A Pat on the Back and a Punch to the Face.
So, the whole marketing thing is new, and somewhat uncomfortable territory for Blackbird Tees. That said, once the novelty of launching a business wears off with friends and family, I am actually going to need customers. And so, today I dipped my feet into the frigid water of self-promotion to see what happens. Will I lose a toe, drop a toaster in and end my misery, suffer lasting hypothermia? Well, the jury is still out.
After creating an account on craigslist, I submitted a post to the job market forum, describing my business and how I screenprint people’s resumes onto their shirts. Well, within seconds, a stranger responded with some words of encouragement, “fabulous, innovative idea.” Great, I’m feeling good, embraced by the community at large…at one with my people. Not even thirty seconds later, another user, who identifies him/herself only by the alias ‘fartedatwork3′ replies to that post by writing “for tards like you, maybe.” And that’s all she wrote, folks. So ends today’s plunge into the Arctic cold, and I’m walking away feeling like I’ve taken a hit. A little like our friend the dog. Continue reading »
Filed under Blackbird Diary | Comments (3)Fine, I’ll Just Take My Negative Net Worth Elsewhere.
This past October, I broke up with my bank. After walking a mile and a half in the rain, I entered the lobby, made my way to the seating area, and waited patiently to speak with someone in charge. I opened my notebook to review the list of complaints I had compiled the night before. It looked a little like this:
1. In the two months I have had a business checking account with you, I have been able to access my online information only twice. Your IT people have kept me on the phone for 3 hours trying to resolve the issue, but in the end, said it was simply because I have a Mac.
2. The Administrator of your small business office had me fill out a credit card application and provide personal tax returns only to lose them. I called her twice to follow up, and she did not return my call either time.
3. When I came down in person to find out what had happened to my paperwork, I was passed off to three different employees, one of which was a total douchebag named Toby that talked to me about business plans like I was still in diapers.
4. You and your team completely suck. Continue reading »
Filed under Blackbird Diary | Comment (0)Bird Calling
I think part of what feels so overwhelming is the sense that you should just know what you’re supposed to do with your life. There seems to be this romantic notion that it’s simply going to appear before you one day. In reality, finding fulfillment in any way comes from a series of tiny moves, day-to-day decisions based on a belief that something better exists. It is a slow, sometimes agonizing process. So, while the instinctive voice is there, it speaks in fragments…telling you what is enjoyable, revealing what comes naturally to you. Each time you let it guide you, it shifts you closer to more consistent happiness. When I was younger, I was acutely aware of what I did and did not enjoy. These types of choices were not laced with interpersonal relationships, feelings of obligation, fear of rejection, etc. You have to rediscover that on some level in order to clear out the mental clutter and truly follow your gut.
