TGIS (Thank God It's Saturday!)

TGIF means absolutely nothing to me, except that Friday is the glorious end of the work-week for lots of people. Just not for me. In fact, for many shopkeepers like myself, Saturday can be the busiest day of the week. If you want to be here for the action, or if it's a fiscal challenge to pay someone else, well, Friday won't be much cause for celebration.


As those of you out there who work Saturdays can probably attest, no matter how much you enjoy your job, (and believe me, I love, love, love my job,) it, um, stinks (in lieu of a much less tasteful verb) to work on a Saturday. I do have two days off most weeks, Sundays and Mondays... having a weekday off can be an advantage because it's a great time for taking care of personal business/errands... I always hope for a beautiful Sunday ('cause that's my funday.)


On busy Saturdays, you can work so hard that you forget you're actually working on a Saturday. But on slow Saturdays like today, when everybody's out, not shopping, but at beaches and friends' houses and on vacation enjoying the nice weather on this last weekend before the back-to-school preparations begin, I want to just close up shop and head to the local Saturday farmers market that I've never even been to.


One particularly lovely Saturday a customer said to me, "I'll be sure to go to the beach for you today." Hmm... I think that was supposed to make me feel better?


Now don't get me wrong, it's not as if I don't have an extremely long to-do list, and of course I'm procrastinating on certain projects (things I will just never enjoy like accounting and getting rid of things I don't need anymore).
Tuesday through Friday, it's a different playing field. After all, it seems like everyone else is at work then, like we're all in it together, like I'm connected to a larger work continuum.
Well, I'll get back to my chocolate (another bad thing about slow Saturdays) and my to-do list. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. TGIS!


P.S. I'm eating the best chocolate cookie right now! It's called a "Ladybug" and it's like a giant fresh raspberry creme filled oreo cookie triple dipped in dark chocolate. One cookie is so substantial that it's all you need to eat at one time. It's all-natural by Nikki's Cookies, and yes, I sell them in my store so check it out!

Networking: A Relationship Business

As I blogged about earlier, one of my professional goals this year is to do more networking. And you know what? Networking can be fun, even for introverts like me. Really. Take yesterday's Downtown Women's Club event at the South Shore Natural Science Center, for example.

Once I freshened my makeup, consolidated my essentials and business cards/literature into one easy-to-carry wristlet, hit the road and drove right past the location, did a U-turn, found parking, got over the butterflies, put a big smile on my face and affixed my nametag, I was ready to network (the embarassment of ordering a glass of wine at the cash bar and then realizing I did not have any cash not withstanding).

Wine certainly boosts the fun factor, but it's also nice to get out of the office and see new things. I never even realized we had a science center nearby! But upon entering the room filled with people (and mounted animal heads) I began to worry: how will I possibly get around to meet with enough (of the "right") people in the next hour to make the evening away from home worthwhile? How do I prioritize? Who do I talk with first?

Wine in one hand and wristlet in the other, I walked (hurriedly) around trying to catch glimpses of company names on nametags to find those people most likely to buy my products and services. Finding the nametag strategy futile (shortsighted and left my glasses in the car) I finally inserted myself into a conversation with two people who were in my path. One was an insurance agent and the other a retired furniture maker, and after getting to know them a bit I remembered something important that I had learned earlier in my career; that networking is really about building relationships (and trust) with people who are more than just sales targets. They are businesspeople, but they are also mothers, fathers, yoga enthusiasts, musicians, sisters, brothers, animal lovers, grandparents, cancer survivors, nonprofit board members, folks who've just lost their jobs, the list goes on...

Whew! What a relief. I could just relax and enjoy meeting new people and making meaningful connections with a cross-section of professionals who are also trying to develop their businesses. And we surely have even more in common.

During the event, I wound up re-connecting with folks I've met at other events plus meeting some great new people, having stimulating conversations, and receiving some helpful business advice and sales leads... and yes, having fun! I'm sure I will see many of these folks again at future events, and in the meantime we'll keep in touch through LinkedIn.

Whatever their profession or current situation, each person there last night is connected to hundreds of other people in some way through their complex lives. The moral of this story? Build meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships and your sales will grow organically. Beautiful!

I can't wait for my next networking event.

Check out the Downtown Women's Club, there are chapters in many cities around the US:
http://downtownwomensclub.com

The South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell is worth discovering with your family!
http://www.ssnsc.org

Local Natural Bodycare Line

Here at the store, we cannot claim to carry only 100% natural bodycare products, although natural products are a personal interest of mine. Our product mix/spectrum features both long-time gift-industry standards and newer brands from smaller companies. When we first opened the store, one of the first bodycare lines we picked up was Plum Island Soap Company, a small natural bodycare product and soap maker in Newburyport, MA.


Maybe my own Plum Island Soap Company "rituals" will help illustrate why we love this line. Every night I apply their rich Lavender Hand Butter before going to bed, which is especially great at keeping hands soft during a harsh winter. When I want lip gloss, I reach for their Pink Grapefruit Lip Balm. In a heat wave (like the one we're having now!) I carry their Cool as a Cucumber spray to the beach or keep it with me when I'm gardening. Occasionally, I pamper my feet with their peppermint footcare line: Soothing Foot Soak, Salt and Sand Foot Scrub and Peppermint Foot Butter. When I want a little extra exfoliation in the shower, I reach for their Sweet Citrus Body Scrub. In the winter, when my skin is super dry, I like their Lavender Body Butter.

These products are long-lasting, nice-smelling, reasonably priced, and (in my experience) do what they say they will, but more importantly, I can read the ingredient list in 2 seconds and recognize all of it. From their website... The Plum Island Soap Co. offers a full line of naturally scented soaps and more than 20 different skin care products for bath, beauty & baby. It's products are made from only vegetable-based ingredients, herbs, pure essential oils & minerals.

Stop by our store and give it a try or call to order!