Tourist Season Begins

And it's great for business. For years I have lived in tourist oriented cities. Without tourists, businesses in Charleston and Florida would fall and crumble. But I never thought of Fairport, NY as a tourist destination.

Guess what? I'm wrong. Fairport is a small village of about 6,000 people that sits right on the Erie Canal. During the annual Canal Days festival, over 400 people flock to this small village. Too bad my business won't be ready for this year's festival. However, all through the summer people travel the canal going from one "fair" port to another.

Recently I was told a great FREE way to advertise is with the Dock Master. Who is this mystery person? I don't know. But every boat that docks in Fairport is required to check in with the Dock Master. And when they do, they get a nice little packet telling them what's happening in town. You bet my ad will be in that nice little packet. After all, it's free and they are tourists. Tourists love to spend money.

Dressing the part

Do you pay attention to the way people dress? I do. Not in that fashion snob kind of a way. I admire all kinds of styles. But I do believe what we wear on the outside is a small reflection of who we are on the inside. Even if it's work related.

As a biologist I wore jeans and flip flops. As a gardener, I wear jeans and sneakers. No doubt I'm an outdoors kind of person. And often I get tired of wearing jeans. So when I went hunting for outdoor durable pants I found these 5.11 tactical pants. I have to admit, these are pretty cool. The description says there's extra room to stow away my handcuffs! Left over from last year's Halloween costume, of course. But seriously, they're durable and they are tough.

I think that reflects who I am on the inside, don't you?

Building a website

Many people ask me if I'm going to have a website with my store. My answer: yes.

What kind of website, they ask. My answer: I dunno

And that's the truth. I don't know the first thing about designing a website. Then I did some research and realized it's not as hard as I thought it would be. There are templates already out there. Some are a little more complicated, like here, but it does allow a little more freedom to design what you want.

For the more technically challenged, there's the WAHM shoppes estores. Full of pre-designed templates. No HTML programing required, unless it's something you want to do. Choose from over 80 themes, or do your own. It's flexible. And the best part, it's really cheap.

SCORE!!!

Reading this post title reminds me of two summers ago sitting at the beach house on Folly Beach, SC and watching Italy win the World Cup. My Italian friends were on the edge of their seats as I heard "goooooooooooooooaaaal". Marco Materazzi, the Italian center back, rushes forward, scores and the match was over.

But this isn't that type of score, this is about business. SCORE is a core of entrepreneurs who essentially have been there and done that and now offer free, confidential advice to those who want to do what they did. They are basically counselors to America's next generation of small business owners.

I met with my SCORE representative today. We talked about what SCORE can do for me, including workshops. We talked about various marketing strategies, financial strategies, and business plan strategies. It's a great wealth of information for anyone striving to own their business and I learned a lot.

I feel ready to charge ahead....like an Italian soccer, I mean football, player.

Pay it Forward

I spend a lot of time on the internet doing research. I look for new product, business help and what other people (or my competition) is doing. Every once in awhile I come across some one's blog that really interests me. Then I find myself sitting here, cup of coffee in hand, reading it instead of doing what I should be doing. But that's ok. I was reading this blog and the first thing that caught my eye was her Kiva page.

I had no idea what it was until I read her blog. Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. It's actually pretty fascinating. You lend money to people who are in serious need for some capital to better their lives, usually through starting a business. And being that I am somewhat in this same boat, I thought it fitting to me and my blog. Now, borrowing through Kiva is not for me, but should I become a successful business person, perhaps I can return the favor and help some one else out.

1st day on the job

Was...boring, exhausting, and boring. But I'm sure it'll get better. After all, it's only the beginning of the season. And it beats sitting at a desk all day analyzing numbers or writing papers that won't get published. Then again, perhaps it's not. Ask me again in a week.

Do you have a business plan?

I get that question a lot. So, enough already. I'll write the plan.

I have been spending the last two days working on a plan. I have a book I got from the library "Business plans made easy". LIARS! Big fat liars! A decent business plan is NOT easy. Ok, so the original guys behind Southwest Airlines wrote their plan on the back of a cocktail napkin, got thousands worth of venture capital and started one of the largest airline companies serving the west coast. Good for them. But I don't think that's going to work for me.

Essentially, a business plan describes what the business is and the plans for the next several years. It's important to be realistic and spell out all aspects of the business. Money, people, place, things....all of the above.

The internet is full of templates. Which does makes it easier. Just follow what some one else did and it should be a piece of cake, right?

That's what I thought. But there is research involved. You need to research the kind of market you will be it. Is it growing? You need to research the kind of money you'll need to start up. How much will it cost to get the doors open?

But in the end, I think it's a worth while exercise. I guess that's why so many people ask for the plan. So....here's your plan

I got a job

Yes, I did. Some one out there in this world felt I was worthy of hiring. For a wonderful $8 an hour! Wow, I have come so far. But hey, it's money in the pocket and I can't complain.

So what crazy people decided to employ me? A nursery. No, not babies. Plants. I get to work outside all day. I get to be around nature's beauty. And I get paid an astounding $8/hour. Who could ask for more then that?

A place to lay my product

Today I looked at a potential retail space. I used my imagination to turn it into the perfect store. It needs a paint job. It needs some homey touches. It needs some TLC. But it's a great location. Sandwiched between the library and a Curves, it also finds itself under a wellness studio, home to yoga and pilates. Hello ladies...come on in and buy something. Seriously, these places have already done the leg work for me, clients in every direction.

So, what's the problem with it? Money...money...money. That's the only thing stopping me. Some one suggested today that I need to start asking people for money. Here goes..want to give me money?

Doesn't hurt to ask, right?

My Crazy Eights

My Crazy Eights

I was tagged by The Independent Mom to post eight crazy random things about myself. Well, why not find out a little bit about the person behind the business. So, here they are!

* I want to start a business with no money.

* I have no radio in my car. Instead I listen to my own thoughts.

* I don't like naked toes. My toe nails must be painted at all times. Any color will do.

* I play underwater hockey.

* I'm addicted to LOST.

* I can drink 5 cups of coffee and still take a nap afterwards.

* I don't kill bugs in my house. Instead I practice capture and release.

* I love oreo cookies for dinner.


TAGGING RULES:

Each player starts with 8 random things about themselves.

At the end of your post, tag 8 people and include their names & links.

Those who are tagged will post about their own 8 random things, including these rules as well.

Don’t forget to leave them a comment on their blog and tell them they’ve been tagged, and to come back and read your blog for the whole story.

To join in the fun, I'm tagging (I don't know 8 people with blogs that haven't been tagged yet):

Sudstress

Front Porch Friendly

Today I visited the Fairport Village Partnership. Their goal:

Keeping Fairport Front-Porch Friendly.

Isn't that cute? Sure, but what does it mean? Well, they basically work to improve quality of life and business climate in the village.

I walked in and introduced myself to the lone guy in the office. I told him who I was and what I was doing in Fairport. He then asked me "Do you have a business plan?" I managed to squeak out a measly "no" and thought to myself, I knew this was coming.

However, we must have talked for an hour. We talked about my business and business in Fairport. Life in Rochester and more specifically life in Fairport, which is really different. We talked about existing businesses. Ones that have made it and ones that haven't. By the end of the time, he had a better understanding of who I am and my goals. And he was very supportive.

I have already invited him to my grand opening.

Finding a job

Step one: make money. I've officially been unemployed now for four days. I have to admit, I have loved it. I have loved not having to work. Not that I have filled my days with anything spectacular, but that's just it. I filled my days with things that were not work. It's like I'm on vacation.

But that doesn't pay the bills. So today, being my 32nd birthday, I applied for a job at a pizza joint. I applied to be a cashier and answer the phones. That makes me laugh. I think I'm over qualified. In some small regards this seems like the perfect job for me right now. No responsibilities. No personal investments. No thinking. Just show up and answer a few phone calls. Then go home and leave it all behind me.

Yet something tells me I won't get the job. But if I do, pizza is on me!

And so it begins

I have arrived in Rochester NY. I have closed on my new house. I have moved into my new house. All those obstacles are out of the way. So what's next? Such a good question.

Research, I suppose. Finding the right product. Finding the right store location. Registering my business. Getting the money to do all this. Well, as my mantra says:



One step at a time