Old and new

Well things surely took a different turn then expected. I am now ready to set forward in 2015 with this new path.

I closed the coffee shop in November. It was ultimately my choice due to circumstances that were beyond my control. Nonetheless, it was still a pretty sad and depressing event. It took me a few weeks to come to terms with what happened, but I am definitely not upset that I tried the experience. If anything I learned I could and DID run a relatively successful growing business. Would I open it again? YES. Mostly because it was growing and actually doing well enough that I still believe it could work. I also enjoyed the work. I can't look back though and not miss some of the people I use to talk to on almost a daily bases. I will wish them the best. 

After some soul searching, I realized I had time to figure other things out in life, but apply what I have learned in the last year towards new goals for this year. I have ventured on my path to craft. I will be posting my creations hopefully. I also started writing my own patterns for knitting. I am going to be working closely with two different alpaca farms to do some freelance work for them with digital media, graphic design, and random other ventures. I have also set up an eBay store and hope to start my own online selling.

2015 is full of possibilities, even if I had not intended 2014 to end the way it did.

~off to drink some tea (too late for coffee!)~

Been a while...

So it has been awhile since my last post. Mainly because I have been working on BIG things, while taking care of all the little things too!

Update on Surprise and Delight:

• I have been doing the free menu give away for about two weeks. People seem happy that I am giving something away when they fill out the card. Some have asked if they won last week too.
• People seem pleased when I tell them how much of a discount they saved and why they saved it. This has worked even when the discount as only 4 cents! "Every little penny counts!" is usually the response.
• Through challenging things that have happened though resulting in my hours having to be changed, I have had to curb my morning initiative that was going to start this week. I will bank the idea though and try to implement it some other time.
• I failed at the mailing idea. Mostly because of the challenging things that have happened; however excuses are just another way to justify why a failure occurred. I will need to readjust this and hopefully not be dropping the ball in the future.

Currently reading an article titled Your Competition  is Lazy written by Angela Pointon. This is what made me think about the blog after reading the first marketing advantage. I realized I was being lazy with the promotionals and the blog.  Despite any setbacks that I have incurred over the last 2-3 weeks, I have to stop using the excuse and start making the changes I need to have happen.

My mantra during this challenging time is:
"When you've about to step into a new level of your destiny, don't be surprised if you hit a setback. That's a sure sign you're about to give birth to what God has placed in your heart."

~off to drink more coffee~

Reflections on Surprise and Delight day 2

Using this blog to reflect on my surprise and delight experience (as stated earlier):

I have decided there were several ways to work this idea this week. I started yesterday (Monday) with implementing several things. I am only on day 2, but I have already noted some features.

I started telling people how much of a discount I gave them, and why they earned it. I have been giving 3% for cash and 5% if you were shopping in the quilt and knit shop too. Although that only averages to a few cents off a drink, people seem to be happy about the savings. I have also noticed that my tips have went up a bit this week so far, which I am not sure if that is reflective of the discount or just happy customers in general. Applying the tips back to the business, I have even saved customers scrounging for change by using my tip jar. 

The second thing I started was a drawing for a free menu item. I have collected names, addresses, and birthdates of customers. Indicating they do not have to be present to win, and I will mail them a certificate. I have only been doing customers that buy something, and I have been doing one entry per day (so repeated purchases gives you an extra chance to win.) This has served to get some smiles and "hope I win." I am planning to mail a thank you note to each of the customers next week.

The third thing I did was start a grateful paper quilt. I haven't had a lot of people hit on this yet, and I did receive one "negative" comment about it will look bad when finished, but I will not let that stop me. I feel once I put the quilt on display, it will be something that will surprise and delight people with happy thoughts.

I have no idea if this will all work or not. Unfortunately things like this take time to build. My simple prayer is that I have the time to get this going, that the negative energies will be quelled by the positive atmosphere I am hoping to install, and that I can make someone's day happier. Wow, after reading that, I realize that the prayer isn't so simple, but I think faith will lead the way.

Surprise and Delight

To be honest the last two weeks have been pretty bad in my little shop! Not bad as in the earth is crashing down in on my roof bad, but bad as in - oh my - kinda way.

So I decided to starting looking into how I can market myself differently. I watched a youtube video by RMC consultants. I learned that my business was -gasp- boring!

See I thought the secret to getting business is to have good customer service and a good product. I still think these are true; however the video made me realize that the third thing is to "surprise and delight."

Now I am trying to figure out how to surprise and delight my customers. I also decided that I will be transparent about my scientific research.

Here's the plan:
1) Blog about what happens.Honestly. I say this because I have to be real about what is going on currently in order to see what has changed after I implement "Surprise and Delight."

2) Facebook it. I have lots of friends that can maybe be an open platform to figure out what to do to surprise and delight customers.

3) Research it. I want to try to find businesses that are surprising and delighting customers already. Preferably in my industry.

4) Implement it. Besides the fact that I like to use it a lot... I have decide when I will implement it. I guess though I have to actually figure out what it is...

5) Evaluate - yes here it is - it. Hopefully "it" will work too!

Alright... so there you go....Time to get to work!

~off to drink more coffee~

Funny thing happened

Sitting here finishing my breakfast, I am amazed at the gambit of emotions that have came through myself and others at the coffee bar over the last two days.

As for myself, I have been frustrated over the death of a less than year old refrigerator. I have been sad over the sales slump I have experienced this week. I have been feeling guilt over being pulled in more than one direction. I have been optimistic with the help of friends that have run errands and offered help related to various things. I have been melancholy over the loss of the "old me," and realizing that people in that era are not. As for others, I have seen and heard petty issues, adults behaving like children, and sincerity of hearts. And evidently, I have been redundant -- since I have started every sentence with "I have."

So what is my great take-away that I can gather from these emotional states you ask?

It is a full moon????

~off to drink more coffee~

Coffee is good!

So upon researching (or randomly going from site to site looking for great ideas for various topics), I stumbled upon this little article on the website www.shape.com

Essentially, the article touted the benefits of coffee. This was just what I was wanting to see! The following is a snippet from the article: 11 Coffee Stats You Never Knew written by Esther Crain. 

1. Two cups a day can extend your life. Researchers aren’t sure why, but people who drank this amount or more daily lived longer and were less likely to die of chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease as were coffee abstainers, according to a study from the New England Journal of Medicine.

2. It gives your memory a kick. The caffeine in a cup or two of java doesn't just perk you up in the moment—it enhances your memory up to 24 hours after you drink it. This provides an assist when it comes to forming new memories, reports a Nature study.

3. It reduces pain. A Norwegian study found that office workers who took a coffee break felt less neck and shoulder pain during the workday. (That's your excuse to get up and move!)

4. It keeps your brain sharp over time. Make a mental note of this: 3 to 5 cups of coffee a day can help prevent the cognitive decline associated with aging, leading to a 65 percent decrease in developing Alzheimer’s or dementia, according to a recent study.

I found the other 7 facts pretty interesting too. These four, however, gave me enough reason to go brew!

~Off to drink more coffee~

Weekend Wonder

Family is an interesting thing. Some we love, some we worry about, and some we wish would wonder somewhere else. In the end, family can bring out the most awkward thoughts inside of us, and at the same time make us feel connected to the world.

At the coffee bar, I often get to observe family in action; however it is interesting to apply that to my own connections in life. I have sat and listened to the laments of people in relation to their sisters, brothers, and cousins. Then I have seen them together. You can tell the ones that really care about each other, and those that just tolerate each other. Often times it seems to be one-sided though. One person wants the connection, and the other seems to have a wall. Old hurts, or fears of being hurt have built the walls of protection.

Over the weekend I attempted to attend my great aunt's memorial service. I say attempted, because through my own muddled mind, I went to the wrong place. I felt so horrible about having done something so...well...dumb! I did, however, make it to the dinner after the ceremony, which made me feel worse. It was probably in my own mind, but I felt false and fake sitting there. Because of this inner feeling (my own personal wall), I spent most of the time watching my family interact with each other. In the end, I was glad I attended the dinner regardless of the circumstances.

You may ask what the connections is between the coffee bar observations, and the dinner. Basically that no matter how we feel about each other, family seems to always find a way to show up.

~Off to drink more coffee~