Linked2u

Monday evening I was stressed out about the programming piece. I chose to work with off-shore programmers to save on my web site cost. At this point I still don’t know if I made the right or wrong decision to go that route. You pay for what you get (In one form or another.)

My three biggest challenges have been the following:

The time difference… When it is early morning for me, they are getting ready to end their day. Due to the distance, almost all of my correspondence has been thru email.

The cultural language difference also plays a big part. My concept was difficult for them to grasp because it would not be successful in their country.

The finale challenge is that this whole thing is new to me and I’m learning as I go along. That can be a very frustrating and potentially costly situation.

I had a conference call early yesterday morning and feel much better about where we are in the process and that they truly understand the concept.

It was a great call and while I still have some concerns, I believe we can still hit or be close to a go-live date on the 15th.

So in the end, the big thing is making sure you are staying in touch with your programmer and that it’s not just through email. For me, meeting face to face with someone to talk through different ideas is the best way to go.

Do I have a Plan B in case I run into problems, or just need a second set of programming “eyes” to look at it?

You Betcha!

Sally

When I first started this blog I talked about the “six year plan”  and I believe it’s worth bringing it back up. 

This is how my whole business concept came to life!  It put all the pieces together for me. 

You really need to try this.  But here’s the thing, you almost need to set a time that it has to be completed and promise someone that it will be done by that time.  Otherwise the chance of it happening….pretty slim.  Other things will get in your way, you won’t want to do it, etc…. 

So, here’s what you need to do:  Think about how old you will be in six years (a little shocking) and if you’re married, have kids, parents, etc…. how old they will be, what they will be doing.  Think about where you would want to live if you could pick any place, and on and on…….

Write your 6 year plan as if you are already there…like a Christmas letter, where you kind of recap the year.  Make it seem as real as possible…how you are feeling, what your life is like, your health, etc..

Take some time to think about it….really think about it.  What do you want?  Then figure out a way to make it happen.  Your mind and subconscious is so powerful. 

Let’s face it, you are going to go down a path….do you want it to be random or do you want to go in the direction of your choosing.  If you don’t have goals, your direction is going to be off  base.

After you accomplish that task, you break it down into 3 years…then 18 months, and so on.  If you have not experienced it before, you will be surprised that if you set your mind to doing something….you’ll have a great chance of achieving it!

This last part is for my mother…. she asked what “lol” means.  (laugh out loud)  I realize there are quite a few people outside of the US reading this blog.  I’m not sure how universal that acronym is??…..

Anyway, really try the exericse, and let me know what you think.  After it is done…well, it’s a pretty cool experience!

Sally

This is the family picture that we had taken for the website.   I used this one for our “About Us” page. 

Derek, our oldest, is going to start college this summer.  He is standing next to me…his younger brother is only 16.  For the longest time Derek would say he could beat his brother up.  Not thinking that anymore!!!

Actually they are very nice to each other….just not to their sister!

As a follow-up to my last post, I came up with a plan to deal with my soon to be situation.  Turns out I’m not going to have to be concerned as the plans have changed and I’m thinking it should end up having a very positive outcome.  I just got that information about an hour ago.  Now, if I could just get rid of this headache!!

I ordered my official envelopes yesterday evening.  Yes, that was exciting.   Hey, I’ve been using plain old envelopes right now with my sample group.  So, I’m sure they are going to be ultra impressed. lol

Tomorrow afternoon I’m going to meet with the equipment guy…you know the one I talked about several posts back.  He is going to show me the different equipment options.  I’m planning on asking tons of questions!! 

It’s hard to believe there is only 16 more days until go-live.  If the programming and testing all works out okay, I’m thinking I just might be ready.  YEAH!   Then comes the potential hard part….actually getting customers. 

I’m meeting with my public relations contact Monday night for an hour or two to get a twitter base and learn all of the tricks/ways to communicate with that piece of social media. 

Twitter is the last piece of the puzzle I am missing.  Mark, you were right, I don’t need to spend a ton of money to get what I need from social media.  

Sally

PS…headache is gone!

Bad day….really bad day – but nothing to do with the business, and for that I am thankful.

Sometimes things that seem so terrible can end of being a good thing in ways you didn’t expect.  Actually that is how this whole business concept came to life!  So while I look at the future situation at hand, I just need to pick myself up, keep things in perspective and know I will be all the more stronger for it in the end….just won’t be a lot of fun getting through it.

Do you remember that song where they say, “I get knocked down, but I get up again, you’re never going to keep me down”  Those are actually some pretty good lyrics. 

At the end of the day you need to know what your personal goal is and focus on it.  How are your going to achieve it, measure it, and make it happen.  Yes, there are going to be outside factors that you don’t have control over but there are enough things you can do that will put the odds in your favor.

I made a chart today to track my progress for the target I have set for myself in regards to the business.  I don’t have any idea how long it will take, but I will continue to focus on making it happen until the day I color in that last line to hit my goal – allowing me to have options. 

So back to the whole perspective thing….I have so much to be thankful for.  A husband that completely puts up with me. lol!!!  and some pretty great kids.  Oh yes, let’s not forget a very short time frame for when I can actually say my site is up and I’m in business!!!!!

If everything came to a person without hardwork, struggle and some disappointment, there wouldn’t be much excitement when you reached your end goal and said, “I made it happen….even through all of the obstacles!!!”.

Take care, 

Sally

Was surprised just a bit when I received my account information in the mail from the merchant services company.  They showed both qualified and unqualified rates on my printout. 

After talking to my sales rep, it turns out that when I asked if I got the qualified rate…he thought I meant did I “get qualified”.  Big Difference.

So, to set the record straight, here’s how the whole thing works.  It depends on the card as to the rate you will be charged.  For the most part (I’m sure there are some exceptions) the unqualified rate is for credit cards that are offering the cash back options. 

When any of your customers use a cash back credit card (you know the kind that offer you a percentage back on your purchses…probably the ones that earn points as well)  you’re going to get hit with a much higher rate per transaction.

My difference….1.45% in addition to the 2.14% qualified rate.  In total, an unqualified rate (which are basically cards that have cash back options) will cost me 3.59% for each transaction!  OUCH

That does not count the transaction cost which will be an additional 29 cents (I included the 5 cent AVC, the fee the credit card companies charge you).

Outside of the statement fee and gateway fee, there is another charge called a batch closure or settlement fee – 48 cents.  This only occurs if you have any charges for that particular day. 

After looking at the numbers, it appears I’m getting into the wrong business!!!!

Sally

First of all…take a look at the fancy countdown on the right.  Thanks to Dan Repperger, I now have an official, automated “days to countdown” for the launch of my new business!!!!!

Yesterday I received the first piece of the programming to review/comment.  Kind of cool to see the home page actually work.  I can now click on a button and it does something.

There were a fair amount of corrections that needed to be made, but I was just happy to see the actual progress.  I submitted the changes last night and received the update late this morning with additional progress made on the programming. Great turnaround.

After I write this blog I will dig into the new data and perform the necessary testing/changes.  What I’m feeling relieved about is I’m actually getting to test the site as they work through their programming.  That is going to make it more manageable…not so overwhelming when it comes time to do the final testing. 

I started looking at the new information during my lunch hour and realized that it is going to be pretty important to go over it in complete detail.  Here’s an example:

There is a button that says “subscribe now”, “first time user”, and “new user sign-up” on the home page.  They all end up going to the membership sign up page.  Now, you would think that the membership sign up page would show up the same way no matter which button you clicked…WRONG. 

There is supposed to be a picture on the membership page….right now, it only appears when you hit the subscribe now button.  You know, it’s just a whole different way of thinking for me.  Apparently each one has its own path and a page can appear to be the same exact one, but its not.

I’m really going to have to study the pages tonight and make sure to get the revisions done and e-mailed before I go to bed.   The programmers are in India, their day will just be starting.  If I wait until the morning, I end up losing an entire day. 

Once the site is up and running, I’ll write a post on my total experience in working with an on-shore/off-shore programming company.  I don’t see how I can comment at this point prior to the final product being delivered.    I certainly have learned a lot and will pass on my ideas that hopefully will help you if you decide to have a web page created. 

I believe the date is going to happen now….wasn’t so sure last week.  I’d put down the days remaining but not with a lot of confidence.  I now feel confident on the date -  really exicted and really scared all at the same time.  lol!   I still have a lot of work to do!!!

I was planning on putting the picture that will be on the “about us” page tonight……I’ll make sure to do that for my next post.

Take care,

Sally

Countdown to launch date – 25 days!!

On the way home last night my head was spinning from trying to decide how I should go about getting my arms around my marketing strategy. 

I had this great plan to win that award I was talking about a few weeks ago.  Well, its not looking good, as I’m pretty sure I would have heard the news by now.  They are presenting the awards next Wednesday, so you do the math.  Not good.

Yes, I was kind of bummed.  But then recognizing that I don’t have a functioning web site probably didn’t win me any points! lol   It would have been up by the time they published the article but certainly can understand.  I like to win and it would have made for a great start for the business.  A national industry known magazine featured on their cover story.  Okay, probably should stop talking about that as it is a little depressing. 

Before I move on to the actual topic…I think this piece is important.  There were actually some great things that came out of submitting for the award.  I now have a fantastic press release, I’ve got the web programmers pushing to hit the May15th launch date, and I am going to try again later this summer (when I can say I’m in business). lol!!!! 

Anyway…..So now I’m kind of back to square one.  How do I get my name out there?  Easy to talk big and forecast great sales numbers but reality is pretty important too.  Now that I’ve lost my golden egg, I’m going to have to do some serious work/planning.

This is where my head started to spin last night.   There is a vast array of people out there that would love to help but some come with a pretty big price tag….especially when you get into the advertising side. 

I’ve been working on my local marketing plans but that is totally on a different level from utilizing the internet that can touch the world.

I think I’ve figured out what I’m going to do withthe PR piece.  My friend, Michelle, who wrote the new release, has contacts to get the info out to the right people/industry/etc..   She is going to help me with my Facebook Fan page as well.  She is trying to get her foot into the business, and I will be one of her….”look what I did for this company” people.  I found another potential contact person that focuses on the industry that I’ll be in.  I haven’t talked to her yet….so I’m keeping my options open for the piece that Michelle was going to farm out. 

Now comes the black hole…..social media, SEOs, and all the crazy stuff that goes along withit!!!!  Hence, the spinning head.  When you look at the advertising costs for any large distribution, it is pretty clear you better understand how to navigate with proficiency through all the internet murk.   

Making the right choice(s) to become knowledgeable and not throw away money or should I say  get the most out of my money is the tough piece. 

I don’t understand Twitter, I’ve read about it, etc…. but I think I’m more of a visual person and need someone to show me and explain all the “tricks”.  My eyes glaze over when people talk about meta tags.  I know I’m not optimizing my blog to get additional traffic….etc………

So here are a couple of my initial ideas/choices.  I’d love to hear what you think.  I could go with an experienced on-line social media expert that appears to be very good at what she does (not too bad on pricing – but still not cheap), work with different individuals and piece meal it…with the goal of putting it together for a lesser price, the last option is to attend a one-day boot camp that goes over social media and strategy.  First option costs the most…potentially $400/month, second -who knows but much cheaper with possibly questionable results and third one would be around $550.

What do you think?  I’d love to hear your opinion….

Sally

Attended an event this evening that my personal development coach organized.  Many successful entrepreneurs got together to share in their new advertures, give advice and just have a good time. 

Felt very fortunate to be a part of the group/gathering! 

I got some great advice and people to contact that will be able to help me once the site gets a little closer to launch date. 

This weekend I pretty much kept to my plan of not working on the business.  I actually played a game of volleyball after my daughter’s game. 

It ended up being the “men” against the “women”.  The guys didn’t have enough players but said they didn’t want any “girls” on their team.  I don’t really like to play volleyball, never have really gotten into the game.  BUT, when that was said….GAME ON!!!  Who won….you bet ya…the women!!!!

Sally

 Countdown to launch – 29 more days!

Thanks to my 12 year old, the logo is on my post tonight.  I couldn’t get it to work.  I know how to put pictures on Wordpress but not a pdf  file.

When I asked for help, it took her just a few clicks of the mouse and voila, I had a picture.  My background of orange certainly does not complement the logo…try to look past the clashing.

The original logo had three different colors…blue, green and gold/yellow.  There were a couple of problems with that combination.  First, I had it set in my mind that the main color of the website was going to have a purple tone.   The other problem, I wanted the website to be simplistic in the number of colors used.  Didn’t want that all over the place look….chaos with colors. 

I really struggled with this for a while.  My sister stepped into the picture, once again, and came up with the color combination. 

The first heart is supposed to represent the subscriber, the second heart – my company, and the third heart is the recipient.  The hearts are linked together and that completely ties into the name of the company.  Is that cool or what!?!?!  

That was another one of those times when it just completely fell into place …like it was supposed to happen. 

I really think it is about keeping your mind open and most definitely not thinking negative.  Believing that it is going to fall into place.  It sounds like such an easy thing to do…and most of the time it has been but let’s face it…once in a while doubt can creep in, and that can just  bring you to a complete halt…especially from a creative mind frame.

That brings me back to the book that you so need to read (if you haven’t already)  Think and Grow Richby Napoleon Hill. I just read the other day that it has been named the best selling book of the century.  That right there gives you enough reason to read it!!!!  (remember to get the old version)

I’m planning on taking it easy this weekend…very tired.  I worked some pretty late hours this week and need to take a break.  We’ll see how that works.  I’ll make sure to write a post on Sunday!

Sally

Isn’t it weird how sometimes things just fall into place?  You think, “How am I going to be able to……”  and then all of a sudden the solution just presents itself to you. 

Two things have been bothering me, I don’t want to put a lot of money into equipment this early in the game…as I’m not really sure what my true needs will be 6 months from now.  The other thing is going local vs national/ internet.   

So, I’ve been talking to quite a few people regarding my equipment needs.  I have learned a ton of information on the best brands, new vs used, capacity, etc….but clearly have a long way to go. 

I follow my gut instincts a lot…it has served me well over the years.  Anyway, I just got off the phone with a local guy that has been in the business 15 years and sells used refurbished equipment with a low click count.  The guy kind of reminds me of my dad….very practical, honest, and a don’t spend more money then you have to mentality.   I like that!!! lol

I’m going to be able to get my equipment for close to a 1/3 of the price of a new machine.  This way I won’t be spending crazy dollars on something that I might outgrow in a year.  He also said he’d show me how to operate the equipment and go over technical stuff so if it breaks down I can do my own troubleshooting.  Part of the purchase price gives you free phone support.  Since I’m local I’m sure he’d help me if I brought the machinery to him. 

So, my answer as to what in the world am I going to do just presented itself and solved both of my concerns.  How cool is that?? 

I’m still going to wait until the first of May to purchase anything.  I’ll wait until I get the results from the contest as that could have an big impact on what equipment I purchase. 

I’ll try to put a picture of my logo on my post for this Friday.

 31 more days till launch date!  

Sally