Women in Politics

I wasn't going to write about politics in this blog. As the saying goes "never mix politics and business". However, being a woman in business, I fully support women in politics. We have entered an age where it's finally acceptable for women to hold the same position as men. To be paid the same. And, get this, even raise a family.

However, I have one stipulation. The woman must also be qualified for the job. Don't just pick a woman, because, well she's a woman. Maybe even a good looking woman.

Yes, you know where this is going. I give Govenor Palin tons of credit. She's climbed the Republican ladder farther then any other woman. But she's a prop. She's a calculated risk taken by John McCain. Why was she chosen? Because she's hot (sure, she's a good looking woman). She's a mother (hello hockey moms). And because she's.....a she.

If anyone has seen her Katie Couric interview, you'll love this sketch from Saturday Night Live

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/couric-palin-open/704042

Good luck with that on-the-job training, Governor.

My first BIG festival

In a recent post I wrote about how I was invited to vend at the Rochester Pagan Pride Day festival. I was so excited that some one thought my stuff was good enough to be sold at their festival. It was going to be my first big one, expecting almost 500 people.

Needless to say I was in a panic. How will it go? Can I handle 500 people? Will they like my stuff? Do I have enough product? I spent the previous weeks in a mad flurry making sure I was ready.

In the end, it was not what I expected. There was nowhere near 500 people. I learned that it wasn't advertised very well. And I don't know why. But it wasn't. I would guess maybe 200-300 people max. I was a little disappointed. However, for the amount of people that were there, I did pretty well on my sales.

But I do want to point out that the people I met were fantastic. The organizers worked very hard at putting together workshops and activities for the day. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming, even to us non-pagans.

But I'm sure I share their same sentiments, I wish there were more people.

It's true, you get what you pay for

On my recent business trip to Atlanta, I needed to rent a car. Of course, trying to save money I booked my rental with EZ-rent-a-car. A very no name, low budget operation. Well, it didn't take me too long to find out why. The service I recieved was horrible. The girl behind the counter couldn't be bothered. She was in a hurry to leave. She nearly charged me for the wrong reservation. And didn't even get the words "have a nice day" out of her mouth before she was packing up her stuff and heading out the door.

The car she gave me was filled with stains. Now, I rent cars often and the occasional splotch is expected. But we are talking full out stains all over the upholstry. I was mortified. I walked back in, cancelled my reservation and walked next door to Enterprise.

Normally, I would never book with Enterprise because I find them to be the most expensive. But in this case, I was getting what I was paying for. They were so friendly. I explained my situation and they were very eager to help. The gentlemen I was working with not only gave me a 10% discount, but walked me out to the car and carried my luggage. He was proffessional and courteous.

A lesson learned. Saving money is not always the best option.

Making my own stuff

As my business starts to take off, I've started looking for ways to maximize my profit, limit my overhead and just get involved. I first decided I would start to make my own bath salts. Knowing that fewer people these days take baths, I still figured it was an easy avenue to travel down. And although, there were little bumps in this road, it still turned out a little trickier then imagined. What scent shall I make? What ratio of epsom salts to sea salts should it be? How should I package it? I'm still working on all this, but so far two out of three of my scents have been well recieved.

The next venture....making my own soy wax candles. Stay tuned for this one.

I've been invited.....

I wish I could say to the white house. But not just yet. Give me at least a year for that.

It was a Sunday. My booth was set up at the Public Market downtown. My mother sat there for me selling my stuff while I had to work. Don't you hate it when work gets in the way of play? And then it happened.

My first invitation to a festival. They saw, they liked, they invited. Even though I wasn't there. Way to go mom!

So without further ado, I introduce my first ever invitation: The Rochester Pagan Pride Day Festival, Ellison Park, Sept 20, 2008 9:30 am - 6:30 pm. It's their 10th annual, so I'm hoping for a great turnout!

For more info on the festival check out: Rochester Pagan Pride 2008
For more info on my stuff and other upcoming events, chek out: Nature's Nook, New York

THE website

Can I have a drum roll please? Here it is. My first. My only. My website. Just click on the link below.


www.naturesnooknewyork.com



Check it out. Let me know what you think. Pass it around. I'm still making changes to it, so check back often!

My first 'show'

Today was my first day of real business. And I think it was a success. I set up a table at the downtown "flea" market. Laid out all my product, made it look all nice and pretty. I had business cards. Flyers. And a smile.

My mother helped out as we sat and waited.

I won't say that I sold A LOT, but I did sell some. So that in itself was a success. But the really good part...I started to get my name out. People were interested. They took my business cards. They took flyers. And they wanted me to be back next week.

So, although it's not the fountain of fortune (yet) it was a great start! And I'm happy to say, I will be back next week.

Yippeeee