Webajeb Word of the Year 2009

(click on the banner to visit Tip Junkie)

Usually I would reserve a topic like New Year's resolutions for my personal blog, but I've come across something along the lines of a resolution that I think also relates to my small business.

At Tip Junkie's blog, this week's "Talk To Me Tuesday" post is about something similar to New Year's resolutions but, I think, powerfully different.

The idea is to choose a single word that represents, or sums up, what you want for yourself for 2009. I participated in the exercise on a personal level, which you can read about here, but I decided to also choose a word to use as a reminder of what I want for my small business in 2009.

Of course, some of the first words to come to mind are Craft, Create, or Imagine, but no one of those words really covers all I hope for with regard to my designs, my services, or my products. Those words float around in my head all the time anyway. Finally, I realized that what I really long to do, and what I believe will be the most productive thing I could do this coming year for the growth of my business, is:

STRETCH

So that's my Word of the Year for Webajeb Digital Photo Albums & Portfolios.

I hope you'll pop over to the Tip Junkie and join in the Word of the Year exercise. Not only will it get you thinking, and get you motivated to figure out a distinct direction that you'd like your life to take, but there's a giveaway, too!! A gorgeous custom-designed pendant inscribed with your chosen word courtesy of Tabetha of Reminisce Heirlooms. It will be given away to randomly chosen participant, so get over there!

Sponsor/Vendor at Mary Farmar Crafting Fundraiser

I have been wanting to do this for a long time but am only just now able to pull it all together (I hope). I'm going to be a sponsor/vendor at a crafting fundraiser! This is just a small, local event, but it will let me get my feet wet and try out various ways of displaying my products and services. Here are some of the things I'll be using:

I'll be displaying some of my 12x12 digital scrapbook layouts in frames, a framed 8.5 x 11 layout, a photo cube with 6 layouts, a Dangle by Webajeb, a slideshow of my work in a Kodak Digital Picture Frame and, of course, various albums in various sizes from 6x6 to 12x12, and including all-digital and hybrid albums. There's some work to do to get ready, but it should be fun!

This is a baby-step in the world of vendors; I have not done this before, but welcome this opportunity to try out different ways of displaying my products and services, and to learn by doing. My hope is that by next summer I'll be ready to hit some of the bigger Home & Garden shows, Farmer's Markets, Arts & Crafts Faires, etc. I know that I need to move out of my comfort zone in order to grow my business.

I'll also be giving away gift certificates, which the fundraiser staff will give away as doorprizes and drawing prizes. The proceeds of the fundraiser are to benefit Mary Farmar Elementary School in Benicia, CA., so it's well worth the cost to me. Winners of the gift certificates would simply email me one to three digital photos and I'll create a custom digital scrapbook layout suitable for framing (any size they want up to 12x12) OR they could slip it straight into whatever album or scrapbook they have.

I'm excited! If you live in or around Benicia, and would like to attend the Mary Farmar Crafting Fundraiser (for scrapbookers, sewers, quilters, beaders, knitters, etc., etc.), simply email Barbara Kephart at bkephart@comcast.net. But don't delay; space is limited!