffee into it and sat back and reveled in what was about to transpire in my life in the weeks and months (and years) to come.

Bruce and I were finally back at work - and the only Boss in the mix besides him, was me.

It's Been Nine Days Since My Last Confession

When I set this blog up, it was my intention to write each and every single day about my new business venture, starting with my Business Development Class (BDC), and slowly making my way through the trials, struggles and tribulations of a newly self employed individual. What I didn't bank on was the emotional exhaustion it took my to write the business plan, while also trying to balance my life. I found with each day of writing, I was tapped out and had a hard time forming words, never mind sentences.

However the progression to completing my business plan took, I am now in the final editing stages of said plan. Hopefully by end of next week, I'll have it fully completed and tucked away never to be looked at again.

But then - I jest.

When I think of all the factors, all the considerations it takes to not only write a business plan, but a plan that will prove viability and success in the long run - I am not too certain how one would go starting a business (or even considering it), without a plan. My brain had to wrap itself around concepts and ideas I never even considered. Worst case scenarios, financial projections into the third year of the business, stages of growth, anything and everything you can possibly have cross your mind (and more) when it comes to running a business all written down to be dissected, scrutinized and hopefully, approved.

I am a very passionate writer. It's something I love to do, and have often written in life's tough times to get over hurdles, or whatever curves life has thrown at me. It was different this time. This time, my business, my desire to work for myself hung in the balance. It wasn't a blog about my feelings, or where I was in life. It was hard facts, data and bringing my virtual dream down to the nitty gritty. Money, program continuation and proving to myself I could do it have all been critical factors. Perhaps this is why it was such a tough go for me.

Yesterday, was the last day of the BDC - we are now sent off into the world to put our plans to the test. To market ourselves and our business, to build from the ground up what we so diligently put into words for the last six weeks. With the exception of a few monthly meetings, and some evening classes, group 49 is now own their own - with strength and determination to make our businesses a success.

MY GOD I'M SCARED

As much as I enjoy my time alone, I've never worked alone. I've always got up, and went to work...Now, my work is at my home, and I worry about my self discipline and how I can create an organized and efficient work environment in the place I used to come home to every night, weary from the world outside. I know the standards of discipline I will have to set for myself, and will have to implement. I just hope, I can stave off the loneliness so that I can remain effective in my business.

As I sat in class yesterday, eager to get out and start my business, but also fearful of being house bound - another anxiety crept into my head. These come and go, and I know I am not the first self employed person to feel it, and I know I wont be the last.

CAN I MAKE THIS WORK?

From time to time I get emotions built up inside me that scream out "OMG, you are going to be a star!" and other times the fear of failure creeps in and tries to take control. Completely natural I know, but scary nonetheless, and waking up this morning, sitting at my desk, and not having the slightest clue where to start, didn't help.

Like all chapters in my life; this one is riddled with lessons. Lessons I've already learned, and lessons waiting in the wings....

I've come this far...I can't stop now.