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The Good Life. |
I am a professional musician ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() But that's just my resume. My profile of qualifications is only one of the ways in which I am unique. Here I chronicle my personal and professional goals and my efforts to achieve them. Occasionally I fail. Mostly, I take daily baby steps toward all my long-term goals. Much like the stories I pen, the songs I compose, and the businesses I run, I am always a work in progress. |
I had a horrible eating weekend. Ice cream cake, pizza, amaretto sours, Japanese steakhouse, and multiple trips through the McDonald's drive through to name a few. ![]() Damn, this is why I never blog anymore. I started this hours ago ![]() Meals: 8:00am Fiber bagel with cream cheese (2) and coffee (1) 11:00am Snickers (1.5) 1:00pm Sammich (7) 1:30pm Chips (3) and Snickers (1.5) |
Keith, my other half, is 40 today. Tomorrow, we celebrate at Butter's Bar. Yes, Robert Waltz ![]() Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Business priorities for MTMS ![]() ![]() See below. ![]() Delegated to a customer who wanted to volunteer. She came up with the greatest idea: to record a holiday CD of teachers and advanced students performing to mail to all our clients. Then she came up with the second greatest idea, which was to have my photographer take photos of each student with his or her instrument at the recital, and send the photo to the parent along with a holiday/seasonal card. This woman is a genius. ![]() Not yesterday, but I have been working on this. Chris, our office manager, started working on her own elaborately linked and conditionally-formatted Excel spreadsheet, because she was tired of waiting on me. That's actually fantastic, because I didn't want to do it anyway it's easier to design a database that's been created in Excel and used for awhile. ![]() We're working on this. Quickbooks is stupid. Its accrual-based reporting assumes that your revenue is earned when the invoice is created. Granted, in most businesses, you pay for the service after you receive it. But I can't possibly be the only tuition-based advance-payment service out there. ![]() We just scheduled our classes for December (6) and January (13). I hope we aren't being overly optimistic. I was thinking holding off on advertising for the month of December (?!?!) beyond our annually-paid campaigns. First, everyone advertises in December, so won't we be lost in the shuffle? Second, we can barely keep up with our growth. Third, I'm interested to see if I'm wasting my money, because a vast majority (probably 90-95%) of our customers drove by and saw the sign or found us online (or both, typically in that order.) As an aside, I find it hysterical that http://www.michelletuesday.com/musicschool has no pagerank to speak of and that its Alexa rank has plummeted from 400k to 740k in the last month or two, and yet I'm getting exponentially more traffic and sales conversions. ![]() In progress. I moved the drums to a different room and tried hanging the soundproofing blankets so they reach the floor. It's not done, but I think it may work. Temporary goal: Plan Keith's 40th birthday party. ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() One load of laundry per day. ![]() ![]() Achieve a weight of 150 by 12/31/2010 Weight: Meals: 5:00am Ask me in a few hours. I'm thinking of going back to bed now. 9:00am 1/3 cup eggnog (2) 10:30am Coffee (1) 11:00am Baby Snickers (2) 1:30pm Sammich (7) and baby Snickers (2) TOTAL POINTS: 14 (Goal: 25) |
Several of our teachers are involved in shows that were scheduled before we hired them. You know, operas, concerts, the kinds of things that music teachers might be involved in (praise bands?? community theatres?? local sandwich shops?? I get it.) The good news: We're saving a shitload on payroll. See you tomorrow, and probably a little this weekend. And then maybe not at all next week. Oh, and I ate chips and candy yesterday. ![]() Meals: 8:00 Half fiber bagel with cream cheese (2) and coffee (1.5) 11:30 Two Reese's cups (3) and coffee (1) |
Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Business priorities for MTMS ![]() ![]() I have volunteers on standby willing to help. I need the time to compile project ideas and train people. *checks over blog list* Nothing really jumps out. ![]() ![]() In progress. I have some ideas. ![]() In progress. I'm working with Quickbooks to figure out how to get an actual accrual-based report for October. Our business is a bit different than most in that we bill for a service prior to rendering the service, so getting an accurate accrual takes some tweaking. ![]() OMG, it just keeps happening on its own. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Temporary goal: Plan Keith's 40th birthday party. ![]() ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() One load of laundry per day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 150 by 12/31/2010 Weight: (I'm afraid to check, but I'm definitely fatter.) Meals: 8:00 One egg (2) with toast and butter (2) and coffee (1) 11:00 Coffee (1) and caramel corn (4) TOTAL POINTS: 10 (Goal: 25) |
Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Business priorities for MTMS ![]() ![]() Done, and the cash flow is looking decent. ![]() I worked on this in Access all afternoon Saturday. I was stuck on the recurring transactions (i.e., lessons recur every week), but I found some templates and instructions that rock the house. I think it might work. ![]() I did look at the break-even. I tweaked some of my more simplified assumptions to better reflect reality, and since I always erred on the conservative side in my initial business plannin, the results were pleasing. I still have some validation work to do, but on initial evaluation, it looks like I'm about 2/3 of the way to break even. At week #6. (That's WEEK, not MONTH. Remember, too, that this is a brick-and-mortar business. No, I'm not bragging. ![]() ![]() Based an idea Chris (office manager) had when we made a scheduling error at our Grand Opening, we now have a Plan B for non-filled Samplers. It's genius, really. Although it doesn't make as much money as a full class or private lessons, it still makes a profit, keeps our teachers scheduled, and makes the client happy, too. Since our Samplers covert more than 90% of students into long-term private lessons, we like to bring them in when they're scheduled and not be cancelling classes on people. So I feel better about offering Samplers when I'm not sure if I can fill them. Which is good, because when they're on the schedule, they seem to fill the majority of the time anyway. ![]() (1) Moved the drums to another room. They're still loud. (2) Is it Thanksgiving yet? We may need to address this sooner. It's not a problem when the school isn't full. But, holy cow, we are getting full! We need to weather-strip the doors. ![]() * Update planner * Customer appreciation event or activity Temporary goal: Plan Keith's 40th birthday party. ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() One load of laundry per day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 150 by 12/31/2010 Weight: ? SUNDAY MEALS: Waffles: 7 Coffee: 1 Cookies at church: 10? McDouble: 9 Bowl of homemade white chili: 7? Ice cream: 6 TOTAL POINTS: 40? (Goal: 25) This guessing stuff is not good. Nor were the stupid cookies. MONDAY MEALS: Waffles: 7 Coffee: 2 Chili: 7 TOTAL POINTS: 16 |
Clean up my port. *thumbdown* No activity, and now that I'm not sick and stuck at home with a sicky brain of mush, I wonder how important this is. Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Business priorities ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() LOW PRIORITY: * Update planner: Pending mileage and day scheduling * Scheduling and retention databases: Pending Step (1) Research MySQL at GoDaddy. * Customer appreciation planning: Handwritten Happy Holidays cards. Maybe even religious, if I know the client's religion. Temporary goal: Plan Keith's 40th birthday party. ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() One load of laundry per day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 150 by 12/31/2010 Weight: Meals: 8:00am Coffee (0.5) TOTAL POINTS: 0.5 (Goal: 25) Judging by the my failure to meet my points goal the last few days, maybe I should set my goal to "Consistently meet daily goal of 25 points per day by 11/13" - baby steps! |
I'm ![]() NEW GOAL: Clean up my port. *thumbdown* No activity. Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Business priorities ![]() 1. Take a nap and drink lots of tea 2. Reconcile all accounts (every weekend) 3. Close October books and update projections* and break-even * We compared our November income to our projection and discovered that we were well above - in fact, our actual November income looks more like our projected January income. This wasn't really a surprise since we are so ahead of plan on enrollments, UNTIL WE REALIZED THAT WE HAD ALREADY UPDATED THE PROJECTIONS. We updated them after our Grand Opening a month ago. So, one month later, and we're two months ahead of our REVISED projections. If you're not a business person, I'm sorry if I lost you. If you ARE a business person, please find yourself a bib, because you're drooling all over your shirt. ...although, we did have a humility check yesterday. We had a very abrupt withdrawal from a family we liked a lot. They had paid through yesterday's lessons, but had not paid for November. They emailed to say they wouldn't be coming back. They didn't even come for their last lessons that they'd paid for. We were very sad, hurt, and confused. The children were delightful and the parents really nice. They were obviously unhappy about something, but we have no idea what it was. ![]() 4. Fill Samplers: (1) Advertised at Google and (2) strongly suggested to several walk-ins and callers, emphasizing deadlines 5. Drums and soundproofing: (1) Need to move drums to an isolated room, (2) Soundproofing work over Thanksgiving LOW PRIORITY: 1. Update planner: Pending mileage and day scheduling 2. Scheduling and retention databases: Pending Step (1) Research MySQL at GoDaddy. 3. Customer appreciation planning: Handwritten Happy Holidays cards. Maybe even religious, if I know the client's religion. Temporary goal: Plan Keith's 40th birthday party. ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() One load of laundry per day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 150 by 12/31/2010 Weight: I'm just too damn lazy to get up off the couch and go stand on the scale. And, before you ask, being too damn lazy to get up off the couch has NOTHING to do with this goal. Meals: No coffee today. Plain tea. 7:30 Bagel with cheese (3.5) 8:00 Abby's leftover oatmeal (3) ...thank goodness I insisted on getting the fiber kind 10:00 Cauliflower with cheesy sauce (3) 11:30 Soup (2) and pretzel pieces (6) 12:30 Nerds! (1) 5:00 Caramel corn (4) 6:30 Spaghetti (6) with veggies (2) and buttered toast (2) TOTAL POINTS SO FAR TODAY: 32.5 (Goal: 25) |
I had two separate reminders recently that the key to success is establishment of, monitoring of, and gradual progress toward long-term goals. I already knew this (have you read my blog header? ![]() Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Business priorities I'm not even sure what these are. So today's goal is to compile and prioritize a list by the time I blog tomorrow. Here is a brainstormed list to get me started, but it will definitely change: 1. Update mileage record in my planner. 2. Find a better way to track mileage than in my planner. ![]() 3. Something to do with scheduling and retention tracking databases. 4. Update the business plan with new projections based on skyrocketing sales volume. 5. Schedule my days to maximize productivity. I'm a bit scattered. 6. Plan customer appreciation activity for the holidays. 7. Fill Samplers (this may take strategic advertising.) 8. Close the books for October and assess the damage. In particular, revisit break-even analysis. 9. Address drums and soundproofing issues. 10. Plan Keith's 40th birthday party. Oh, wait. That goes somewhere else. Temporary goal: Plan Keith's 40th birthday party. ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() One load of laundry per day. ![]() ![]() Achieve a weight of 150 by 12/31/2010 Weight: Meals: 7:00 Coffee (1) and 90-cal granola bar (2) 9:00 Coffee (1) 11:00 Half fiber bagel with cheese (3.5) 1:00 Jelly bellies (3) 2:00 Two cups of "light" caramel corn (7.5) - I can't imagine what the regular looks like 2:30 More jellybeans - "Honey Lovers" variety (2) - what??? I just don't get any dinner. 5:00 ZonePerfect bar (4) 9:00 Peanuts (2) and caramel corn (2) TOTAL POINTS SO FAR TODAY: 28 (Goal: 25) |
Look at me, blogging two days in a row! If you're keeping up, I reported yesterday that Michelle Tuesday Music School ![]() ![]() It's crossed my mind not to give away all my secrets when I blog, since I imagine Google might lead research-savvy competitors to the MTMS link above ![]() ![]() By the way, that's only half of my secret. The other half is our office manager Chris, who brings eight years of experience scheduling and billing clients in this exact same business. She knows her shit, and the former employer who let her go should be kicking herself. But honestly, I don't think she gave Chris the creative license I give her, which serves to both make her happier and help my business grow. So the former employer was missing out even while Chris was on her payroll. Trust your employees and utilize their skill sets to their fullest potentials, people. That's how you create a successful business. Points: 8:00am Coffee (1) 8:30am Fiber granola bar (2), so far, so good... 10:00am Peanuts (1) 11:15am Peanuts (1) 1:00 pm Roast beef sandwich (7) 4:00pm Peanuts (1) 6:00pm Chips with salsa (3) and cheese dip (1), beef crispy taco (5), beef enchilada (6), and Mexican rice (5) 10:00pm Jelly bellies, but only like maybe ten (1) (I FOLDED, OMG) TOTAL POINTS: 35 I'm targeting a goal of 25 per day. Thursday will be a better day. |
It seems blogging has turned into a weekly activity. But because my weight has ballooned, it shall be daily once again. And I'm embarrassed to say that I already started my morning off with a "Block O" ![]() ![]() HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE, PEOPLE. I picked a doozy of a time to start a business. First of all, it's clearly the apocolype. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() On the other hand, I ![]() ![]() Which is good, because it needs to keep up with my hips and belly. ![]() MEALS: 6:00 am "Block O" sugar cookie (5) and coffee (1) 8:00 am Half bagel with cheese (3.5) 11:00 am Jelly bellies (3) and two mini snickers (3) 1:45 pm Roast beef sammich (7) 2:30 pm Jelly bellies (1) All evening: Jelly bellies (2) and another two mini snickers (3) Late after work: Broccoli (3) and a bunch of Snyder's pretzel things (4?) TOTAL POINTS: 36-ish Shame on me. |
"Uncle!" In all seriousness, a new small business owner who cannot keep up with her blog can only mean one of two things: 1. Business is so bad that she is working the streets to find the money to pay the bills. 2. Business is so good and ahead of plan that she can barely keep up with the workload. Yep. It means one of those two things. |
*waves at blog* I remember you! Here's the problem: Michelle Tuesday Music School ![]() We also moved all the furniture from my house to the school, and in the process, moved a bunch of furniture from my house to Keith's house, essentially vacating my house. We have been rearranging and moving bedrooms around at Keith's, which is more time-consuming than it sounds. (Yes, I realize it sounds time-consuming. It's more.) Speaking of my house, I dropped my price again this past week, and did not get a single nibble. Meanwhile, "October Novel Prep Challenge" ![]() |
Michelle Tuesday Music School ![]() ![]() ![]() Thanks to Merry Mumsy ![]() ![]() ![]() |
No entry since Monday? SLACKER!!!! Well, except for all the hard work. Today, I mourn the loss of my old job. I am devastated to be missing all the audits, corrective actions, and extra hours I could be experiencing: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm226885.htm?sms_ss=facebook I knew I would regret my career choice. Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() LOWER PRIORITIES OR COMPLETED: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Food/Exercise/Weight Watcher Points/Whatever: 161.6 today, and hovering around 161-162 for a couple weeks. I'm trying to pay attention, and although I've had some slip-ups, I'm not pigging out like I was. Therefore, holding steady and no longer gaining. I'll concentrate on *losing* in October ("October Novel Prep Challenge" ![]() Peace out. |
OMG, I have been ill with anxiety over my Grand Opening, and a bit snippy with the people who love me and are volunteering to help me be successful. But my Grand Opening is going to freaking rock. I love the lineup of activities I have going. Meanwhile, I took a blow to my ego this afternoon. ![]() Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() LOWER PRIORITIES OR COMPLETED: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() That's about all I can keep up with at the moment. Back to your regularly scheduled goals next week. |
I'm still debating about renewing my Premium so I can manage "October NaNo Prep: 2009 Entry Log" ![]() But I'm in better shape to do it than I thought I would be. First, the donations have been pouring in, so I won't have to contribute any pocket pennies toward prizes and contest sponsorship this year. Second, I might actually have some pocket pennies to rub together anyway. My new business is already ahead of plan, and I haven't even held my Grand Opening yet, where I expect to enroll more students and get even more ahead. The sooner I hit my break even and start making money instead of spending it, the sooner I'll have more pocket pennies to spend on fun stuff like Writing.com. Even better, I'll be able to hire more office help and teachers, which will free me up for gigs, where I can make big bucks and simultaneously promote the biz even more. W00t! Small business is fun when you dream big. (I haven't had a reality check yet - but it helps when lots of people want to volunteer just because they want to see you succeed, OMG.) On to the goals: Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: *shrug* No idea. Meals: Coffee (2) and fiber English muffin with turkey and cheese (3) TOTAL POINTS SO FAR TODAY: 5 (Goal: 25) Wednesday post-breakfast: Roast beef sammich (7) and Chipotle steak tacos with chips & guac Thursday post-breakfast: Roast beef sammich (7), crackers & cheese (4), three Canes chicken strips with fries (maybe 1/2 cup), cole slaw (like 2 oz), and a piece of their deadly Texas toast. |
October NaNo Prep Challenge is looming. How did I manage to schedule that so close to my Grand Opening? Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() GahannaLincolnSports.Com ![]() My ad should be one of the big ones down the right-hand side like Midwest College Planning, James Hutta DDS, and Papa Johns. By the time they publish it, not only will my Grand Opening be over, but so will the sports seasons. All of them. ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: *shrug* No idea. Meals: Coffee (1) and fiber English muffin with turkey and cheese (3) TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 4 (Goal: 25) Off to the dentist, y'all. ![]() |
And Alexa keeps falling. ![]() On the bright side, the cleaners are tackling the studio as we speak, and final inspections and carpet cleaning are scheduled tomorrow. On the dark side, my contractor still hasn't fixed my wall with the sloppy drywall joint. Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: 162, which is surprising after all the manual labor. ![]() Meals: Last night was Mexican and margaritas, which is not good. On the other hand, the after-effects are helping my control my food consumption today. 10:30 Coffee (1) and English muffin with cheese and turkey (3) 1:45 Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) 6:30 Chipotle steak tacos with cheese and chips/guacamole (?) TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 11+? (Goal: 25) |
D'oh. So much for my Alexa experiment. Yesterday, I forgot to make my link an actual LINK. I did have the one at the top of the to-do list, though. ![]() Post at MichelleTuesday.com ![]() ![]() Advertising PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Business start-up activities. PRIORITIES: ![]() ![]() Launch one new performance repertoire song per week. ![]() Perform one household chore per day. ![]() ![]() Read a book in print 15 minutes every day. ![]() Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 9/1/10. Weight: 162-ish. Meals: Coffee (1) TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 1 (Goal: 25) - 21 points yesterday! |