Making Ripples: post-corporate adventures in Floyd County Virginia

The life of a micro-business owner

If you are a cubicle dweller, you may have difficulty remembering what it was like to get up in the morning and be filled with enthusiasm about your day to come.

As a micro-business owner, you are much more likely to view your workday with a sense of joy. Everyday challenges provide inspiration, instead of a sense of futility or doom.

Even when you are hard-pressed to make ends meet, your freedom of choice is so much greater that problems are much more likely to be viewed as opportunities.

Life is a different game when you set your own schedule. You can adjust your work day to balance the conflicting needs of family and income generation.

As a writer-blogger-craftsman-publisher, who is a husband, grandfather, and cat owner, I get to juggle all sorts of conflicting demands. Since I have responsibility for setting my schedule, I have no one to blame if things go wrong. As a result, I try to make choices so things work out to benefit all concerned, including myself.

For example, I got up at 3:00am this morning so I would be able to secure a place at the Charlottesville City Market. I fed the cats and departed the house in stealth mode so that Gretchen could catch a few more hours of sleep. At 5:00am I joined my fellow micro-business associates (exhibitors and produce sellers) as we drank coffee and watched the police and towtrucks clearing the parking lot in preparation for the saturday morning City market. By 5:30am we were all busy setting up displays for the 7:00am opening of the market. From 7;00 to 12:00 noon, the pace was non-stop. Eager shoppers swarmed through the market looking for the freshest produce and for all sorts of food, fresh baked goods, and craft work. Check out the C'ville Market photo album for recent images of this Saturday morning event.

I met a few people who offered to help me get my book into various programs at UVA and into the UVA bookstore. I also had the pleasant experience of seeing two women come up to my book display and one said to the other, "That's the book I was telling you about!"

Word of mouth advertising. How sweet it is to actually see it in action!

I have a new Affordable Designs in Wood banner sign for the top of my van. No one mentions it, but I notice that I have more requests for design quotes than ever before. I actually had people standing in line waiting to talk to me about projects! I was elated, but I couldn't stop and enjoy the feeling, because I was sketching madly and taking down notes and email addresses.

Two of the other exhibitors came by during the morning and did a hasty browse through Danger Quicksand - Have A Nice Day. They still have day jobs while they are ramping up their own businesses. My book struck a nerve and they laugh and promise to return and pick up a copy.

I saw a change in how people approach my book this week. I sold two books where the person picked up the book, looked inside and bought the book within three minutes. One was a woman who bought it for her son, who works in IT. The other was a senior IT manager who had just been laid off because of outsourcing.

By noon, I am wasted. The heat and 100% hunidity has taken its toll, but the day was professionally and financially rewarding. I break down the exhibit, load everything back into the van, and head for home which is 20 miles away.

I unload the van, shuck off my sodden clothing, shower and crash for a few hours while Gretchen handles phone traffic and manages the affairs of her tree care company client. When I surface, all is quiet and I can catch up on my emails and fill an online order that has just been placed for my book.

Those of you who are considering self-publishing might well consider doing fulfillment yourselves. There is incredible satisfaction seeing orders arrive and being able to sign and ship the book the same day. I feel much closer to my book buyers than if they were getting books through a third party and I had no visibility on how well they were being serviced.

I get several chances to interact with buyers. I send them an email telling them when the order is being shipped. I write a note in the book when I sign it and I may write a note on the paid invoice asking them to email me if they have any questions.

This may sound like too much work to some of you, but it is completely voluntary and I get to choose my own priorities. At the end of each day, I am as happy as I have ever been in my life. I am making progress toward a known goal and meeting new and interesting people along the way. Life is definitely good...

Feasting in Floyd

While the rest of Floyd County was gearing up for three days of music at the Floyd Fest, Fred First invited Doug Thompson and the St Lawrences to feast on barbecued chicken and fixings at the First home on Goose Creek Run. This was our last night in Floyd and it promised to be interesting because any time you get three bloggers gathered under one roof you hear a lot of funny stories. The best ones are often told by the wives.

To get to Fred's place, you drive way out of town and leave the paved highway and drive for miles on a winding, single lane road under a continuous canopy of foliage. It is always worth the trip and this was no exception.

We knew we were in for a good time when our hostess greeted us with a gun in her hand. She had been walking the dog and she wanted to make sure that the local black bear did not come back to tangle with the dog. For the full story of the bear, the dog and a man clad only in boxer shorts, you must visit Fragments From Floyd.

When a photographer fails to take a newsworthy photo of his dog chasing a bear, his friends will try to make him feel better by stalking the bear and getting a picture for him. Here are Doug Thompson and Fred First with a bear photo taken in Floyd this week by Doug. For a more complete story of the bear and other wildlife photography visit Doug Thompsons Blue Ridge Muse.

Gretchen and I enjoyed the incomparable First family hospitality and ended the evening in true country fashion, eating strawberry pie on the front porch while a thunderstorm built up around us and Fred's dog Tsuga kept watch for bears.

We had a great time and drove home with the camera on hoping for a glimpse of Fred's bear or one of the local coyotes. We saw nothing but deer, which we photograph at home in great numbers.

Blogging in Floyd County

This quiet rural area feels more like home with every visit. It is the kind of place we have been seeking for many years. It has the same intermingling of scenery and high-tech sophistication that we saw in Woodside and Pacific Grove, but we do not find the same level of high-ticket living that characterizes those California oases. The Maserati count is negligible and there is no ostrich salami available at the local deli. In fact, there is no deli in the county!

Floyd has charm and internet awareness at a price that ordinary bloggers and other citizens can still afford.

I am sitting in the Cafe Del Sol with my wife, Gretchen, and we are joined by blogger, Colleen Redman. Gretchen (on the left) and Colleen became instant friends because they hail originally from the same area in Eastern Massachusetts.

While they are talking, a woman in the corner mentions Hingham, Massachusetts, and her name is also Colleen. So here in this coffee house at a remote crossroads in southern Virginia in a county with a single traffic light, three women from the Hingham area are excitedly discussing their websites, blogging, and life in general. As the conversation winds down, they exchange business cards!

Last night we enjoyed another excellent meal at Oddfellas Cantina. I had the Roast Thai Chicken and I recommend it highly. While we were eating, Rob Neukirch, the owner of the cafe, got up on the small stage and jammed with Bernie Coveney, and Chris Luster on a number of old standards.

Rob, a former actor, has established an outstanding reputation for his restaurant by offering fine food and live entertainment. He shows remarkable talent in a number of areas and keeps the show on the road in spite of all obstacles.

As we were leaving after a wonderful evening, he shared a harrowing story. On Wednesday, a week ago, an automatic fire sprinkler on the second floor of the building let go and water cascaded into the Oddfellas kitchen for several hours. The roof fell in and the main floor and the basement were flooded by the time he figured out how to turn the water off.

This would have put many a small businessman into a tailspin, but Rob and his crew had the place dried out and back in operation within a few days. If he had not told us, we would have never known of the recent disaster. The restaurant was back in operation serving wonderful food and the musicians played everything from bluegrass to jazz. It was another "uneventful" and altogether pleasant evening.

These are many businessmen who are not as cool under fire, but this is evidently what it takes to be successful. Rob exemplifies the successful small businessman, multitalented, always courteous, and unflappable under pressure.

Carnival of the Vanities #149

There is a lot of interesting writing this week in the Carnival of the Vanities #149,  which is being hosted by Melinama at  Pratie Place

Melinama bills Pratie Place as: "Reflections and news, primarily from the previous millennium. Because I can't keep up."  This would seem to be true as she seems to resist hosting carnival entries that she doesn't agree with.

Seems to me that when you agree to host a carnival, you need to be a host, not an editor, but that's just my take on it. A carnival host gets the benefit of a lot of new traffic and it seems unkind to bite the hands that feed you.

Visit the Carnival of the Vanities, see a lot of interesting writing, and take time to read Melinama's posts on her recent visits to small towns in Maine. There is something there for everyone,

Is it too late to become a blogger?

Has the window of opportunity closed?

I have a good friend, a published author, who has steadfastly resisted my invitations to take up blogging. This has been going on for several years.

Nothing I said or did seemed to register with him. He was always interested in my blog and was even encouraging about the quality of essays I wrote, but it was the politely detached interest one might show in a collection of airline barf bags. Blogging might be a fine pastime, but it was not something he took seriously as a tool for developing a customer base.

Something has changed his opinion, probably the fact that you can't read a paper or watch TV without hearing about bloggers and blogging. Now he is wrestling with the fact that he may have missed a window of opportunity.

In a recent conversation, he voiced his concern that it might be too late now to become a blogger. He felt it was easier to get noticed two years ago when there were so few bloggers. He was worried that it might be far more difficult to build a reputation now that there is so much competition from bloggers who have established huge followings.

I tried to reassure him that in the blogosphere we can all be famous for at least 15 people. I didn't want to grapple with explaining the Long Tail phenomena, or get into a discussion that might confuse him further.

The simplest answer to this question is: The blogosphere is an infinite sum game.

The power and the leverage gained by each blogger increases as he or she exchanges communication with others. There is no limitation on a blogger's ability to reach an audience except the unwillingness to accept and originate communication.

My personal philosophy that your audience size is a function of your willingness and ability to communicate things that are important to you. I see new bloggers every week that have the ability to connect with an audience. On the other hand, I see highly touted personalities start a well-publicized blog and it is immediately apparent they don't have a clue about communicating. Their posts read like press releases. Their blogs close down after a few months.

I think a weblog is the ultimate power tool. Here is an excerpt from my December 2003 post:

Through a weblog, a single individual can be connected to and can affect an almost unlimited number of other individuals. ... From a practical standpoint, your audience is limited only by the power of your intellect. If you use it, and build with it, they will come.

If you understand communication in all of its aspects, you can reach any audience you choose, given enough time.

If you understand branding, you can hold your audience and make it grow.

If you understand art, you will know how aesthetics can be used as the carrier wave for creating an emotional response and conveying information.

If you understand emotional tone levels and how they affect the receipt and comprehension of information, you will be able to communicate truth at a level which can be understood and accepted by your chosen audience.

I am convinced that the blogosphere still offers infinite possibilities. In almost two years of blogging, I have not seen anything to convince me otherwise. I feel we have barely scratched the surface.

We are building a free-form network that is changing the way the world exchanges information.

What do you think? Are all of the good spots taken?

Is it too late to become a successful blogger?

Would this be considered blogging?

I have been exchanging emails with a new reader and after a long and enthusiatic exchange of ideas, she asked the question which I'm using as the title of this post. Although she doesn't realize it yet, she has probably "caught" the blogging bug and will become a blogger in the not too distant future. The signs are unmistakable. :)

Her question has inspired me to re-examine blogging again as it appears to new visitors.

Reading blogs is becoming a national pastime. It is a great way to get news and to find people like yourself. However, that isn't blogging. That's being a audience for bloggers which is at least as important as blogging, but requires different skills. Blog readers are what make blogging the social phenomenon it has become.

Blogging is about the spread of ideas. Without readers, a blogger's ideas go nowhere.

Artistry in blogging is the presentation of ideas in an interesting manner so that they get disseminated widely.

Blogging starts with the discovery of blogs and the realization that this new area of open source media is unbelievably interesting and complex enough to hold your attention for years. It can draw you in and you start leaving comments on various sites. You get into conversations with various bloggers and you become a personality to them and vice versa. You find that you discover things about yourself and about life that you have not been able to express before.

After a while, you find yourself with so many ideas to discuss that your comments begin to grow to a length that exceeds the blogger's original post. That's when you get suggestions from bloggers that you need a blog of your own.

Blogging is the creation of a weblog on the internet and updating it every so often. It is the writing and maintaining a weblog that constitutes blogging. It is your place to say what you want. You are a citizen publisher. Your blog is your pulpit to preach or rant or titillate or amuse from.

It is an incredible learning experience and it changes your life. Those of us who are immersed in the daily give and take of citizen publishing, know that blogging changes things in the world we write about and changes us as individuals. It becomes an important part of our lives as long as we continue to write and exchange ideas with others. Furthermore, there is a permanent record of what we do and say while we are part of the blogosphere, so our ideas can theoretically go on forever or until the last Internet server goes offline.

Bloggers are generally people who want to help others. They spend a lot of time with interested newcomers because every new voice adds power to the blogosphere. We are building a free-form network that is changing the way the world exchanges information.

I feel that is altogether an excellent state of affairs.

On the other hand, some may feel that the blogosphere is already too large and that all of the good spots are taken. I will deal with that subject in a later post.

Seth Godin has more sage advice for authors

Seth Godin is a remarkably savvy guy. In one short post, he has managed to build an unbelievable case for blogging as a launch pad for publishing a non-fiction book.

He also hints at a disturbingly simple strategy to get your ideas out and still make money.

Seth is living proof that there is no shortage of valuable ideas. He delivers more value in a single post than you may find in entire books. He is a master at promoting himself and his ideas far and wide and often.

I have had great results following his advice. I should probably read more of it. :)

Maybe it's time to check out home-based business opportunities

If you have been paying attention to this blog lately, you might have considered working for yourself, even if you are currently employed.

I think that's great insurance. The best time to investigate a home-based business is while you are still working. There is a wealth of information about this area and it will take some time to find a situation that is right for you. Your choices of customers, products and services are almost unlimited. You can narrow your choices by considering the hours you wish to spend, whether you wish to travel and by how much seed money you have.

There are excellent resources like Paul and Sarah Edwards who have been writing about working from home since 1985. Their book, The Best Home Businesses for People 50+, should be one of the first books you read if you are serious about working for yourself. They have done the research so you don't have to. Their list of 70 business you can start from home barely scratches the surface of what is available, but their approach will set you up to analyze other opportunities successfully.

They do an excellent job of categorizing opportunities by factors such as:

Start-up cost
Overhead
Potential earnings
Computer Skills required
Deadline pressure
Flexible hours
Overall stress

They also cover skills required, what to charge, and the best ways to get business. After reading this book, you will be well-prepared to seek out an opportunity of your own if none of the busines models they discuss excite you.

I did not read Paul and Sarah's book before launching my home-based businesses, because I learned of it only recently when they sent me a copy and congratulated me on publishing Danger Quicksand - have A Nice Day. I would have saved myself time and effort if I had known about this book earlier.

They are great role models for writers who self-publish. They have written something like 15 books about new and better ways to work and have sold one and a half million copies.

If you harbor yearnings to start your own business some day, you can do yourself a favor and see what Paul and Sarah have to say. It will be well worth your time.

J K Rowling does it again

J. K. Rowling is an inspiration to any writer. Her talent and her perseverance took her from near poverty to billionaire status in just a few years. 

I read her latest work, The Half-Blood Prince in one sitting and found it to be as as satisfying and memorable as any of the earlier books. J.K. Rowling exhibits a masterful understanding of the human condition

It was with great satisfaction that I saw that Harry was right after all in his assessment of one of the more mysterious characters of the series.

It aligns with what I have written earlier. Make your judgments on the basis of what you yourself observe, no matter what your trusted advisors tell you.

For those of you who take a more leisurely approach to reading Harry Potter books, you are in for a treat. The characters continue to develop in a satisfying way, but the pace of the story is as hectic as ever.

Tag: Harry Potter

Your biggest barriers to success can be overcome

To put it very simply, you cannot control something unless you take responsibility and have sufficient knowledge.

Let's start with the "R" word, responsibility. If you insist on making others take care of you, instead of taking responsibility for your own life and success, you end up in a company or under a government that dictates almost every activity in your life. Don't be surprised if the organization has its own ideas on what your life should be like.

Those of you who are or have been married may have encountered situations where a lack of responsibility made for an unhappy relationship. Whining, by the way, is a dead giveaway that the person doing the whining has not taken responsibility for his or her actions.

Your thrust toward success in life is powered by your willingness to take responsibility.

Let's consider the "K" word, knowledge. When you consider that you don't need to know any more about a person or subject, you give up any chance of controlling that part of your life which is affected by that person or subject. As soon as you take someone else's opinion about something, or someone, you are denying yourself access to actual knowledge.

Watching the evening news on TV is one sure way to get a biased view of life, people, and international affairs. Most news is actually an editorial exercise, so you are getting some anchor person's opinion about the State of the Union, who did what to whom, and you get very few facts. I suggest you go to the source the next time you hear an alarming report about anything. Google the matter until you come up with the original transcripts, not an Associated Press version or a NY Times version. Get eyewitness reports from a blogger. It's not that hard to do.

Listening to self-professed experts rather than using your own judgement, will cost you dearly. If you are going to make decisions, make them by relying on data that you can personally verify. If your sources are wrong, you will learn from the experience and will do better the next time.

Certainty of truth gives you incredible stability in the face of hecklers and naysayers. If you know the truth, you are freed from a craving for agreement from others. There is not enough time to persuade some people of truth. They may just have to figure it out on their own nickel.

Finally, there is the "C" word, control. Control is no more than making things start, change, and stop as required. It is an absolute necessity for driving a car and for all of the important things in life. Control is what gets  a student through school. It is also what is involved in creating a successful relationship. It is what enables a salesperson to sell and a manager to manage.

A person has to be able to accept control as well as exert control in order to operate successfully in  a group. For some, "control" is so loaded with bad memories that the mere idea of control makes them go bonkers. These are the few who will end up in restraints, if they can't manage to control themselves.

When you see someone who is in a bad way in life, they are usually not in control of their day-to-day existence. They are also missing knowledge or responsibility as I mentioned earlier.

The interesting thing about all of this is that no matter how badly a person may have screwed themselves up, they can begin recovering immediately by gaining a little more knowledge, taking a little more responsibility, and exerting a little more control. If a person works these three things back and forth, gaining a little ground in each area, it will not take long before they will make progress toward a better situation in life.

If you are up against a major stop in life, or trapped helplessly in your cubicle, try working your way out by improving your knowledge, responsibility, and your control a little bit at a time. I can testify that it works. Take the information and run with it.