November 1st, 2009

I am so very close to having the website up and running. I am just pulling together content for the website. Cards are done and look great. Sonja made a Facebook thumbnail, so I'll be able to set up a Facebook account and create a 'fan' base. We'll see how that goes.

Plugging away.

Everything happens for a reason

Well, my contact pulled out of the project the other day. She was very apologetic about "wasting my time", but all in all her, albeit limited, involvement really stoked my fire and made me confident that my ideas are viable.

Business cards are being printed and my web site it on the build.

Things are plugging along.

Wrap it up. I'll take it.

Great news... for the most part. I have received word that a woman I had been wanting to work with has agreed to consult with me for my tour. Wahoo!!! The only bummer is that I will have to keep her involvement "under wraps" which puts a damper on the plan I had to access her readership for word-of-mouth advertising and tour sales. I had also wanted to access one of the publications she works for to get some exposure.

Oh well. I'll do it on my own with her on-the-ground help in Paris.

Man! The more I think about it, this secrecy thing really stinks. I was hoping to use her involvement as "leverage" for getting advertising money and as a sales point for potemtial clients.

This is just more fuel for me to do this on my own. I am happy to have her help, but I don't need "outside" support to make my dream come true. This has always been my tangle with getting this tour off the ground in the first place.

Time to shift it into high gear and boost myself up as perfectly capable of pulling this off.

Yay me. ;-)

Baby steps. Must keep going.

It's hard to get a lot done when your 9-month old is learning to crawl and doesn't sleep a lot. It's 8:41 right now and I've been ready to go to bed for a half an hour.

That being said, I'm getting a lot done. My budget is coming together. My neighbor very generously has designed the look of my soon-to-be launched web site for free and she's going to do my business cards. How wonderful is that? (It looks great too! I'm thrilled)

Let's see, what else have I gotten done?

_________

I actually just leaned my head back to think about how to answer that question and fell asleep.

This is going to be hard. I will be an excited and excitable stress ball until I get home from the tour in March.

See, not only do I have to worry about getting everything up and running for the sale of the tour (and then of course the actual tour), I need to worry about how in the hell I am going to do it with my baby girl in tow. I already have my dear friend coming as my nanny and assistant, but I'm just really worried about the time I will be away from her when we are there. We spend so much time together now that I'm afraid it'll be scary for her. I know it will be for me. I trust my friend absolutely, but I will miss my girl so much when we are there. I just wish she could be with me the whole time and experience everything we will be doing. I'm not sure my guests will be down for that, huh?

Oh well, she'll become accustomed to all of this over the years. IT could be worse; spending time in Paris with your mom and dear family friend a few weeks out of the year, every year when you're growing up.

Oy! It's 8:50pm. Off to bed.

Keepin' it coming

OK! Got more done.

thefood-mindedtraveler.com is on it's way. Purchased the domain name today, set up the e-mail that comes with it.

My neighbor Sonja created a great looking design for me. A couple tweaks and it'll be great!

NOTE to self!!! Be sure to contact DailyCandy when I'm ready to go!!

That's all for now.

It's just me - Here We Go!!!

No fancy logos, no speedy web sites... not yet at least. I need to focus on getting this tour up and running then spend the money and time to get all the other stuff. I need to remember that I'm not building my empire just yet.

SO!! Make that budget, create those brochures (use the Sencere photo for now) and sell sell sell!!!

I need to have all of that done by October 1st!!!

October first, two weeks and two days from now, The Food-Minded Traveler is open for business.

Holy Crap!!

So I followed the advice of the guy at Kinkos and fished on Craigslist for logo designers...

OVER 100 RESPONSES!!! I am overwhelmed.

I have found a woman in Finland, of all places, who does some nice stuff, with the brother of a friend and former coworker, and a guy will do work in trade for bacon.

This is very encouraging. There are people out there that want to do business with me. Yeah, they're in the receiving end of money that I don't have yet, but they liked what ideas I had.


Nice.

__________

On another note, It's been days since I e-mailed the gal in Paris that I want to work with. I'm getting nervous that she has changed her mind. Bummer.

C'mon baby! C'mahhhn!

Getting 'er done!!

E-mailed Hélène re: des recettes
Posted Craigslist call for logo designers and responded to one person already.
E-mailed Wordpress about buying F-MT URL

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Weird. It doesn't look like that much when I list it like this. But I'll tell ya, it took a lot to get all that done!



I'm proud of myself.

Speaking of failing

If I am unable to secure Meg, I need to remember all of the other great places I found the have so many resources and lists of places to go, things to eat, etc. I can also contact them for suggestions and/or solicit their services. Who knows, maybe DL will be willing to help me. As I've learned in the past... it never hurts to ask.

I e-mailed Wordpress today asking about buying the F-MT URL.

Next, brochures... Get them designed and ready to print. BEFORE PRINTING finalize budget!!!

Failing Forward

Failures are not final.

Perspective. It's how you look at failure that will determine the outcome. If you look at failure as a bad thing going into whatever you are going to risk, you won't take the risk. If you look at failure as a learning experience, or as something that is natural and a part of life, than you you will take that risk, risking not only failure, but success.

It's going to be OK.

Working, working, working

Things are coming together, namely my attitude about this tour. I am not letting myself get overwhelmed with how grand my tour company will be, I'm just focusing on getting my rear end and a few paying guests to Paris the week of March 22 - 26, 2010. I'm not even worried if it doesn't work our with Meg. I would rather work with her and I think my tour would be greatly enriched by her input, but I know my way well enough, I know what's what wnough to make it fun, educational and most importantly memorable and worth the money that people will be spending.

So there.

BUMMER!!!

They are selling the apartment I want!!! DARN!!!! Oh well, at least I know there are killer spaces to rent for not a lot of money. I have started a conversation with the gal in the rental office and will begin searching for the perfect apartment for my tour come November. That gives me 2 months to gather myself, money and clients. I'll just budget for a 3000 Euro place and have wiggle room when I find a cheaper place.

Until then, off to Babies R Us to buy a new car seat and baby gates... someone is on the MOVE!!!

Jumping the Gun / Next steps

It appears that I am too early to book my apartment. I guess they start book spaces a few months out... but not quite yet. So, this will give me time to tinker with a budget and pull together a sponsorship proposal. Now that I have an idea that whatever apartment I book I can keep it to around 2500-3000 Euros per week and still get what I'm looking for.

Next step for budgeting:
- Get an idea of what the dégustations will cost: wine, cheese, chocolate.
- What it will cost, if anything, to speak to the boulanger when we go chez lui.
- Research equipment rental companies and get pricing.
- Pricing for PR firm

Essentially I have 6 months. I need to create a time line.

OK, off to work.

I found the dream apartment!!

I LOVE the apartment I just found for my tour. I just sent a request for information hoping that they will allow children and that they can arrange the rental of a crib for the babes. The kitchen ROCKS!!!! The location ROCKS!!!!!!! The price is AWESOME!!!!!!!!! (even with the exchange rate!!!!)

I am so jazzed! I was going to wait to move forward with anything until I heard from my Paris contact, but I realized today that I don't need someone there to be my contact. It would be awesome, but it's not necessary. Anyway, if it doesn't work out with her, there are plenty of people living in Paris looking to get paid for exactly what I'm looking for in an on-the-ground person. I just really want this gal. I like her style, I like her writing, I thing she's got a good heart and will lead us in the direction that I'm hoping to take this tour.

I'm building an empire here, people. One baby-nap at a time. Come hell or high water, I'm doing this tour Marsh 22-26, 2010. It's about God damned time!!!!!!

YAY YAY YAY YAY!!!!!

Baby steps feel like giant strides: and Cockamay Inc.

After making my list yesterday, I confirmed that I now have a nanny/assistant for the tour, e-mailed my Paris contact to confirm that the dates I have selected work for her and started an FMT "Official" web page. I put that entre guillemet because I will be creating an actual web site, for which I already own the domain, in the near future. I hope to be able to afford some (very) basic help from a PR firm with logo creation and web design. Until then, I will be compiling information and content, and posting tour information on that blog. This is that site's sole purpose.

The site is: thefoodmindedtraveler.wordpress.com

I decided to go to wordpress because they have web hosting and you can get it in the cheap. It also seems like it may be easier and more stylish than what I am currently getting with GoDaddy. At least if I have to resort to creating my own site and managing everything on it, I will have something that's good looking, albeit not my ideal site. That will come after this first tour is under my belt and I have something to go to bank with.

How about this for a company name; Cockamamy Inc. This will be the parent company of all my little businesses that I will eventually have running... my tours, my book, my TV production company for my TV show, my jewelry, truffles, you name it. I look at the company name as a thumb to the nose to all of the people that ever made me second guess myself and my myriad of business ideas over the years (including me).

OK, time to pick up the house a bit. My mom is on her way to pick up the baby so I can go off to my day job and serve the people. I feel like quoting Bill Cosby right now;

"Grab a Coke and a smile and SHUT UP!"

Feeling good. Feeling proud

The Order of Things and Ripping off a Band-Aid one arm hair at a time

The order of things:

Set a tour date: ~ March 22 - 26, 2010

Confirm with Meg that this will work for her ~ e-mail sent 8/28/09

Nail down budget ~ Aiming for $2500 USD

Write a sponsorship proposal ~ going to: PP, Portalis,

Get Money!

Check out Savor's PR firm ~ do they create logos/advertising materials?

Create web presence and start advertising!!!

Set up Pay Pal account

Lock in Jenn or other child care assistant

Buy plane tickets

Define duties for Meg ~ note: have Metro guides mailed to her house in Paris (order from amazon.fr or Gilbertjaune.fr)

Select Paris apartment and book it!!

Set tour schedule

Book book book people!!!!

GO!!!

_________________________________

Follow Through: to see a project through to completion.

Remember: It's not what people say but what they do that counts.

Looking out for me

Someone is. "They've" gotta be.

I went on a walk today with the baby and found myself out at The Ballard Locks. It's a small park with big old trees, the locks (of course) and a small road that makes just one loop around the grounds. I decided to follow my nose around that loop just one time and then move on. Just as I was finishing my turn, I passed a smiley blond woman, with two teacup versions of some kind of dog, as she bopped up the hill. We smiled and she asked jokingly,
"How many times are you going around?".
I said, "I don't know. How many are you?"
"Eight!" she proclaimed.
To that I said, "Sounds good. Let's do it." And on we went on our opposing laps.

As we approached each other at the half way point, she asked if she could join me. And so she did. She was sweet and chatty. She told me about her business (home appraising) and the long path she took to find herself where she is today; moved from California to get sober, met her husband in AA, waited tables, managed restaurants. Now, on top of her business, she sponsors people in her AA group and teaches spinning classes at her, and other gyms.

Long story short, except for asking her questions, I really kept my mouth shut and let her talk. She was hitting on every sore spot I have right now; insecurity, sloth, fear of failure, and worse, fear of success. She was like an angel. A perky, recovering addict, dog-walking, inspirational angel. I kept asking myself things like, "Where did she come from?" and, "Those who don't know, speak. Those who know, don't."

She hugged me when we parted ways. We swapped phone numbers and are meeting for another eight laps next Tuesday. I'm to report a business-related accomplishment when we meet. Nothing in particular. Just something.

I like that.

To top it off, I got a great workout out of it. Feel the burn!!

______________

I had a new idea for the tour today. Scavenger hunt in Paris at the end of which I will have prepared a great meal and will serve bubbles.

Workin' it out. Workin' it out.

______________

A word of advice to parents: no matter how much your baby wants to be held while you are making them a bottle, PUT THE CHILD DOWN if you have to open a new can of formula. Those lids are razor sharp and it's impossible to peel back the lid with only one hand.

If you'll excuse me now. I need to go change the dressing.

Missing a place / One happy mama

Sometimes I'm confused as to why I miss a place so much. It's a place just like any other, in some ways. People live there. They wake up, like I do, every day. They do their shopping. Laundry. Go to work and cook their dinner, just like I do. But there is something about Paris that draws me in, like millions of other people.

A select few are very lucky to have figured out how to be there on a permanent basis and do for a living what I only dream of doing; live, eat, and learn about the mythical Paris only to write about those experiences... and get paid for it!

Someday.



I had, as Oprah would call it, an "Ah Hah" moment this week. If hurt feelings or any kind of familial unease are a byproduct of my parenting decisions, then so be it. I must follow my gut where my daughter is concerned. I absolutely must remember that I am the mommy... "Oh my God! I'm the mommy!!" (to quote Mad About You)

Fâmega anyone?


On a side note; I had been planning on going to see the movie Julie & Julia during its opening weekend for about a month now. I expected to go on my own, just to see a flick that I was excited about. But it turned out to be 'Friday night with the girls on opening night of a flick I was excited about'. Tickets were pre-purchased and plans were made, but plans fell through. Mom was sick and she couldn't watch the baby. Oh well.

I'll tell you though, I would rather have no other company than that of my beautiful daughter on any night of the week. She is absolutely the most beautiful creature on the face of this earth. There is no better way to spend a Friday night than with her. The movie will be there for years to come. These precious moments of my baby's life will never happen again. I will be pleased, thankful, honored and proud to say that I was with her for them.

Great news!!

I e-mailed Meg Zimbeck a couple of days ago and we are already communicating about my tours and her involvement in them!!!!

Very encouraging.

Pulling it together

I've sent an e-mail to Meg Zimbeck, one of the food and travel writers that I have been following. I saw on her web site that she guides tours! How cool is that?! I am hoping that I can start up a relationship either with her or someone that she may suggest to be my 'on the ground' person in Paris with whom I can work to create great culinary tours.

Here's hoping.

I was also thinking that because she works for Budget Travel that I can approach them for sponsorship. Why not, right? All they can say is no, and if they do I will ask them what they are looking for so that I can make my site and services more appealing to advertisers.

Before I forget, I need to remember to contact Greg Hancock about advertising, both hints as to what I should do to attract advertisers and how much it would be to advertise in Parade and/or get FMT in the mind(s) of their editors in hopes to get some free PR.

Also, Angela Shin's PR firm. Speak to them about promoting FMT.

Aden Ryan about web development.

Shawguides.com as a 'how not to look' page. Sorry Shaw Guides...

This is becoming a brain dump and needs to go in my work files.

The thing I am beginning to realize is that I have no follow through. This, I think, is my only major hurdle that I need to overcome. I have everything else in place, except money, but that'll come. I have a great idea and tons of experience to support it. There is no reason that I can't do my first tour in the fall of 2010, or even in April of 2010.

Absolutely no reason.

Generating information

Myspace account: Check!
Facebook account: Check!
Twitter Account: Check!
Blogspot account: Check!

Nothing to say...

Do people really want to hear every thought and news of trivial actions and happenings in my life? Now I admit that my life is comical, but I truly doubt that anyone would really care about the inner monologue playing in my mind while I'm dusting, " Three fans are great to beat the summer heat, but it really kicks up the dust. Black furniture sure shows dust. Was my house always this dirty? The baby is too small... this can't be her fault. Can dust turn to mud if I use a rag with water rather than a paper towel with cleaner? Yep. Gross."

Yeah. Not entertaining.

Notes for the future

I have had the pleasure and the privilege of working with many fine chefs in my life. I have also had a lot of fun reading food magazines and articles, and watching cooking shows for many many years (starting with the now ill-looked-upon Jeff Smith, AKA The Frugal Gourmet). As a result of this exposure, I have a little bit of a good idea of how to cook. I might say I'm a good cook, but there are certainly many who have taken a much greater interest in it that I have in a casual setting.

That being said, I still feel that I would be a great cooking show host. I am so pleased with myself from time to time, and I somehow impress people that I cook for enough to make me think that I may have something here. How great would it be to see a "TV cooking personality" say, "No shit!! That worked?! Write it down or I'll forget!!!" I guess I would say that I'm a cross between Nigela Lawson, Martha, and well, ME!

More Fâmega anyone? ;-)

Today

This is a good day. It's a hot summer day in Seattle. The breeze is blowing. The markets are brimming over with summer berries and tomatoes, and I just signed my child support agreement. Lorelei and I are celebrating with tartines de jambon et brie, salade de tomates et basilique, and lemon-marinated olives. Ok, ok, Lorelei had bananas with pears and mangoes with a side of champagne grapes, but that seems pretty celebratory to me, huh?!

I am also having a great little effervescent wine, Fâmega, 'White Vinho Verde' (as opposed to a verde vino verde, ???) from Portugal. Yum!! It is perfect for a day like today. Run, don't walk to The Ballard Market, or wherever you think you can find it. It is PERFECT for a hot day like today.

I will be truly relieved when (and if) I receive the first child support check, but until then, I see this as a great step forward for my baby and me.

Anyhoo, I've had one too many glasses of Fâmega and I'm having a hard time concentrating. Off to grab a glass of water or three and make some dinner for my beautiful baby girl. My special, special gift from God.

DUH!! JEEZ!!! DUH!!

Here I am looking into my would-be (will-be) competition. Scouring food and travel magazines, the internet, news papers, BLOGS for food-tours and destination cooking classes just WISHING that there was one easy source on the web for me to refer to whenever I have a question. WHY I didn't think of compiling these things on a web site when I was planning on writing a book on the idea is beyond me. Now, the book would be a compilation of reviews of tours and classes that I and my crack team had experienced ourselves, but CHRIST!!! Why can't I pull them all together just for information's sake and review them all later?! I'll sell advertising space to big corporate travel companies, luggage companies, you name it. Hell! Got the world's next best whisk? I and my crack team will give your free sample a test and review it's amazingness right here on our "Things we love" page.

OK, I have some calls to make.

Business plan. Business plan.

That Winning Gimmick

I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for. Something outside of me. I have my own ideas. Good ideas. But for some reason, I have this deep sense of needing to find inspiration outside of myself. Why can't I trust in what I already possess? Why do I undercut myself? I know I have a fear of failing, but I'm not afraid of the risk. I guess more specifically I am afraid of making an ass of myself, but even Bambi slipped on the ice at first. You just have to try, then you'll skate like Thumper.

I take such joy in poring over these Paris blog sites I came across this week. I feel like I am peeking around every corner while on a walk in the Marais. I see so many parallels between the writing styles and interests of the bloggers and my own. I talk about being encouraged by these things, and yet I still feel like I need inspiration from somewhere else. It's like I'm looking for a winning gimmick. That one-liner that'll make 'em roll in the isles time and time again.

I guess a good analogy for how I'm feeling is when the DVD signal gets stuck and you see the characters in your favorite movie quivering in a pose just waiting for the disk to keep playing and get over itself. (The 21st century version of the record skipping I suppose)

Maybe it's guidance and support I need more than inspiration. I'm inspired enough for three people, I just need help turning my ideas into realities.

Encouragement

So I am really loving Meg Zimbeck's style. She is a freelance travel and food writer based in Paris whose style and plays on words are very encouraging to me. She's quippy, fun, and holds her tongue squarely in her cheek while giving great advice in her column Affordable Paris on Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel online. Her website megzimbeck.com is a wanna-be Parisian's dream with daily pictures of and notes from the city of lights.

I guess I just need to keep writing, follow my heart, and know that I too can make something out of this.

Onward!

The Motherload, and DAMN!!

I receive e-mail updates from Budget Travel. Today I received an e-mail that had a list of 10 Top Paris Food Blogs. I, being the sucker for anything Paris, clicked on it immediately and began to hear the angels sing. I am getting so fired up about getting back in to researching for my own tours that these listings and their contents will be the source of so much great information, I am thrilled.

I was encouraged and worried when I saw that David Lebowitz is doing a tour that is set up very similarly to the format that I was planning; an all included, week-long tour of Paris incorporating other already-established food professionals, tours and classes. It was encouraging because someone is doing it, and his tour is sold out. Discouraging and worrisome because I had not seen any tours like mine, until today. There were just NO week-long tours in Paris to be found, at least not easily. Maybe that in itself should be encouraging. If it's not easy to find then that means that there is a market for it. I say that because I know I'm not the only fool looking for something like this.

Anyhow, I have a lot of reading to do... if the baby will let me.

Here are some of the blog sites I found. Chances are that, if you are anything like me, you have already seen and love a couple of these sites if not all of them. Either way, enjoy!!

David Lebowitz
Meg Zimbeck
Chocolate & Zucchini
Dorie Greenspan
Simon Says is cool for a few reasons, one being that there is a list of restaurants by arrondisement in Paris.

Serendipidy

The John Cusac flick Serendipity was on today. In keeping with the theme of the movie, I can't help but look at Julie & Julia is serendipitous for me. I needed a sign, something to reignite my passion for what I want to do with my career. It has been a year since I really spent time thinking about it and the time has come again.

As I write this, one of my favorite movies is starting, The Witches of Eastwick. I especially relate this movie right now because my body has become one of Cher's "Boobie Dolls". It's funny, topo, that it's cherry season. If you've seen the movie, you'd get that.

Now that I think about it, it's interesting that this movie has come on. These strong, talented (fertile) women manifest what they are looking for. In this case it's a man, but really it's a well thought out ideal that inspires them to find themselves, to find their strengths and passions. In the end, it's not about the man, it's about how they come together to support one another, to live their lives to their fullest, to live fearlessly and to face those fears.

Speaking of living your life to the fullest, I am making baby-step progress with my business plan. I have printed out the template. That isn't a lot, but I've got the babes in tow, so paying attention to it is an effort.

Speaking of the babes, it's time to play.

Dry July

I have decided to have a Dry July. Although I fudged a bit when Reema came over, and really fudged this last Saturday, I am back on the program.

What are the reasons behind this? It's getting to be time that I can no longer blame my baby for my weight. If I have it now, it's mine, not hers. Drinking is expensive. Even my bargain bottles, 1.5 liter bottles and dare I say box wines were adding up. I can't live in the red just for a nicely-chilled white. I am also doing it for my daughter. Taking care of myself has never been more important. Being an older mom, I want to be sure that I am alive and kicking to see my grand-babies. And, well, when one is never enough, it's time to call it quits.

So, here's to ya on this Bastille day. Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité... Sanité.

Progress

I have found a business plan template in MS Office that will work just great! I have started to fill it out and now I need to do some market research and crunch some numbers. I have a lot of the numbers already done, now I just need to find them in one of my many notebooks that I have kept over he last year or two. No worries, it's there, just a little buried.

This is good. I've made some good moves today.

Catching my breath

I need to slow down and breathe. This movie, Julie and Julia, is inspiring me. I want to be in Paris, and I want to change my life, professionally that is, like Julie Powell did. I have a great tour idea, now I just need to get off my butt and do it. I need to stop listening to my dad, bless him, who keeps telling me that I won't be able to get a business loan because of my credit. Who ever said I have bad credit? I need to apply for a loan and have them tell me I have bad credit.

Things to do:
- Free credit report.com. If there's an issue, fix it.
- Write a business plan
- go to the SBA or my bank, hell, it seems that Chase wants to own the world, why not part of my business for a while, huh?
- Set a date for the first trip that may be a 'friends and family' kind of trip just to get any kinks out. Discounted rates just to cover costs for their input and advice.
- Secure contractors on the ground in Paris.


AWESOME!!! I just checked my credit score and it is EXCELLENT!! 733.

OK, now to write my business plan. That won't be as quick a process as checking my credit score, but I'll get it done. I'll set a date. Tuesday, July 28th.

This is encouraging. I need to be my own cheerleader. No one in my family really gets what I'm trying to do and that it is a viable business idea, even in this economy. If anything, this is the best time to do it.

OK, I'm off to research a template for a business plan.

Uugh!!

Fair warning, this in a brain dump.

I started to cry while watching a commercial advertising the release of the movie Julie and Julia, based on the book by the same name. There was a line in it that said something to the effect of, "I have thoughts too" referring to the main character's wanting to do SOMETHING with her life. She had the idea of cooking every recipe in Julia child's cook book and blogging about it. She did it and wrote a book out of the experience. (Great book) Both she and Julia Child did something 'crazy' and made something of it. They also had the support of their loving husbands to get them through it.

I want to say, "I have thoughts too" I want to do something crazy and have it turn out great. I also want the support and encouragement from my loved ones. More often than not I feel like they think my ideas are too crazy, but if I just had one person say, "Do it!" and mean it and help me realize my idea(s), I know I could be successful.

I want to do it for myself. I want to do it for Lorelei. I can't wait tables for ever. I don't want to. I need to find a way to make our living that's NOT behind a desk. Oy!