Let's do coffee!

I am always flattered when I receive an email from ambitious, budding, entrepreneurs, wanting to get started. It's crazy how their demeanor changes from the beginning of a meeting with their list of questions (all organized like) happy and sunshiney (is that a word?), and by the end of the meeting they look like a deer in headlights, big eyes, all pastey white. With the "To Do's" and the "To Don'ts" adding up. It can get confusing and overwhelming. Shoot, even I get overwhelmed thinking about EVERY.LITTLE.THING that needs to be done, and Monkey-Toes has been going for 6 years now. So folks, if you think it gets easier, you're crazy!

So I came up with this idea... I want to use this blog as an open forum to talk about business. Yes, from time to time, I will still add my own random $.02 (did you know there is no cents sign on the keyboard??), celeb sightings, new product, deep thoughts by Jenny Ford, etc. But I really LOVE helping people out - the prob is that there is just not enough time in the day to meet with everyone.

I will have some guest bloggers from time to time to answer the questions that I cannot or do not know an answer to - especially the money stuff - numbers and I wrestle, we do not get along.

If you want to remain annonymous, email directly at jenny@monkey-toes.com.

So, grab your cup of coffee and let's get started... what will be the first topic? Ask a question and I will blog about it...Go ahead, don't be shy :)

Ok, I will bribe you - IF I USE YOUR TOPIC FIRST, YOU WILL RECEIVE 4 PAIRS OF MONKEY-TOES SOCKS!

This is a disclaimer - read carefully - please note that I am not the master entrepreneur, I do not give myself that title, I am still a living, breathing, business owner/mom/human/woman making daily mistakes/successes, trying to run a business as best I know how. All I can offer to you is my personal experience or maybe ideas that I wish I could do. I encourage you to seek out a second opinion! And I also advocate you to chime in when you have information on a topic, feel free to challenge me as well.

attitudes...

In this election season (tomorrow is not soon enough), everyone is worried and especially those who are growing a business. I know a TON of people with small businesses and most of them are more luxury items then necessity items. I was just thinking about something a speaker told me - If you want to succeed - turn off the TV, cancel your subscriptions to all newspapers and magazines (ok, maybe not the smutty ones - uh hem, US Weekly, my fav) and ignore anything anyone is saying. Easier said then done, for sure!

I totally believe it though. If we subscribe to a bad economy, or anything negative about ourselves, and figure that our business or finances or whatever it is that you struggle with, is going to get bad - well then it will! If you change your mindset to believe that you/your business/your finances can overcome this, you will. I tried changing my mantra - which whenever I am feeling down about something or unmotivated, I repeat positive things to myself. It is amazing how much it works.

Henry Ford - "Whether You Believe You Can, Or You Can't, You Are Right"

My most recent example - I have had amazing media attention (Hello, Oprah, Suri Cruise, enough said). But from time to time it will slow down and I definitely get antsy. So one day (over the summer), I began repeating, in my head, not outloud like a crazy person - "Press comes to me. The media is always writing about us." I have been amazed at the amount of press that has contacted me directly, without the prompting of me! Examples - TheCelebrityCafe.com recently wrote about us, Trista Sutter (the Bachelorette) sent us a Thank You note and a picture of her little boy Max with his shoes - more to come, one in Austrailia mid-month, the other in a major mag in Feb.

What is your mantra? Have you seen it work? Who knows, you could be helping me, or someone else...so write!

PS..i am totally excited about the costume contest! we have already gotten some adorable pics.