Hey everyone! It’s been a little longer between posts than I intended – it’s all for good reasons, though – my workload is ramping up and it’s been so much fun working with clients! I’m learning all sorts of new things about the “start-up” process, social media and how I like to work… Here are the top things I’ve learned in the last few weeks:

10. My Robbinsdale neighborhood is really quiet during the day –especially the morning. I’m accustomed to the multitudes of dogwalkers, kids on bikes, young families out and about. I guess that’s the weekend personality of my area. Weekday personality is more like a sleepy tourist town out of season. I’m sure once school is adjourned it will shift – but for now Robbinsdale could be called snoozedale!

9. I really don’t need that much sleep. Or at least my internal clock is telling me that right now. I commonly wake up after about 6 hours of sleep – mind charged and ideas starting to flow. Not in the way that I used to wake up, jerked out of sleep by panic, but instead just ready to start my day. The trick is not disturbing any of the animals or my husband while I write stuff down or mentally prepare for the day and wait for the sun to rise so I can start my day.

8.Traditional networking is still not my favorite thing – but it’s a necessary part of this business. I’ve become much more practiced at the “Smile/Handshake/business card swap/10 second summation of my business” maneuver, however I’d really much rather meet people one on one and have an in depth conversation. There’s a reason why I don’t care for the speed dating approach to networking, and it’s the next item:

7. In an attempt to “be nice”, lovely people who are new connections will promise to follow up, have interest, knows someone who needs my help,  etc.., but when pursued will completely ignore you. Yes, I know that strangers would rather tell a fib than turn you down flat. But, come on – why lead someone on?  I know I haven’t been on the dating seen recently – ok, ever really. But I know a good connection when I make it. And I know when a fib’s being told. I’ve learned to simply move on quickly to the next open handshake available.  Authenticity matters – and I try to be as authentic as I can – every day.

6. My dogs aren’t really that great at helping me do work. In fact, right now, Parker, the barking beagle mix is thinking it’s time for dinner and is laying outside of my office door with her nose pressed up against it. “hey Parker – barking and whining and scratching won’t get you what you want!!!” well, maybe it will if I have to get on a phone call.    And then there’s the daily doggy wrestling match on the futon in my office. That’s really not helpful when I’m working. – but it’s nice to have them around!

5. Today I stopped at Target after meeting with a client- it’s the same Target that I used to sneak over too in my Cubeville days. Maybe I’m the only one that does this, but I would script out if I saw someone from the company there while I was shopping. I have no idea why I felt ashamed about making a Target run during the work day. I guess the old programming is still installed because as I stepped through the doors I went through the same process – get in, get out without anyone being able to see me.  Am I the only one? I doubt it…

4. Getting paid for my work feels really good. Like too good. I had two clients pay invoices to me last week and I was skipping to the bank and whooping it up! My billing rates are nothing near the rate I would charge as a full time consultant, or even as an employee. But each dollar I make right now is precious, and I am motivated more than ever to bring value to my clients and make them proud of the work I do for them in exchange for that payment.

3. I still run out of time everyday. I have more cool stuff to do than I can get done in a day. Some days I cut short and do non-work things, other days are very long. The fun part is I can decide which days those are. And if I have a frustrating moment because I can’t figure something out, I walk away and do something different – even if it’s watering flowers in my yard.

2. When you meet your competition (I mean literally meet them at a Chamber of Commerce meeting or a networking gathering), reach out and shake their hand. I’ve done this twice and each time, it breaks the tension when we both realized we work in the same space and could be hunting down the same client. Breaking that tension allows you to move on to make connections rather than obsess about how they work, what they charge , etc.

1. The number one thing I’ve learned in the last couple of weeks is to bask in the learning process. I’m learning this trade of social media one day at a time – I was counseled yesterday (by one of my competitors) not to waste time doing tasks that can be done less expensively by others. Like writing copy, or taking pictures for posts, or figuring out how to optimize something. Part of the joy I get out of this gig is being able to take the time to learn new stuff!