What I Learned This Week

I've talked a lot on this blog about how I left my whole career (the career I went to school for and studied for hours to pass a test to get certified, the career that I worked and worked and commuted and commuted for) to run my own business and have the flexibility of working for myself and being around more for my kids.

What I haven't talked alot on this blog about is how although I love running the website, connecting families, giving parents information and helping small businesses, the one thing I hate is sales. Which really totally sucks because guess what the only way this business makes any money is? Yup, you got it. Advertising sales.

What do I hate about sales? Let me count the ways....

First, I hate calling a business owner and not being able to get through to the right person because the 15 year old kid answering the phone was instructed to not put through any sales calls.

Second, I hate the fact that at that moment, the 15 year old kid answering the phone basically has the power. And not only does he have the power, but he could care less that I am calling to help the business owner get information about his business to people who would actually want to be his customers. Because then that would mean that that kid would have to do things other than answer the phone.

Third, I hate to think that when people see me coming they'll want to turn the other way because they don't want to be "sold".

Fourth, I hate the thought of calling someone and having them be mean or nasty or hang up on me. Especially when more often than not, it's a 15 year old kid.

Do I need to go on? Thanks, I didn't really want to. I'm sure you get the point.

So it pretty much sucks when you hate the one thing that can earn you any money. Yes, it does.

But here's what I learned this week. It's the surprise of all surprises. What is it? It's the fact that I'm good at sales. Maybe I'm not great at the initial cold call, but once I get in front of a person, I am good at sales.

How do I know? Because last week, not only did I get a huge brand new client who is going to run ads in twelve newsletters, but I also got four other businesses who paid to have their businesses listed in our site's directory. And I did it all myself, scheduled meetings, sat with them, walked them through the information and watched them fall in love with this website. One that I created. I've learned that I am good at this very thing that I hate. And now I think I'm going to have to get over all the hate and turn it into love.

Here's a PS for my friends in Philly - I also learned that the Yankees are the Champions. For the 27th time in a row! Hip Hip Jorge!!

For more of What I Learned This Week, head on over to Jo-Lynne's blog at Musings of a Housewife.

What I Learned This Week

Here we go again...

What did I learn this week? A few things. First and foremost though that I just don't think I'm meant to be a really good blogger. I just don't have the discipline. I started this blog way back after the First Disney Mommy Blogger Mixer when I met so many different and amazing Bloggers and was inspired to start writing like so many of them did. I wrote some good posts like this one and this one and this one, but they were few and far between. Every time I made a commitment to start writing here again, life just got in the way. Work. Kids. Running a business. Running a house. A few weeks ago, I was inspired yet again by my friend Jen to keep a gratitude journal because it seemed as if things just weren't always going my way and I needed to think more on the half full side than on the half empty side. And after a few days, my commitment totally fell off. Understand, it's not that I'm not committed. I am definitely committed. I think I'm just committed to too many things. Like everyone else but I think that I have my limits.

So I did learn this week that I just have to write when I can and keep this as a record for myself of what's going on over here.

Oh, and I will post again next week when I learn that the Yankees are 27 time champions.

For more of What I Learned This Week, head on over to Jo-Lynne's blog at Musings of a Housewife. She is most definitely one of those superwomen that I referred to in the above post :)

The Best Part of the Superbowl....

No matter how you look at it, the best part of the Superbowl is the food. If you're like me, the best part of any meal is the appetizers, so really, what's not to like about the Superbowl. Um, outside of the actual Superbowl, that is.

I'm not a football fan. Never have been. I'll sit and watch or go to a Yankee game anytime, regardless of seats. I've been to hockey games (both Rangers, Islanders and NJ Devils). I'll watch tennis on tv. But put me in front of a football game and I'll find about 700 other things to do. Why? I don't get it. I have never understood the rules of football, nor do I want to. My husband is a HUGE football fan, although he likes the Dallas Cowboys, which is sort of odd because we live in NY. But anyway, when we were dating, every Sunday he would disappear to watch football. All day. I never understood why football fans are just that - fans of football, instead of fans of one specific team. They will sit and watch football all day (the 1pm, 4pm and 7pm games, and then another one on Monday nights!) regardless of the team that is playing. It's pretty frustrating.

At the end of football season, here comes the Superbowl. This year, my husband had a few friends over (guys only, no wives, no kids) and the biggest question on my mind was What are we going to eat? Well, I have to say we did pretty well. Our menu? Honey bbq wings, mozzerella sticks, chips/salsa/guacamole and then about 7 different appetizer things from Trader Joes. It was so delish that by the time the pizza came, I wasn't hungry. I left the guys to their game and went upstairs and got in bed with my book (which, by the way, is absolutely amazing!!).

What I Learned This Week...

My Disney Mommy Blogger friend Jo-Lynne over at Musings of a Housewife started a great bloggy carnival - What I learned this week. So here goes for week #1----




What I learned this week is that everyone has their own crap. Seriously, no matter how perfect their life may seem, how put together they look, how great their kids seem to do - everyone has crap.

When I was growing up and didn't get something that I wanted or things didn't go as planned, I remember wishing that I was someone else. It was usually specific - the really pretty and popular girl in school, my friend whose mom didn't care what time she came home on a Friday night, the girl with the seemingly awesome boyfriend. Regardless, if someone had something that I didn't have and that I wanted, I would, at some point, wish I was them.

As time went on, and I grew up, I stopped wishing I was other people and learned to be happy with who I was, mostly because I realized, as stated so eloquently above, everyone has their crap.

• My friend who I mentioned above, (the one who we loved to sleep at her house during high school because her mom didn't care what time we wandered in at night) well, it turned out that her mom didn't care because, well, to put it bluntly, her mom couldn't stand her. A few years ago, her younger sister was diagnosed with breast cancer (she's okay now, but fought hard).
  
• A friend who seemingly had it all together all of the time and a great life - her dad got sick pretty suddenly and passed away and a few months later she was told she had the gene for breast cancer and underwent an emergency hysterectomy and double mastectomy.
• A friend from a long time ago who is insanely beautiful and married a gorgeous guy has a son who is severely autistic.
• A family who lives in a gorgeous house and has a gazillion friends - the husband was just arrested. For MURDER.
  

Do I need to go on? I did well in school, my parents turned out to be pretty cool, I got married to a great guy, had a great job, was able to buy a house that I wanted and had two amazing and healthy kids. I've got a pretty good life that I really wouldn't trade for anything.