Flannel Memories

When I think of flannel, I think of two things; Autumn, and time with my grandmother. I picture a cool breeze, the leaves slowly tumbling from the trees, and how I knew, each sleepover with my grandmother would include fresh, and oh so super soft flannel sheets. Dreams were made made while snuggled up in those flannel sheets.

With the cooler weather we've been having the last few days; I've been thinking back to the times I've cuddled under those sheets, reading, planning my future, or simply dreaming the night away. I started looking online for places to order sheets that would remind me of yesterday's memories, and I found a link to a site that offers so many different companies and price points to choose from - Become-Shopping Your Way has so many different styles and sites to chose from!

From red and plaid flannel at Sears, to Naturepedic Organic sheets the Become site offered every style of flannel anyone could think of. My mouse finger started combing the pages of the site with vigor, trying to decide on the best and most comfortable flannel for my pocket book, and there were plenty. Almost like that little girl at her grandmothers house; I pictured snuggling up with some Austen, and dreaming the night away. My flannel memories can now become snuggles of the present.

Doin' It Again

Today, I lost everything.... Well lost everything for submission number five that is.....

I cried
I stomped my feet
I turned my computer on and off in hopes of the documents return.

And

Got

Nothing.....

So, I had to start all over again..... I got over it pretty quickly, and knowing that the submission is due in under 6 hours - I wont go into any details... I did however, want to post a portion of this weeks submission. It's my biography. Have a read...Tell me what you think.... I'm off to finish my work.

Happy Sunday...

7.3 Key Personnel Biographies

Michelle Murray

A graduate from CDI’s Executive Assistant program, Michelle brings over three years of superior administrative skills, dedication to client satisfaction, and a need to go above and beyond in her projects and administrative tasks.

Michelle returns home to Sudbury Ontario after 2 two and a half years on Canada’s West Coast where she built relationships and a stronger skill set through various volunteer organizations. As a Rotarian, Michelle became the person behind the creative design for many local projects including the Pemberton Rotary and Chamber of Commerce golf tournament. Michelle was provincially appointed by the BC government to become Pemberton’s Spirit of BC Chair, a committee created to ensure legacies were made prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. In her role as chair of the Spirit of BC, Michelle was appointed director of the 2009 Pemberton Winterfest. Winterfest is a 10 day annual event that focuses on community, sport, literacy, arts and music, and was recognized by the 2009 Legacies Now/Spirit of BC as a Signature Event during the 2009 festival. Through her experiences with Winterfest and Spirit of BC, Michelle became well versed in the grant writing process as she was responsible for acquiring funding through various organizations including the Cultural Olympiad and Vancouver 2010.

Michelle experiences go way beyond the administrative talents she possesses. Hired as a contract employee through Live Nation, Michelle became a part of music history when she worked as a festival coordinator for the 2008 Pemberton Festival, through these experiences Michelle was able to hone her multi-tasking skills, and learn that diligence and perseverance truly pay off.

Through these amazing experiences Michelle now sits on the board of directors for Keep A Breast Canada. KABCAN is a non-profit organization with the mission is to help eradicate breast cancer by informing young people about methods of prevention, early detection and support.

Virtually There – Administrative & Executive Services fulfills Michelle’s desire to work as a self employed individual. With the growing need of virtual assistants for small and independent business owners, Michelle can take her corporate experience, couple it with Northern Ontario hospitality, add a dash of Olympic dreams and round it up with dedication and a strong desire to make each client feel like number one and create the perfect environment where only firewalls are the boundaries to her success.

Negative Nelly

Remember yesterday when I mentioned:

"The plan is coming together, the ideas are forming, and solidifying, and I am looking at my business from (almost) every conceivable angle. I say almost in parenthesis because nobody owns a crystal ball, and not one person can tell you what may or may not happen in your business. It's just not possible."

Do you?

Well - today we started to cover those angles, the inconceivable, the negative, the sour, the unimaginable. In other other words; we covered everything no business person (small or large) ever wants to think about. The rub? You gotta, because they could happen.

Today, left the class feeling like a bunch of Negative Nellies.

When your planning your business, whether it be time to live the dream you've had as a child, or have become proficient in something you believe you can do on your own, you don't really want to sit down and examine every possible negative angle the business can take. Firstly, it's not as fun as imagining the possible, living the dream. Looking beyond the possibilities and spending time on the issues that could break your business isn't my idea of a way to spend the afternoon; but it has to be done. It's important to take the time and write out all the unimaginable things that can happen to you, the people you love, and the people you may eventually hire. Spending the time on hypothetical (yet possible) scenarios can prepare you for any type of "disaster" and allow you the opportunity to form a contingency plan.

Today, as I sat in class and started to write things down it, didn't take long to come up a nice long and somewhat realistic list of things that could happen to me while I am running my business. These are issues we've thought about, and maybe mentioned to friends and family, but are told,

"Hey! Is that any way to think? You gotta be positive man!"

And when it comes to our friends and family being there as external support, they are right....You need to keep thinking positive so as to not attract any negative energy. These thoughts however are crucial. If you think about them, and prepare for them (even if it's just on paper), and they do happen, you aren't going to be caught off guard. You might even have a detailed procedure to help you through the tough time. That isn't being negative, it's being practical, and every good business plan makes room for these scenarios.

Sure they aren't great to think about, and it left some of the class a little downtrodden, and negative for the day, but it sure gets you thinking. Think of the worst case scenario, plan for it, and hopefully you will never have to use it.

Are We There Yet?

Over the last few weeks, you have all been reading my blogs about this journey I am on in the Business Development Course through the Learning Initiative in my hometown of Sudbury Ontario. Funded by Employment Ontario, this program enables new business owners to start up a business with education, leadership, guidance, and yes, maybe a little hand holding. The program walks you through step by step the proper way to write and present your business plan. It's time consuming, over loading, and stressful at times, but by gosh, one of the greatest things I have done to date. I mean really - what do I know about writing a proper, well planned, and thought out business plan; never mind running a business on my own?

NOT MUCH

I am however, getting there. The plan is coming together, the ideas are forming, and solidifying, and I am looking at my business from (almost) every conceivable angle. I say almost in parenthesis because nobody owns a crystal ball, and not one person can tell you what may or may not happen in your business. It's just not possible.

At this point in my business plan, I am starting to write the operations portion. The HOW'S and the HOW TO'S of my business. It's neat really, because as I write, new procedure and ideas pop into my head, and I re-think what it is I need to do to protect not only myself, but my clients. Things that are common place in day to day activities need to be put down on paper and matched against the vision of your business. Do these procedure match who you want your clients to see? Are your policies reflective of your image? It's strange to say; and may sound silly to all of you who may be in business, or have written business plans in the past, but when I was thinking of colours for my website, or what I would charge to a non for profit agency, I did not stop to think about creating policies and procedure to not only match, but reflect my business and it's image. I just though it would come naturally, as my image is - well, it's essentially me.

Today was a long day (I should say is, as it's still going), started early in the morning, because I know it's a good time for me, and went a little longer in the afternoon, because of a monthly meeting, coupled with a SEB graduation. As I fanned myself with a handout, and questioned why I was wearing polyester in the heat, several previous SEB "students" and new business owners came up to accept their kudos for finishing program; and a few them coupled with their thank yous to the instructors, shared insights into what they had learned, accomplished, or really wanted to emphasize to us; Group 49- still tadpoles in the world of business development. It was neat to hear the comments, the the reminders of what's important, and to see the looks of success on all their faces.

I smiled a lot despite my sticking polyester, and looked at the faces of people who have been through exactly what I was going through in that instant. Exhaustion, excitement, exhilaration (and a few other words that don't begin with E), and the simple joy of knowing that all of this opportunity that we have been given, all of the resources we have at our fingertips intensify our rate and level of success. Sure we still have to put in 110 percent, breath life into like it were a child, but we are lucky.

With only two weeks left of our initial six week course, and the final business plan to be completed shortly there after, I am in the home stretch of a soft opening, and to tell you the truth. I'm pretty damned excited - polyester pants and all.

To Get to Tuscany (or an Espresso Shoppe in Marseille)

Yesterday was our meeting day with coaches; discussing the parts we have already written out in our ever growing, ever evolving business plan. It has become to me, a bit of a struggle, thinking, planning ahead, and preparing for years down the road that don't even exist yet.

It's a time for me to reflect on, no matter how good my imagination is, when it comes to the world of business and business projections....I cannot allow myself to see too far down the path ahead.

Is it because I don't have the numbers? Can't find the answers? Not at all, more to the point it's something inside of me that cannot seem to write about something that has not happened yet, or may never. It's not a negative thing, it's just who I am. I was told my writing style is detailed, and concise, with a strong desire to not be wrong. And during the course of the BDC, and the meeting with our coaches, this is a time where I should be thinking that way. This is my time, with the assistance that I have - to write off course, to make mistakes, fear projections....Only because I have someone to walk me through it, and get me over the hump.

When I write my plan, and as much as I am looking down the road to a few years from now; I can dream about that villa in Tuscany, or the quaint espresso joint in Marseille., that I may wish to work from virtually, but I cant see the projections to make the dreams of being virtual virtually anywhere, and those other dreams, come true.

Planning for your businesses two to three years down the line is incredibly important to prove the viability of your business (especially in my case where after the six week program, if I cannot prove this business will be self sufficient for my life, and my needs, I will not be able to continue in the program), no matter the program you are lucky enough to become apart of, if you are a business major writing your own plan, or if you are a dreamer, ready to take your dreams to reality. Allowing yourself to be concise, to be detailed, but to also think years ahead.

People outside of the BDC course, who aren't on self employment benefits may have written business plans in the past, but may not understand the course load, or the time we spent writing, researching, and preparing this document. Our business plans are no different than any other dreamers, but it's the coaching, and the classes that enable us to think differently, to think not only about our dreams, but about the logistics of business. We are walked down the path of business plan writing, something I only wish everyone could be lucky enough to be a part of. I've told you before dear reader that I am no friend to numbers. And I seem to shy away anytime they come calling to play; but like all other insecurities, that is an issue I must move past from as business IS numbers, unless of course you don't want to pay attention, and you lose your business within the first year. And that, is not something I want.

The great thing about my coaches meeting yesterday; I evolved my plan, I changed the direction of the business. It's not a change to occur right away, but where I see this business three years from now has completely changed. Any for someone who; when they write (or do anything) hates "do overs" because of the time and effort put in on the first draft, now has to re-write most of the future projections so that she can account for these future plans. To me, that was both exciting, and somewhat annoying. However - in the grand scheme of things, three years from now; when I get to Tuscany (or that Espresso Shoppe in Marseille), and I open my laptop and prepare for that first day of working virtually anywhere, my fully thought out and viable business plan (and all the heart, soul, and sleepless nights, I put into it), will come back to mind, and I might even smile.

It's hard to imagine, that in two and a half short weeks, I will have a document, that sets the course of my life for the next threes years. I didn't realize that this road, this journey would be so emotional, then again; this is me we're talking about.....

Strategy - Wile E Coyote Style

I had a lot of major overhauling to do this weekend on my frame of mind when it came to a lot of things. One thing was the fear I had looking into the information relating to my target market and my potential target market. After submission two I was left feeling very discouraged, and didn't really know where to continue. I knew, that so long as these numbers continued to plague me - I wouldn't become effective to the remainder of my business plan. Getting myself together for the next three weeks, was crucial, as the plans for my business were full steam ahead, and the workload was going to grow exponentially. I had no cause of action, no plan for strategy. Hell, I couldn't even look at my business plan without stressing, knowing full well, I needed to research and research hard.

I felt like Wile E Coyote, chasing Road Runner without a concrete plan or strategy.

So I had to regroup. Re-energize both personally, spiritually, and well in my business. This was not time, for my positive demeanor, and attitude to jump ship. So, after a day of researching, and getting a few more concrete numbers, I decided to re-boot my system, and watch "The Secret."

Whatever your thoughts on the movie or the book may be, it does give me one very important piece of knowledge to apply in every day life. Look to what you want, and work towards it. The Secret isn't saying everything is going to come easy to you if you wish hard enough, it's saying that through drive, determination, coupled with positive thinking and hard work - you can make your dreams come true. It was fuel I needed for the fire that was dwindling within.

After the movie, and promising myself to make a concerted effort to stop feeling the woes of Wile E. and focus on the success of Road Runner, I felt ready to re-write the few sections of submission #2 and get ready for week three of program.

The last couple of days we discussed, strategy. Total Product Strategy, and Pricing Strategy. I was nervous for the sections, but excited as well...Trying to figure out my pricing, my strategy and how to educate people on why I have to charge this amount (this job does have to bring in survivable income!) is been a bone of contention for me. I know a few rates out there, but there are always the negative voices saying "Where you live is cheap, you can't charge that!" And people seem to forget that what I am planning on doing, is making a living, by becoming an administrative assistant that is purely virtual. I have to charge rates so that I can survive. BUT, on the other side of the coin, I also must be within industry standards, not undercutting, or overpricing because I feel it's my right. So we plotted, and brainstormed, questioned, and were answered, and we were sent home to prepare submission three with thoughts of pricing, and being realistic in our strategies so that our plan becomes more viable.

So, it's with a clear head; running rampant with positivity once again, that has me sitting at this computer, preparing a first draft of my strategies for my own income based on my own talents, drive and ethics. Scary, and downright fascinating.

Oh What A Week!

It's been an incredible of learning; not only about my business, but myself within the business. I have to look at these items as two separate identities. We've been told from the very beginning we will be wearing three hats, and I was really working on two of them this week.

I don't know how well you know me, but - I do a lot of volunteering. There is a back story to this,, besides being raised in a family where volunteering was important, I knew the value of the act itself, and how it would help me re-adjust to life back in the "Big Nickle." As I knew the return to my hometown would be tough - and meeting new people would be important. I just never really planned how I was going to slowly move from the life of volunteering, into this course. I'm really thankful for all the people I'm meeting through these ventures, but I'm not leveraging my time properly and I am wearing out. And in a course where the voltage hasn't even been amped up - It's time to really learn self preservation!

The latter part of the week was really awesome. More focus on target marketing...,more thoughts on how to shoot an aim (and succeed) with your desired market, and then the fun stuff. Image, Logo, and Branding. All thing incredibly important to the survival and success of any business. Well - to any business really. But when your mostly virtual, and your clients will never meet you - it's important to portray the right image, right away.

Thursday, I panicked thinking of my local market. The educating I am going to have to do - how I need to approach the area differently from my global market. While thinking this, I swear I could hear my brain fizzle out of my ears.

One of the things I like about the BDC course; is all the other sets of eyes and ears. A sounding board to your infant ideas, or the voice of reason, when you're stumped on something - they are there to offer suggestions, advice, and share their honest opinions. WHY? Because you are all there for the same reason. To learn, to succeed, and to become a happy, healthy independent business owner.

Not one person has strengths in all aspects of running a business. I am more then aware of where my shortfalls lie. And having a group of like minded colleagues, as well as teachers who have already travelled these roads, is infinitely important to me, to my thought processes, and to the two marketing plans I will need to create to reach both my local and global markets.

Ideas and dreams are fantastic and necessary to have - I dont know where I'd be in life without them, but being in the exact same spot (at least figuratively) with 14 other individuals is worth the price of admission. And with the coming weeks becoming even more overwhelming, and my head becoming even more liquid - I will have to remember to use all the resources I have at my fingertips - I mean hey...They sit beside me for eight hours a day, and some even have an office down the hall - ready to share the knowledge. This type of program is an unbelievable opportunity, especially for someone like me - I am prone to head in the clouds thinking. Always the dreamer, not always the realizer.

I may have squishy head, and more thoughts about target markets, marketing plans then I ever thought possible, but like Journey said "Don't Stop Believin."

And trust me - I dont plan on it.