Friday, March 28, 2008

A week in the life...

This is just a sampling of what occurred during the course of the past week...
  • Had a new client get confirmed
  • A revised proposal was sent to a potential client that decided what they originally wanted was completely different than what they really need
  • Wrote and sent a proposal that I had been putting off
  • Had two phone conversations with prospective clients
  • Attended a meeting with a client and a potential large donor (walked away with a check!)
  • Attended a briefing/fundraising lunch with a client that resulted in a long briefing and no money
  • A proposal was rejected (our first response to a RFP as a certified woman-owned business) - this was a big bummer but hopefully we will find out why so we can make our proposals better in the future (it is just as important to understand why you don't get hired as it is to get the job)
  • Decided to move forward with the new branding materials my designer created (this was a HUGE decision!)
  • Started the process to create an entirely new website to go with above new branding materials
  • Downloaded all my contacts from outlook to excel to create various email lists for a future electronic newsletter to go with above new branding materials and website
  • Had a staff member order an Adobe product so we could send materials in a pdf vs multiple documents
  • Attended a meeting with the department of parks and recreation and a client for an event in the park that has changed course so many times that we no longer doing anything close to what we are contracted to do
  • Had a clients' invitation process melt down
  • Had a mini-melt down prevention conversation with the staff member dealing with the above invitation process
  • Figured out the specific steps involved with working out a challenging database project for a client
  • Negotiated a deadline extension on a project with a client
  • Had a follow-up conversation with a prospective client (big client) where I had to give them reasons why they can justify spending money on an outside consultant for their project
  • Attempted to obtain homeowners insurance for a home I am buying (my first) and supposed to be closing in a week
  • Battled with the flu (which I got from a sick colleague)
  • Received a solicitation call from MADD (Mother's Against Drunk Driving) at an inopportune time
  • Scheduled a breakfast meeting and lunch meeting then immediately had to reschedule them for the following week
  • Sent about 400 emails
  • Had a 2-hour meeting with a prospective client during which I sucked down about 20 coughdrops to avoid a coughing fit
  • Managed to maintain a less than 2000 calorie-a-day diet (yes, I'm trying to lose weight), but it's probably because I was sick all week
  • Traveled back from a long-weekend trip to Puerto Rico

Things I Forgot or Didn't Deal With
  • Didn't have time to send my bookkeeper the end-of-the-month bills due
  • Did not meet with staff to discuss a client project as promised
  • Didn't have time to order some industry-specific books that I need
  • Forgot to follow-up with a client who is sitting on a proposal and has been avoiding my calls for the past month
  • Forgot to call a client who needs us to do an event to help her raise money but who never calls me back when I call her (I really need to be calling her every day)
It's Friday night and I'm exhausted...

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Welcome to the World of the Woman Business Owner!

Welcome to my blog! I own a boutique fundraising and event planning firm based in New York City. I have been a business owner for nine years and 10 days. That might seem like a very long time to some people, but for me it feels like one of those summers when you are young that pass by so quick that you are back in school before you even realize you were out.

For some time I have thought about writing about the on goings of my life as a business owner. The fact of the matter is that every business owner faces similar challenges, similar decisions and similar days where there are both successes and failures. We face a myriad of decisions on a daily/hourly/minute-ly basis. Most of the time our decisions result in propelling our businesses forward; and sometimes we regret the decisions we made that day. But always, in the end, we learn from our mistakes and move on to the next task at hand.

The purpose of this blog is to discuss the everyday challenges of being a small woman business owner. I intend to create a forum where ideas can be shared, problems can be resolved, and decisions can be discussed. I look forward to your participation and feedback along the way!