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Yep – I’m a Joiner!
Common Courtesy and The Small Business
There is a lot going on outside my front door.
From a local networking event run by a woman I wouldn’t let watch my dog for fear of it getting beaten while in her care (hi, Lillian!), to a very expensive conference that I don’t think has anyone there I want to meet based on my business model…
Finding the right events to attend is absolutely, positively daunting!
Yeah, I know this sounds like I’m about to tell you the solution and you wonder how much I got compensated to tell you about it, but that’s not going to happen.
If I could find a way to figure out which local networking events weren’t a complete wash for me to go to, I’d tell you about the site or service without having to be approached by anyone.
I just can’t figure it all out.
I have a business, I do lots of work, I have very little free time and what free time I have I would prefer to spend socializing with friends than networking – only because I don’t get out of my house much and when I do I want to let loose and have fun…not have a conversation about how my knowledge of social media can help someone else’s business…and then have them take up an hour of my life pumping me for free advice.
That’s not fun.
Especially when those same small businesses owners (hi, Miss M!) then question an invoice even though I’ve spent hours and hours on the phone with them giving them free advice and not charging them for even a tenth of the time I spent on them.
Because they don’t notice everything I’ve told them and done, because they only want to pay for the one thing I said they felt they could do immediately. No one takes notes when I tell them stuff. How stupid are these people?
Thanks to her small business management, as well as so many others like her…I’ve begun actively avoiding small business owners. I’m not sure how to act and behave, I’m not sure what the boundary line is where I can point out that if they want to continue the conversation they need to start sharing some nuggets of wisdom because they’re being a leech.
Let me be clear. If I wanted to be a small business social media and online networking coach I would know what to say. But that’s not what I do.
I don’t want to coach and I don’t want to implement systems for people. Especially when I know that I’m going to undercharge for my services and still get nickel and dimed when the invoice comes due.
I know this is a mommyblog and the small business owners I want to say this to don’t read this blog.
But my earnest wish is that people, in general, would be more mindful of what they say and ask of other people. Common courtesy would solve most of the problems I have with small business networking events.
Not acting like a stalker (hi, Crazy Yoga Lady!) would probably be second on my wish list.
Small business owners drove me to work with agencies. To snuggle myself in the rules and regulations of brand documents and powerpoints and boundaries to work within. The comfort there is something I cannot even begin to explain.
While I’m blissfully happy consulting at the corporate level, I feel like there is so much I could – and ethically should – be doing locally to help my town and my own mini-economy within the small world outside my front door that I know I have to eventually figure it out.
What kind of person lives in a town and doesn’t help the locals with an aspect of marketing they really want – and sometimes need – to know?
Me, it seems.
But only for now.
Need Help With Illustrator and Lulu!
I emailed two service providers that were certified through Lulu to, you know, provide services.
What I need:
- The one piece cover of my book extended slightly so it will fit the edited manuscript that is now more pages since we increased the gutter margin.
- The cover and book uploaded and a proof sent to me. (No, I don’t want to do it myself again when there’s someone out there that thinks it’s super easy.)
The first service provider told me they couldn’t help with what I wanted and suggested I not do a one piece cover.
The second was a moron, plain and simple. didn’t answer my questions told me they’d have to charge hourly to change the cover to a two piece, blah blah blah.
Anyone who has worked with Lulu can use their tool to calculate the size of the cover and then stretch the cover in the Illustrator file so it will fit the book properly.
The original book cover looks good and I was able to do it. It has the ISBN on it and everything!
I can’t do it myself because Lulu is difficult for me to navigate and use, plus when it comes to Illustrator I’m a complete joke – I can’t get the hang of it. Doing it myself would take another five hours, and untold stress.
If you know anyone that can perform these two tasks, please let me know. There are so many Lulu books out there someone has to know how to do this. If you know someone that knows Adobe Illustrator but not Lulu it would make me happy to get the cover fixed up and then I can fight with the Lulu upload myself.
Thanks so much! Oh, and give me a ballpark on price when you email and let me know what you’ve done or something. Please don’t have someone email that “thinks” they can do it, I need someone that this is EASY for.
All the Little Things Creeping Up
I’m trying to figure out what I want on my new business cards.
They’re going to be all about the www.jennydecki.com site, but by the time they are ordered I’ll have the Non-Toxic Networking book ready for purchase online. (I was going to do a book proposal, but have reconsidered and think I’m going to go through Lulu.)
The index for the book was completed last night! An index! For the book! Randy did it. Went through the book page by page – goodness only knows how because I’m just not that good at the tedious work. The index is what’s going to allow the book to be marketable to libraries – I want my book in a library more than anything.
But I don’t know if I can get away with having a freelance writing business card and merge a book on there. Writer and author sound good on the surface, but…it’s selling two different things. Writing services vs. Networking skills.
Gak.
Which stinks because I kind of know exactly how I want the cards to look and it’s going to be very similar to the banner on the jennydecki page. Simple, right? Well I’m all about the simplicity!
Ok, I’m done rambling. I just have to figure out if I’m making one business card or two business cards. I also kind of need to redo the website so it looks good. Maybe I’ll put it on the jennydecki site and then have the domain forward with masking to that same page. Not sure. Still working it through.
First, I’m going to go lay down for a few minutes. I’m exhausted.
Too many things that need to get done – all of which I’ve avoided while being buried in work. Now they are rearing their ugly heads and making me realize why I’ve buried myself so completely in work.
Oh. I could just add the book to the front page of the jennydecki site. Right now there is an RSS feed there for all three blogs, but that could be a book cover and a blurb in ten minutes.
So many things to think about! Yikes.
No Wonder I’m Half Crazy
So I tell myself, "Self, you cannot run this marketing business thing with these toddlers. You’re just not up for that kind of torture."
Genius. Work less, take care of the kids more. What could possibly go wrong, right?
I still want to build something, though, something lasting and good. So, in preparation of this dramatic change in lifestyle, I write a book. I know it’s really a book because I have a lovely proof copy on my desk, looking at me, right now.
At this point, I decide my new focus is writing. I’m going to:
- Have a blog on a sponsored network (like b5media) – check
- Monetize current blogs (minimum 2, maximum 6) – currently at the minimum but that’s okay.
- Score freelance writing gigs to bring in extra income that will then pay for…
- Lulu POD books to be sold at speaking engagements that will then fund…
- Self publishing Non-Toxic Networking in a run of 5,000 or some insane number of copies that will be handled by a fulfillment house. (Just so you don’t think I’m putting all those books in my garage.)
This is something I always do to myself. I say, "I’m going to make this easier on myself." Then I proceed to create three full time jobs and beat myself over the head wondering why i can’t get anything done.
Part of me seems to think that just by giving something the label of easy, that makes it easy.
Why I Don’t Like Consulting
There are two things I do well: write and sell.
No matter what business I’ve had over the years, I could always find clients. I was led to believe when I first started working from my home office that the holy grail was to have retainer clients that paid you monthly to do X amount of work.
I believed the people I talked to. They were very happy with the arrangement of having the same clients month after month. Unfortunately, I have a slightly different personality from most of the people I know that work from home.
I am, to put it mildly, odd. Eccentric. There are days I work 18 hours straight and occasionally, like this week, I do practically nothing because my brain has decreed it is time to read novels and relax the neurons before they go up in flames.
This does not work well when you have people that feel they can call and ask you to do things anytime they wish because they’ve pre-purchased your time. I don’t like feeling like I’ve been purchased…but I’m okay selling my work.
Quite the conundrum (for me) because I produce my work so anything that comes from me is part of me, isn’t it?
So the new goal isn’t to have no clients, it’s to have a different kind of client.
I’m working on this goal by doing two things:
- Altering my specialty
- Altering the people I work with
By switching to freelance writing, I’ll be able to provide pieces of work rather than have retainers. I don’t know if there is a such thing in the freelance writing industry, and if you have insight on that please let me know.
I think this is something I can be really good at. I did some technical article writing last week and it went really well.
- I know what makes me different
- I’m already being picked up by Reuters.com and the Chicago Sun-Times online
- People that are not family or friends are giving me really positive feedback
May as well give it a shot. I need to fund production and some other things for Non-Toxic Networking so I figure the best way to fund my writing is with writing. I know it’s a little obvious…sometimes I’m not that quick on the draw.
Oh, also in the writing pipeline is a little blog I’ve been approved to write. I’m not going to gush about it until it’s up and designed and running except to say I’m so excited, it’s kind of scary.
Non-Toxic Networking Launches!
I am so excited.
I’ve been working on a book for the last umpteen months and it’s finally launch day. I just finished a seminar for a great group of Virtual Assistants over at VAnetworking.com called “Network like a Rock Star!” I love VAs because they really take to fun seminars like ducks to water.
In case you were unsure, I don’t do well with an ultra-professional crowd. I’m funny, and fun, and smile a lot…so the buttoned up thing with no laughter isn’t my bag.
I haven’t done a seminar in a while, and had only ramped up the launch with one pre-launch interview with Erika over at Cyber Savvy (if you’d like to listen, it was the February 13th show) so wasn’t sure if it really was like riding a bike…you know…never forgetting and all. It is.
They enjoyed themselves, they asked questions…it was good!
So my apologies for the blatant self promotion but this is what I did all day.
Feel free to visit the Non-Toxic Networking site and download a 15 page excerpt – or even buy the digital download copy of the book. Your call!
There is also an affiliate program for anyone interested.
Oh, and I’m looking to do interviews and provide fun, informative information about how to not network badly anymore. Or how to network well, your call. (Yes, I realize it’s the same thing…) Shoot me an email if you’d like an entertaining guest for your podcast, Internet radio show, or other fun medium.
Thanks for reading!
Pingg, your invitation has arrived.
Thank you TechCrunch! As I patiently wait for my final manuscript to come back from the editor, I’ve been researching how to send out the round of e-invitations that should start the buzz-generator of party-goodness that is going to occur at a fabulous launch party in Chicago.
Of course, without the manuscript I have no idea when the party will be, so goodness only knows how this is all going to work out. You’ll never hear me say I’m an event planner! However, in the meantime I still need to have everything ready to go so I don’t bite my fingernails to the quick. (Oh, and to save time and be prepared once I do get the manuscript back.)
At first, I assumed I’d be using an Evite invitation. Sure, more often than not they end up in spam filters, but I figure that’s okay because I know most of the people on my list and can tell them to check the spam for my invite. It is true Evite’s invitations are canned-looking and difficult to customize well. Oh, and of course the piece de resistance – the part where you can’t get the details of where you’re going without clicking on your email and visiting the Evite website.
I don’t know about you but I’m just not that into going to the Evite website for every event I’m asked to attend. I want to open my email and see where I’m supposed to go. (This is usually done five minutes after I was supposed to leave, when I realize I forgot to print out directions for how to get to the event.) Needless to say, going to the evite website to get details takes about thirty more seconds than I want it to – then add to that adding the info into Mapquest, and it’s a hassle.
Of course the hassle might be worth it if the invitations were stunning. I’m always willing to compromise.
But with Pingg, I don’t have to compromise!
Beautiful designs (and you can upload your own, too!) All that lovely party invitation goodness packed right into the beautiful email that goes right into your email inbox. Pretty *and* functional, who’da guessed it was possible, right?
For an additional charge they will even send SMS invites and printed invites for really not-bad prices. Of course, I’m planning on designing my own invites and sending those out myself. But I could see that being a big selling point for someone who doesn’t want to design a postcard (or address them…even I’m dreading that portion of the program…)
So now I just have to make sure my book cover really looks phenomenal, because it’s going to be the main image for the party invitation.
Yes, I’m into the branding thing, how did you guess? If you’re not on the list yet, sign up over there in the upper left-hand corner. I’m not spammy, I’m actually quite fun…and you’ll get a discount code when the book Non-Toxic Networking is released!
Technorati Tags: pingg, online-invitations, evite, pretty-and-functional, personal-branding, non-toxic-networking, launch-party
