My Head is Spinning

Is it possible to contract ADHD as an adult? If so, I think I got it. I keep trying to focus on one thing at a time in the attempt to quit stressing myself out. Generally, I am a peaceful, laid back person, but this past year has tested me. You would think that working from home would lessen the stress in one’s life, but I can’t really say that it has. I enjoy working from home, but walk around feeling guilty about everything that needs to be done that I can’t get to.

At the moment I have taken on the monumental endeavor to attempt to sell my house. Yes, I know that the housing market sucks for sellers. What I also know is that I am spending 98% of my life energy trying to pay for and maintain a house that we only use about a third of now. My daughter is away at school and my son and I have somehow found ourselves spending our evenings hanging out in my office. We have the TV, our laptops, my artwork, his music all in one small room. We use the kitchen to fix food and then it’s to the office and then each of us off to our rooms to sleep. Three rooms I use on a regular basis out of 7 (I’m not counting bathrooms, but even that is 1 ½ out of 2 1/2). The dining room I spent two years remodeling looks good, but is a glorified laundry room, only used for folding clothes. Our big family room seems a little overwhelming for just two of us and a dog.

So, now I try to focus on work, but keep jumping every time the phone rings. Is it for the next showing and do I have time to do the frantic clean up? Then there is the bill juggling. Ok, those of you who are self-employed, you know what I mean…especially in this current economy. My payments come in a little at a time and trying to keep in all wrangled in one place to make that mortgage payment every month is eating away at my stomach. I don’t get one or two paychecks a month that I can divide into neat pieces anymore. And then there is the tuition! And I only have about a year and a half until there are TWO tuitions!!!

My goal is to cut 2300 sq. ft. of living space down to about 1300 sq. ft. It is all daunting right now. Fourteen years in this house including a two car garage with a storage room. Fourteen years of STUFF that has to be cut at least into half. What do I do with my Grandma’s 50 year old massive deep freezer that I still use? Can I sleep at night without the security of that extra stash of food knowing that some freak snowstorm is heading to the Carolina’s this winter that will require us to forgo a trip for milk and bread? Can I sleep at night without the three comforters in the linen closet that we don’t like, but are there for that same darn blizzard?

I’m not even a real pack rat. I have just kept stuff…just in case...just because I didn’t know what to do with it. And the art supplies. Oh, the art supplies. Having to give up all those dreams of the art I could paint, sew, sculpt and draw. I have decided to only keep the pencils (this includes two large sets of colored pencils and a small drawer full of charcoal and graphite) and my acrylic paints. In reality, these are the only supplies I use…oh, except for the jewelry bits and the metal…. Do you see why I’m in a state of non-focus and hyperactivity?

In my alter-life I live in a contemporary, minimalist small home with no knick-knacks and walls of built-in, smooth, sleek door covered storage where everything has its perfect place. When it all gets too much I glaze over and go to my happy, organized alter-life, hoping that when I come to my Fairy God-Mother will have cleaned out all the drawers, shelves, cabinets, and boxes. I could then blame her when I really need that third comforter or start missing that art project that I did in college. Yes, I kept some of them and have been dragging them across two states for 20++ years now. Just smack me. I know.

It’s not the physically grueling act of downsizing that wears you down. It’s the millions of little decisions of what to keep and what to let go of. It’s pulling out all the papers and drawings your kids made in kindergarten and knowing that keeping the papers will not keep those cute little kids from leaving home. It’s deciding if it’s worth the effort to dig up my great grandmother’s rose bush AGAIN and trying to find a place for it at the next landing strip. It’s wondering if throwing out my late cat Blackie’s collar is the equivalent of losing the memory of him. Suddenly, every item my hand touches seems to come with a story or a memory that’s important.

My hope is that my house sells fast. First, so that I don’t have to pretend to be Martha Stewart every waking moment so that my house is always in a magazine cover state (I can hear my close friends doubled over in laughter now at this thought). Second, so that I don’t have to keep going through this emotional upheaval every time I open a cabinet. No, I want it to go fast so that I can either, throw everything into boxes and put them in storage and my kids can sort through the crap when I’m dead or I can throw everything out on my front yard and all of you can drive by and take what you want. Please, just don’t ask me about the story behind it.

Wish me luck!

Summer? What Summer???

Hi Everyone,

No, I did not take the summer off and spend it hanging out on the beach. I wish! I did manage to work in about 2 days of sun and surf. That's all.

My summer has flown by. It was busy, busy, busy. July and August are normally slow months in my business. I guess since nothing is normal anymore I shouldn't have been surprised that I was slammed with work. Now, I'm not complaining by any means. I am extremely thankful to have work coming in!

As August is ending, I realized that in one month I will have been in business for one year already. Where does the time go? It has been exciting and scary, but the pieces have fallen into place much easier that I ever imagined. Thanks again (I can't tell you enough) for all of your support.

In celebration of my upcoming anniversary, I finally squeezed out some time to design myself a logo and make a slight name change. Since I sort of fell into this I just used the existing name "Bloomtown Studio" that I had in place for my artwork. Over this year, many people have asked me about the company name and what I do. It's a great conversation starter, but not very clear. So, below is the new "BTS Print and Design". It's a "division" of Bloomtown Studio. In other words, I don't want to deal with getting a new tax number!

It's just my way of a celebration! I have found that I love doing this and hope to do it for a long time and will be sending or dropping off new business cards soon. All my contact info stays the same. It was time to commit to the long haul.

Now that school is back in session and my schedule more predictable I plan on sending out more blogs for your amusement (I hope) and am working on a Facebook page.

Hope all of you are doing well. Thanks for your continued trust and support.

Christel

What does the end look like?

Does anyone know what happened to April? It was the end of March last time I wrote. How does time get away from me so fast? Spring is the busy time in my business and my life. It all kind of rolls in together and is often hard to tell where one part ends and the other part starts.

I had planned to get some feedback from you on the possibility of starting delivery charges. In all the years of delivering your printing I have never had a delivery charge. But, with gas starting to push $4 a gallon it has been on my mind. This week the media is saying that oil prices have dropped and gas prices should start dropping as well. So, for the moment I will leave the idea alone and continue with free delivery.

In June my daughter is graduating high school. I'm none too sure what happened to 18 years either! She has been working on a genealogy project for her US History class. I had to drag out the box of family photos to find some papers from my Dad's side of the family. Mixed in were photos of my kids when they were babies and toddlers. Then she had to interview my Dad about his life and what he remembered about my grandfather and great grandfather. Mix all this with some business reading and planning that I have been working on and I find that this Spring seems to have a theme running through it.

One of the best bits of business advice I have ever heard came to me in a book called "The Elite Entrepreneur" by Ephren W. Taylor. The author says not to start a business with a business plan (we all know what happens to plans), but to visualize what you want the very end of your business to look like. Does it have you selling the business for billions? Taking it public? Or simply and happily working out of your basement until you take your last breath? Businesses, like life, have a way of running out of control if you don't know where you are heading. A business will work you to death and not in a fun way if you don't keep it on track.

This is where life and business merge. One of the questions my daughter asked my Dad was "What do you want to be remembered for?". There was one of my ancestors that Wrenn could only find a name for, his son's name and where he died. Nothing between being born and dying other than having a son.

As my daughter is getting ready to start a life without her Mother Hen clucking around all the time, my advice to her will be....decide what you want your life to look like when you get to the end of it. Let that be your guide when all hell is breaking loose. The best laid plans blow apart. Decide what kind of person you want to be so when you have a HUGE decision to make there is a vision in front of you. Life and business require constant readjustments to stay on track. Sometimes the track disappears completely. But if you at least know what direction you are heading you can usually find your way back to the track or at least machete your way thru the jungle and make a new path to your goal.

As I have been working on a vision of what I want the end of my business to look like, am also in the process of some personal track shifting. In two more years, my son will be graduating high school. At least I will have my "advice" figured out for him. By then I will have been in full parental mode for 20 years. Even though I know you never stop being a parent, you do have to shift out of 3rd gear eventually. What do I want my life to look like after the kids leave. I have ruled out being the neighborhood cat lady, thanks to my dog!

So, when you get some daydreaming time what do you want the end of your "business" to look like? Heck, what do you want the end of this week or the month to look like?

Just in case I don't get back to this again until June... have a wonderful May!!
Christel

A New Addition…Please Reply

I have a favor to ask of you. Please take a minute and read this blog and then let me know, either way, what you would like to do.

I recently decided to add to my business by becoming a Shaklee distributor. This was not a spur of the moment decision. I have been using the Shaklee products for over 10 years now and thinking about becoming a distributor for over a year. Below are my reasons for this decision. I do not want to send you information if you are not interested in the products and will respect your time and inbox.

1) I have used the Shaklee products for a long time and have come to trust them and the integrity of the company. They have a 100% guarantee on their products and that includes the ingredients and purity. They have been around for 55 years and go way beyond other companies in testing and quality.

2) Healthcare just keeps getting more expensive and no one seems to know what the Healthcare Reform is going to do to us. We have to take full responsibility for our health and the health of our families.

3) In my 30’s I experienced a major health scare. Instead of taking the drugs the doctors wanted to prescribe I made the decision to make radical changes to my diet and way of life. While I do not recommend this for others, it was the right decision for me. I am rarely sick now and was recently able to get a very good rate on my health insurance. So I know first hand what a difference taking care of yourself can make. I want to help other people get healthier too.

4) While the business is primarily a business to consumer business the Shaklee cleaning products are an excellent alternative to the strong chemical cleaners used in many businesses. Also, staying healthier means less sick days and lost production.

5) I am the only income earner in my household. The printing industry has suffered like many other industries in our area. I wanted another income stream from a different industry, but did not want to go back to school for a new career. I highly recommend the book “Multiple Streams of Income” by Robert G. Allen if you are in a similar situation.

6) Many of you know that I have been working a part-time retail job for almost two years now. I’m tired of missing events with my kids. The goal is for this to replace that! I can work around my kids’ schedules with Shaklee.

Please go to my website, www.pictureofhealth.myshaklee.com to get more information. I will have a separate email address (poh@triad.rr.com) and a separate blog (not set up yet). The blog is to give you information about health issues, not to beat you over the head to buy something.

All I need from you is to know whether you want to be on my Shaklee email list. That’s it. Thanks for reading and have a great SPRING day! (I thought it would never get here)
Christel

In more detail

Lately I have had several questions about how my business works, so I am going to explain in a little more detail. No, I don't have a printing press in my garage. I will be perfectly happy to never own another printing press. I have spent years stressing over supplies, maintence and scheduling on presses. I will leave that to other people now.

The great thing about Bloomtown Studio is that I get to do the parts of this business that I love to do (except for the accounting). I am no longer tied down to one company. I operate as a Dealer/Broker for many different suppliers now. This gives me the freedom to find the best quality and pricing for my customers.

An example of this is a business card job I got last week. There was a definite deadline that had to be met. I had my choice of three suppliers who all produce equally good quality business cards. Option 1 had the lowest price, but could not meet the deadline. Option 2 could meet the deadline ahead of time, but had the highest price. Option 3 was able to meet the deadline and come in with middle ground pricing.

Even though I have a design background, right now I am using a couple of freelance designers to produce the artwork needed. This frees me up to take care of my customers, research suppliers and juggle the different parts of the jobs that have to be coordinated. I am working on getting a new computer with the latest and greatest software so that I can take on more of the design, especially those rush jobs that make me lose sleep at night.

And...since I don't have all the overhead of a retail building, equipment and employees I am able to pass along the savings to my customers. It's not always a huge amount because everyone has cut their pricing to the bone these days to keep the doors open, but I try to help out as much as possible. I know what it's like to run a business. This is my second round of self-employment. Things are still tough out there.

Just as a reminder, below is a list of most of the products I carry and/or design.

• Logo Design
• Letterhead, Envelopes and Business Cards
• Brochures, Folders and Flyers
• Forms, Business Checks
• Self-Inking Stamps
• Labels and Vinyl Clings
• Copywriting
• Promo Items - Pens, Mugs, Magnets, etc.
• Signs
• If you don't see it on the list, contact me. I will help you find someone who will!

Have a great day!

Christel

Going Green?

I am about to meet Goal #1 this year. I have started on my website and should have it up and running on Monday (2/21). Will it be exactly the way I want it? No. It will be a work in progress, but for those of you who have been trying to find me out "there" you will now be able to. I have also listed the services Bloomtown Studio offers. Sometimes the list is too long to remember everything. On Monday I will send out an announcement about the site being up, but go ahead and bookmark bloomtownstudio.com!

Another recent addition to Bloomtown Studio is that I am now carrying a line of recycled paper from Greenfield Papers. These are papers that have been featured on the Oprah show and have a distinguished list of companies that have had products printed on the papers. Some of the paper has seeds embedded in it so that the paper can be planted and wildflowers will grow from it. There is a paper made of recycled denim and some that have leaves embedded. All very interesting options if you are looking for something different or want to emphasis your company's part in sustainability. If you would like to see samples, please give me a call and I will be happy to bring some by your office.

In addition to adding the Greenfield Paper line I have also been reading about companies who take sustainability very seriously. The printing industry hasn't exactly been at the leading edge of this trend, but it is catching up. Most paper lines now include at least 30% post-consumer waste without even advertising the fact. Many printing companies are Forest Stewardship Council certified (www.fsc.org) as well as now using soy based inks. All this is just good business.

I realized that I have been "green" most of my life. It's the way I was raised, except that we referred to it as "cheap". Both my parents came from families that endured the Great Depression and they didn't go into the Depression with much to begin with. My sister and I have discussed our obsession with saving ziplock bags. To save time she once tried to wash her's in the dishwasher. Please do not try that at home. It is NOT a good option.

My kids sometimes refer to me as their "granola" mom. I made their baby food most of the time, have always tried to avoid using harsh cleaning supplies, have a compost pile, etc. Some of my artwork includes recycling old metal printing plates into sculpture. Heck, growing up we never went looking for pets either. We were the family that took in the strays and the pets that people couldn't keep when they moved. Guess that explains how I wound up with a rescued greyhound and now Kato puppy from the Guilford Animal Shelter.

Anyway, I guess the point I'm trying to make is that not being wasteful is just a practical way to live and work. If you weren't raised like that I'm sure it could take some getting used to and many industries and companies find it a painful transition at first. Once you have the habit and systems in place there is a moment where you go "why didn't we do this earlier".

Enough for today. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, eat a veggie burger and recycle something.

Christel Williams
bloomtownstudio.com (coming to a computer near you on 2/21/1011)

Email and Distractions

First, if you sent me an email yesterday (1/28/11) I probably didn't get it. Please resend it. Technical difficulties may push me over the edge one day.

Now, I apologize for not keeping in touch. I did not realize how long it had been since I last wrote. Somehow the holidays got in my way, then I started sorting through the files for tax season. After that I was dealing with my elderly dog and eventually had to put him to sleep. I just couldn't seem to pull anything together to talk about.

Better late than never, I am getting myself back on track. I'm trying to finish up the taxes so I can finish up the FAFSA form so kid #1 can go to college. I have my goals set for this year. Those include getting a new computer (so hopefully I won't have so many technical difficulties) and getting a website up and going.

I am trying very hard not to let the busy work and daily distractions keep me from the top priorities. This includes my ignoring the fact that my new puppy is at this moment destroying a pillow. If any of you have your shredder die please let me know. I will rent out Kato Puppy - Super Shredder. No electricity needed, just snacks. He is VERY efficient. I am so glad that you all can't webcam my office right now. Looks like snow in here.

Keep in mind we offer full design services, printing, copywriting, signs, banners, promo items and T-shirts.

Wishing you all a wonderful and prosperous New Year.

Talk to you next week,

Christel