A Timeless Celebration

I was depressed for a few days after being treated rudely by the landlord, but now I am back up and running making new business plans. I am re-doing my website, all my business stationery and giving my business a new and more professional image.

After deciding to have a storefront at the beginning of the month, the first thing I did was to really get cracking on my business name. Even before I decided to lease the store, I have spent literally months trying to come up with a more professional business name. After months and months of headaches, I finally decided on a name. A TIMELESS CELEBRATION. I hope you like it. If not, too bad, I don't want to start from scratch again hehe. I chose "celebration" because I was hoping to not only target engaged couples, but also feature other special occasion products in the store and of course my dad's oil portraits that's been such a hit with anniversaries, grandchildren's birthdays, weddings, engagement, family portraits, etc...

Brushing up on my business skills, I've been reading some articles on marketing and advertising. Blogging is actually becoming very popular in driving new customers to your website. So I followed the trend and have started a blog as well. It will feature unique gift ideas, what the industry has to offer, trends and basically anything to do with events and weddings. Of course, I will still blog here as this is where I blog about more personal things. Hopefully I will get some loyal readers and this is where I can generate a steady clientèle instead of on and off like right now. So for the next little while, I will work on finishing up my new website and spend more energy on marketing and advertising.

Soon I will also have a Facebook group! Haha, yup, they actually mentioned Facebook in the articles as being one of the best way to market your business without spending a penny. You can also purchase some advertising features on Facebook for very little money. Hope you can help me spread the word once the Facebook group is up!

These are little things I'm trying to work on to have a solid foundation before rushing into anything. Although, a storefront would probably give my customers a more professional image than a home-based business. But I guess right now it's not the time and when the time comes, I will know for sure. I will work on my web-based business for now, that'd be the smart way to do things since I will be moving every year for the next three years. Deep down inside, I still hope to find another store near my place. On Thursday, I actually drove up and down St. Charles, St. Jean's and Des Sources looking for vacant stores. I jot down some phone numbers but didn't get a chance to call them yet. I know one of them is for a space that's smaller than the one I was about to lease and it costs 5 times the rent. That is in sane!

That's about it for now, little steps at a time. I know I will soon be busy with the children's Christmas musical, so God knew this is not the time for a store. I am suppose to do the props for the musical, but not sure how "exaggerated" they want the props to be. Perhaps a 20 feet tall background? Or nothing at all?

I also joined the Chinese Christmas Choir. I wasn't going to join because of my busy schedule (or at least I'd like to think I've a busy schedule), but realizing that this will be my last Christmas Choir ever (ok, maybe not EVER, but less chances to join) in Montreal :( I decided to make it fit into my schedule. That'd take up most of my Sundays until Christmas. No that I always get work done on Sundays anyway.