Let Me Out

As previously posted, I do not enjoy it when people at networking events "vulture" upon my business card right away, without having asked in-depth about my business.  I usually suspect they want my card for spam purposes, and sure enough I am currently getting haunted by a business owner I met at an event last month.  I have been added to her mass email list, and am constantly getting updates about her networking events.  Her last email was a plea for people to inform her if there were any opportunities for her to get hired for her services.  I guess work is slow for her.  Unfortunately, in the email there was no option to get out of her email list.  Most good business owners supply that option, so for her to not do so is bad email etiquette, in my opinion.

Above the Rest

Looks like a major coffee chain is trying to save lost business: http://twitpic.com/1vhi2q

We have so many coffee shops in this city.  How can each store make theirs stand out from the vast ocean of cafes?  I know that other types of businesses are trying to link their store to a current cause.  For example, I passed one beauty salon that had posters asking people to come in and sign their anti-HST petition.  It honestly almost made me stop and turn around to sign (I was hungry and just continued to steam home).  Another hair salon was featured in their local newspaper, because they are sending hair trimmings to the States to help clean up the oil spill.  Even though that salon is out of my way, I seriously considered going there for a trim the next time I was in that area.

Which poses the question: how can a coffee shop make itself newsworthy, and stand out from the rest?

No Time for Hobbies?

Starting a new business can take over your life.  (I think I just typed the biggest understatement ever)  As recently as a few years ago, I recall having so much free time that I was bored.  I also remember that my days were lazy and relaxed.  My hobbies were: letting afternoons and evenings slip by while reading a book; learning to cook and bake; hanging out and playing with my cat; shopping for clothes and accessories. 

My best friends also recall how much fun I *used* to be.  We went out several times a week to eat 3-hour dinners, watch movies and concerts, and dance all night until the clubs closed.

I think what's happened is that now, my idea of fun has changed.  I still love to dance, I just don't necessarily close out the clubs anymore.  Instead of spending hours and money shopping, I spend time fixing old clothes or re-working them.  I can now afford to take vacations more frequently, to exotic places.  I love simple evenings at home, cooking a wonderful dinner and leisurely eating it in the sun.  When weather permits, you'll find me at the beach, indulging in the simplicity of a drink and a couple of friends. 

The hours I used to have indulging in lazy hobbies have been taken over by technology: email, editing, photography, and so on.  Sometimes, I look back and miss my old bachelorette life.  The trade-offs are a wonderful relationship, a comfortable home, and more money in the bank.

How do you find time to indulge in hobbies?

Business Cards

I have a pet peeve when I network.  When I meet a stranger at a business event, the first two questions are almost always, "What's your name?" and "What do you do?" 

My pet peeve is when, after finding out what sort of business I run, this person immediately asks for my business card.  I know it's likely so that they can add me to an email list of some sort.  I assume this, because they want my card before asking thoroughly what services I offer, or even disclosing what business they run.

After meeting lots of people all night, I tend to have no cards left.  I should be practical and always carry a pen with me, but what to write on?  Bar napkins just don't look professional.

When a person seems truly interested in my business, trading cards is acceptable.  But when a person pounces on my card within 10 seconds of meeting, I get annoyed.

Mother's Day

It was a sad newstip to see, but a necessary and very potent one:

WINNIPEG



Native Women's Association of Canada is having Mother's Day march to honour missing & murdered aboriginal women.

The mainstream public do not normally link Mother's Day with this devastating issue, but the NWAC was right to link it with this day.  Many victims were mothers; it certainly made me pause for a moment, amid the worries of planning dinner for tonight, figuring out what flowers to buy, wondering what gift to bring.
 
It also brought clarity and sombre to my anxious mood.  The children of these aboriginal women don't get to think about today the way I do.

Makeup

This one's for the ladies.

On a makeup forum, a woman posted a photo of her makeup, intended as her look for a job interview.  I personally thought it looked great, but many respondents suggested she tone it down, asking her to lean towards a more conservative look.

The makeup was not particularly outrageous, and I would have worn the same look if I was to be on-air or meeting a client.  It got me thinking: is the younger generation not as outrageous as we think they are?  Is being conservative still a mainstream idea?

Prolonging the Hurt: HST

Gordon Campbell's Liberals have a big mess on their hands.  They're convinced the HST will help B.C., but a lot of the province's citizens couldn't disagree more.  A lot of people in my circle are willing to drive out of their way to sign a petition.  Even this morning, while being driven to a job, my taxi driver referred to Campbell -- with many bad words.  Apparently the HST will raise taxi fares, amongst many other services (I have to pay even MORE to my hairstylist?).

Campbell's government has done some good work in the province, but the HST overshadows everything.  If Campbell would just suck it up, and yank off the band-aid quickly i.e. announce the cancellation of imposing the HST, it would hurt a lot less than slowly peeling it off.