Logo Design

I apologize for my absence. I've been working hard to get Excelsior Events, my event business, off the ground. You know, that other creative business. I've been focusing mostly on building my brand, logo and website. People when I tell you to get help with these things, get help. I designed my own logo and it took forever. There are too many options and I went way off the image I wanted to have (well not totally). Now I'm wondering if I should start over. I wound up editing my slogan to better explain my logo but then I didn't feel like it fit my business name. So I shortened it. The full version and explanation are in my business plan of course but I was recently reminded that too much information confuses people. 

That aside, I did a pretty good job. Its not completely original art but its distinctive enough. I used Gimp, a program I didn't have much familiarity with but I found its similar enough to photoshop, with its many features, and its free. It moves slowly on my old computer but that's the price I pay. With some instruction reading and lots of youtube video watching I got what I wanted.

My hesitation in changing the logo is because I don't think my other idea will translate well for more serious and sober business events clientele. Also my website launch date has long passed. Thinking about keeping it at this point doesn't feel like settling. More like a good business decision. Maybe one day I will have a pro update it. For now, I am quite proud of my creation. And I am happy with its versatility.

It is easily blown up or downsized. I have a black and white version for when necessary. 3 colors can get expensive when printing but not beyond what I am willing to pay. I also think it looks pretty enough for potential wedding clients as well as meeting clients.

Check it it below. Tell me what you think.

~Lashette
  Excelsior Events
  Scarlet Moon Creations

NYC Small Business Initiatives Part I - SCORE

Hello world! I wanted to share my experiences so far with several small business initiatives available here in New York City (NYC). I plan to stretch this out into several posts; at least three but maybe more.

As a New Yorker, I have several options and many overlap; there's the US Small Business Administration (SBA), then there is the NYS Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and lastly, NYC Small Business Services. These are the main government programs at the federal, state and city levels available to small businesses. They each have many branches and several partnerships with private companies and I have been specifically looking into those geared towards pre-startup and startup small business assistance. It can get a little confusing at first but they all seem to work together is some way, shape or form since NYC encourages small business ownership and entrepreneurship.

Up until several months ago I did my business research strictly online; I had a job that kept me very busy during the day and my commute was 1.5 hours each way mostly on the subway, so this was the only way that I knew of. Also, I am known for my internet research skills and am good at separating the wheat from the chaff and it seems my findings online held up in the real world. However, becoming a business owner on my own leaves for some lonely times and times when doubts can become pervasive. So, to verify my sources (and make myself feel better), I decided it was time to go out and talk to people in person. Find out what the people at these various initiatives have to say. I was definitely looking for mentoring. Someone with experience letting me know whether or not I am on the right track.

My first foray was to sign up for SCORE mentoring. SCORE is an SBA resource partner. Its "...a national network of more than 12,000 entrepreneurs, business leaders and executives who volunteer as mentors to America’s small businesses." It is basically a national small business mentoring program. They have local chapters for face-to-face mentoring, online mentoring, as well as workshops for both. This seemed perfect for me. So, I looked up my local SCORE office, which was not far from my home and went down there. Located in the Bronx County courthouse they share an office with some other initiatives. Not surprising since that's just part of living and working in this city; sharing space. I went down and made an appointment to see a mentor and was supremely disappointed. I had not looked at their website beforehand since my goal was to move my research out of the virtual world. If I had, I would have saved myself some frustration.

I was not paired up with a mentor specific to my needs, though I didn't expect that right off the bat. I thought there would be some sort of intake interview first. But the gentleman I got as my "mentor" was sort of flippant and very general in most of his answers to my questions. I admit to not asking as many questions about how SCORE works because I was thrown off by his attitude. He was also somewhat dismissive of my financing concerns. I was told "you could pay for most of that with one of your credit cards." Just FYI, I don't have any credit cards, so no I can't; he just assumed I did. While he did confirm most of what I'd learned online and did give me a couple of nuggets of new online resources, for the most part he was not at all mentor-like and after being dismissive of how much previous work experience I have had in this field, I didn't want to share my hopes and dreams with him. I was looking for someone to trust and he wasn't it. At the end of out 15-20 minute talk, he then told me the SCORE mentors only work out of this office on Thursdays and they rotate so you may get a different person each time. That led me to thinking that this was not as well run an operation as I had thought. I left feeling that I wasted my time. I have since gone to the SCORE.org website and filled out a mentoring intake form so that I can be matched up with a mentor. Hopefully, things will work out better that way.

Look for Part II soon. Things start to look up as a join a forum for NYC's newest small business initiative WE NYC!

Moving On and Moving Up

The last few months has been full of my ending yet another phase of my life as well as preparing for the next one. I quit my day job. I had agreed to do work with my boss for two years minimum and that time is up. I felt ready to move on. And also, ready to work on achieving my dreams.

I knew this time was coming so I took part in the Daily Prompts Blogging 101 course for this blog to help update it as well as improving my blogging content and frequency. In addition to this, I have improved upon my promotional process for Scarlet Moon Creations.

However, my main goal; my dream, to start my own event planning business is well under way. I have named my business and come up with my business model. From here I have but a few more steps to make it official. I'll document that process in upcoming posts.

Blogging 101 has helped me find a few great blogs and bloggers whose interests sometimes dovetail with mine in both the crafting and event communities.  Many have become and inspiration to me and have helped me feel strong enough to take this step.

But I cannot forget my recent boss. He has taught me a lot both directly and indirectly. And of course, we met each other when we were both in unstable positions in our lives. I am as grateful for his help as he says he is with mine. So this is not an ending but a new beginning.

End of a Partnership

I've delayed writing about this for months. Literally, delayed writing,not just posting. I am only now putting words together. First, I was kind of lost and didn't know what to do. Then I didn't know how to explain what felt like a failure. Now, I only hesitate because I don't want to seem like I'm badmouthing anyone when my intention is only to update and share my experience.

Well from all of that you probably already know what I am about to say. My partnership with R is at an end. It was short but sweet. As a reminder, back in December I asked R to partner with me in the creation and running if an event planning business. They agreed and we excitedly embarked on this new venture. For the first few months if this year we met often, brainstorming and business building. 

Jason Eppink (Flickr)

Then we hit a bit of a snag on my end due to traveling for my day job (like Japan for a month, then LA and Pasadena for another month). Then I got sick and then they got sick and suddenly we haven't met, updated, or anything for months. I buckled down ans tried to get our rhythm back. Our first talk about funding seemed to make R wary. Neither of us are so financially stable enough to carry a new business but we had options to explore, being minority women looking to open our first small business.

Unfortunately from there things fell apart and after a month or two R told me it was probably bet that I go on with the business without her. I was left with a huge feeling of uncertainty since I had been unsure about going into business by myself before which was why I asked R to join me. Also, the way she worded her 'decision' left me unsure as to whether she was completely out of it or not. Lastly, we had spent quite a lot of time coming up with our business plan and other business ideas together. I didn't know if it was ethical to continue with those plans rather than starting from scratch with something that was completely my own.

So, I put it all in the back of my mind and let it percolate. I did talk to a few others to get their opinions and add that to the pot. This all happened back in July. And though I am still unsure about what rights I have to the plans we made, I know I can get a professional opinion about that, and I feel now that I can go on and start a business on my own.

Business Ventures in 2014

This year has been the beginning of something new. At my current day job I told my boss I would give him two years. That was in March of 2013, which means I have now been there a little over a year. The reason for this time constraint is that I had originally been turned down for this position and I had decided to focus all my attention on my Etsy business as well as starting on my ultimate career goal of running my own event planning business. So I gave myself two years of paychecks to help fund both of those ventures.

Late last year I realized that I needed to start moving forward on the event planning side of things. But being a bit apprehensive and wanting someone by my side I asked a friend if she wanted to be my business partner. This was just after Christmas 2013. You would not believe the amazing event conversations that I have with R. Its been awhile since I've had someone to talk to who is just as enthusiastic about event planning as I am.

So what have we been doing since then? Living our regular lives and slowly putting together an event business. Coming up with our business goals and structure so that we can get down to serving our clients. Every time I think about it I want to dance around the room. How about you?

Posting Update

So sorry that I haven't posted in awhile. I had writers block as far as blog topics were concerned. That is not the case anymore. I've got about 20 or so topics, so I am back to writing them out ahead of time and just scheduling posting dates for the future. Once a week, every Saturday like before. Here are some post ideas I have been thinking and writing about:

- a spicy package for the fall
- how to think ahead for the seasons
- using honey more in the scrubs and/or having it as a 'required' ingredient
- fragrance oils?
- the pumpkin issue (this will probably be first up since I have been dealing with it for a month already)
- twitter?
- products: idea bubbles, word association, the creation process
- Yule
- winter scrubs and butters
- samples: forms and questionnaires, pics, should I sell them
- random business thoughts; as usual
- books (so many sub topics here its not even funny)
- oils no longer being strictly made to order
- pimping other blogs and shops that I like or are friends
- the zodiac line

I have also joined Instagram. I wasn't sure how to differentiate what I post there from what I post here (picture-wise) and Facebook, but I've decided it will be more personal. So even though it has the business name, expect random personal things to be there as well. Still not sure about posting pics of myself online, but we shall see. I'm not a selca (this is the korean version of selfie. I am a big fan of kpop and selfie just sounds sexual) type of person, but i think some photos of me mixing, shopping and creating might be good so i might drag my family into taking pics of me.

I will also be posting non-original material that relates to both of my businesses just for fun. You know memes and the like. I hope you guys enjoy that.

Other than that I've got my fall scrubs coming but first this week the next two Sabbat oils will be up in the shop. The Mabon Oil is already there

Other Business

Early on in this blog I mentioned that I had plans for another business. A two-pronged event services business. Event planning is where my heart is. Not that I don't love making and selling my own products. This is just another business where the goal, or at least my goal, is to help people and make them happy. Events just have all my loves in one place so to speak.

Event planning has both the creative elements as well as the practical ones. Plus there is the variety, the deadlines, the stress (yes, I love stress), and the almost constant gratification. I could do three events a day and that would give me that high of a job well done and a client being happy three times. Just knowing that I did a good job and everything went well and that the client is happy, makes me happy . Plus event planning has a definitive outcome. You know what your purpose is and can actively work towards it.

So, this business I want to start is an event services business that would cater to mostly personal and business events; meaning personal life events like weddings, vacations, etc and business meetings, lectures, etc. The two-pronged part comes in because I am Pagan. Pagan event planning is an unexplored niche that I'd like to take advantage of. That sounds bad but there are so many people and events in the pagan community that I would like to lend my event planning experience to to help make things easier on the hosts and help build a bigger more successful community. The two parts of this business would be named the Pagan Event Planner and Excelsior Events. And hopefully there will be some overlap in clients since for me its all one and the same. I want to help everyone equally, and get paid for doing what I love. I can even offer some of my products for certain events.

As far as this blog is concerned I will be making event business posts as well as event ideas and interest boards, so please look out for those. Also, for those who may be confused, please remember that this is my business blog and I did mention from the first post that I would include posts about both businesses. There is some overlap but I will keep each clearly marked on this blog with tags. Also there will be no event business posts open the Scarlet Moon Creations Facebook or Etsy pages.

So please lock forward to my event planning posts.