and then there were two

In the midst of life-changing events last fall, another small fire was kindling away.  Sparked during the summer, this teeny little flame was being fanned and fed, nurtured and stoked, until mid-November when a big rush of fuel came and our little fire became fully engaged.  Now as we enter 2011, I am thrilled to officially announce my new adventure and partner-in-crime.

Chef Molly Herrmann of Tastebud Catering has been a client of Segnavia Creative since early 2010.  I have been helping her create a fresh, new strategy and vision for Tastebud and putting some business development projects into play.  During this time, I have also been consulting with Midtown Global Market to reassess their strategies, operations and marketing efforts.  As kismet would have it, between us all, the idea for a new business came to fruition.  Molly worked daily in a shared commercial kitchen space at MGM.  A loosely organized, but committed group of caterers, chefs, and food manufacturers rented this commercial kitchen space to share costs, equipment and such.  The idea?  Wouldn't it be cool if this commercial kitchen expanded (allowing access to more chefs, having had a waiting list for nearly 2 years), the cooking classes expanded (so successful thus far, but not a ton of room to host more people), and we added a retail component (people are always wandering by, wanting to purchase those perky meringues and delicious looking wraps)?

Molly and I wrote a business plan, some initial financial projections, and then wrapped it all up with a bow, not thinking that it had a chance in hell of getting going.  Seriously.  There were just so many obstacles to a project of this scope.  But, indeed, the idea was a good one, and the more energy we put into it, the better it became.  MGM's management and board got behind the project.  Next thing you know, all of that kindling and rolled up newspaper and dryer lint had the match it had been looking for.

When the opportunity was presented to me to partner in this adventure, it couldn't have been a better alignment of timing, my personal passions, my career experience and my know-how.  Food, retail, cooking classes, a start up business, and a good friend by my side.  I knew it was meant to be.

A new business took shape, construction began, chef-tenants signed up, marketing efforts started and Kitchen in the Market was born.

So, as I continue my work supporting entrepreneurs and growing businesses, I launch into a new adventure myself.  The quick answers:

• I am excited to work with and take on new clients for Segnavia Creative.  In my strategic-eye-view, Segnavia is a significant portion of my work life in the foreseeable future.
• I will take on fewer new clients in the next 2 months as Kitchen in the Market gets up and running.
• I have been repackaging my consulting and coaching efforts for entrepreneurs and am excited to launch several new programs this spring.  Stay tuned!

In the meantime, I hope to see you at Kitchen in the Market - online, on Facebook, on Twitter, and especially in person.  Come check out our beautiful new kitchen, take a class in our cooking school, and take home something tasty from our soon-to-be open retail grocery.  We'd love to have you.

finding my own way forward, 1 year later

(also know as: rejiggering, repackaging, reworking, revisiting, reminding)

This summer, I marked my first full year of independent consulting.  Though I started my business back in 2001, I have either worked full-time or under contract nearly all of those years in between.  Oh and I was gainfully, blissfully unemployed here and there too. But once I "decided" (aka, due to the realities of today's marketplace), I ventured out on my own last year, full time, all in, committed.

I often have people ask, How did you get started? and the truth is, I took an "it takes a village" + "modified shotgun" approach.  I knew that I had some marketable skills.  And I knew that the market I wanted to serve could use these skills.  So wrapping up my team, I set out on learning as much about this process as I could.  I really didn't want to take a bunch of missteps early on, and I needed some real life perspective from people who were out there making it happen.

But beyond that, I wasn't exactly sure how to package my services. I did a lot of reading and decided that an hourly rate wasn't for me, selfishly, because I didn't WANT to track hours!!  I did so much of that as a contractor and frankly I didn't think it served my clients.  I decided, better to just set a project fee and deliverables and go with that.  Everyone knows what they're getting into and what they're getting out of it.  Just seemed sensible.  I assumed that I'd probably take a beating on my actual hourly rate early on because I just didn't know how to estimate my time yet.  I knew that I'd build that into the learning process.  I knew I'd take some clients that maybe didn't completely line up, but I also knew that if I focused on the things I'm passionate about - namely, entrepreneurs, women and food - and employed a fair amount of patience and faith, I'd end up in the right place.

All of this turned out to be true.  I gained amazing clients - not even a clunker in the bunch.  Sure, I might be running on minimum wage rates with some of them, but heck, I didn't even care.  I was learning so much about what I wanted to do, how I wanted to do it, how long it would take and what I'd need to invest to get the job done.  It was a perfect experiment all around.

So, since the late summer, I've spent some time looking back at my business plan and assessing where I was in my own strategy - this elusive thing that I help my clients with on a daily basis.  How was *I* doing against my stated goals: revenue (by project, by month, by hour), clients (type and number), margin, turn time, etc. And using the knowledge of the past year, I set about creating an improved vision.  No, I didn't decide to turn everything on its ear.  But I did decide that I needed to shift a few things, repackage a few other things and reassess my own expectations a bit.

Here's what I learned:

• It takes twice as long to do a project than I thought - both in actual hours, and in duration of engagement.  Why?  Because entrepreneurs need coaching.  And without setting expectations about how that coaching would occur, I spent too much time coaching and not enough time doing.  Next, because I wasn't my client's only priority, and they weren't my only client, general things took longer than I thought.  Also, adding in other complementary services - key to my offering - added another layer of time and complexity.  I know better now.
• I revel in strategy work.  Sure, I love some of the tactical stuff too.  But sitting down with my entrepreneurs and talking with them about their future of the business and then turning that into solid documentation of how to proceed, where to go, what to do and who to take along for the ride?  Pure bliss.  I even like creating financial models.  Go figure.
• Coaching is fun, and inevitable.  Twice in a day last week - the very same day - two completely unrelated people articulated my work with entrepreneurs as "you're like a business life coach."  Huh.  Never exactly thought of it that way, but it's so true. The entrepreneur is the business, and the business is the entrepreneur (even if you have a staff of 12).  Getting all of the goals, identity issues, self-fulfilling trouble spots, needs and keys to success down on paper - aka, recognized and articulated - is such an invigorating process for clients.  Once they see the vision, understand the journey and can see themselves walking down the path to success?  Electrifying.
• Entrepreneurs want RIGHT NOW ACTION, but have no time.  The duration issue is as relevant for them as it is for me.

And here's what I decided:

• I'm going to repackage and offer a more diverse selection of services, based on the client need.  Some may need a longer-duration project; but some may need a one day intensive launch.  Some may want a 6-month small group seminar,  some may need one-on-one coaching.  Some may need strategy, others may need tactics.  And I can wrap these all up in different services and not only meet or exceed the client expectations, but also keep my own head on.
• I'm going to set better expectations on client:consultant interaction so everyone understands what they're in for.  Pricing and deliverables aren't enough to keep things clear and manageable.
• I'm going to lean heavily toward strategy (though that's not at all different from where I'm at today), and I'm going to make it my focus.
• I'm going to update my identity statement, key messages, audiences, website and marketing collateral.  Evolve or die, people.

And though it's easy to see how cumbersome and time-consuming this business/self work can be, I've also learned that it's critical.  Every business needs a health check once a year.  I'm going to give that to myself so that I can give better to my clients.  Does this sound familiar, entrepreneurs?  We are our businesses, our businesses are our lives.  Our health - in business and in life - is all we really have.  And that's a glorious thing to be responsible for.  Carry on.

a giant leap forward

The past few weeks have been a jumble.  Summer, a little travel, an illness requiring medication, lots of sleep and gallons of water to try to reinflate me to my usual form, some events, a ton of board work and some still-developing shaping and reshaping of my work life.  It's been nuts.  Part of me knows that when I get too crazy and have too many plates spinning, the inevitability of some sort of unintended slowdown lurks just behind me ready to whack me over the head with one of those precious plates.  It's been this way my entire life, and especially in the past 10 years or so.  I have learned to be better in tune with myself and my limitations, but let's face it, I still go too fast, in too many directions, all at once.  It's just how I'm wired.

I've been working on refining my existence as a consultant and what that means for how I work. And part of this process has made me sit myself down and figure out all this running around.  It's too much.  I love my Segnavia Creative clients and spending time with them is one of the most beneficial parts of how I engage.  But I'm doing it too much - I am simply not funded to travel all over town and sit with whomsoever I'd like, as much as I'd like to believe that I am.  I have recently engaged with my first (as yet, potential) client out of state.  Which begs the question: If I can do that, can't I do this other stuff differently?  Better?  Do I really need to meet with everyone, so often, all the time, all over the place?  Do I need to be one more car on the road?

Which brings me back full circle to a dream that I started poking around last summer - could I live without a car?  There are lots of reasons why this is a crazy thought.  A car is mobility!  Flexibility!  Freedom!  Heck, a car is pretty much expected, is it not?  A car is one of the first noticeable outward signs of success - is it a nice car?  A clean car?  A cared for car?  A car is one of the most obvious external indications of who we are, what our personalities are, what our style is.  We're weird Americans, aren't we?  A car is an indicator of my personal worth or success?  Who the hell decided that?

As I continue on my own personal journey toward building and living this best life (for me), I have come to realize that I don't want a car.  I don't want the entanglement, I don't want the expense and I don't want the parking hassles.  (This summer construction season is grating on me, without doubt...let's see how I feel at 10 degrees and no seat heaters, eh?)  Because while cars are all of the things noted above, they're also many not-so-good things.  A car is expensive!  A car requires maintenance!  A car bears a heavy "green" load!  And let's face it, my bike is way cuter.

I've done a lot of research.  I've crunched the numbers.  I've played with the bus schedule - mapping things and timing things, to and fro.  I've thought about running errands and hauling stuff.  But the reality for me is that I'm ubermobile without a car.  I live and work in my downtown loft and can easily access all the bus lines (2-3 blocks), several HourCars (3-4 blocks), there's a Budget rental on the corner, I have my bike (which can go on the bus too!) and for that matter, I am perfectly capable of calling a cab in an emergency.  I listed out all the pros and cons of the car-free lifestyle I was considering.  And the end result was that I was happier with the list of pros.  I'm pro bike, pro public transportation, pro eco, pro shoe leather, pro car share.  I'm also pro being better organized, focused and thoughtful about where I'm going and how.  And I'm pro $700 each month to do other, more interesting things with.  Yea, I'm definitely pro that.

So I've done it.  As of noon yesterday, I am no longer a car owner.  I am car-free.  I am free.

And I'm exhilarated by possibility.  I fully recognize that there's a fair amount of test driving and trial and error that are going to happen here.  I know that some days taking the bus or arranging a car are going to feel like a pain in the ass.  But having the ability to choose,and the flexibility that comes with not having that car payment?  That's pretty fantastic.  And it's one more step towards creating the life that I want for myself.  One big step, actually...in very comfortable shoes.

a little spring clean up

Fully 2 1/2 months of the year have passed us by already...how did THAT happen!?  More and more over the past 3 weeks, I've realized how completely disorganized my life has become.  While embarking on serious relationships with both my health and a new fella (old fella, well, it's a long story) - which are both going amazingly well and feeding my spirit - I have completely lost the rest of my way.  Sure, there's an issue of balance going on here but there's also the (wonderful) issue of being busier than ever with Segnavia Creative.  So, this is me not complaining...well, maybe just a bit.

If nothing else, the past few weeks have made me step back, look intently at how I'm spending my time and then hone in on how to be more productive and less frenetic.  Instead of taking things as they come (my natural and slightly procrastinating state of being), I need to find a way to get more proactive.  Gain some semblance of control.  You know, if that's possible.

And there's no denying that spring is the time to consider things such as organization, fresh starts, clean ups, clear outs and generally making life a bit tidier.  And since this is a blog that's about my work/life integration, you can bet my entire world is fair game.  Here's what I'm thinking about:

• Generally detoxing my home.  I wrote about this for Simple, Good, and Tasty (a website about local, sustainable, organic and fair trade food and the people who love it) back in January which you can read here:  kitchen, bath/laundry, rest of the house.  And I'm happy to say, I've taken a lot of these steps including reducing the number of non-homemade cleaners I use around here, adding plants to the house, using up old candles to make a complete switch to all-soy, getting organized (a bit more about that in a second), and re-enlisting many things around the house to serve new & improved purposes instead of just buying new.  There's constantly room for improvement, but I'm feeling good about just getting started.
• Putting better organizing systems in place, which inevitably has to start with some purging, recycling and an honest consideration of what my needs are.  I know there are a bunch of things that either aren't working or weren't well set up when I re-launched my business last year.  And you know, you just feel like, "Eh, I'm not that busy.  I'll figure out a "real" system once I have more to organize."  So many flaws in that logic, I can barely type it without blushing.  So I'm re-dedicating my dining room as my office (no really, this was an intentional decision last year as I realized that I honestly hated working in my office...and quite frankly, everyone gathers around the kitchen island to eat, anyway) and finding better systems for sorting out business operations,  typical home stuff and an awful lot of recipes.  My curse and my joy.
• Being more and more paper-free.  I sit on two boards and, let me tell you, we produce a lot of paper.  As the boards are becoming more dedicated to sending out digital versions of our minutes, agendas, and other materials, I'm just going to haul my laptop in and read through things on screen.  It's not brain surgery, but it does make life a bit less complicated when all of these theories align to keep the paper down.
• Treating my body to a regular cleanse and also a shift in my eating habits.  I started off the year with a month-long detox; I'll probably continue to do that detox once or twice a year because it's my old standby.  I know it works for me, and I know I can choose it without feeling deprived.  Next, I'm test-driving a 3-5 day juice cleanse from Organic Avenue in NYC.  Well, I wish I lived in NYC because you can just buzz over there and pick up your day's worth of juices, shakes and food to line up with whichever cleanse you've chosen.  But from spring thaw-y Minnesota, I'm going to follow the version publicized by Gwyneth Paltrow in her GOOP newsletter.  (Sure.  She's always going to have that air of "my life is infinitely better than yours" but I think that's mostly because her's probably IS better than mine.  And 99% of other humans as well!  But I can't hate her because she's talented, happily partnered and raising beautiful children, fit & healthy, drop-dead gorgeous and connected.  I (*gushes*) sort of love her even more for it.)  Anyway, she was kind enough to use her connections to get a download on the program, the recipes and after I read this NYT piece about another woman who gave it a go, I decided I'd try it too.   I'm only on Day 2 so I'll spare you any half-baked reviews at this point.  If you get real excited, you can follow Organic Avenue on Twitter here.
• Carving out time to write.  This is one of my true passions and is also an area that needs practice and refinement.  I get that - first and foremost - from just sitting down and writing.  This blog, my personal blog, whatever.  I also get it from writing for my clients (Simple, Good, and Tasty being my biggest blogging commitment at the moment).  But I'm also hungry for feedback, so I have a couple of classes in mind from The Loft in Minneapolis.

Most of all, I'm looking forward to spring.  It's - by far - my favorite season and the continuation of my January 1st fresh start is warmly welcomed.  I can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings.