When You Get the Wind Knocked Out of You...Breathe.

The other night, I got the wind knocked out of me. And I literally lost my breath.

I had the excruciating pleasure of falling down a flight of stairs. It wasn’t a rolling tumble by any means. It was the type of fall that hurt. I stepped on the edge of the carpeted stair, my feet flew out from under me and my back crashed with a forceful thump against the treads. I slid down the rest of the stairs, caught my breath, checked myself, and cried.

Actually, I sobbed.

Granted, it was 2 am, I was tired from being on the computer all day long, and mostly I was scared. I was hurrying down the stairs (and not paying attention) to lock up before hitting the hay. I was scared because it reminded me that if I fell and did indeed get hurt, no one would even know. Everyone in Minnesota always thinks I’m in Aspen, and everyone in Aspen always thinks I’m in Minnesota. Its times like these that make me miss my ex-husband.  Or maybe I just need a “just-in-case” plan: the “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” alert pendant.

The tears flowed. And they were needed, because those tears represented a big, giant exhale.

I keep telling myself I’m getting good at being present and checking in…so much so that I can tell when I’m headed for one of these build-ups. I start feeling antsy. I start feeling rushed. I’m indecisive and sick of the computer. I’m stressed out and delay or postpone my workouts, and I certainly don’t have time for meditation or a massage.

What I’m really feeling at these times is a craving for mental rejuvenation. But, instead of paying attention to the stress build-up, I just kept pushing through.

There’s a reason I do this.  It’s because I’m trying to beat this really big imaginary clock that keeps ticking and tocking louder and louder. I’m racing against some imaginary time machine, yet I know that race is never a formula for success.

“If I can just do this, I can move on to that and then that will be done, which means I can do this.”

What a cruel joke doing this and that is. It never ends. And I should know better. Striving for the end game is the wrong approach; it means you are not enjoying the process. But it’s easy to get caught up in the madness. I am human after all (as clearly demonstrated by my fall).

I know I am never going to beat the clock. I know I have to let go of self-imposed deadlines. I know I need to stay in the moment. Because every single time that I do, serendipity visits.

After I fell and cried that night, I exhaled. Then I took 3 pain relievers and went to bed. The next day, I woke up sore, but renewed.

And that's when serendipity kicked back in.

Before starting my day, I “happened” upon a random article that revealed how a good sob is as important to your mental well being and stress relief as is a good laugh.

My first phone call of the day had to do with an exciting new fundraising opportunity for Sharing Profiles, and the conversation was interesting and successful.  I was given the opportunity to be one of their first 20 small businesses taking part in their beta program. They even waived the fee b/c they like what I’m doing and want me to participate, but I’m still unsure about fundraising. Some little birdie in the back of my head keeps telling me to grow organically with lots of sweat equity.

My next conference call with a HireMeAspen affiliate resulted in an RFP opportunity that could lead to lots of other opportunities. My third call with a prospect resulted in a new consulting gig. My fourth call with an existing client resulted in a 50% increase in the monthly retainer I receive.

My fifth call was with my brother. For once we weren’t rushed. We enjoyed reconnecting and brainstormed some exciting marketing ideas for both of our businesses.

As I write this post, my inbox just beeped. After taking a sneak peak, I saw that I received an email introduction from an old college friend referring me to a complete-stranger-soon-to-be-new-friend who just launched an investment company. He thinks it’s worthwhile we talk.

The point of all of these interactions is that they all produced new opportunities or ideas that did not even exist at this time yesterday.

You see, when you cry, you exhale. When you exhale, you say “I give.” When you give up and let go, you trust.

And when you finally trust, you breathe.

The Hokey Pokey.

“You put your left foot in. You put your left foot out. You put your left foot in…and you shake it all about.”

This childhood favorite pretty much sums up my entrepreneur life these days at HireMeAspen. Make a decision. Change that decision. Remake that decision. And then shake it all about. Do the hokey pokey while I turn myself around...

And I’m not indecisive.

It sure does seem like I’m shaking it all about these days though. But then again, these are crazy times.

There really are too many options to decide, too many to-dos to complete, and too many directions to head. Should I get an intern? Should I seek a VC? Should I launch another town or master the one I’m in now? Should I test a freemium model or stay firm? Should I change my registration form? Should I add video?

And that just leads to more woulda, shoulda, couldas.

It’s great being a sole-proprietor because you get to make all the decisions. It’s also not great being a sole-proprietor because you get to make all the decisions.

What’s even more bizarre is that I fantasize sometimes about having a mediocre job, making a mediocre salary, so I can have my mediocre weekends back. It’s just a fantasy, though, because I know if I really did that, I’d grow crazy with boredom.

The past seven years have been ones of such incredible growth, but I’ve been on a work treadmill, living in two places constantly with Minneapolis being my base. Back and forth to NYC. Back and forth to San Francisco. Back and forth to Aspen. (I know, I know…tough life, huh?). These past seven years have been anything but boring, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I just long for more weekends away from the computer and work, and more weekends spent doing mindless tasks.

For example, I can’t remember the last time I got fired up about a sports team winning the World Series, playoffs or Super Bowl because I don’t remember the last time I had 3-4 hours to actually sit down and watch a game. Or, I can’t recall the last time I took a painting class, a cooking class, or any class for that matter. I’m not really craving doing those things again right now.  I’m just craving having the option.

I guess as individuals, we always have options to create whatever life we want.

My choice right now is to keep moving forward as an entrepreneur, working hard to achieve the ultimate life of freedom I desire.

I'm also choosing the option of humming childhood songs during coffee breaks because “that’s what I'm all about!”

RERO or REDRUM?

Now that I'm familiar with the lingo, I'm all for RERO.

RERO stands for "Release Early; Release Often."  But this whole RERO idea is starting to make me crazy with anticipation. Mad with anxiety. Wild with desire...for perfection.  RERO is starting to remind me of REDRUM because it's beginning to feel a bit like MURDER.

When playing this internet game, you can't afford to wait for perfection to occur.  Instead, you crank out lots of ideas, implement a few, hope for the best, then start all over again.

It's exhilerating.  It's exhausting.   

It's amazing how fast this game is.  I can't catch my breath for even a second before POOF...it's time to change direction again.  You know the things you need to stay on top of, but there's never enough hours in the day.  For example, you know you need to monitor the competition, but who has time?  You're tired, so you settle for just trying to stay in the game.  Forget about getting ahead of the pack!

At some level, you sense the competition is just as exhausted, overwhelmed and blurry-eyed as you.  You sense that those "Jacks-of-all-trades" are saying REDRUM too.

This panic-driven, always looking over your shoulder, lifestyle is unsustainable. 

I feel comforted when reminded of the story of the tortoise and the hare.  Can the tortoise win at this game....really?  I don't think so.  But I do think there's a happy medium, a mixed breed of sorts.

A "Hare-y Turtle," if you will.

I'm envisioning a rabbit with a tortoise shell on it's back, hopping awkwardly along, side-stepping dangerous land mines to avoid blow ups, and periodically leaping towards the elusive finish line.  You not only need speed in this internet competition.  You need protection from all those dangerous, flying ideas that take you off track and jeopardize the race.

Actually, can it really be a race if the finish line doesn't exist?   I'm not sure.  But I do know that whether I win or lose, I tried. 

I entered the race.  So in all reality, I win.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

THE GOOD:  Making Decisions.

As a small business owner, you have to make decisions every step of the way.  There's no time for being wishy-washy.  I have to admit, I'm pretty good at making a final decision swiftly and moving forward with confidence.  I believe that any decision, good or bad, is better than no decision, at least most of the time. 

Since my HireMeAspen website launched a little over a month ago, I am amazed at all the questions that needed answers.  I'm amazed at all the decisions I've made.

What color should the logo be?  Where should the first website be launched?  What image do I want to portray?  What partners should I have?  How should I market the site?  Where should I do my banking? When should I launch?  Where should I advertise?  Who should be on my team?  How do I get friends involved?  When should I try a new approach?  What is my growth strategy?  Where should I place the photo credit?  How do I cross-promote?  How long should I focus on the first launch before moving on to the next?  Which credit card merchant should I use? What is my pricing model?  Should I buy giveaways?  Which email marketing program should I use? How will this widget function?  What do I wear to my TV interview?  What are the use cases?  How transparent should I be to the media?...

It's nice to be the boss and not having to answer to anyone (except your customers).  But, with that luxury comes jeopardy. 

THE BAD: Google Analytics

My first (admitted and blogged about) mistake has to do with priorities.  For one, we should have started using  Basecamp Project Management Software earlier, but better late than never, I suppose.  This software is great for managing a website development project.  You enter tasks, you assign them, you check them off.  It's really fantastic.

The problem has to do with not only prioritizing all those items, but me being the designated prioritizer. 

In the beginning, I felt so bad about adding items because it seems like for every one item we checked off, 4-5 more tasks were added.  This is certainly not the way to build rapport with your already hard-working, over-extended developer. So, I'd send an email instead.  Or call.  Or subtly plant the idea to incite excitement where he'd want to add it himself and jump right on it. 

I'd do anything but enter a task.  Because that means it's another "to do" that needs prioritizing by me.  How do you choose the top priority when everything has a critical consequence?

And that's where my bad decision making skills reared its ugly head.

All along, I knew how important Google Analytics was.  But it consistently stayed around task #14 even as items were removed and added. 

My entire business is made up of websites, and websites need user stats.  But I didn't realize how critical those stats were until today.  Heed my warning: don't make this same mistake.  Move analytics to the top of the list (like I just did today)...above all those other critical items.

A month into my site launch, I need those stats.  Should I print more flyers?  Should I renew my ad spend?  What traffic numbers can I pitch to potential business partners.  How many users are local?  How many come from Facebook?  Do they depart during registration? I have no clue, because I have no stats.

THE UGLY: Lesson Learned The Hard Way. 

So, I must start building those stats now.  It's not a pretty picture, but it is what it is.  Google Analytics will be installed this weekend.   And my stats will start rolling in. 

The ugly truth is that I still look at the task list, and it still overwhelms me.  I'm afraid there are many more mistakes on the way caused by poor prioritization. 

Regardless, it's all still worth it.  I love the luxury of calling the shots, even when those calls are wrong. 

I love it all: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!

My Bio via Lady GaGa

I'm 46.  Actually, let me clarify.  I just turned 46 this month, so I'm "newly" 46.  No need to age myself since the mirror has that job cornered.

I guess this is the year when all that career experience and those work connections start to come together in a meaningful way.  I may be late to the game.  Or I may be early.  Who knows?  What I do know is that people keep asking me for my bio.

My publicist was the first to request my bio.  Hmmmmmm......I think I'll google "bio."

Low and behold, I find myself reading Lady Gaga's bio.  Interesting.  She's only 24.  I guess I'm late to the game.  And she has "trade marks" such as her hair bow, futuristic outfits, and fans called "monsters." 

Let's see. My trademarks would be my ponytail (who has time for a haircut?),  my jeans (corporate exec turned resort local), and an old friend called "Monster Child" (sworn to secrecy on that one).  My trademarks aren't very GaGa-esque.

She also learned how to play the piano at age 4.  I learned how to play with crayons at age 4, does that count?

Something tells me I need to keep searching.  I did glean a few interesting tidbits from GaGa about having a few interesting tidbits.

I was invited to be on Erik Skarvan's "The Local's Show" (Grassroots TV) next Tuesday to promote my business.  He wants a bio.

And recently was invited to serve on the University of Denver’s Arts, Humanities and Social Studies Alumni Advisory Task Force.  They requested a bio today.

So for all you would be entrepreneurs, task forcers and/or tv guests, hope this helps get you started.  I created a short and a long bio.  Here's the short bio plus the "interesting tidbits" from my long bio.

My (almost 100 words) Bio:

Constance E. Hammond, 46, is the founder and CEO of Sharing Profiles, an internet startup where users post profiles to meet specific needs. This business consists of resort-based websites, such as the recently launched HireMeAspen.com. Other websites planned include MentorMeAlumni.com and HireMeAlumni.com.

A self-proclaimed “Idea Woman,” Connie loves all things creative: brainstorming (with friends or clients), writing (an avid blogger and journalist), and art (graduating in 2002 from NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies - Fine and Decorative Arts Program as well as studying art in NYC, Chicago, Minneapolis and Aspen).

Prior to Sharing Profiles, Connie was Director of Media Sales at Dow Jones where she received the 2007 Pinnacle Award for Sales Excellence.

Interesting Tidbits

- Her first dog, Sandy, “talked.” Her last dog, a black lab named Scarlett, now lives with her ex. Her next dog is coming soon!

- Her favorite travel destination is the Villa Mangiacane Resort outside of Florence, Italy in Tuscany.

- She followed the Tour de France, by car, for her 40th birthday.

- She eloped for only $299 in 1994 in Gatlinburg, TN. Her amicable divorce cost the same amount 9 years later.

- She recently bought a guitar and is looking forward to finding her rhythm.

- Her favorite museum is a tie between the Musee D’Orsay in Paris or The Met in NYC.

- She is a big fan of integrity.

- Her nieces and nephews and all her friends’ kids call her Aunt CoCo.

- The person who most influenced her life is her dad, who has an amazingly positive spirit in spite of his paralysis when he was 20.

- She lives by the motto (at least most of the time): “Let Go and Let God.”

- Her best feature, in her opinion, is her square-mouthed smile because it means she’s laughing.

- Her personal motto? “I may not be the ideal woman, but I am an “idea woman.”

- In spite of outward appearances, she meditates.

- Her incredible friendships and family are what she cherishes most in life.

My Friends Give Me A Headache!

It's not what you think.

I love my friends. I actually have the best friends in the world. They are my biggest supporters and such a joy to be around. They are smart. They are kind. They are funny. They are thoughtful and considerate.

The problem isn't their personalites. The problem is that they challenge me.

My friends ask the tough questions. They expect more from me because they know I can deliver. They care about me and want me to succeed. They want me to be the best I can be.

Because of that, I love them. But my head hurts sometimes after one of these loving encounters. And I am glad it does.

When I returned to Aspen in early July to launch HireMeAspen, one of my sweetest friends asked some tough questions about my new business and my marketing approach. Unbeknownst to her, I was extremely tired from a long drive from Minnesota and was having other personal issues. Mostly, I was just scared shitless because the time had come to put all my hard work these past two years out on the table for all to see.

I imagine I was like one of those moms who had just birthed a baby ~ she thinks her newborn is the most beautiful baby in the world, and the baby is beautiful even though outward appearances indicate otherwise. In other words, the baby's head is a tiny bit squooshed.

I was in no mood to hear about reality from her. Instead, I took her constructive criticism wrong, acted poorly, tried to apologize, and ended up with a headache. My head hurt not because of what she suggested, but it hurt because I didn't rist to my best self.

Last night, I had the pleasure of having dinner with one of my longtime friends from NYC. I wrote about our friendship three years ago in an old blog post here. He's now renting a place in Snowmass for the month with his lovely, pregnant wife, and it was great catching up.

Charles always challenges, and I value his opinion a lot. At the end of the evening, our conversation continued as he walked with me to my car. He asked some pointed questions about my business plan. My business model. My budget. My marketing approach. My financing options.

He had ideas I hadn't even thought of yet! So my head starts spinning.

There I stood, after 18 months of living and breathing HireMeAspen nonstop, listening to Charles with my jaw wide open and a glazed-over stare. I was dumbfounded. In one casual conversation, my good friend not only thinks of a brand new approach, but this approach is a great biz-dev idea that is kind of obvious and really brilliant! I must be an idiot.

My head hurts.

Now that I've birthed my baby with the squooshed head, the hard work continues: raising this beautifully ugly newborn. Motherhood's hard work, but I wouldn't change a thing.

It takes a village to raise a child. And aspirin!

Who Can You "Kudo"?

After I awoke this morning, I meditated to one of my guided meditation tapes to start my day off right. I always intend to do this, but I'm not always successful. Today's guided meditation was my favorite one called "trust and surrender" composed by Jedda Mali. The meditation is completely appropriate and much needed during my business launch period.

After my meditation, I repeat my daily prayer that goes something like this: "Please have me meet the people You'd like me to meet today, and please have me do the things You'd have me do today so that Your will, not mine, is done." Then I check my iphone for updates.

Two emails caught my attention and proved particularly interesting to me today. I'm going to write about one of those emails now.

This email was from a complete stranger (a reminder to me that strangers, as well as friends, can impact your life when you pay attention), complimenting me on my prior post "Too Busy To Slow Down? Doubt It." Randall's email read in part: "Really a great thought expressed in your blog. Thanks for the contribution and for your insight."

I took his email as a sign. For all I know, this guy could have been hired by Aspen.com to auto-respond to blog posts in order to encourage more blogging, but my ego begs to differ. It felt good...a new friend not only reading...but taking the time to respond...to my written thoughts!

Regardless, my point is that whether he's a human or a computer, I'll take any and all kudos that come my way these days. Especially when you feel so exposed as a new business owner.

We don't sincerely compliment friends, nevertheless strangers, nearly enough. I am going to make a concerted effort to do that more, starting today.

I've started to blog again, and it feels good. I'm going to commit to it daily. I'm not going to try and commit, I'm going to commit. I used to blog quite a bit when I was living in NYC, and I received lots of positive feedback from friends. You can view some of my old, funny posts about living in the Big Apple here.

Friends would even berate me if I skipped a post. That's obviously a sign that I should write more, huh? When I was a pre-teen, GrandmaTookey used to always tell me that she thought I was a great writer and loved to receive my letters. My first job out of college, I was a newspaper reporter. My first stint in Aspen in the late 80's, I started writing a movie script with a friend. My recent boyfriend said he loved my letters and wished he had that "natural ability" (and I wish he did too, since I love love letters!). Yesterday, my dear friend of 23 years said about my blog post that "she loves it when I write." And now, the email from a stranger today.

I feel giddy.

I think I need to finally pay attention to the praises for once and for all. I will find a way to intertwine my new business and my writing more. One way is with this blog. But I'll find others. I'm going to start reporting on living on a dime and other job-related trials locals face living in resort towns.

Receiving kudos feels great. Who can you "kudo"?

The Call of Redstone

Today was a great day when it comes to promoting my website HireMeAspen.com. I awoke to the news that my business had a pretty big write up in the Aspen Daily News; you can view the article here. Between this article and my Buzz on 82 show appearance last Friday, I feel like the snowball has finally started rolling. And, the best news? Sales are starting to trickle in.

But I'm not resting on my laurels by any means. Today, I kept true to my plan to start promoting the business and my Partner Program to potential partners. After all, my hard-working locals will need to save money too!

My gameplan led me to Redstone, CO, the "Ruby of the Rockies." Ahhhhhh...you gotta love the meandering drive to Redstone!

It's important that I reiterate the fact that HireMeAspen is for all Roaring Fork Valley locals, not just Aspenites. So, although I already have 23 partners signed up to date, I decided to start my sales pitches to businesses located in the outskirts. Of course, it's not hard to sell a Silver Partner Program that lets a business support the hard-working locals and get more business traffic at the same time...all for free ;) !

I also want to make sure I take great photos from all over this valley. Photos for future reference in future blogs. Photos to help promote my partner businessess. Photos just for me.

So, with each stop I made on foot, I also took pics of the business I was pitching.

Here's a sneak peek of some cool sights to see (of course, you'll notice the first pic is of the Redstone museum that was just so big, I just couldn't make my way through the entire thing!):

It was quite a successful day in Redstone. It was such a delight meeting all the local businesses in Redstone ~ introducing myself and spreading the word.

I plan to start announcing all of my partners with a bunch of fanfare in my blog/email/facebook/twitter updates once The Hive goes live this week and all my new profiled members have their membership card in hand.

In the meantime, I suggest you plan a day trip to Redstone. It's a great escape from the daily grind!

Too Busy To Slow Down? Doubt it.

I’ve been taking it really easy since all my hoopin’ and hollerin’ Friday night at the Michael Franti concert (view photo of Michael Franti performing at Belly Up here). This is definitely a good thing. I’ve been cranking out some work, and admittedly, I’ve been recuperating from the over-indulgence.


There’s certainly something to be said for stopping. Just stopping whatever you’re doing and getting present. I received an email from a friend and potential business partner this afternoon that screamed overwhelmed to me. I’ve been there so many times, so I know. You could just tell from her writing…the anxiety and hurried wording in just her first paragraph. It certainly made me take pause to send peace her way.

Sometimes nature makes you take pause. Like right now.

Although I’ve arrived at my destination, it’s raining pretty hard outside. So, I’ve turned off the engine, turned off the lights, turned off the radio, turned off the iphone. And for the past 10 minutes, I‘ve just listened to the sound of the raindrops on the roof. It’s awesome to take the time to observe, really observe, those happy, dancing raindrops trickle and burst down the window pane.

This moment of bliss was so inspirational that I decided to write about it and share it with you, just in case you’re too busy to slow down yourself. Hopefully you can close your eyes and at least imagine it...or you can just look at this picture:

It also feels like I’m in a cocoon of sorts, observing the outer world. My false perception is that no one can observe me back. I just watched a guy in a bright red raincoat and flip flops leisurely walk his yellow lab. The rain doesn’t bother him a bit. A few minutes past that, I observed a full-blown argument taking place between a stressed out couple in their car. The rain must bother them a lot.

It seems like we don’t have time, but we can make time if we really want to, especially time for ourselves. Just steal some moments like I’m doing now. I believe it’s important to take a pause out of the hectic and come back to the peace.

The ten minutes of raindrops has been music to my ears. I’m glad I’m learning to stay present.
The street lights just came on. My roommate just came home. And I gotta pee. So with my spirit renewed, I’m ready to dash to the door.
But at least for the past few minutes, I exhaled. And it was nice.

Paralysis of Analysis

When you own your own business, you're always thinking about it but you really don't mind. But I've noticed that about every 7-10 days, I get overwhelmed with all the to-dos that I freeze up and get paralysis of analysis. Or I find myself focusing all of my attention on one particularly brainless thing like Facebook or Twitter which is probably a coping mechanism until my brain unravels.

To-do lists are a great help. I keep one on my Outlook calendar that works nicely, and it's great to see the tasks completed, although I'm noticing that my list never shrinks. If anything, the more items I complete, the more my list grows, which certainly seems counter-intuitive. It's because there's always more to be done in the small business world of wearing multiple hats.

I had forgotten how invigorating owning a business can be. It fills you up. You are filled with passion and so glad to be moving forward doing your own thing. Yet, I'd forgotten about how other emotions come into play...emotions I don't really want to have in my life. Fear. Uncertainty. Anxiety.

I hate to second-guess myself, but I find myself doing that more now that I'm a small business owner. Co-workers don't exist to bounce ideas off of, and you probably care a lot more now that it's your own gig. So I rely on my vendors, my mentors, my family, my friends to pick me up when I get scared and overwhelmed. And they do!

Just when you hear the last bit of negativity or hit a lull or think you can't go any further, you get a beautiful and heartfelt facebook post like this from a close friend:

"WOW - I just tooled around HMA and was super impressed! You are doing an awesome job!! Stay focused on your divine ability to attract all that's great! All the very warmest love to you..."

That's what keeps me going. Those perfect moments that inspire. I love my friends and family and facebook fans. Thank you for all your support that really means the world to me.

I can't imagine doing this trek all alone. I'm so grateful for this opportunity and blessed by the people in my life.

Oh...and massages help too, as always. ;)

Divine Intervention - another great story

So, during this morning's meditation, I asked for the right people to come into my life at the right time. I told that dreaded bully named FEAR to step aside, b/c I'll have none of it. I'm driving this HireMeAspen train, and I will reach my destination with TRUST and SURRENDER as my co-pilots.

I decided to head up to one of my favorite work spots: Saxy's in Basalt, to really crank out some work b/c I have tons to do. With coffee in hand and laptop up and running, I started in. No more than 5 minutes had passed before some nice woman, who had observed my huge logo strategically placed on the back of my laptop screen for all to see, came up and asked "are you affiliated wtih HireMeAspen?"

I said, "Yes, I'm the owner, how can I help you? Do you want a free profile?"
She introduced herself as Lynn Aliya, the host of "Buzz on 82" grassroots tv program. It appears that one of her guests for this Friday had just cancelled and she was looking for a new interview, and she wants to interview me and my business this Friday morning. So, I'm officially booked for my first publicity gig this week, and the press releases just went out yesterday! Coincidentally, or not, she'd just asked for Divine guidance re: finding someone to interview.
I explained the site, and I think we'll also be partnering together on my Gold Partner Program...another value ad (tv advertising discount) coming to my "goldies" I hope.
I'm really excited to see the snowball starting to roll. I'm even more excited about meeting a super nice, new friend: Lynn Aliya!

And I'm thrilled that I'm staying in the now vs. fretting over the future; otherwise, opportunities like this may just pass me by.

Three Week Update

It's been three weeks now since HireMeAspen officially launched, and I hit the town promoting it. Boy, have I already learned a lot about website launches!

I guess the biggest blessing so far is the fact that being small allows me to be agile.  I can turn on a dime. This is crucial -- being able to turn on a dime.  It's also refreshing considering the corporate game I used to play.

In just three weeks, I've learned from the marketplace that a Business Profile will play a role in my success. I've also learned, quickly, about the role social  media marketing and advertising will play, especially considering my "local" aspect.  Thank God for Facebook Ads; advertising this way lets me target locally, and I know it works from all the feedback I'm getting.


Gameplan: Phase 1 ~ Filling Up Database of Workers

To date, we have about 55 unique profiles equalling 700+ cross-reference profiles in our database. My goal is to get to 100 uniques by the end of the month. Agressive? Yes. But doable if I really hustle! I've got to keep the momentum going, and hopefully with the press release being distributed tomorrow, friends of friends finding out about the site, and your continued support...we'll get there with ease.

Gameplan: Phase 2 ~Targeting Partners

Once I reach the first goal of 100 unique profiles in my database, I can begin to focus new efforts on Phase 2, which is targeting Silver and Gold partners. You can view details about our Partner Program here. We've got about 20 silver partners already signed up to date which is better than awesome! Once The Hive (the worker bee / members-only area of the website) is launched at the end of July, members will be able to see the Silver partner offers listed in The Honeycomb. First week of August, I'll start sending out membership cards so workers can take advantage of these offers and start saving money!

I've formulated an exciting value for the Gold partners: creating an irresistable promotion package consisting of a business profile for workers AND hirers to see, unique promotional opportunities with other partners in the valley, advertising options, social media marketing, and much, much more. Stay tuned....more exciting things to come for the Gold Partners.

And I've already met so many wonderful, interesting and supportive locals! I'm finding that Facebook is a great way to generate brand awareness, so I've been playing around with several versions of targeted ads -- It's fun to see the results! Lots of people come up to me indicating that they've seen my logo around town....from our gorilla marketing efforts of blanketing parking lots with info cards to community board flyers to hats and signage. This feedback is great considering no press, no advertising, yet.

Spread the Word

If you're reading this post via FB/Twitter - please retreet/resend it to your friends. Help me spread the word so I can help the hard-working locals. Tell your friends/business partners we're looking for sponsors! HireMeAspen is just what the locals need, and I'm going to make it happen!

I'm jazzed for success -- defined by locals getting hired, making money, saving money, getting connected and having fun! Thanks for being part of the HireMeAspen community, which serves the entire Roaring Fork Valley.

Let's get this snowball rolling!