Published January 21, 2010 | 
Wish: Successful Entrepreneur
Touchstone: Financial Independence
Role Models (I have several): Donald Trump; Dolly Parton; Loretta Swit; Julie Powell
Target: Earn $2,400 – $3,000/mo. (profit)
Target Date: Nov. 1, 2010
Obstacles: Time/Time Management; (lack of) Marketing Skills; next steps after starting?
Brainstorming: Can I focus on all of these areas at once?
- Graphic design for PODs
- Jewelry
- Art/Crafts
- Affiliate marketing
- Ebay
- Amazon
- Planning
- Writing/Blogging
- Cooking
Assignment direct from Barbara.
Rough and Ready Six Month Plan.
BarbaraSher @YellowRoseKat Why not create a rough & ready 6-month plan? Total fiction, but it’s a start. Then brainstorm details with us. #ideaparty 5:48 PM Jan 21st from TweetChat in reply to YellowRoseKat
BarbaraSher @YellowRoseKat No, first rough is wish-goals. ’1st month, site is up, blog is hot, I’m tweeting sexy stuff to get readers’ #ideaparty 5:53 PM Jan 21st from TweetChat in reply to YellowRoseKat
So, taking her first month statement and running with it, here’s what I’ve come up with. She asked for “rough”. This is it.
1st month: Site is up, blog is hot, I’m tweeting sexy stuff to get readers
2nd month: I have 100s of designs up on PODs. Followers and readers are growing.
3rd month: I’m a Proseller at Zazzle! I’ve won TBA (their ‘Today’s Best Award’) and am gaining recognition from my peers.
4th month: Writing is going smoothly – I’m blogging every other day and my POD sites are bringing in sales (they call them donots) on a regular basis.
5th month: Time management and energy are no longer a problem. Blogging and adding new designs daily. Able to focus on Affiliate sites and Amazon.
6th month: I’ve been working on crafts and jewelry for Etsy. The house is de-cluttered and I have a “mailing station” for Etsy and Ebay sales. My readers and followers can’t wait to see what new designs I’m going to add next or what I might blog about.
Somehow after those first words from Barbara, I got unstuck from my Ideal Day and back on track for where I need to go next.
My original Ideal Day still stands. A few exceptions of course: I’m not living alone. 
We have both a cat and a dog. Our house is a small cottage house (not the 2-story one by the beach) in a historical, artistic neighborhood with a full studio in back. Our business is not just a tourist gift shop, but is also the only Rock Shop in the county, with a focus on selling/teaching art/pottery/jewelry and supplying local students.
This is my long-term Dream. Everything in my life that has changed over the last 20 years – since I first dreamed of owning a business… since I first set foot into my first Rock Shop, wide-eyed like a child discovering her first candy store – the one thing that remained constant was my dream: Own a business that supports an artistic community and helps promote learning and growth.
My business must start somewhere. It starts with the next six months. Who knows where it will go from there.
Published January 18, 2010 | I’ve actually gone back a bit to daydreaming about all the “other” options out there. I find myself in a position not unlike Julia Child (with the exception that I’m not a bored housewife, but someone in need of a viable income). But I still find myself asking the same question: What am *I* going to do-o-oo?
Her husband gave a very simple reply that changed her life forever: What do you enjoy?
My partner (almost unknowingly, really) did something very similar for me. I have an idea I’ve been kicking around in my head as randomly as a person walking kicks a can out in front of them. I finally kicked the thought out of my head and into words: What do you think about . . . ?
And my wonderful, brilliant, thoughtful, supportive partner went and found information about it for me. Regardless of whether this is what I do, or whether it’s the equivalent of Julia making hats, the reply changed my life.
I thought that only dreaming is never enough. I wanted to find something so you could see if it’s possible for you or not.
Can you even imagine someone knowing you so well? (This is the same person who reminded me the other day that I need time for myself too. ♥ ♥ ♥)
I didn’t have to explain myself. I didn’t even have to say why or how or where or when. All I needed to say was, “What do you think about?” and suddenly I had someone handing me a telescope and saying, “Here. Reach for the stars.”
Here’s the explanation about this new can I’ve been kicking around. It’s something we can do together. It could really offer a viable income. We’re already in a booming market for the “high end” market and this would offer a “low to middle end” alternative. The location is ideal. And, yes, I can already think of a way to fit it into my Ideal Life.
What am *I* going to do?
Only Dreaming is Never Enough
Shoot for the Moon and Reach the Stars
Published November 17, 2009 | According to everything I’ve read from the experts, I’m going about pretty much everything all wrong. Niche! Niche! Niche! They all say. And while I do indeed have niche designs, I don’t really have a niche shop, or even a niche web site (yet. that could be changing soon.) Not only that, but my "brand" is broad and I apparently share it with a "gentleman’s club" in Houston.
The question now becomes: Why don’t I change my brand? And why not branch out to smaller niche shops and link them together?
In answer to the second question , I may do that down the road, but I’ve discovered it’s easier to work on my catch-all site first. (Plus keeping all designs at CP and Z in one "shop" is just easier for payment. I don’t earn enough yet to branch out to dozens of smaller shops.)
As for the brand, I’ve gone through countless business names (the one I paid to incorporate was the worst one of all) and none seemed to "fit." This one does – and has the most interesting story behind it of any name I could have.
My brand is me. When someone sees my logo (the drawing of the rose inside a Texas outline), it’s recognizable. When they see my icon (my manga drawing that my sweetheart did of me), or my site background (the rose trellis), they know right away that it’s me. Someone I met recently even said she recognized the icon right away and could tell it was a drawing of me, and old friends can tell it’s me too as soon as they see it. I’m extremely flattered every time I hear that because I happen to think the drawing is quite lovely. Even though there are other icons that are similar to each other, none are quite like mine. It helps distinguish my brand, which I love.
For the first time, I feel that my business name and brand "fit." And nothing feels better than something that fits well.
The Yellow Rose of Texas.
There’s a Yellow Rose in Texas,
That I am going to see.
No other feller knows her,
No other one but me.She cried so when I left her,
It nearly broke my heart.
And if I ever find her,
We nevermore will part.She’s the sweetest little rosebud,
That Texas ever knew
Her eyes are bright as diamonds,
They sparkle like the dew,You may talk about your Clementine
and sing of Rosalee,
But The Yellow Rose of Texas
is the only girl for me!
There really was a "Yellow Rose" of Texas and she helped shape Texas history as much as Sam Houston himself. Emily West Morgan was a lovely mulatto slave girl captured by Santa Anna on his march to San Jacinto. Emily sent word to Sam Houston and kept Santa Anna "occupied" while the Texans surrounded his army and defeated him, literally "catching him with his pants down." Texas owes her freedom to the beautiful slave girl who risked her own life in the Texas battle for independence.
Read more in the historical fiction: Miss Emily, The Yellow Rose of Texas
Posted in Business, POD Companies | 
Business, marketing, niche, POD companies, Wishcraft | 
1 CommentPublished October 24, 2009 | Starting back at the beginning: What from my original Ideal Day 15 or so years ago worked out? What was most important and what could change?
I don’t live in a 2-story house on the Texas gulf coast (a future goal for a vacation home perhaps?), but I do own my own home in a historic artist community.
My current business is online, though I have co-owned a (successful) gift shop in College Station. I say successful because we were earning a profit when we made the decision to close the shop so myself and my co-owner could both move away from College Station.
Supporting other artists is still an integral part of my goals, and now thanks to affiliate marketing, I’m able to do that.
Living in an artistic community is also still a priority, which is why I chose the house and neighborhood where we live now – walking distance to an arts community, glass-blowing studio, deli, restaurants and bars, and festivals twice a year – not to mention live (usually jazz) music almost every weekend. None of this was expected and now I couldn’t imagine living without it.
What priorities do I still hold dear?
- Community
- Artistic Creativity
- Artist Co-operative
- Helping Others
- Learning
- Business
- Cooking
- Animals
- Math & Programming
In my Ideal Day, these were all key factors and my day incorporated each with a perfect balance. What I find interesting are the things I included without realizing their importance at the time, much less my own abilities. I had only started making jewelry, but had never painted or drawn anything (not counting grade school, up to grade 6) much less thrown a pot or worked on ceramics. That’s right. Never. These were only things I wanted to do. And since I wrote my original Ideal Day, I’ve done all of them and managed to keep them in my life in one form or another. I didn’t own half the cookbooks I have now, had never written one (or considered writing one) and had never written my own recipe for a cooking contest. Yet, somehow, cooking dinner for friends was a priority then, without realizing how much of one it would become now. I included a database of my own making at the time because I thought I would use an existing program I was familiar with, such as FileMaker Pro
Since my goal now is much the same as it was then, it’s easy to see the importance of Business and Community in my life. I strongly feel you can’t have one without the other. I believe I’m closer than ever before to achieving my dream of financial independence through multiple income streams while maintaining community support and connections. That’s what our sites are all about.
Published October 21, 2009 | I promised "My Ideal Day" as it was "then" (on my first reading of Wishcraft). I don’t have the written version anymore – meaning I don’t know where it is in my multitude of journals. But I envisioned it so clearly in my mind, it’s become more of a fond memory for me … even though the places and events of that day never fully came to be.
My Ideal Day Then (as it was prior to achieving many of the goals I set for myself. Note that this is past tense, although for Your Ideal Day, you should write it out in present tense.)
I woke up just as the sun started peeking into the lace curtains of my bedroom window (No blinds in this house, that’s for sure.) My bedroom and office were both on the 2 nd floor of a two-story house, situated so the sun would wake me in the morning and I could still look out onto the ocean of my Texas gulf coast home.
The first order of business for the day was to check the computer and print out any orders that came in through the web site overnight – because there were always orders – and respond to emails. Next, downstairs for a cup of hot tea, followed by my cat, who went almost everywhere with me (this was written even before I got Sassy, and that’s just what she would always do.) Finally, dressed and ready to go – with printed shipping labels and receipts from the online orders – I would walk to my nearby gift shop, an easy 5 minute walk from my house, and located just off the beach in an artistic community within easy access for tourists as well as locals.
The shop would be already open by a trusted employee (a local art student), and already filling with customers, as it was the start of summer and a beautiful day out. My shop would specialize in offering the work of local artists as well as classes in the studio located in back. Our studio would be equipped for almost anything an aspiring art student might need, from painting and drawing to pottery to jewelry-making and lapidary.
On this day, our studio had a visiting local artist teaching a jewelry metal-smithing class, which I was looking forward to attending. Before the class started, I took a quick inventory of our pottery because I knew we needed to re-stock a few items soon – some of which I would be making myself in the days to come. In addition, I gathered and boxed the orders for shipping, getting them ready for pick-up by the postman. I also helped a few customers in their choices for gifts to take home – and every customer walked out with a purchase and a smile on their face.
After attending the class (most of which was like a refresher class for me as I already knew how to do it), and enjoying a light lunch with my fellow students – all of whom made a purchase of the instructor’s jewelry from our shop – I helped my employees clean and close up and took the day’s receipts with me to enter into my database at home.
Arriving home, I went straight to my over-sized, farmhouse style kitchen to start preparing dinner for a dinner party that night with the jewelry instructor, my employees and other local artists. (And of course, to feed the cat, who greeted me at the door coming home.) After a wonderful dinner with lots of wine, laughter, conversation and compliments on my food, I went with the cat back to my office where I prepared the day’s receipts and inventory (on a program I’d written myself) and checked email and orders one last time, getting everything ready for another great day tomorrow.
From Wishcraft:
With pen in hand and as much paper as you need (or a tape recorder if you prefer to dream out loud), take a leisurely walk through a day that would be perfect if it represented your usual days – not a vacation day, not a compromise day, but the very substance of your life as you’d love it to be. Live through that day in the present tense and in detail, from getting up in the morning to going to sleep at night. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? What do you have for breakfast? Do you make it yourself – or is it brought to you in bed, with a single rose and the morning paper? Do you take a long, hot bath? a bracing cold shower? What kinds of clothes do you put on? How do you spend the morning? the afternoon? At each time of day, are you indoors or outdoors, quiet or active, alone or with people?
As you go through the hours of your fantasy day, there are three helpful categories to keep in mind: what, where, and who.
Posted in Business, Wishcraft | art, artists, barbara sher, Business, ideal day, Wishcraft | Leave a commentPublished February 22, 2009 | Everyone has a wish. A dream. Something they love. Nearly every wish has an Obstacle. Something that keeps them from pursuing their dreams. Wishcraft won’t promise you a million dollars, but what it will do is help you figure out what your Dream is and help you to bring it into your life, if even only a small part of it. There’s something to be said about making your Dream part of your everyday life. It makes all those other responsibilities of living so much easier. The best part of this book is the idea that you can not only dream, Dream BIG.
The Introduction
I love how she states right from the start she isn’t out to make people “get-out-there-and-stomp-’em” kind of winners. That’s not me. I’m possibly the least competitive person around. I AM, however, a Dreamer and Wishcraft is nothing if not made for Dreamers – whether we actually ACT on the goals from it (coming up in section 3 of the book) or not.
I have a friend, Mary, whose mantra is “I can, I will, I want to.” I think she says it almost every day. And she’s notorious for making others – that would be ME – say it too. Her enthusiasm and “get out there and go get ‘em” attitude is….. well, ok, it’s sickening. It’s also contagious. If she hears anyone at all complaining about something, her first reaction is, “Yes, AND?” If they don’t know Mary, they keep complaining. If they do, they’ll concede and say “You’re right. I should do something about that.” It’s very hard to keep complaining about your own life and woes around someone as positive as Mary, who, by the way, happens to be in a wheelchair.
[quote=Wishcraft]
What you want is what you need. Your dearest wish comes straight from your core, loaded with vital information about who you are and who you can become. You’ve got to cherish it. You’ve got to respect it. Above all, you’ve got to have it.
[/quote]
Chapter One
I like the name of the first section – The Care and Feeding of Human Genius. It’s fitting, especially for Chapter One. Me? Like Einstein? Who’s she kidding, right? Hmmmm, but that Cookie example… cookie… cookie…. COOKIE! I AM like Einstein! EXACTLY like Einstein! I love looking at the world in different ways, seeing things no one else has seen. That’s what Einstein did, after all. Physics, relativity, quantum mechanics all existed before. It just took people like Einstein to find them and point them out to us. I am like Van Gogh and Monet. What they dreamed DIDN’T exist before and yet they brought them to life for us with their art.
I had a person (several people) in my life that did exactly what Barbara says in chapter one. Asked me in that belittling tone of voice, and if I remember correctly, used those exact words: Just who do you think you are?
Nothing kills a dream faster.
Exercise 1: Who do you think you are?
Why Wishcraft? Why now? Here’s who I am and where I am now. I am about to be out of work… again. It will be for the 4th time in the last year. While I realize I have wonderful people around me to support me and keep me from becoming homeless, it’s one of those things in life that leaves a person feeling useless and worthless. Well, people like me anyway. I do know people who would love to be in my situation and others who wouldn’t mind it. But for me, what I DO has always defined WHO I am.
Some people may define themselves in this exercise by who their family members are, or as the book examples show, a physical description, political affiliation, etc. Or the woman who answered the question by stating what her husband did for a living and all the details about her children but said nothing about herself. My answer is this:
- I’m a web developer/graphic artist/programmer
- I’m a very good cook
- I’m a writer
- I’m a 6th generation Texan living in a historic neighborhood founded by my ancestors
- I’m a Scorpio
Okay, as I said, I cheated a little because I knew where the exercise was going already. But I have one advantage in that I’ve already started toward my wish and my dreams with what I do for a living, where I live and who I’m with. I’m in love with my partner, I’ve had a great support (surprisingly in some cases) from my family, I love what I do (when I’m able to find work) for a living. But as Barbara said in the second half of the chapter, that isn’t the goal here.
Exercise #2: My Original Self
What did I love as a child? I loved reading and I loved writing. I loved acting out the books that I read. I loved drawing at a very young age. I loved reading about plants, birds, biographies, history. I loved collecting rocks and fossils. I loved learning new things, exploring and researching.
[quote=Wishcraft]
If you saw a cookie on the table, you didn’t think “Can I get it? Do I deserve it? Will I make a fool of myself? Am I procrastinating again?” You thought, Cookie.
[/quote]
Here’s what I plan to do while reading this book. I’m going after that cookie. I’m not going to worry about whether I deserve it or not or if I’m procrastinating because the answer will most likely be, I don’t and I am. In fact, I’m going for the whole jar of cookies. And the beauty is, it doesn’t matter if I get them all or if I come crashing down with the jar around me because even then, I’ll still have at least one cookie in my hand. 
