Portland, Maine -- The Food Post

The Lobster Shack is just that--a shack on the shore of Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It's tiny, but their picnic tables are prolific. The real estate for their picnic tables is easily 3x or more the size of their "shack."

There is nothing lowly about the food, though. Nothing at all. We had lobster rolls, fried clams, and shared a piece of blueberry pie. All of it was amazing. Each clam was the size of half my hand. The lobster was fresh-picked, of course. The pie was homemade. Please, wipe that drool. We are just getting started.

Next stop: foodieville. I did some homework, and found a great place called Duckfat. Folks who consider themselves foodies or who watch Top Chef habitually will recognize the nom response in their bodies when the words "duck fat" are uttered. To have a restaurant named that is just too much.

They specialize in French fries. Fried in duck fat.

I'm sorry. I should have warned you. But one might think the restaurant's name would have given a bit away.

My friend Tara and I shared a large order of their poutine: duck fat fries, smothered in melty cheese curd and duck fat gravy.

I'll give you a moment.

We polished off our dinner with some Moxie. It tastes like root beer, and is particular to New England states.

Moving on to Boothbay Harbor, we found ourselves at McSeagull's restaurant. Both the Lobster Shack and McSeagull's were recommended to us by friends who have lived up in Maine.

Oh, my goodness. This may have been the best thing I've ever eaten. I do love seafood stew, and that's what this was called. Lobster, crab, clams...there were mushrooms in there that had a great flavor, and I'm sure the fish stock used to make it was made there. It was divine. It was also a cold, rainy day, so that was too perfect. They also had chowdah:

which Tara reported was very good, too. We also shared some fish on a kabob and something else that I didn't photograph, because I was in a fish stew coma. All of the seafood places up there have these crackers, that are manufactured in Vermont:

'Scuse me. BAKED in Vermont.

Did I mention chowdah? Yes, I did. We also ate one day at Gilbert's Chowder House, right on the pier:

The chowdah was very good, as were the mussels:

I was chastised for tucking into those mussels too fast. They asked if I'd eaten anything that week.

The next photo should be about a crab melt sandwich that I had at Frills, in Ogunquit. The sandwich was delicious: fresh-picked crab and a tiny bit of mayo, with melted cheese and grilled bread. It was very, very good. I was distracted by the downpour right outside the patio tent, however:

and so I forgot to photograph that sandwich.

Our last day in Portland found us at RiRa, an Irish pub in Old Port. Apparently, this pub is a chain, as they have about 10 of them around the country. I am happy to report that doesn't matter. The drinks were great, and the food was even better. We had fish and chips. Um, I'm sorry. When I ordered fish and chips, I didn't expect to get A WHOLE FREAKING FISH:

Please note the server's thumb for scale. It was one huge piece of fish. I suppose it wasn't the whole fish, but one fillet. Enormous and delicious. I did enjoy it. We also enjoyed heading into the next room to listen to the two fellows they had hired to lead us all in some Irish drinking songs. It was a great way to finish up our trip.

Have you eaten at any of these places? Where's the best meal you've had?

Portland, Maine

Those are my feet, up there. That's the first time they were in the Atlantic Ocean. I'm 41 years old.

I have had to put off this trip to Maine for two years. I suppose that's not entirely true, as everything in life is a choice, right? I chose to pay cash for my trip this time. I had to pre-arrange for things to be managed while I was gone, and the whole month of May was crazypants because I was preparing for my absence (mostly by making soap). But it was worth it.

For all my life, I never understood why some people were "into" water, or boating, or lighthouses. I grew up in the gorgeous landlocked state of Iowa, where river fishing and taming my hair due to the air humidity were the closest I came to water recreation. After hanging out in and around Portland, Maine for a week, I am starting to understand.

The sea is mysterious. It stretches forever away. It is blue on top, and three feet beneath that turns black as night and is terrifying. It's also liberating. I also had the thought, more than once, that the ocean is alive, and it felt like it wanted to say something or do something--to send a message. Of course, this is ridiculous thinking, but that's the feeling I got, standing on a beach, watching the tides come in.

The landscape on Maine beaches is stunning. The air was fresh--scented with salt and pine trees. I can breathe in right now and remember it, and my blood pressure drops. Amazing.

Have you taken a trip that affected you?

(Many more photos to come--lots of stories to tell.)

Portland, Maine

Photos are forthcoming of my trip to Portland, Maine. Yes, even beleaguered public school teachers with two businesses get to take a vacation once every 8 years.

You read that right.

Photo processing will happen when I get my to-do list done for today. On my list:

1. Meet w/dude who is looking at my car.

2. Pick up essential oils.

That's about it. I already made liquid soap this morning, and did payroll. What is on your to-do list today?

Another giveaway--not even mine

Head on over to I Heart Handmade and enter to win THEIR giveaway. Look at that cute baker's twine. I think I would use it for the upgrade of my book that I'm going to do this summer. I want to enhance the "packaging your soaps" section with photographs and examples. Baker's twine around a complementary-colored paper would be cute, right?

Giveaway Winnah!

The winnah is:


Siliva, of SV Soaps!

Thanks to all who played along. Keep in touch--these crafter features aren't going away! Do you know someone (maybe yourself) who wants to be featured? Let me know.

Featured Crafter: Amaya Labrador of sybaritic

Classy. Elegant. Cute. Steampunk.

This is the motto of Amaya Labrador's shop, sybaritic, on Etsy. Her jewelry combines a steampunk approach with a modern look--elegant and edgy at the same time. Please visit her shop--all of the photos here are linked--and consider a purchase. Also, read the interview and find out how to enter a giveaway from Amaya's shop!



Where are you attending college?

I am about to finish my first year of the Masters of Architecture at Georgia Institute of Technology. My M.Arch. is a professional degree, so when I finish next year I'll be one step closer to being a licensed architect. I'm currently focusing my studies on healthcare architecture, so, I'll hopefully get a job in that field.



How does the study of architecture inform your jewelry creation? Or is it the other way around?

Often times I'll be building an architectural model, and come up with a cool way to use this or that material in jewelry. Or, I'll be looking at a photograph of a famous building and try to figure out how to get that feeling from a piece of jewelry. Mostly, I think my personal design aesthetic and taste influences both the architecture and the jewelry design.


What pleases you about the steampunk aesthetic?

The 'bits and bobs' aspect of it. You can get in an explore the pieces; there are often several things to look at. It's interesting but not cute -- there's that raw, industrial feel to it. The clock gears for example, I harvest from old watches (broken ones that even watch repairmen have given up on); it's incredible to see the little jewels, think how the watches are put together and marvel at the fact that often times, they're older than my parents!





Have you seen Hellboy?

Uh... I think I have, but part of the silver lining of having really bad memory is that I can see movies over and over again and not particularly remember them!

Hellboy has a great steampunk aesthetic with the costumes and weapons/gadgets. It's a "comic book movie" so if you enjoy that genre, I think you will really love it. Do you have favorite steam punk movies?

I'll put it on my 'to watch list' then, but I'm afraid I don't have a favorite steampunk movie! I'm actually a pretty normal gal, who just happens to like making jewelry with funky stuff.

Do you produce certain “lines” of jewelry, or do you just create what is in your head at that moment?

Although I never restrict myself creatively, I concentrate my commercial efforts on two lines. The first is a classy version of steampunk, with clock hands, cogs, hearts and keys. The second line, currently only available in boutiques and at shows, takes classic clock hand shapes to a more modern material, acrylic. I design and manufacture these laser cut pieces myself, so they truly are unique.






This blog is about business and crafting. What can you share with our readers about the best parts of being in business? What is the most challenging aspect?

My favorite part of being in business is being able to create something and then send it out into the world. I also enjoy the process: coming up with an idea, tinkering with it till it works, finding sources for supplies, assembling each piece, photographing it (okay, I don't always enjoy THAT!), figuring out cost and price. As to the challenging stuff: bookeeping and accounting. I can do it at the micro level. I know what each piece costs me and how to price it. But figuring out profit/loss, cash flow... *shudder*


Thanks, Amaya!

****
Amaya is sponsoring a giveaway with this post! Have a look at this necklace:





This is an example of the line Amaya creates for boutiques and shows. They are handcrafted by her. The photo is linked, so you can see other options. A CUSTOM NECKLACE is the giveaway prize! Holy Mother of Steampunk! You will get to choose your color, style of the clock hand and charms, and color of the 30-inch chain. Awesome with awesomesauce, folks.

Here are the ways you can enter:

1. Visit Amaya's shop on Etsy, and leave a comment here about your favorite piece = 1 entry
2. Subscribe to this blog = 1 entry
3. Tweet this blog entry = 1 entry (button below)
4. "Like" this entry on Facebook = 1 entry (button below)
5. Link to this entry on your own blog = 1 entry
6. Follow either soapcrone or sybaritic_esty on Twitter = 1 entry
7. Befriend either Amy or Amaya on Facebook = 1 entry

For all entries, we must be able to tell it's you, so leaving another comment with your info for Facebook or Twitter or such, telling us what you did, is probably a good idea. Good luck, everyone! Spread the word!


The small print:

This giveaway is open through Friday, May 21, 2010, at 8pm. (Update--giving you a little more time, people! Share! Tweet! Etc!) On Saturday, I will get up and compile all the entries, etc. and choose a winner at random. The winner I choose is the winner, and that's final. I will try to find your email through your entries (i.e. find it at your website which is linked through Twitter or Blogger, for example), and I will email you and Amaya to hook you up. At that point, she will email you about the prize and getting it to you, and I will be out of it. Shipping will be to a US address only.

Business: To Whom Do I Listen?

Photo by ky_olsen on Flickr. Used with permission.

Do listen to:

• your gut
• your friends who own their own businesses
• other entrepreneurs who are doing what you are doing, but are doing it better than you
• gurus in books who make sense to you

Do NOT listen to:

• random people on the Internet who email you with messages that start with "You should."
• your friends who don't own a business
• your mother

People, seriously. I just had someone email me, saying, "the only reason I emailed you is because your picture shows someone who looks sad...Please just trust me. your twitter photo is shows an extremely sad look...from the nose down...from the nose up is ok...consider another picture where your expression is not so down...just want to help...rarely do I critique what smart woman do in business...wish you the best."

Seriously? Out of the blue, you are gonna email someone and tell her that you don't like her photo?

Buddy, please.

1. You are a man. I don't give a shit about your opinion.
2. You are a man. I don't exist to seem sexually available to you, shocking as that may seem.
3. I don't listen to random people on the Internet.

I do, however, use their emails for blog fodder, as needed. Oh, and dude? That photo was taken on my boyfriend's bed, when I was 24. It's not sad. TRUST ME.

Craft e-Revolution: using the iPad for crafting

On Being Yourself

Your business is you.

More than ever, people will buy from you because of who you are, not necessarily what you are selling. Don't mistake me--you must have a product that folks want. You must provide your niche with something fantastic.

But telling your own story, and being true to yourself--that's where you will make the sales. Social media can help you to tell your story, and people want to hear it.

Ironically, the Internet can facilitate connections with people and help you to create a community. This is your community--the people who want to hear from you. The vast expanse of the Internet lends itself perfectly to niche-ing.

So, who are you? Are you a witty writer? A science guy? A fantastic public speaker? Are you the crazy public school teacher who also makes soap and sells it at the farmer's market? Are you the woman whose husband died, and who is making a living by publishing ebooks and selling candles? Are you the crazy cat lady down the street who sells aprons on Etsy?

Who are you?

This morning I made a video of myself, and I'm going to post it on You Tube. I'll share it here, of course. In the video I am wearing no makeup, my hair is up in a ponytail, and the counter behind me is an absolute mess.

And I don't give a shit. It's my house. It's often a mess, because I make messy stuff, and we use our kitchen for actual cooking and eating. It's who I am, and the folks in my community won't care, because they want to know more about me. Julia Child was not a perfect, skinny, stylish, "television-ready" person, but she was the perfect person for the job.

So am I.

So are you.

My third book: PUBLISHED!

It's here! My third book is published today:

Making Liquid Soap in Your Own Kitchen

Hooray! Click the title to read more and to buy it. I have received good reviews on it from pre-publication buyers. Heck, I've had great pre-pub sales! I love being an author and a publisher.

I absolutely love it.

How to Add a Facebook Button to Your Blog Page

I'm trying out something that I read here. I already use the Tweetmeme button on my blog, to make it easy for folks to share a post. Now, if you like a post, you can share it on Facebook, too. Please do! Share this one, so everyone knows how to put a Facebook sharing button on her/his blog.

This past weekend I was attending an AMAZING convention. I will post about that soon, after I upload the photos from my camera and iPhone. For today, I'm going to rest. The convention was a blast, but it feels like I worked from Thursday at 6:30am until Sunday night until 9;30pm, straight. I need a day, people.

So please, go off and put a Facebook and Tweetmeme button on your blogs, so people can easily share your thoughts. This is one of the easiest things you can do today to build traffic for your blog. Go tell your story. I'm off to get more coffee.

Business Tools Monday

Photo by Ricardo/zone41.org. Used with permission.

I wish for this blog to be useful to you, the reader who is presumably both a business owner (or an aspiring one), and a crafter. It's important for folks in business to share what they know, I think. Sharing ideas, being generous with them, always leads to better things.

That said, here is the Monday List of Helpful Links. Will I do this every week? Perhaps.

Inc. magazine: Click here for a BUNCH of useful tools. Business plan models, blank receipt forms, Break Even Analysis examples--so many helpful tools are at this link. Tools are available for purchase--what's your time worth?

Online Credit Card Processing: This link, also from Inc.com, has a wealth of information about processing credit card transactions online. I wish I had known about it when I was starting my search.

iPhone credit card swiping: I am interested about this gizmo. I don't know if it is available yet, but I'm curious about it. Right now I use the Merchant Warehouse app for my iPhone when I'm selling at the farmer's market. Lots of folks use credit cards, and it is SO WORTH IT to be able to accept them. I would lose out on a lot of income if I didn't do that.

Click here for a discounted subscription to Entrepreneur magazine.

Crafty Con is happening this fall, in Chicago. I cannot attend because I still have a day job. Maybe next year! If you are interested, know that I am VERY INTERESTED and this is something I am seriously considering. I would want to present at it, be a vendor, and attend the whole thing. Is that possible?

Winnah!

This week's giveaway winnah is:



Ms. Yarn!


I will hook her up (yuk yuk) with Karina so she can get her soap on. Whee!


Thanks for participating, everyone. Please be on the lookout for Monday's post. I will have "Business Links Monday." Tell one, tell all!

Featured Crafter: Karina of Soap that Makes Scents

This week's featured crafter is Karina, of Soap that Makes Scents. Her soaps are beautiful, as is her packaging. She was recently featured in the Etsy Storque, in the Quit Your Day Job feature. I am excited to interview someone who is fully self-employed through crafting. As always, I encourage you to join the conversation by commenting.




What is your favorite aspect of "being the boss?" Is there part of it you don't enjoy?

I love that I'm able to work at my own pace instead of having to strive to meet someone else's deadline--mind you, normally my pace is pretty fast, but it's nice to be able to take a breather and work on something else business-related for a bit and focus my attention there, and then get back to the task on hand. Being a mom as well, I enjoy the aspect of getting to stay with my daughter before she's old enough to start school (which will hopefully be later this year).

The worst part of being self-employed is that there's no such thing as "sick days" or "vacation time" or having someone else take up the slack if I want to slow down in sales or promoting.



What specific sacrifices did you have to make, in order to help make crafting full-time a reality?

I had to give up the luxury of "me" time. There are just not enough hours in the day to run a household, run a business, care for a 3-year-old, spread myself thin around family and friends, and have any moments left over to just sit and relax, or take myself shopping or for a pedicure. Anything tangible that I had to give up was only temporary. I may have had to stop spending money willy-nilly for a while in the beginning, but those things started coming back one at a time once Soap That Makes Scents turned a profit.



Do you enjoy direct retail sales, such as home parties and craft shows? Or do you enjoy wholesale better?

I absolutely love love LOVE selling in person. There's no better feeling at a craft show than the look of divinity on someone's face when they hold a bar of Blue Lazuli to their nose and inhale, and then immediately shove it under their friend's nose saying, "OMG SMELL THIS!!!" I love watching the reaction on people's faces and I know they can appreciate my table being "interactive." They can sniff to their heart's content. Selling at shows introduces me to a customer base I otherwise may not have met, and it's always nice when I meet other Etsy sellers as well.




What sorts of networking channels do you find the most effective?

I belong to a few Work At Home NYC-based groups. I found them by searching online for business groups local to my area. It's a good way to seek out new contacts, i.e. if someone else makes soap, we can share supplier contacts for general things like display units and packaging. The social aspect of it is very important to me--the groups I belong to have about 50 members each. A good portion of our bi-monthly meetings are held in restaurants, so it equals a night out, too. :)

Can you explain what online promotions you do? Of course, we know about bloggy interviews. What else?

Honestly, I hardly do any online promoting anymore. Now, most of my online traffic comes by word-of-mouth or from my business being featured in a magazine. At least twice a year, I provide a slew of soap samples to several sampler programs for distribution--this helps too.


Do you attribute your magazine features to participation in the sampler program? How did you find a legitimate one? I get asked for samples all the time, but I don't send them because it's just a person who wants free stuff. I've also been approached by sampler programs, but I couldn't be sure of their integrity.


Actually, all of the magazines I have been in have contacted me through Etsy--so you really never know who's reading the forums or browsing online. It trickled down from there, as a lot of sister-magazines (affiliates) picked up the story and later on contacted me to be featured in their publication as well. Being featured in Etsy's QYDJ series helped with the exposure as well, since many media people read that blog.

As for sampler programs, I use The Little Black Boxes, and Snowberry Creek. I don't send in samples to people who randomly contact me looking for free stuff, either.




When you take time for yourself, how do you relax? Can you ever just let the business go?

I had to go to Canada for two weeks at the beginning of this year for a family function.
I think I was in a catatonic shock for the entire period because I didn't have my computer with me. Can you count the time I fall asleep to the time I wake up as "relaxation?"


Thanks, Karina, for the interview. Along with Karina's generosity with time, she is also hosting a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive one soap (your choice!) from Karina's Etsy shop.

You may enter the giveaway in several ways, to increase your chances of winning!

1. Heart Karina's shop on Etsy. (1 entry)
2. Sign up for Karina's newsletter by sending her a convo on Etsy (1 entry)
3. Tweet about her shop, and the soap you love most (1 entry)
3. Subscribe to this blog (1 entry)
4. Tweet this blog giveaway (1 entry) You can click the "Tweet me" button--easy!
5. Share this blog giveaway on Facebook (1 entry)
6. Follow @KreatedbyKarina on Twitter (1 entry)
7. Follow @soapcrone on Twitter (1 entry)

For each entry, you must leave a comment here and let us know (it can all be in one comment if you like), with a link if it has one (i.e. Twitter and Facebook) and your username as appropriate. No need to do all of the entries, but it increases your chances of winning if you do.

This giveaway will end at 11:59pm on Friday, April 23, 2010, US Mountain time. On Saturday the winnah will be chosen, and I will announce the winnah, and hook up Karina with said winnah to work out the details. Excellent.

Featured Crafter Giveaway--On the Way

I am working on a Featured Crafter segment, so I'll be back in a few days. Maybe. I received a large response to my post on an Etsy forum, requesting crafters to feature. Yikes!

This is good for you, the reader. Giveaways and interviews to come!

Supporting Other Small Businesses: What is your time worth?

Photo by Janine King Designs, and is linked to her shop.

I bought an iPad, oh yes I did. And yes, I love it so. I have left the "sent from my iPad" signature on my emails. I'll leave it there a while longer--I'm still a little giddy.

When I bought it, the dude asked me if I wanted to buy a protective case for it. I told him no, saying, "I'm going to make my own."

Well, what's my time worth? Yes, I wanted to make my own. Yes, I have the skill to make my own. I have the zipper. I have the fabric. I even have batting fabric to make it quilted.

What I don't have right now is time. I am preparing furiously for my participation in the Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild national conference at the end of this month. Specifically, I'm writing my third book, which will be finished in time to have it published for the conference. I must also order a banner for my vendor table. (Note to self: Shit. This needs to be done today.) I'm ordering postcards for the participants as well.

Lard, don't get me started on my To Do list.

My point? If I don't have time to make the protective case, then I should just buy one. So I did. I bought the one featured in the photo. It should arrive next week. And I feel great about it. I've supported a small business, and achieved what I wanted. It's just that I didn't do it myself.

If you are anything like me, you need to get over the "I can do it myself" mentality. Yes, you can do it yourself. But should you?

What is your time worth?

This Week's Winner!

The winner of the earring giveaway is:


Steph! of Honor Crowned Crafts! Congratulations, Steph. I'll have Kristy get in touch with you.

Thanks to everyone for participating, looking at Kristy's shop, and supporting independent business.

Featured Crafter: Kristy Kroth-Hoops of Gypsy Eye Studio.

Today's featured crafter, Kristy Kroth-Hoops, has an elegant, vintage approach to jewelry and accessories. I love looking at her collection all together on Etsy. It feels like stepping through a doorway in time.


Your aesthetic is antique-looking. What time period is your favorite? Do you create your jewelry based on a particular time period?

I find a lot of inspiration from a mixture of time periods. I would say the strongest influence would be the Art Nouveau and Edwardian periods. I find so much beauty in objects from the past. My creation process is driven by a lot of factors, but I do find that I create a lot of pieces based upon specific periods. Depending on the day or exposure to visual stimuli it could be Art Deco, Egyptian revival or Retro Pin-up.

What makes you happiest in your craft business?

I love that I have the chance to materialize the figments of my imagination whenever I feel it necessary. I also enjoy that the handmade community is really bringing about a new age of enlightenment in ways. I find the resurgence of the arts and their appreciation is exhilarating in this day and age.

What have you learned about running a business that a newbie needs to know?

Perseverance. It can become self-defeating at times, if you let it, when you begin. It's so important to keep the passion in what you do evident through the busy and slow times. And stay organized, the more orderly you keep the different aspects of your business, the more time you are able to spend on your art.

Do you have a day job? Is it fulfilling? Do you aspire to be self-employed?

I do currently have a day job. I work as a kitchen manger, definitely not what I thought I would be doing when I was younger. Honestly, I can find the "hard day's work" rewarding at the end of it, but it does lack a fulfilling feeling. My desire to build Gypsy Eye to be my sole focus is what drives me everyday, 100%.

What is your favorite piece in your Etsy shop right now?

Right now I really like the Giselle brooch, it has a slightly dark mood that speaks to me.

Thanks to Kristy for taking the time to be interviewed. Please visit her shop (the photos are linked) and leave a comment. If you do comment, you will be entered in this week's giveaway! The prize is amazing, people. Kristy made these earrings, in the photo below, specifically for the giveaway! Have you ever?

Named "The Queen's Hive," these beautiful earrings could be yours--just leave a comment! We need at least 20 comments for the giveaway to happen, so spread the word! Thanks again, Kristy. Awesome!



Giveaway Info, Rules, and Such:

1. All commenters on this post will be assigned a number, according to their post in the queue. Make sure there is some way we can contact you, and that you have a U.S. mailing address. We are sorry, but we cannot ship outside the U.S. at this time.
1. The giveaway cannot happen with fewer than 20 comments, so spread the word! If fewer than 20 individuals comment, then the giveaway will not happen.
2. Comments close on Saturday, April 10, 2010, , at 11:59pm US Mountain time.
3. On Sunday, April 11, 2010, I'll have a random number generated through the magic of the Interwebs.
4. The winner will be notified via this blog and email, as will Kristy.
5. Kristy will deal directly with the winner regarding receipt of the giveaway prize.

Business deals

Here is a link to an ad for a 12 megapixel camera for $139.99. I am posting this selfishly, hoping that authors who want to do craft tutorials for Craft e-Revolution will get a good camera and have at it.

I am looking to purchase a Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner, as I want to go paperless and get all this paper out of my house. I'm drowning in it.

Winnah!

And our winner is...Va! I will let her know via email that she is the winner of the hair clips from Missy Mills of LuvyDuvy!

Thanks to all who commented and played along. Would you like me to feature you in an interview and giveaway? Email me!

Time: Crush It Like a Bug

Image: Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Don't crush that bug, though. She's cute.

Today's lesson is about using your time wisely. It's not about time management, however. It's about time choices.

"What's the difference?" you might ask, and I might answer. In fact, I will answer.

Time management is about scheduling every minute of every day, and sticking to a schedule. It's about having a Plan B in case other schmucks don't manage their time well enough and screw your schedule over. It's about filling up 8 hours in your day.

Time choices, on the other hand, recognize that 8 hours of your day might need to be allocated for work, and might not need be. Furthermore, it's best not to. Some of us can't anyway.

Let me explain.

I have a full-time job. I am required to attend this job from 7am-3pm, 5 days per week. It's a 40-hour job. Fine. I also own a soap business and a publishing business. I must also tend to my child and talk to my husband on occasion. Maybe we'll have a meal together--you don't know! It could happen.

So, how do I get all the work done that needs to be done for a full-time job and two businesses? I decide how my time will be used and I crush that business work time like a bug.

You must give yourself short deadlines, and focus during short bursts of production.

Do not give yourself 3 days to do your taxes. Give yourself 4 hours, and smash it out. Schedule that time, and stick to it. Turn your phone off (not on vibrate, TURN IT OFF), close your office door, get someone else to take care of the kid, and focus on that one thing.

Give that one thing everything you've got, for that short amount of time.

Do not answer emails! Turn off the web browser. TURN IT OFF!

Do not answer texts or phone messages. How did you get that text anyway? Your phone was supposed to be OFF.

Do not wander around the room or the house or whatever building you're in. Do not talk to anyone (unless your task involves talking to one person).

Your assignment: Practice this skill with the next small or big project you have. Give yourself an amazingly small deadline, and stick to it. Crush that time like a bug, focus tightly on that one thing, and see what happens. If you got that project finished in 1/4 the time you thought you needed, that means

you have just freed up 75% of your time to do the things you enjoy.

Please report back on your accomplishments with this, and your goal-setting from the other day, in the comments.

Featured Crafter: Missy Mills of LuvyDuvy

Missy Mills of LuvyDuvy is our featured crafter this week. Her shop showcases her vintage style, coupled with her patriotism. I suspect the necklace above was inspired by her personal Airman.

What are your favorite aspects of running a craft business?

I love anything that has to do with being creative. Coming up with products for my shop that I hope people will love as much as I do is so fun for me! I also love sending out the product to that special person who purchased it--it makes me so happy and excited to have them receive my products that they purchased!

You are new to having a craft business. What have you learned recently? What practices have you changed?

I am still learning so much as time goes on. But I have learned that being patient does pay off. Also taking care of the customer is really important! Since I have started I have learned a lot from others through advice and practice. I have changed the way I take pictures (which is something I am still working on) and the way I promote my shop.

How do you decide on a focus for a line of jewelry or accessories?

I have always wanted to make jewelry. I used to sit in my room after school when I was younger and just make little bracelets or necklaces for fun from jewelry books. Plus I love wearing jewelry (my fiancé says I have way too much already). I love purses and wallets as well, so when I thought of the idea of creating purses and wallets with military items I just knew it would be something else fun for me to create. The military is a big part of my life.

What inspires you as a crafter?

Anything vintage, romantic, antique, rustic, and military items really inspire me! I love listening to music while crafting, it gets my creative juices flowing.

What goals have you set for yourself for the next month? Year? 5 years?

For the next month I hope to have more views/hearts/orders. I hope to reach at least 40 orders by the end of April, and find more productive ways to promote my shop. For a year, I hope to have really established my shop on Etsy. Also, I hope to have the best photographs of my products in my shop. In 5 years, hopefully I can have a well-established, successful business going for me in the years to come. That would be so great for me to have a creative business to work on full time!

Thanks for sharing your experience with us, Missy, and for sponsoring this week's giveaway! Have a look at the cute hair clips below--your potential reward for commenting today. Hooray!

Giveaway Info:

1. All commenters on this post will be assigned a number, according to their post in the queue. Make sure there is some way we can contact you.
2. Comments close on Friday, March 26, at 11:59pm US Mountain time.
3. On Saturday, March 27, 2010, I'll have a random number generated through the magic of the Interwebs.
4. The winner will be notified via this blog and email, as will Missy.
5. Missy will deal directly with the winner regarding receipt of the giveaway prize.
6. We all have a cool, adult beverage. Aaahh.

Looking Your Best

Looking your best on the Internet does not involve designer clothes or slick shades, or even a good haircut.

It means spelling "discreet" and "discrete" correctly, at the correct times.

Usage, people! Usage!

Goal-Setting

"Women at Work" from the Library of Congress.

Things don't happen fast enough for me. I have learned this about myself, and accept it. Much of my business life involves doing one or two small things every day, working toward the larger goal.

It's all I can do. I have learned a couple of tricks, however, to get more done, faster. (More on that in another post.) I have also learned how to accept the slow progress of things.

Listen, folks. I have a full-time job. I have a soap business. And I have a publishing business. And I'm a mom. And I'm married. All of this combines into one word: hellabusy. Most of my friends know not to complain to me about how busy they are, because they aren't. They don't know from busy. I have one friend who actually has said to me, "I can't talk to you very often because when I do, it makes me feel guilty for what I'm not accomplishing. You just do so much."

Her problem, not mine, but that means I don't get to interact with her as often. Whatever. Her loss. And what does that mean about our friendship?

I don't have time to think about silly things like that.

Back to the point: goal-setting. I recommend what Tim Feriss (my productivity guru) says to do for daily goals:

Have two. Write down exactly TWO things that will make your day feel productive, if they get accomplished. Two things, and that's it. When you are done with those two things, your goals for the day are completed. After that, you can do what you like, and know that your progress is forward, not backward.

For long-term goals, this is what I have done. I write down specifically what I want to accomplish, and specifically when I want it done. I have broken down my huge publishing project into 4 different goals:

• When to launch (the exact day), and with how many books
  
• How much money I want to make each day (the exact amount!)
  
• How much money I want to make in a year.
• Having an exact amount of money in the bank, in order to become completely self-employed.

I have set these goals very high. "But Amy," you say, "what if you don't reach them?" So what? So what if I don't reach them? At least I will have made progress. Far more progress than if I hadn't set any goals at all.

What if I do reach them? What if I reach them faster than I thought I could? What if that happens?

There is no point in entertaining "what ifs." Set the goal, and get to work.

Your assignment: Set two daily goals, and complete them before you do anything else.

Giveaway winner!

The winner is Valynne! Val, you have won the recycled bike tire earrings from Beatrice Holiday--congratulations!

Thanks to everyone stopping by. I will continue to host crafter interviews and giveaways, so click the "subscribe" button on the right, to stay inside the velvet rope of awesomeness.

Starting Up and Tuning Out

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You must start your new business, and you must start it now. I know I sound bossy, but you need me to be.

You need to hear this.

I know this, because I was once like you. I hemmed and hawed. I wasn't sure. I got really excited about a business idea, thought it all through one night when my anticipation and planning kept me up, got up the next morning and wrote notes and notes and notes, and then I started talking about it with my friends.

And that's when it all came to a screeching halt.

"How are you going to do that?"
"Who is going to pay for that?"
"Do you really think people will want that?"
"I don't know ANYBODY who would be interested in that."
"What about this? What about that?"
"Are you serious? I have no idea what you are talking about."

Your friends second-guessed you and blew your momentum. Bastards.

Listen to me now: your friends are NOT your business. Your friends will help you once you are IN business. Friends are like that--they want to be around successful people. But there is a reason they aren't in business and you will be. They aren't entrepreneurs.

If you are lucky enough to have a friend who is an actual entrepreneur, then listen to that person, if she is willing to talk. Listen to their advice, but don't hang on their every word. Even my good friend who is fully self-employed and has a staff of about 20 is a naysayer. I need to be very careful when talking to him about my business ideas--he will dash them all to the ground instantaneously.

When I called him on it one time, when I said to him, "Why do you shit all over every idea I share with you? I'm not competing with you at all. Why must you go out of your way to ruin my fun?" he replied,

"Oh, I thought you wanted me to play the devil's advocate."

I said, "When did I ask you to do that?"

"Um.....I guess you didn't. Sorry about that."

See? Even your friends who are in business for themselves will try to drown your dreams in their reality. Many very successful business writers have said that we should talk, talk, talk about our ideas, as that's the only way to make things happen.

I'm not so sure.

Talk if you want, but only if you are strong enough to handle the naysayers. And they are everywhere. Talk if you want, but only if you can first cultivate an air of aloof omniscience; look at that person as if you know all the answers, but just won't tell them. Fan your hand at them when they start in with the hows and the whys and the what-ifs, and say, "Oh, it will all become apparent when it needs to be. I'll handle those details then."

And that's exactly what you should do. Say it, but then do it. That's the way to make things happen.

Do it now!

You must start your business now. You might succeed. You might fail. But you must, must, must start it now. You have no other time in your life. The only time we are guaranteed is right this second. There is nothing to be gained by waiting.

I'm not listening to your excuses. I'm not listening to, "I have a baby," or "I'm too busy," or "My husband just left me," or "I'm on crutches right now," or "when I finish school."

Start it now, or you're a pansy and I'm never talking to you again.

Go. Now. Write it down and get started.

Your assignment: Write down your business ideas, and do one thing (1 thing!) today toward starting it. Start a blog, buy a web domain, open a bank account, create a fan page on Facebook (before you've even started!), open an Etsy shop with nothing in it. Do it now!

What are you waiting for? Are you still here? Go! You have important work to do!

Featured Crafter: Alison Franson of Beatrice Holiday

Alison Franson of Denver, Colorado is today's featured crafter. Her business, Beatrice Holiday, recently won the Eco-Conscious Entrepreneur Award from Leading Ladies of Denver. Way to go, Alison! Her focus is on cruiser bike culture--using reclaimed fabrics to create bags and seat covers for your cruiser; and reclaimed inner tubes to create jewelry.

Alison donates a portion of the proceeds from sales to Derailer Bicycle Collective, a non-profit, collectively-run community bike shop in Denver. Her vintage fabric sense paired with a rubber-punk feel makes Beatrice Holiday a business to watch.


Did you start out with the intent to be in business, or did it happen organically?

Beatrice Holiday sort of just manifested on its own. I made a handlebar bag for my crusier bike and received a great response. I was encouraged to make more of them in different styles.

What are your favorite materials? Why? What do you want to work with?

Vintage fabrics for sure. I love reincarnating vintage upholstery fabrics that were once used to resurface old couches in the "olden days." Giving a fabric a new life and giving cruisers a way to pimp their ride definitely makes it all worth while. I also love working with the bike itself.
As a crafter, what have you always wanted to learn?

I want to learn from my customers. I always have an open ear to suggestions and encourage critique to make my products better. I received lots of requests to make my handlebar bags multi-purposed, so I added the shoulder strap. This way when you take the handlebar bag off your cruiser bike you just SNAP on the leather shoulder strap and tote your bag with you. This deters vintage-loving thieves from stealing your goods and your handlebar bag!

What have you learned about being in business for yourself, that you would like to share with us?

That doing what you love and loving what you do is the only way to operate a business!



Please visit Beatrice Holiday: FUNky and FUNktional cruiser bike accessories - Handlebar Bags, Seat Covers, Basket Liners made out of vintage upholstery fabrics and vinyl.

Our giveaway for this post? Recycled innertube earrings! Thanks, Alison!

Giveaway rules:

1. Post a comment about Alison's products. Make sure there is some way I can contact you (via your blog profile or your email) in the comment.

2. On Friday, March 19, 2010, at midnight, the comments will be closed.

3. On Saturday morning sometime, I'll get my arse up and use a random number generator to find a winner.

4. I will email and post the winner. The winner will have 24 hours to get back to me. If the winner does not get back to me within 24 hours, another random winner will be chosen.

5. I will hook up the winner with Alison, who will figure out together how to get the goods delivered. Done and done.

Reshaping This Blog

I am going to reshape this blog. No longer will it be full of The Random. I plan on showcasing crafters of all kinds, via interviews and giveaways. Also, I will write longer posts about owning and running a business, and on the way a person's life becomes different when she owns/runs a business.

What say you? Are you in?

If you are a crafter who would like to be interviewed and participate in a giveaway, please email me at:

theoldecrone at gmail dot com

Whee!

Best Newsletter Service, Ever.

You should use Mad Mimi. Yes, yes you should. Here's the story:

My newsletter list has over 500 emails. Not huge by ANY stretch of the imagination, but Gmail won't let a person email more than 500 messages per day. This is to thwart spam, of course. They don't know that I'm legit, and they don't care.

*sigh*

So, I've been looking for a way to send my newsletter. I tried several things on my own, and I was generally wasting my time. I say this after trying Mad Mimi. Oh, my goodness.

It's so easy. I didn't need any tutorials or screenshots to create my first newsletter. None. I figured it all out on my own, and by "figured" I mean, "just did it." Furthermore, the features that you get are amazing (social media buttons, tracking the clicked links in the emails, who read email, who didn't, who bounced). The interface is easy--big, candy-like buttons. Seriously, you've got to give it a try. If you have a small list (fewer than 100), you can try Mad Mimi for free!

This is an example of providing customers with a spectacular product, and they'll talk about you. And talk about you! I'm talking!

And the winner is...!!

The soap winner is Jenn! Jenn, please contact me through my soap website, and let me know what three soaps you choose, your mailing address, etc. Whee! Free soap!

Do you have something you would like to donate for a giveaway? Do you have an Etsy shop or website that showcases your lovely handmade craft? Email me, and I'll run your promotion here.

Soap Giveaway -- Tell Yer Friends

In order to atone for my absence, I am having a giveaway this week! All you have to do is leave a comment, telling your reason for luuurrving handmade soap. That's it!

The prize? 3 soaps from www.soapcrone.com, shipped to your door.

The winner? Randomly chosen, via online random number generator.

Comment! Comment! Rah! Rah! Rah! Tweet it! Facebook it! C'mon, now!

Hyperventilating

Photo by maxually via Flickr. Used with permission.

I'm breathing into that paper bag right about now. I really should chill the eff out, but when you send an email to Steve Jobs, it might just take the wind right out of you.

Like right now.

And now that I think a little longer about it, I should really just chill, because he isn't even going to read it. His assistant will read it, and will pass it on, or delete it. I just thought he should know how I plan to use the iPad when I get one.

The iPad will revolutionize ebook reading. Really, it will. Have you seen the gorgeous display? I'm tired of blog post after blog post slagging on the iPad. As an eReader, this thing will be amazing. Textbook publishers are already on the bandwagon, and that could be really, really cool for education. I would LOVE for my kids to all have iPads, preloaded with the textbooks they need.

In addition, my new publishing project, Crafte-Revolution, has been validated by the unveiling of the iPad. Crafters may now take their photographed tutorials from the desktop to the sewing table. Or the soaping table. Or the kitchen! Can you do that with your Kindle? No, it doesn't read in full color. How about your Nook? Nope.

And you can't compose emails on your Nook. You can barely do it on your Kindle.

This is going to be huge for crafters everywhere. You can now go green like never before. How many books can the iPad hold? I don't know--but you will be able to house all your craft books in one place. It syncs with your desktop/laptop computer, so you can choose what ebooks to hold on your iPad.

I'm doing the butt dance over here, people. I can't wait!

Birthday Wish

Yesterday was my birthday. Hooray! As an easy birthday present, could you share my call for submissions with 3 friends who write? Just 3. That's all:

http://www.crafte-revolution.com/content/submission-guidelines


I accomplished a lot in my 40th year, I think. I blogged about it at Crafte-Revolution. Please join the conversation here. Enjoy the photo. Don't be scared.

Call for Submissions: Photographed Craft Tutorials

Craft e-Revolution is the premier site for crafty people to learn something new. We are looking for crafters from all walks of life who are interested in teaching others. Writing a "how-to" book is a fun challenge that is also profitable.

How-to nonfiction ebooks with high-quality photographs are popular. Our readers are eager to learn, and they want information immediately. The Crafte-Revolution structure for downloading ebooks directly after a purchase supports our readers' desire for instant information.

Crafte-Revolution wants authors to submit their ideas for a how-to book on a specific topic--specific is far better than general. Some ideas for books we want to publish:

*easy, modern sewing crafts

*projects using watercolor (or another paint) technique

*jewelry-making using your particular technique or materials (or both)

*raising chickens or goats

*eating from an organic garden: start to finish

*the art of maintaining bonsai trees

For more details, please click this link:

http://crafte-revolution.com/content/submission-guidelines

and then pitch your idea. Crafte-Revolution is open to new authors; we will need an example of what you can do. Bloggers who already do photographed tutorials can offer links to showcase their work.

Current technology is ready to support this project: eReaders in full color are upon us! In the near future, they will become commonplace. Imagine being able to download the information you need, and then reading the book right there at your craft table. Crafte-Revolution is anticipating this technology, and creating what we know will be the revolution for independent publishing. We are excited to talk to authors who want to come along on this ride. Here is the link once more:

http://crafte-revolution.com/content/submission-guidelines

Survey says...?

Ding!

What will my survey say about your ebook experiences? I have no idea. You'll have to take the survey to find out. I anticipate it will take you fewer than 5 minutes! I appreciate your time!

Click here to tell Amy all about your ebook experiences.

How To Manage The World

Want to know how? I'm discussing it in my blog at Crafte-Revolution. Have a gander, and please leave a comment.

Also, please let all your crafty and bloggy friends know about Crafte-Revolution. I'm looking for great photographed craft tutorials. It could be fabric, food, sculpture, jewelry--anything, really. How about a how-to book on organic gardening? How to "put up" your veg at the end of the gardening season, perhaps? Who's with me, here?

I Am So Very Busy and Important

Please have a look here to read my interview with Kayla Fioravanti of Essential Wholesale. I feel so important--she titled it as "my story."

I have a story?

That's Not Me

Photo by Nicholas T. Used with permission via CC.

Promise me this--if I ever say, "I've got everything I ever dreamed of," just shoot me in the head.


I wish NEVER to become complacent. Never.

Dignity

I am still blogging over at Craft e-Revolution. Today's post, regarding page 8 of What Matters Now, a free ebook by Seth Godin et. al., is close to my heart. I truly want this new project to work.

Please have a look over there, and join the conversation by leaving a comment. I appreciate your support with this project.