Full disclosure: Christmas didn't exactly destroy my online business forever, but it certainly wreaked havoc on any sales from our website at Christmas. (I didn't even sell one download of our adorable "Johnny Rock's Christmas" software matching game. Why? because I got caught up in stupid Emerson's quote once again: "Rings and jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only true gift is a gift of thyself to others." (I even wrote a whole essay on perils of embracing this quote.)
I do applaud my successful sisters who own profitible small online businesses and make enough money to hire help during the "happy" holiday season. That subset of women, however, doesn't include me!
I personally am TOTALLY grateful that Christmas and ALL the holidays are over what with the gift-buying and guests coming, and the cleaning - ohh such cleaning.
Of course a woman in business is still a woman who, unless she is Michelle Obama or a Madame Secretary type still feels it is her god-given duty to make memories for the family. So we set aside our blogging and our tweeting under four different names and sending out Constant Contact lovely emails to customers (that one, we shouldn't have stopped) to vacuum the floor and clear off our desktop while rushing to back Pecan fingers to send back East or West or wherever. I even sewed back the arms and legs of a doll I had made for my daughter some 30 years ago and updated her little doll outfit so that my now adult daughter would have a warm and wonderful feeling at Christmas.
Meanwhile, I didn't blog, I didn't write the essay I wanted about our software, I didn't tweet, I didn't call School Specialty Catalog where we used to sell our software to present my children's book, "Lucky, the Left Pawed Puppy" in print form, I didn't do the press release I was going to. All in all, I spent two weeks doing stuff I used to do when I was working merely 8 to 5 in areal job that paid me real money.
New Year's Resolution for Women in Small Online Businesses
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Small Business Road Trip Review - Coburg, OR
Along our way up and down the coast (we've abandoned the pop-up trailer: see previous posting) we decided to review small businesses that we fell in love with - all serendipitous encounters of the best kind.
So, we had sandwiches packed in the cooler on our way back to California and were getting hungry around the exit to Coburg, OR. We started driving through a delightful little residential/antique shop area and stopped at a cool, shady park, and were surprised to see two hammocks hung between the posts of the shelter in the park. They looked like well-made hammocks, but yet our hearts were sorrowful that perhaps this was the only way a couple who was homeless had to sleep. Our sorrow was eased quickly as my husband looked over to the bikes that were chained next to the hammocks - expensive long trek road bikes
After we finished lunch and walked the dog, we started to drive away, but right next door to the park was a house with an open patio where the sign read Ice Cream and Photo Gallery. We had to stop for that. It turns out that his park is a common stopover for bicycle riders to snooze at mid-day before they finish the day's ride. Walt was quite friendly and had very good ice cream. He is a professional photographer with a little extra time during the day to sell ice cream. If you're near Coburg and need a break, get off the highway and tell Walt you were sent by a blogger from 2015!
So, we had sandwiches packed in the cooler on our way back to California and were getting hungry around the exit to Coburg, OR. We started driving through a delightful little residential/antique shop area and stopped at a cool, shady park, and were surprised to see two hammocks hung between the posts of the shelter in the park. They looked like well-made hammocks, but yet our hearts were sorrowful that perhaps this was the only way a couple who was homeless had to sleep. Our sorrow was eased quickly as my husband looked over to the bikes that were chained next to the hammocks - expensive long trek road bikes
After we finished lunch and walked the dog, we started to drive away, but right next door to the park was a house with an open patio where the sign read Ice Cream and Photo Gallery. We had to stop for that. It turns out that his park is a common stopover for bicycle riders to snooze at mid-day before they finish the day's ride. Walt was quite friendly and had very good ice cream. He is a professional photographer with a little extra time during the day to sell ice cream. If you're near Coburg and need a break, get off the highway and tell Walt you were sent by a blogger from 2015!
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Full disclosure: Christmas didn't exactly destroy my online business forever , but it certainly wreaked havoc on any sales from our we...