Welcome to the brand new Minding Your Own Business blog.
(Insert red bows, shiny chrome, and that fresh-out-of-the-package smell, here).
As a burgeoning entrepreneur I’m interested in the stories people tell about their businesses: What they do, how they do it, and why? I listen a lot these days. The more I listen, the more I realize – doing business is about building community.
People love to talk about their businesses, and I love to listen. This pairing strikes me as a recipe headed for goodness. Think: peanut butter and jam, basil and tomato, nuts and chocolate, fries and ketchup – you see where I’m going with this.
The idea:
Each week I write about a different business – an interview with the owner, a little research, a few keystrokes, and voila, we get to learn about interesting people and the cool stuff they do.
The rules:
Rules are made to be broken. But, you have to make them in order to break them. With this in mind, and all the flexibility of an Olympic gymnast, I propose:
- We limit Minding Your Own Business blog posts to businesses in, and around, the Victoria area.
- We define business in extraordinarily inclusive terms – non-profits, corporations, solopreneurs, partnerships, your four-year-old daughter’s lemonade stand, and so on.
- We aspire to be generous with each other in the spirit of building community.
The inspiration:
While we’re on the topic of community building, I want to give an arm-waving, shout out to Paul Holmes and all the folks who contributed to WordCamp Victoria 2011. Creativity and kindness percolated through the halls of University Canada West last Saturday as WordPress novices and veterans gathered to share information. Warning! The enthusiasm and generosity of the organizers, and the speakers, is contagious – direct contact may lead to blog inspirations like this one.
The process:
You + me = a team. I write stuff and you read it. The more I know about you, the better this works. So please, feel free to comment, suggest, feedback, rant (gently), rave, muse, ponder, or whatever expressive verb works best for you.
Looks great! Any thoughts on which business you will showcase first?
Hey Shannon, thanks for your comment. Sam Jones of 2% Jazz – a cool café I’ve been enjoying for months now (he has his own roastery too) is going to be first-up on the Minding Your Own Business blog. Looking forward to finding out more about Sam, his coffee, and who’s behind all that great music. Stay tuned!
Hi Lisa; I love your idea!! I’m not much of a wordsmith, but I love to talk about all the beautiful farms, food and Chefs that form the permaculture here on Vancouver Island!!!
Oh Ya I like to talk about my business too!
Thanks for the comment on my website. My wife and I built the site from “Squarespace”.
I’ll rebuild when I have more cash coming in the door, but I do love the minimal simplicity and how works.
Thank-you for the link. I’m fairly new to the Social media realm, but am enjoying how some of the applications just seamlessly flow.
Chat soon,
Dwane MacIsaac
PASSIONEAT FOODS
http://www.passioneatfoods.com/
Hi Dwane:
Great to hear from you. Sorry for the delayed response, I’m still figuring out how to drive this thing.
I’m happy you’re interested. I look forward to hearing about beautiful farms, food, Chefs, permaculture, oh, and your business. I’ll be in touch.
Chat soon,
Lisa
Colourful and interesting writing. Real stories that engage. Honest take on real human being business owners. Asking the questions that find the passion. Purvey it into advice for improvement, business positioning guidance, strategy to make the business sustainable, business coaching – moving from the status quo, or keep it as warm and fuzzy observations? You want good-tasting coffee from Sam Jones forever, don’t you?
Hi Soren: Thanks for your comment. Great questions. I like the way you think!
Wow…what a great idea Lisa. I’m so glad I came across your blog site. Feel free to check out my website and see what I’m up to as well!
Hi Sheldon,
Thanks! Your website looks great. Love the crisp design – the images are great too. Looks like you’re up to some pretty interesting stuff yourself. Nice work!