Breaking Even

Breaking Even Has Moved!

Breaking Even is now in its new home at www.breakingeveninc.com/blog.

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I do hope you'll make the move...thanks and I look forward to seeing you on the new site!

This Week In Business: Horray For PR

When beginning a new business, one needs all the publicity possible. This week, I concentrated heavily on this aspect of my business. I'm needing some new clients! 

I sent out press releases like gang busters, and in the process learned way more about my printer.

I paid someone talented to write a press release about my new business for me and compile a media list. It's not that I don't think I'm a good writer but I figured someone else could see my story more freshly than I could, since I've been so close to it for so long. Both the list and press release came out great; I actually found myself getting excited reading my own story!

Last week while running errands, I had the press release photocopied at my local copy place. This week, I printed envelopes using an envelope template I got off of the Microsoft Templates website (thanks to my friend Sarah for the suggestion).

After trial and error with envelope-sized scrap pieces of paper, I got the format to come out well on my laser printer. I was thinking about not doing this but my friends were right; they look a lot more professional than handwritten. Well worth the extra time.

The press releases will physically go to eighteen different publications, news stations, and other press. I will also email the press release to about fifty people. If even one newspaper writes an article or one magazine publishes the blurb, this could translate into a lot of business for me.

In the spirit of free publicity, I have also submitted guest posts to several blogs and an article for our Chamber of Commerce newsletter.

I am trying out Google Adwords.

I've been telling clients about the possibilities of pay per click advertising but I've never played with Google Adwords myself. After watching about three hours worth of Youtube seminars about them, I realized there was a lot more to know that I would only understand by using the program.

Since my blog has changed addresses, hits have been noticeably lower. What better time to promote my blog and try out PPC advertising at the same time? There will be more to report when I have more then two days worth of data but so far so interesting:

Google Adword performance for my (randomly) chosen keywords...who knew 'Maine' would be so popular?

I've been offered a free ad space on a friend's site, and I'm taking it!

My friend offered me an ad space on a site he maintains to help me out and, even though I don't think it's my target demographic, I'm going to take it. Publicity is publicity! As an aside, I'm still amazed at how my inferrior design skills can even show in a 468 by 60 pixel ad.

So hopefully my efforts will result in some more press and a few more clients. In the meantime, got any more publicity ideas for me?

Too Cute Tuesday: Book Binding

At Too Cute Tuesday, we like to do random stuff that we kind of stink at. But on a rare occasion, we actually like to draw on the talent of our members.

Sarah has actually taken a book binding class and for years I've obsessively bought pretty blank notebooks. But why would I continue to do this when we can make our own, personalized notebooks?

Warning: This craft takes a little longer than a couple of hours and may lead to frustration among impatient types. But the result is well worth it.

Sometimes, Nicole is not so patient. If you're impatient, make sure you have a calming friend, or an extra cocktail.

Materials

 

1 hard bookcover (check the discard bin at your local library or a yard sale)
Paper
Scissors
Ruler and pencil
Exacto knife
Thumbtack
Two elastics
Deep sea fishing line and thread (waxed thread works too)
Drill (and small bit)
Old board (to protect your work surface)
Vice (Nice, but not entirely necessary)

Cocktail of the Day: Baileys fudge (Sam brought it and apparently put a little extra Baileys in for our enjoyment. Awww!)

1. Begin immediately consuming Baileys fudge. Yum. Count it as your cocktail since you can taste the Baileys pretty definitely.

2. Pick a bookcover you want to work with. Cut it into two perfect rectangles using the Exacto knife on the old board protecting the nice table you are working on (we're ignoring the internal pages and existing spine).

3. Cut the paper you'll be using so it fits inside the covers with about a quarter of an inch of extra cover all around.

4. Make little booklets of paper by selecting the same number of sheets in each bundle and folding it in half. This bundle of pages is called a "signature". Nicole's signatures were ten pages of thin graph paper while Sarah's were five pages thick because she was using thicker sketchpad paper.

5. If you feel like making your life easier, at this point you would put all your signatures (unbound) in between your book covers and put them in a vice for awhile. This will make the signatures lie flat which makes it easier to bind. But since Too Cute Tuesday is not meant to be easy, we skipped this step.

6. Put your signatures along the edge of both bookcovers like you are about to bind them together. Lay the ruler along the spine and mark at regular intervals along the cover and each signature. These are where your holes will be so take care in lining them up!

7. Using a thumb tack, punch holes in the marked places along the fold of the signature. Do this for each signature.

8. Hold both covers together using the elastics and where you've put the dots on the cover of the book, use the cordless drill to create the holes. Watch as Dorrie nervously watches you not cut through to her table. That's what the old board is for!

9. Now is the fun part. The stitch we used is a modified coptic bind* but the idea is to use the thick thread (start from the inside on the end of one book cover) and bind the book cover to the first signature, taking care to go through each of the holes and double knotting at the end. After, you attach the first signature to the second signature. You keep going in just this way until you are binding the last signature to the other cover.

I don't mean to oversimplify this. This will take awhile, especially if you've never done it before and you will probably have to unmake it a few times. The important thing is to be consistent with the stitching and at the end of each signature, double knot and keep going!

The final product is a blank notebook made just the size you want just the way you want. Keep it for yourself or give it to a special person because you worked hard on that thing!

Aren't you crafty?

Check out the Too Cute Tuesday Facebook page for advanced notice of the craft, the photos that didn't make the blog and all that other fun stuff! 

*A traditional coptic bind uses four strands and this one just uses one. Don't you sound smart!

Online Fundraising Follow-up

You may remember about a month ago I wrote about my friend Susan's relatives that were going through a hard time financially. I asked:

Is there a site that someone in need could turn to online to help in this desperate situation? And to turn it around, how do people in not-so-desperate circumstances know that their money is actually going to their selected family/charity? 

I got some great responses back.

Cherie suggested using some of Paypal's features to put it on a blog or website.

John (and Sarah too) suggested Kiva.org as a worldwide donation option for those wanting to make a difference.

Jenny suggested her favorite site, Modestneeds.org. A person in need can apply for "grants" which users of the site can contribute points towards funding.

And Craig at BudgetPulse suggested I check out SmartyPig, which has a way that you can not only create accounts people can donate to but also has widgets you can stick on your website, blog, Facebook page, etc. I actually found it the most intuitive and flexible of the sites suggested. I sent the information to Susan a few days later.

I finally got to catch up with her this weekend. Interestingly, her family (the mother of one of the members of the couple) is not comfortable doing this.

Susan and I philosophized that there could be a few reasons for this:

1) The mother is uncomfortable with the internet being used to raise money.
2) The mother is not wanting to come to terms with the situation.

Meanwhile Susan is wondering how many community suppers and other fundraisers her family has the energy to organize and how much money she can contribute monthly to the cause. It's too bad that the mother is not keen on this; it seems that Smartypig would be the easy way to go.

Is it just my extroverted nature that makes me comfortable with this? If it was you in the situation, would you be uncomfortable if your family raised money for you online?

In the meantime, I'll keep you posted if Susan's family changes her mind. She doesn't seem to think this is a done deal so we'll see.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts on the subject. I love that there are smart people commenting on this blog!

Spend $20 On June 20 For Your Local Economy

We all know buying local keeps money where it has a greater impact and helps small businesses but how often do you think about your purchases?

Spend $20 on June 20 is a concept to raise awareness of what we can do in our own local economies. Our local Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce has been promoting this heavily but I was able to find other locations in North Carolina and New York.

Some area businesses like Cadillac Mountain Sports are having some great promotions to celebrate. Sadly, I'm headed out of town today but I'm putting $20 worth of Hancock County gasoline in my tank before I do.

So please throw down some money locally and let's see what kind of purchasing power we really have.

How I Get Clients

Craig at BudgetPulse left a thoughtful comment on my blog a couple weeks ago that I've been meaning to write about:

"How do you go about reaching new clients and trying to pitch them for consulting help.  What specific activities do you do for them?"

The answer is actually kind of interesting.

Despite the fact that business is on the Internet, so far I have met every single client in person before working with them. I meet people mostly through local events or through friends. Even when I'm not trying to, I end up selling. I have convinced my massage therapist and my insurance agent to work with me so far (Facebook and Twitter, respectively). 

Clearly I'm hoping this having to meet people directly will change for the growth of my business. But also this tells me that maybe I'm effective in person, which I guess isn't so bad!

Upon first meeting someone, I mentally put them in one of several categories:

Yes clients- These people know what they want and do not flinch when I mention my rates (and usually they remark that they are 'reasonable'). They are most likely to contact me directly. This is the client I pray for: little or no chasing because they already want to work with me.

Almost Yes clients- These people kind of know what they want to get out of internet marketing but don't know exactly. They are most likely to write back to me quickly after I've followed up with them. This client requires a little chasing but aren't hard to nail down.

Maybe clients- They want something  from me but have "limited funds". They are sporadically in contact with me. They may buy eventually but I can tell not now.

Probably not clients- They don't seem to understand what I can and can't do, even if I've explained it clearly (Example: I can't promise them page one on a Google search for free.) They think the internet is for young people or gimicky. Often they tell me my prices are high.

I concentrate my efforts on the people in those first two categories.
I actually schedule in my email and/or phone nagging on my Google calendar. I nag more initially and slowly taper it off as I figure out what category a potential client should stay in. Someone who seemed excited initially may not return my emails or someone who I thought was not going to buy will email me a New York Times article about blogging and ask how they can get started.

The categories are fluid but I am getting much better at sticking potential clients in the proper categories earlier. It's all about working harder not smarter, right?

Of course, I could sit around giving free advice all day. Sadly I (and my current phone plan) can't afford to have lots of unproductive (ie not money making) conversations. Potential clients get an initial half hour after which I have to start charging. This has the added benefit of "scaring away" people who don't want to pay me.

People who use the online inquiry form seem to misunderstand my services, but I help them anyway. It's hard to explain to people that I don't do web design. I can help them through the web design process (I've done this for a couple people, write content and help them organize and gather the information). Mostly, however, I do web promotion once the site is live.

What I do for "Do you design websites?" inquiries is provide information about people I know who do it.  I hope that 1) they will remember me being helpful and maybe want me involved in their web design process and/or from the promotional side and 2) their web designer will remember me sending customers their way and do the same favor for me.

But it's important to be nice to everyone. Recommendations can come from odd places (I got a referral from the people who printed my business cards for example). Even people who don't become clients may become friends, colleagues, or even just readers of my blog, which is alright with me.

This Week In Business: Sitting Pretty

It was an exciting week at Breaking Even Communications, mainly because I'm sitting pretty (and ergonomically correct) now. 

Three things that happened to my microbusiness this week:

I bought a chair, sort of locally. Now I often don't get jazzed about spending $150 but this week was an exception.

After searching far and wide in Downeast Maine and doing an inquiry on bothTwitter and Facebook, I realized I could not buy my new office chair locally even if I wanted to. What did come out of my asking was a few free/cheap offers (sadly, I couldn't accept a chair with no arms and had already bought one when a friend called with a great dumpster find). I also had a suggestion from an architect Twitter friend that I connect with the folks at Creative Office Pavillion.

Creative Office Pavillion is a smaller New England-based company that sells high quality furniture and employs roughly 500 people (including my friend Michelle at their Portland office).

Turns out they have a warehouse where they keep returns and other miscellaneous stock. A quick search in the warehouse database found me what appears to be a $400 brand new chair fitting my specifications (mainly adjustable, with arms, and cheaper) that they sold to me for $150.

If you're interested, they not only deal with big companies (my friend Michelle works on school and hospital contracts mostly), but they also sell to individuals. And after dealing with one of their sales people (not Michelle), I know that they can be a little flexible with their pricing and are wonderful to deal with.

Since I am going to sit in this thing 10ish hours a day, I figured investing in a quality chair would more or less pay for itself.

I wrote my first contract. What did we do before the internet?

When I finally connected with my contacts with the Big Project (that's what I'm calling it for now, since I still can't talk about it), I was asked to draw up a contract.

I did a quick search for contracts and found some great samples online that I could rework for my purposes. Actually, the sample contract helped me think of things I normally wouldn't have like spelling out, like what would happen if the Big Project people suddenly pulled out.

I also used Facebook to get advice from those who had gone before me:

My friend Bethany said, "...the stricter you are, the easier it is to interpret...less gray, means better business....put it clearly in your contract that when you receive their material in FULL, you can guarantee the results in so many hours or days depending on the project. People think if they give you most of it, then the rest will just magically appear or be able to be added fast."

My friend Cherie added, "Make it very, very, super-duper, crystal clear beyond the shadow of a doubt what you are responsible for and what they are responsible for. Timelines and deadlines are helpful if they make sense for the project. Insert the clause that if unexpected extras or changes come up, both parties must agree to the changes (and any additional fees that result) in writing. Always, always, always in writing."

Of course, there were some funny ridiculous comments too but between the sample contract and good advice, I was able to press 'send' today and feel pretty good about it.

I took a deep breath and sent it out today. Fingers crossed...

Custom envelopes are expensive.

My press release is ready to go to all area media outlets and I thought custom envelopes would be a pretty, professional way to send them.

Two different printers told me the cost was not worth it. Depending on the amount, I was looking at $.25-$0.50 an envelope. (Keep in mind I just had the press release copied 20 times for about $2.50.)  

"Invest in letterhead," one woman said. Plus the turn around time at both places was several weeks (!).

Like most things, apparently running an office has small details to take care of, like decisions about stationary. I thought because I was little, I could bypass this stuff. I guess not!

It's funny, before this, I had no idea how many small decisions went into even a very small business like mine...or more accurately how much time they would take up.

I hope to spend more time this week working on projects and not working on these small aspects of keeping things going, since I think I am way better at that!

Too Cute Tuesday: Magic Wallets

Instructions for this fabulous craft come from the book Magic Books and Paper Toys by Esther K. Smith. The book was sent to us by Potter Craft News. Thanks to them!

This Too Cute Tuesday was held in two locations for the first time ever.

Nicole was on the road but Dorrie and Sarah held down the fort in Bar Harbor. This occasion gave the crew a chance to try out Skyping since Sarah will be off to graduate school soon but plans on starting her own Too Cute Tuesday once in Saint Louis. (Want to craft with us in real time? Join the Facebook page for info!)

Let's just say they don't call them 'magic wallets' for nothing!

---

Materials:
Two pieces of cardboard, cut to be the same size (these will serve as the outside of your wallet)
Four pieces of ribbon all the same size (you can also use thick rubber bands pieces of duct tape)
Tape (preferably double sided) or glue stick (Dorrie used duct tape, Nicole regular scotch tape both with mixed results)
Scissors

Cocktail of the Day (for Nicole): Barefoot Pinot Grigio

1. Walk down the street from boyfriend's house and buy rubber bands and scotch tape at the convenience store. Think you are all set for the night. How exciting it will be to Skype into Craft Central from your on the road location!

2. Realize you don't have a working microphone at your boyfriend's house to simulcast Too Cute Tuesday. Head to the local store to get one.

3. Reach into your purse for the boyfriend's apartment keys and realize you don't have them. Pound on the buzzer, try calling his cell and end up sitting on his stoop. Decide to start a rubber ball made of rubber bands while waiting for him to notice you are gone way too long. Have him eventually let you in when your 'ball' is about half an inch thick.

4. Open the Pinot Grigio and Skype into Craft Central.

5. Cut two pieces of cardboard (or cardboard like material) to equal size. Try to make it slightly larger than your credit card.

6. Tape two rubber bands (or ribbons or strips of duct tape) to both pieces of paper. The second set will by taped in a criss cross fashion. If you don't have the book in from of you, steps 5 and 6 on this website illustrate how the attaching of the straps would work.

7. "Cover up the magic" with duct tape (like Dorrie) or thick wrapping paper (like Nicole).

8. Put your money (or your favorite cards) in your new wallet. It can also serve as business card holder!

All in all, this was an easy craft that impressed even not so crafty observers. How does the magic wallet work? We may never be sure. But all that matters: Too Cute Tuesday crafters are a crafty bunch!

Love Tuesday? Yeah so do we. Be our friends on Facebook. Seriously, it's fun.

Good Family And Welcome Money In Tough Times

It was bound to happen at some point. One of my very best friends is about to start going through a divorce.

I've been thinking a lot more about this more than I thought I would be. I just keep thinking what a great person she is, and how she shouldn't have to go through this. Also I was thinking about the very limited things I could do to help, and feeling a little powerless.

She was telling me her parents are going to take over her car payments for her while she gets on her feet. Coming from a supportive though religious family, she told me she was surprised at their degree of support about all aspects of this.

"I couldn't believe they even thought of offering to help with the car." she came back to later in our conversation.

I was thinking later about how my mother last fall (which seems so long ago now) paid my first month's rent and paid for my bed when I moved out of my then-boyfriend's house. She even drove over five hours in each direction just to help me move.

When we go through hard things in life, money is the last thing you want to think of. Yet when someone takes care of something financial, it is so wonderful and unexpected that it's one of the things you really remember.

Have you had anyone, a family member or otherwise, taken care of something financial for you during a difficult time? Your ideas might give all of us some more ideas about how we can be supportive to our family and friends!

Too Cute Tuesday Simulcast This Week

This Tuesday, it's time for something different.

After getting a lot of "Wow, Too Cute Tuesday looks like fun, I wish I was there." we are actually going to give it a shot.

That's right, a Too Cute Tuesday Simulcast. Not sure if that's the exact right word but we're hoping at multiple locations, people will have their friends over, maybe have a little drink, and give the craft a shot.

This week, we're going to be making magic wallets. The directions will come out of a book called Magic Books and Paper Toys, which I won off the Potter Craft News blog.

Please contact me if you are interested in having your own TCT party and I'll send you the information.

Then on Tuesday night, we'll all make the craft at our respective locations. Take pictures, write your observations, and we'll all interact on the TCT Facebook page and on this blog.

Aren't we crafty?

 

Do Some Companies Really Prefer The Phone?

I like to preface this by saying I resisted getting an email address until I was almost 18 years old. I actually even had a pen pal through high school, you know, the old-fashioned kind involving stamps and (in our case) elaborately decorated envelopes.

But now, I am an email girl. I like things in writing (especially things promising me money). I like issues communicated to me when it is most convenient for the other person to send and when it's best for me to read. I can use the search function to find correspondence I know I have and I can access it all from anywhere. It is the way of today, and of the future as far as I can see.

So why does Time Warner, a cable company with a state of the art website, send postcards to call them?

My friend Mel called me exasperated this afternoon. She was on the Time Warner cable website where she was about to order a basic cable plus internet package at about $80 a month. Only then she checked her mail right before she was about to do this and got this postcard:

This is the card only special people get in the mail that requires you to call in. What the...?

Yup not $20ish a month for cable which was the online price. $9 for the first year.

So Time Warner paid $0.20ish cents for the direct mail, then paid for the phone call Mel made and a person to take the call. This cost them maybe $1-$2 to make this sale.

Filling out a form online seems infinitely easier, not to mention cheaper.

"All I had to do was call, but does this make any sense?" she asked.

Companies may not like it when people bargain but it sounds like, at least in this case, they are rewarding the squeakier wheels who read their mail carefully.

Am I just over simplifying this? Is the phone time an opportunity for the company to upsell, or is there some reason why this isn't written on their website and otherwise easy to sign up for? Oh, and have you heard if other companies are doing something like this?

This Week In Business: Self (Less?) Management

Week four of Breaking Even Communications has revealed to me that I need a good manager, and that person has to be me.

And in the universe of perfect timing, my shoulder has been killing me by mid-morning most everyday for the past almost two weeks. I have determined that this is because of my desk chair, which is really a chair from my kitchen table.

I was bound to have a mediocre week at some point. So, I confess, working for myself isn't all rainbows and unicorns, and this so-so week, I have learned the following:

I need to do a little bit of my Big Project, everyday.

Historically when faced with a really big task, I am diligent at first, then overwhelmed with the enormity of it all, then eventually focused enough to buckle down and just do what I have to do.

Only unlike, say, a ten page structural geology report in college, I can't crank out a year-long internet marketing plan for a non-profit organization on two pots of coffee and two days of optimistic hard work.

No one is covering for me if this doesn't get done by deadline and I have no colleagues to share this with. It's all me, the good and the bad.

I sat down Monday and did something that is going to sound kind of stupid. I put amounts of time for common tasks I do, sort of like a schedule to follow every work day and posted it near my desk. Here are a few examples from my schedule:

1 hour- Correspondence: email clients, potential clients, collaborators
1 hour- Big Internet Marketing Plan (I'll tell you all about it once I figure out my contract with them)
1 hour- Migrate content over to new website (yay data entry!).

So as you see, there is some wiggle room but not enough for me to get away from my big overwhelming project. Every day for an hour, it has to happen. And I have a desk timer to prove it.

Added bonus to my new more rigid schedule:  By limiting the time I work on things, I can actually step away from my computer a reasonable amount of time everyday.

I need a new office chair, stat!

I know, office supplies shouldn't be so all encompassing but holy cow, do I need a new desk chair, if only to not spiral into the misery of chronic pain. I've been trying to buy this locally but my internet research, Craigslist trolling, and Twitter inquiry have yeilded the reality that this may be impossible.

This week, I am borrowing my friend/neighbor's ergonomically correct chair while she is gone and this weekend, I'm going to buy my own chair when I go down to southern Maine to a friendly reunion. In borrowing this chair the last couple days, my pain and productivity have greatly improved. Yup, this purchase should be a good return on investment, I can tell.

Time to slowly start moving subscribers and others away from Typepad... and darn, is this going to take awhile!

Mike, one of my web guys, got my feed working on my new site this week so I've been slowly asking blogs/websites that link to me, email subscribers, Facebook friends, and others to start moving it away from Typepad to the new site. (If you see pink, you are on the new site.)

Until I get the party started on the sidebar, you can subscribe to the RSS feed or via email to the new site by clicking here. And if you do link to the blog, if you could change your link to www.breakingeveninc.com/blog, I'd be ever grateful.

I know in this transition I'll probably lose some subscribers but hopefully not too many if I let everyone know ahead!

In each and every life, a little pain must shoot up the arm but as long as we learn something from it, we can be on to bigger things, like week 5 of self employment!

Too Cute Tuesday: Tricked Out T-Shirts

Who doesn't have an oversized t-shirt that could use a little cool-ifying? And what better time then summer to get a cool new t-shirt? 

This week at Too Cute Tuesday, we're tricking out our t-shirts and making something old out of something new. Our original inspiration was this project on the Readymade website but there's also a really great book that Dorrie happens to have called "Generation T", which has its own website too. 

The designs have fun names: Sam made "Halt Right There", Dorrie made "Shoulder Chic", and I made "Put Me In, Coach". Yeah, I know...fun!

The TCT crew in 'Halt Right There', 'Shoulder Chic', and 'Put Me In Coach', respectively.

Materials:
Oversize (or just under-utilized) t-shirt
Scissors
Needle and thread
Straight pins
Elastic band and/or another t-shirt (these just increase your crafting options and are unnecessary)

Cost of craft: Approximately $5

Cocktail of the Night: Vanilla Vodka Vroom (clearly a Nicole invented cocktail invented based on what was available in Nicole's house. To make: 1-2 oz. vodka, 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract, 8ish oz. cola)

1. Find an old t-shirt (in my case my still cool Vinalhaven shirt with a worn out collar) and your sewing kit and head to Craft Central. Fun Fact: Shirts that are at least 65" long can apparently be made into dresses according to Readymade.

2. Make your super duper VVV cocktails. Think that if no one has said anything bad they probably taste alright.

3. Find the shirt you want to make in Dorrie's book. Eat bean dip.

4. Cut carefully. You may want to mark up the shirt with a pencil (on the inside of course) and use a ruler for the 45 degree angles. (I can only speak to the "Put Me In, Coach" design, which requires such angles.)

5. Watch "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" which apparently only Dorrie has ever seen for background noise. Try on your shirt throughout the process so as to make sure parts are long enough, etc.

6. Hand stitch the edges and/or detailing as necessary. Note: use pins to hold the garment in place of you'll end up with uneven sleeves. Still, coach will probably still put me in.

7. Remark that these crafts came out better then you thought. Aren't you crafty!

Like cheap crafts thatare done in one evening and cocktails invented on the fly? Become friendly on Facebook and get advanced notice of crafts, extra photos, and more!

How To Be Cheap (Or Not Cheap) In Québec City

This weekend, I was in Québec City with Beth, a woman I tutor in French. Her husband and her were kind enough to offer me the trip.

Beth proceeded to pay for everything while on the trip (Tom stayed behind, probably to revel in bachelorhood and let us speak French all the time). As a result, this trip wasn't my usual eating-fruit-and-bread-two-meals-a-day, researching-the-heck-out-of-stuff-to-find-the-cheapest-options travel experience.

There are, however, a few relatively painless ways to save money on a trip to Québec City.

Stay at the hostel.
I know what you are thinking: sketchiness and bunk beds.

Well, some of the cheapest rooms do have bunks but of all the times I stayed there, the rooms are never completely full so you can pick top or bottom. But this hostel is not only cute, clean, secure, and reasonably priced (start at $28 for the dorm room and go up to $87 a night for a room with private bath and breakfast), it is also right in the middle of Old Québec.

When I've stayed there alone, I also found it fun to go on some of the activities they held, like tours and pub crawls, which are usually free and a good way to meet people.

Beth and I had a private room at the hostel. It had some furniture, really dark curtains (excellent sleeping), and everything else you'd expect in a basic hotel room like a luggage rack, alarm clock, and mini soaps. And just like everyone else, we had access to the kitchen where we were able to keep some chilled cheese and crackers for a little afternoon snack.

Go a little outside the old city for some cheap (restaurant) food.
Saint Foy is the "borough" where the Université Laval is and where there are students, there is cheaper food and entertainment. The buses run from the Vieux Québec to Saint Foy but you can also drive there in less then 10 minutes. I remember eating at a good and relatively inexpensive Algerian restaurant the last time I was there. It makes sense that you'll pay more for the same thing in town because of convenience and probably higher rents, but if you are willing to venture out of Old Québec, it'll probably be worth your while, saving moneywise.

Don't scoff at free breakfast.
Our hostel had a free breakfast with our room. It was your usual continental fare with cereal, fruit, coffee, juice, bread products, and hard boiled eggs. This sounds moderately unimpressive but walking around the city I saw signs for $9 breakfasts and $2 coffees. Hey, one less meal I have to buy is something I can appreciate!

Knowing French is helpful and may score you a deal or two.
You know, most everyone in Québec we saw spoke English but boy, did I notice people being nicer and more helpful to me (a French speaker) then English speaking tourists. So if you don't want to full blown learn a language, try a few simple phrases. It's polite and trust me, polite can get you far and save you money!

I can't believe such a wonderful place is less then 300 miles from my house. I'm glad Québec and I reconnected after a few years, and I'm glad to have had such good and generous company.

I Bore My Soul At Blunt Money...Again!

I did an interview recently at Blunt Money about starting my own business.

As usual, I talked a lot but it was so much fun. Here's the link, since I think I forgot to share it:

Read "Starting Up A Business" interview at Blunt Money...

In Hard Times, Restaurants Change It Up

I love periodicals probably as much as I love blogs. When I have a doctor's appointment, I sometimes go early so I can catch up on my reading.

But no medical appointment is necessary now; the inn has plenty of magazines for me to peruse, including some restaurant and lodging trade publications not carried by my doctor or my dentist.

One restaurant magazine, Santé had a feature article in their May issue called "Sarah's: Succeeding In Tough Times." Sarah and Bernard Bouissou own Bernard's Restaurant in Ridgefield Connecticut. It's an upscale place with great food that was doing well until the recession hit.

The Bouissous have since done a little reinventing in the way of opening Sarah's Wine Bar on the upper (and mostly unused) floor of their restaurant.

In doing so, they:

• made use of previously unused space.
• attracted more casually dressed and younger diners.
• found a way to use the slow moving wine in their restaurant as specials in the wine bar.
• became a place in the community as a destination to hold non-stuffy book club meetings.
• helped local nonprofit groups by offering wine tasting fundraisers ($10 a head, in cooperation with a local wine store) every other Wednesday night (traditionally a slow night)

This magazine also talked about how other restaurants were for example cutting portion sizes to cut prices and in other ways offering diners an eating out experience while lowering the price.

Have you noticed any changes in your local restaurant scene lately?

How Far Would You Go For A Discount?

At the inn, we have a policy about not offering discounted room rates. When your business is the only open four months of the year and you have to pay shorefront property taxes, it is completely understandable to me.

We do, however, have different types of rooms available at different prices and a few available "packages" for off-season visitors (our "season" is Memorial Day to Labor Day).

That said, people have been calling to make reservations asking about discounts other than ones I mentioned. I have come up with a good explanation script that I've been working from:

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer discounts but we do have rooms at different price points. May I help you make a selection?

And if pressed:

Yes, the economy has made things more difficult. Our costs have also risen so I'm sure you understand why our rates are what they are.

And if further pressed:

I'm sorry we can't accommodate you. Have you seen our Chamber Of Commerce website? There are a variety of lodging options on the island and that is a great source of information.

And if pressed even more:

If you like, I can leave a message for the owners of the inn. If they decide the price can be flexible, they will call you back. May I take your name and phone number? (In my head: By the way, they won't call you but I will do anything to get you off the phone with me right now because we are at a communications impass.)

Sometimes there are sob stories or even just insistent pleading. And that's when I start feeling a little uncomfortable.

Personally, I'm all about asking for discount but if I get a no, I take it that I should shop around. You will not get a sob story out of me but hey, I'm going to at least ask for discount because I've got nothing to lose.

I'm curious if other people have boundaries about asking for discounts. How far is too far? Crying? Pleading? Other tactics?

This Week In Business: The Sensation Of Stabilization

Week three my new business venture is going well. My energy level is higher, in part because it finally stopped raining in my corner of the world, and my anxiety level is lower, in part because I am in the process of securing regular work with a large client. Besides taking a mental deep breath, here's what I have been up to:

I'm making myself all up with one "reach" client a week.
It would be easy for me to get in a slightly antisocial rut. Now more than ever, it's important for me to maintain contacts and increase my network.

I literally have this pile of business cards and flyers on my desk: someone at a conference, a person I talked to at a Business After Hours, a blogger I admire (well, those last ones are bookmarked electronically).

Following up with every single person seems overwhelming but one or two new people a week is very doable. Say no to isolation!

I finished a book that blew my mind: "Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000: Running A Business In Today's Consumer-Driven World"by Pete Blackshaw.
Sure the title reads like a graduate-level thesis but this book was a relatively fun read. I knew I liked it when I want to photocopy whole chapters before giving it back to the library. He gave me some great ideas about monitoring online CGM (consumer generated media) in terms of brands, products, and topics. (Plus, doesn't using the acronym CGM make me sound smarter?) Also, this book has some good general information about how and why internet marketing is relevant. You know, for you less internet nerdy types who may be interested.

I'm outsourcing, but not going crazy with it.
So the new business, I need some off-line press to get me off the ground. Though I will say that I do appreciate the internet press I've gotten on The Takeaway as well as Blunt Money and an upcoming interview at Budget Are Sexy!

What I need a new business press release and I need it sent to local and regional media. Thing is, it would take me way longer to figure out how to write this release, then actually write the release, then look up contact information, and finally send it out and it would be for me to pay a freelance writer friend (who has actually done this before) to do it for me. And since this is time sensitive, as in I can't haul myself a new business too much longer, it will payoff for me to pay now and get it done not only well but soon.

Related but unrelated, I am also paying another friend with younger wrists and a good heart to help me move my blog content out of Typepad and onto my new site (if you are seeing sherbet colors, you are on my new site).

In my life, I am picking my battles and wine not outsourcing of my work at the moment, I have found it worth it to pay someone who can do a couple of tasks better and faster than I can.

So sure, the money is coming in and I'm relaxing just a little bit about the viability my company.

Too Cute Tuesday: Italian Grandma's Calzones

This Too Cute Tuesday was a little off program. John, my newish boyfriend, was visiting. Naturally I forced him to perform for a group by ordering him to make calzones for everyone.

A little background: John made me calzones the first time I visited him. They were amazing. I had them for dinner, then breakfast the next morning, then lunch. Yup, they were that good.

This calzone recipe is a family recipe passed down from John's Grandma Capriccio. 

Materials:
3 1/2 c. flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 packet of yeast
2ish cups of warm (not boiling) water
(makes three calzones) 

Bowl
Saucepan
Cookie sheet

Glaze:
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. grated parm cheese
a couple basil leaves (if you have them)

Fillings:
Your choice of prosciutto, mozzerella, spinach, basil, petit cut tomatoes, marinated grilled chicken, onion, garlic, pepper, sausage, mushroom, you name it!

Cocktail of the Day: Milk with Frangelico (thanks to Sue for thinking of an actual Italian cocktail!)

 

1. Sometime the afternoon of calzone time, combine the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir dry ingredients together well, possibily with a whisk.

2. Warm up some water. This will react with the yeast so it is important that the water is hot but not boiling. You should be able to hold the container in your hands and think "this water is warm" not "this water is HOT!".

3. Pour water into the bowl and gently mix it. Very gently. The batter will seem to have a "gloopy" consistency. 

It should look like this:

 

4. Warm up some more water in a medium saucepan (about half way full) until it is almost boiling.

5. Here is where the cool thing happens. Open your oven and put the saucepan of water on one shelf and your bowl on another. Don't turn on the oven; this is just a place for the yeast to have a warm moist environment to do its thing. Let sit two hours.

6. Punch the dough down and stick it back in the oven a little while longer.

7. Get ingredients ready (chop, dice, clean, etc.) and then head to Craft Central.

8. Cover cookie sheet in butter. Spread the dough in a thin layer on the sheet. Spread olive oil and garlic evenly on the dough. Add ingredients to one half and fold the other half over it, creating a pocket. It is best to do this with butter-covered hands.

9. Pour a glass of Frangelico and milk to calm the nerves of meeting all your girlfriend's crafting buddies. Ahh, refreshing.

10. Watch everyone else prepare their Italian specialty to go with: Spagetti sauce, almond meringue, lasagna, roasted chicken... yum!

11. Bake the calzones at 500 degrees for about ten minutes. You'll know they're done when the crust is a light golden brown. Note: Smoke detectors may go off but it's ok because 1) olive oil has a low smoking point and 2) the only other boy there is a firefighter.

12. Eat dinner and get rave reviews from the TCT crew.

Isn't John crafty?

Love Too Cute Tuesday? So do we. Join the Facebook page for advanced notice of crafts, additional photos and other fun features.

Life At The Inn

One Part Of My Diversified Stream Of Income

People have been asking me how my part-time gig is going. I got clearance from my bosses so now I officially feel comfortable writing about it.

What inn are you working at?
The Inn At Bay Ledge is located approximately 5 minutes from downtown Bar Harbor. It is on a cliff overlooking Frenchman's Bay. This is my view; try not to hate me (I'll try to get a better picture this week):

The Inn has 12 rooms including three cottage rooms, one private waterfront cottage, and eight rooms in the main building. A little trivia: Jenna Bush here are her Maine engagement trip a couple of years ago. (For the record, I only found this out after I start working there.)

What do you do?
I do your usual desk clerk miscellaneous tasks. I answer the phone and take reservations, I fold laundry, I served tea and cookies every afternoon, I answer guests' questions, I do a little light data entry, and in general I am a courteous representative of the inn and the town of Bar Harbor. It's pretty easy; I like it.

What you like about your job?
Well first off, if some social interaction for me which working from home most the time I don't get. This also allows me to get away from my computer and change gears a little. (Yes, even computer nerds need to get away.) I have also able to bring Sadie my dog with me which I appreciate. And finally, the Inn a blog which the owners want me to maintain. Yeah, I think I can do that.

This job is a flexible one but with regular hours, which is what I need help me stick to a schedule with my business and in my life in general.

What don't you like about your job?
Folding fitted sheets. I am apparently incapable. Good thing I only have to do this for about half an hour week. Other than that, so far so good.

How is this helping your business?
First of all, a regular paycheck is helping to keep me paying bills while I grow my business. I was expecting that at the start, Breaking Even Communications would operate at a loss. Having this part-time job allows me to continue paying my rent and buy food without using my savings.

More directly, the inn should provide some good contacts both locally and with the people visiting. A photographer called the other day and when he comes to the area in two weeks, I'm going to meet and talk with him about internet marketing possibilities.

So you can follow the Inn At Bay Ledge blog if you want to see me blogging at work, otherwise, I'm sure this job will provide material for the Breaking Even blog.