Excited about new ventures!

Do you ever feel like you have so many amazing ideas but no clue how to execute any of them? Go on, you know you want to raise your hand. I have both of my hands waving wildly in the air right now. Well figuratively since I am typing--and also since I am in the middle of Barnes and Noble and would prefer not to get kicked out for being THAT person. But anyway, I digress. Hmmm...maybe my attention span is why my ideas seem to only stay in my head...Oh well, that's a problem for another day. ;)

I have been having the issue for quite a while now of making what I am passionate about into an actual profitable career. For those of you that don't know, my passion--aside from being Ella's mommy--is definitely my writing (and reading). This blog is currently my only release of this passion that anyone actually gets to read. I have two books that I am working on but haven't made as much progress as I would like. So right now the blog is definitely my main focus. Obviously, Ella is my entire world and that is why I love that I have been able to pair being her mommy with being a writer through this blog. This is all why I am so excited that I just got done writing my first guest-writer article! I can't post the article yet, but it is has been sent off for approval! Yay!! I was so surprised that a woman actually saw my blog and approached me to collaborate on an article about travel that she is doing. Not only is she just a travel expert, but she is extremely well-known in and out of her field. She has done multiple T.V. spots (including the morning shows and "Tyra Banks Show") and has her own travel agency. As soon as I know more about where the article will be posted I will definitely update you guys on where you can go to see it!

Another thing I am really excited about has come about recently from a new friend I have made through my mommies group. Sydni and I have a ton in common and have decided to start coordinating our own mommies group activities (although I still love the group I am currently in), and we are also looking into coordinating some fundraisers to raise awareness and money for excema. Her son suffers from a pretty severe case that landed him in the hospital dealing with some really painful and difficult things. Therefore, she is very passionate about it. And I am passionate about anything that helps out others, especially kids! A 3rd thing we are looking into is also doing some professional organizing on the side. She has an interior design degree so that is right up her ally. Now granted, my poli sci degree has nothing to do with that, but I'm going to make it work. LOL.

All of these things may not all happen immediately or some may have to get pushed to the side if it becomes too much of a task to take on, but I am just so happy to have things to focus my energy on outside of parenthood. And I am really thankful that Syndi is just as motivated as I am. Being lonely here in Birmingham has definitely been an issue lately, so I am glad that I am starting to meet people and make friends. I still wish I could have brought all of my friends to Birmingham with me, but sometimes even I can't get my way. :-D Don't tell KT I said that, though. He might try to use it against me the next time I convince him to bring me Starbucks home. ;)



Okay, seriously, please tell me that I am not the only one that has a mind full of ideas and a calendar that is completely empty of plans!!

Advice Needed About Owning a Business

So I need you guys' help. My main goal career wise is to own a business of my own. In particular, I want to own a bookstore. This has been a dream for quite some time, and I intend to make it happen sometime in the future. I have done and am still doing a ton of research about owning a bookstore, so I have read a lot of the facts, statistics, and logistics of opening a small business. But what I do not have are first-hand accounts. This is where you guys come in. I need advice from people that have opened a business, know someone that has opened a business, or is just very knowledgeable about the process.

Some of the questions I have are as follows:

• What was your experience opening your own business?
• Would you recommend starting a business?
• Are you familiar with owning a bookstore?
• How did you fund the start-up costs?
• Any advice on handling the legal issues?
• How did you furnish your business?
• How did you go about finding a place to lease?
• What sort of marketing ploys did you use?
• How did you get your inventory?

Also, I need some opinions on one other topic. Considering that the market for bookstores isn't at it's best due to the age of e-books, Amazon, and eBay. I need to ensure that a bookstore I opened appealed enough to the general public that they would want to come buy their books from a local shop versus online. So let's get hypothetical here. Say I was opening a bookstore near you, what kind of store would you want to see? Used vs. new? Would you want to have the option of hanging out and having a cup of coffee while you browse? Basically, what would lure you into a local bookstore to shop instead of shopping online? What would a bookstore need to have to entice you to come through it's doors?

The idea of opening a bookstore has been stewing in my mind for quite some time, but it is still a long way away from happening. I am definitely still in the researching/brainstorming phase of the project. I just really wanted to see what kind of advice you guys would be able to offer. Although this is a big dream of mine, I know it has to be something that is practical. Therefore, if you have advice to offer that could really put things into perspective for me, please share!