Things to Come !

Hello all!!

First of all, my apologies for the lack of posts ! I have been slacking and busy at the same time. I also celebrated my birthday! 

Yay !

I’ve been working on some new things and I just thought I would show a sneak peek ! My mind is in a whirlwind and sometimes it’s just hard to choose between what idea I should focus on…

Lately, I haven’t been feeling creative so I’ve kind of stopped working on illustration and design and such. I pretty much just have been focusing on the hair side, although that’s hard to tell with the lack of posts.

Time Flies !

Happy December everyone !!!! Full speed to Christmas! It's going to be a busy month, not to mention my birthday is next Sunday!! ACK!


Things are coming along with Simply Care and I have some things to reveal to you all within the next couple of weeks. I'm pretty excited and I hope you all will be too!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Newsflash !

SimplyCare is now linked !! Look right below the header and you will find links to all sorts of great information. Now, please remember that I just made these pages. They are a work in progress ! I would be oh so happy if you would just bear with me !

I noticed that these new pages received some traffic and I didn't want to put off viewers by not having any content up. I have added a little bit of quick info on some of the pages.

As always, thanks for taking the time out to view my blog ! I hope everyone had a fantabulous weekend !

:0)

Pardon the Dust !

Quickie Post,

You might have noticed that I am making some slight changes and additions to the blog ! Everything will still be up and running though. I am working on new pages and new ideas which I will blog about for your reading pleasure !

If you have any feedback, comments or anything, don't hesitate to leave a comment. I would love to hear from you !

Take care ! :0)

Happy Thanksgiving !

Hello readers !!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving ! I am so thankful for my family, friends, and my love; but most of all I am thankful for all of you who take the time out to read this blog, have subscribed, and have left encouraging comments! Thank you all so much ! I appreciate each and every one of you.

Gobble Gobble y'all !! 

:0)

All About Moisture !

So my pretty widdle naps had been neglected and were just CRYING out for some lovin’ AKA moisture. ..

I realized a week or so back that I had been heavy on the protein treatments, not that I have protein overload or anything because usually there some type of moisture somewhere in there, but , I digress….

Usually in a “normal” hair regimen one will rotate protein and moisture treatments from month to month or week to week depending upon how often you deep condition. As an avid follower of “do what your hair needs” regimen I decided to do an ALL ABOUT MOISTURE treatment and it was utterly UH-mazing ! : )

Deepest Fears

Have you ever had an idea so great, so amazing that you don’t want to share it ? 


For many reasons, but the  largest, darkest, cloud hovering over your head is the fear of not being able to make it come to fruition ? That you might fail in the process ? That people will judge you because you gave them a great idea or product or whatever the case may be but you just aren’t able to deliver ? It’s pretty scary, and that thought alone can stop someone in their tracks from not pushing forward.

I bring this up for two reasons; the first being that the whole SimplyCare business is such a great idea and I’m so passionate about it. I am also fearful that maybe I won’t make it or maybe I won’t be able to deliver what I may say I intend to deliver...  This is a huge journey that I’m on in a flooded market. It brings me back to a couple of years ago when I was just mixing things up in my kitchen and had fleeting thoughts of marketing products. Yes people told me I should, encouraged me and all that, but I just wouldn’t take that next step. I wish I would've because there was less on the market then and it would have been easier. Clearly God is aware that I can stand the challenge...


Reading and writing this word fail. Ugh..  Fail, Failing, its such an icky word.  

Please Accept My Apologies : 0 )

HELLOOOOOOOOO Everybody ! 

First off, I would like to apologize for not posting for a whole entire week ! Shame on me ! Shame.Shame.Shame. 

Now, where to started to get you all up to speed........ *taps chin* hmm.

Okay, first things first,

 I would like to say yell “THANK YOU” to my newest followers ! I appreciate it so much, you have no idea !  : )  Also, we are now up to 547 total blog views ! It’s incredible, and in less than two months ! So, thank you again, to my new subbies and to all my viewers ! [ I hope those viewing do choose to subscribe as well though. ;) ] As a result, I think it is high time that I put Google Analytics to use !  It will show me  insights into my website traffic and marketing effectiveness.

Next up are the business side of things;  I have located a couple of located Small Business Association branches, and I plan on paying them a visit. I don’t know why I didn’t think to find a SBA branch near me sooner… SBA also has some online courses and certifications as well, which is OH SO exciting. Lol. I have already taken one *pats self on the back* Yay Me ! So there is one more site that will be added to my weekly stalking  learning list.  I was doing some random twitter searching during this week and I found new folks to follow with a lot of great information on small business, blogging, marketing, etc. I also found some great books that I will be hunting down on Amazon preeeetttyyy soon!

On to the hair side( but if you want to be technical, it’s all about hair. Lol ).

I recently purchased a BOATLOAD of new toys, trinkets, and goodies for mixing and such. I might have possibly went a little overboard. We will see when I do my Haul Blog Post. As of right now, the verdict isn’t in.  Speaking of hair ingredients, I have been putting my mixtures to use and I must say although, one of the ingredients I might be leaving out the next time, so far the results have pleased me. Plus I have gotten positive feedback from the 3-4 people who have tested them out.  I will be making another batch though, with different ingredients, and to serve different purposes. I am pretty positive that this batch will come out even better than the last. Oh, before I forget, I am not so sure if I am a strong lover of Eucalyptus, it is a pretty strong smell ! Possibly in smaller doses I could be a fan though. We shall see !

As for my hair, I finally put my lovely kinky curlies in mini-twists and I LOVE THEM ! They came out so well and I was surprised with the length. I wasn’t aware my hair had grown that much! I still trimmed the ends though, because I have a problem with split ends and Single Strand Knots. Death to SSK’s !!! Ugh, they are the BANE of my existence. I tweeted my mini twists btw, are you following _SimplyCare_ ? 

Go ahead and make that move ! : )  I always tweet when there are new blog posts, random moments in my life and the life of SimplyCare, and  #naturalhair chats too ! Which are Wednesday and Thursday ! It's a quick and easy way to stay up to date with SimplyCare's progress !!

Well, I think you are all up to speed now !  I can assure you that I will not go this long without posting!

Any new news from my readers ? I would love to hear about it !

Mixing Products and It Feels So Good !

Lol, btw the title is sung to the tune of  'Reunited' by Peaches and Herb... Hahahah

That is how I feel after tonight, I had a chance to put in some work in the kitchen and I just feel all light, fluffy, and happy.

Also, my hair feels as soft and as smooth as a baby's butt. Butt ( haha) more on that in a paragraph or so.

I have come up with two different gels with different products folded into the base of the gel. One mixture of gel yielded a light, thicker, smooth consistency. I took two sections of hair and I braided and twisted it with Mixture A. The braid is very smooth with little fly-a-ways with a curly end and the twist is tight, and fluffy. Mixture A has seemed to stretch the twist also.
     The second mixture, Mixture B is a darker, thin, liquid-y consistency that might better suit as a spray or foam wrap. I braided and twisted two more sections with Mixture B.  The braid is also smooth with little fly-a-ways but the end gave way to an 'L' shape( which my hair often does, it's crazy like that). The twisted section is loose, fluffy and shrunken, and curled up at the end.

I am going to take both out and see how the braid/twist out looks, feels, and how much definition each Mixture gave me. So, stay close by to see the results !

It's so exciting coming up with and testing new products ! Yay.

Now on the the "babys butt" hair.....lol. I deep conditioned with a mix of Coconut Milk, Mayo, Egg, Vitamin E, Banana, and Sweet Almond Oil. I left it on my hair for about an hour, then I rinsed it out and followed up with  a Chamomile Black Tea rinse.



Lawdamercy, my scalp feels amazing, hair is butter soft.... mmmph ! Pictures down below. No pics of finished hair yet because I am getting ready to put mini twists in. Hence all the prepping.

PLUS Thank you to ALL OF MY SUBSCRIBERS & VIEWERS ! I can't believe I have over 500 views and this blog has only been live for 1 month !!! : )

30 Days of Blogging

Well Folks, I did it ! 30 days of blogging ! This was a really fun way to become a more regular blogger ! I might just do another one, just to stay on task !

Anywho, if you happen to be the 500th viewer of the blog, please leave a comment and tweet me ! @_simplycare_ I would love to know : )

WOW !

Almost 500 page views ! This blog has only been online for a month! Thats great, I wish I could get my subscriber and follower count higher. I'm working on it though. At least I know people view it, now the trick is to get those viewers  to subscribe !

I had a great time at the Small Business Seminar ! I learned a lot and I'm glad I had the opportunity to go. Now I'm hanging out with my family : )

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend !

Goals for the Weekend

Hello all,

I just wanted to share my goal list for the weekend ! After attending the Small Business Seminar, I hope to have a better business plan, mission statement, and plan of action for both Simply Care and for Smartist Logic Artistry.  I want to better understand the inner workings of running a business, how to stay on task, within budget and reaching milestones that I set for myself.  Along with that, understanding how to attract potential customers to my product. I really just want this to be such much information that I come back with a hand cramp. LOL. I want to come back reassured and more positive in myself and believing that I can do this. I also hope to network a little bit and possibly gain a mentor or at the very least someone else to to be able to speak with.

I may not have time to put together everything that I wanted but at least I have a few notes.

Now on to the less serious side of the goal list, I plan on coming back with a mixer, coffeepot, food processor, possibly a few ingredients, and a batch of twist and braid creme.

WHEW... Do you think I can do it ???

Happy November !

Happy November everyone ! : )

#TribeThursdays starts in a few minutes, but it will probably  have started by the time this is posted ! Will you be participating ? _SimplyCare_ will be chatting via tweetchat and I hope to see you there !

This week has flew past for me, and I have barely gotten any sleep. I'm pretty sure it's catching up with me now, plus I think I ate some bad food. The beau and I felt kind of odd today. Hopefully it's just because our SleepBank (as my Mother calls it) is overdrawn. lol.

I also think I have nailed down the few product samples that I want to include in my Holiday Sample Package ! YITADEEEEEE

'tis all for now : ) Short, simple and sweet : )

WHEW !!!

Well, Homecoming Weekend was a success ! Clearly that is obvious by missing 3 days of blogging.

I had a great time and once I can figure out who took photos of my hairstyle I will post them ! : )

In SimplyCare News, I will be attending a Small Business Seminar this weekend with my Beau, and I am so excited to learn new things : ) I really can't wait.  I also found some great design inspiration for my letter head and comp slip ! Plus I found inspiration for to FINALLY finish the website design for MEA Piano Studio.

Anywho, to get ready for the Small Business Seminar, I want to try to put together a packet of information about my businesses, so that I can just write notes down and ask pertinent questions. We shall see how that goes though, this week is slipping by fast.

I have a lot of freelance projects that need to get wrapped up before the end of November, so this will be a busy month ! I intend to stay on top of everything !

Oh, and before I forget, I plan on buying some products this weekend !!!!! Yay, I can't wait to mix some goodies up : )

Books, Hair and Homecoming

Today I did a braid out on my hair for the first time in a year. I usually stick to twist outs because they take less time. With my braid out, my hair of course is longer(stretched because of the braids) and more defined than the twist outs. I found a photo of probably the 2nd braid out I ever did. Look at the differences in my hair. Now my hair is a richer, deeper, and healthier black. It has a nice sheen to it and it is almost double the length.

Check it out !

I picked up a couple of hair product books too. Mostly reference about ingredients and oils ! Fun !


Also, this weekend is HOMECOMING WEEKEND ! Good ole' Virginia State University : ) I plan on doing a really cute style, just stay tuned for photos ! : )

Oh, and here is my hair after the icky rain got to it ! >:-/  

Later Lovelies ! : )

New Twitter Background

Hello all !

So last night or if you want to get technical....really early this morning, I designed a new Twitter background. I love it ! I need to change the width so that my "Thanks for Following" shows up, but other than that I'm really happy with my end results.

Also, @TribeCalledCurl held her first #naturalhair #tweetchat and it was just as great as @HGKWW's chat.  I'm so glad that the #naturalhair chat has been brought back ! I really missed it.

Anywho, check out a screenshot of my twitter background

 Any thoughts ?? Opinions ??

Natural Hair Chat

Today was one of the best #naturalhair chats I've ever participated in ! It was so thought-provoking, informative, and funny all at the same time. It was hosted on Twitter by Hair Gets Kinky When Wet ... check her site out here #HGKWW .


I absolutely loved it ! : )  What's great is that @tribecalledcurl is hosting a tweetchat tommorow at 1pm ! Are you going to tweet with us ? Check that out on her twitter page... #tribecalledcurl . Hope to see you there !


Oh my blog also had a couple of mini milestones ! I now have 5 followers, and I received my first two comments ! woot woot ! Plus, I'm almost to 500 page views ! It would be cool to host a giveaway ! Alas, I have nothing to give away.... lol Regardless, I'm so happy to see that this blog is blossoming the way it is : ) #LookatGod 




Anywhooo, Back to designing I go !  

Blah

Today wasn't a very productive day, I woke up with a horrible headache from the night before and it finally went ALL THE WAY AWAY like 4 hours ago... and now I'm recuperating. lol.

I did find some cute bake pans and molds to use if I make shampoo bars, lip balms, or other types of bars. I'm still looking for containers and stuff like that. I did finished my business cards tho. Take a look and let my know which one is your favorite !

Oh, and in the middle is SimplyCare's We Care wallet size list of no-no ingredients that you don't want in any of your skin, beauty, hair products..

So, feedback anyone ? Don't all jump at once !

Evernote Notes

Today I don't have much of a blog post, just mostly notes that are from EVERNOTE... 


One thing that I am going to do is Research marketing, advertisements, social networking of other body care and hair care lines. 

How do they market a new line or new product. How do they rev up interest. 

Set up a goal chart. Keep thinking BIG..

- when I want to have products by

- when do I want to have samples ready

- who would try my samples 

- feedback sheet    

- we care card ( :) products :(products)

-thanks for sampling card/ thanks for purchasing card

- hooking up with bloggers/vloggers to sample, review, host giveaways, shout out SimplyCare and it's products.  

Also, research packaging. I think it would be interesting to have jars and bottles that aren't "normal" 

Use the packaging of my products as another way to stand out from the sea of natural products  

Growth :)

Posting my first Growth Chart, but its in the color scheme that I first picked out. My next one will be with the correct scheme.

I was recently harping over the fact that I didn't feel like my hair had achieved any growth, but it's health was at an all time high. Then I decided to put all my "natural files" into one spot and I happened across some old photos. Boy, was I surprised. I guess the growth tricked me ! lol I wish I had all my old videos and photos but when I had my computer fixed the techinician erased EVERYTHING and didn't give me a chance to back it up. I had thought my videos and photos would be safe... le sigh.

Anyways, Hope everyone had an awesome weekend ! I know I did : )

ta-ta loves ! : )

EyBeauty Hair Extravangza Goodies

Today was the EyBeauty Hair Extrvanganza in Richmond. I had a pretty good time and although I wasn't able to purchase butters and oils like I thought I would be, I still had a great time. It was a really fun event in a small cozy setting.

I also sat in on some of the sessions and kept my fingers crossed that I would win a giveaway....which I didn't. *kicks rock* It's all good though, I didn't come back empty-handed. Check out my goodies !!!

I purchased 3 pair of earrings, a ring, a necklace, two bracelets, and a locsoc for a grand total of $34.00, not too shabby if I do say so myself. The goody bag and hair ties were all complimentary. The plastic bag of goodies have an assortment of hair ties and Jane Carter Nourish & Shine. 

Since I missed the Baltimore Hair Expo (the humongous one) I was glad to be able to go to this one. 

Later loves ! : ) 

Friday Funday Recap : )

Hellooooo !!! : ) 


Tomorrow is the EyBeauty Natural Hair Extravaganza !!! Im so excited to see other naturals, meet and greet, network, and buy some products ! I will try to tweet as much as I can about it.. Keep up with my tweets here _SimplyCare_ . 


Also, just some other things I was thinking about today. I was thinking about the type of research that I need to do about product lines and etc... 


- Taken from Evernote-



Research marketing, packing, advertisements, social networking of other body care and hair care lines. 

How do they market a new line or new product. How do they rev up interest. 

Set up a goal chart. Keep thinking BIG..

- when I want to have products by
- when do I want to have samples ready
- who would try my samples 
- feedback sheet    
- we care card ( good ingredients bad ingredients)
-thanks for sampling card/ thanks for purchasing card
- hooking up with bloggers/vloggers to sample, review, host giveaways, shout out SimplyCare and it's products.  

Late Night Thoughts

Today my mind was a whirlwind, but when is it not ? I had the chance to sit down and write down everything that I want to accomplish within the next couple of months for my business.
- Completeing my Logo Design
- Bloggr Background (which will be able to double for my website background as well)
- Bloggr Header (will also double for my website)
- Business card design
- Letterhead Design


Also I wrote down a list of everything- project wise that I need to do that are outside of SimplyCare, which is kind of a lot..lol. I just have to  stay on top on things to get it all completed. I'm thankful for all the side projects though.


Last night I was really thinking about this whole business and everything that can potentially come with it.


How as a potential owner of a hair care product line and body care product line I should be ready to answer questions that a customer or person might have. Take yesterday night for instance, I was asked to help style a friend's hair. It's short like a twa but could have length if stretched and styled. She saidto me "I don't know what to do with this, can you help me ?" 


I need to be ready to answer questions like this. I know how to answer them but I need to be able to explain it in a way that is understandable. 
What would I tell someone that has no clue what or how to do their natural hair ? How would I direct them in the right way? To make sure that they know the proper way and have to proper tools to continue to take care of their hair ? 


Also I think I need to read up in public speaking.  I really feel that I can come across even more competent and confident vocally. I need to become more comfortable with public speaking. Even though I have already learned so much and researched so much I know there is even more that I can learn and need to learn. Good thing that is all exciting to me ! lol 

Random Ramblings Thrown Together : )

I have started reading one of the books that my LS dropped off for me and I feel like I am back in school again. The crazier part is that I love it. Lol, I am a total nerd, I love learning, I love school, I love all of it.

Anywhoo, I started off with Small Business Management because I feel that it would be the most relevant to my situation right now. Also, so I would have a grasp of things when I attend the Small Business Seminar in a couple weeks . (happy feet)

On the hair side of things- I participated in the naturalhair chat that took place yesterday evening. I used to do it all the time when they had it on Sundays, but I fell off with it and then I think they stopped having the chat. This chat though was fun plus I was able to connect with more people, follow and gain more followers ! You can follow SimplyCare on Twitter as well to stay updated within 140 characters !!!

Also, a facebook fanpage is also in the works ! I cannot wait though, until I have an actual website alongside my blog and facebook fanpage where everything can be linked and just a mouse click away....

I have entered in to TWO separate contests and I can't wait to find out if I am a lucky winner ! woot woot !

I also potentially have gained a customer for styling and for products ! I necessarrily wasn't looking to style hair, but even before mixtressing I braided and styled hair on the side. Always good to have a side hustle. Lol.  She's also into stock, so that's something else we can delve in to.

I feel like this post is all over the place but so many things happened today....sheesh laweesh !
I also happened across some really good marketing tips and strageties that I can't wait to put into place. PLUS I also created (in my mind) some merchandise that I wouldn't mind selling.

I am so excited about this journey I am on ! So many goals to achieve !

Until next time !!

YIPES !!

OH NO ! I almost missed a day !

YES !!!

So today, three people seriously made my day... four if you want to get technical. lol

First my sister forwarded an email from father to me. What was in the email you ask ? Well let me tell you, it was a Small Business Seminar !! Wait, that's not the best part , the best part is that it's FREE !!! heck yeah man !


Secondly, my LS Ciera had her special person bring textbooks which she used during her grad program over to me :

1. Small Business Management : Launching & Growing Entrepreneurial Ventures (yitadee!!),
2. Business and Society : Stakeholders, Ethics, Public Policy
3. Marketing Management

Thank you so so so so so so much ! She also has a blog (shameless plug) so why not check it out ? You won't be sorry !!

These two occurrences will definitely help my progression !!!  I feel so great about this decision !! So many positive opportunities and information are presenting themselves !!! #LookatGod ! lol

Incredible Overlooked Find of the Day

OHMYGOODNESSGRACIOUS !!!

Today I found the Holy Grail of note-taking and it has been out forever ! I have no idea why I waited so long to start using it ! I guess because I didn't want another app that would eventually end up sitting in my app graveyard.. but this bad boy is uh-friggin-mazing !!!

Good People of Bloggrdom I give you EVERNOTE !

Check out the screenshot - At first I was using the web, then I downloaded something, thinking I was downloading a different program and BOOM ! An actual EVERNOTE application has been installed on my computer.

I am so tardy to this party it is quite embarrassing. Now that I am here, I WILL NEVER LEAVE ! I can just imagine how much this is going to help me ! Plus I can sync the app on my iphone withe the app on my computer, the web browser ANNNDDD my twitter accounts. sheesh !!

Check it out and see how you like it !

UH DUH !

It totally just hit me that I can purchase some much needed products at the Natural Hair Show this Saturday !!! I also entered to win two free tickets from CurlyNuGrowth. Cross your fingers !! Hopefully I will win : )

Hair books

I came back to Northern VA for the weekend and when I go back I will be taking back a few hair books to read ! I'm so excited, plus my LS also has some business material for me as well ! I'm can't wait to see it.

Also, I hope order some butters, and oils soon because I would like to have some products read for people to sample around Christmas time.

hmmm, me thinks that is it for now !!


ta-ta !

Shameless Plug

First and foremost I'm an artist, and I love everything and anything that has to deal with art ! I also blog about it,  so feel free to check out my portfolio website and my art blog as well !! : )

www.simplymarvelousartistry.com

musingsofaanartist.blogspot.com/

Not really a Post

Still designing, coming up with a product list, neglecting to give my hair a spa day... lol I'll do it this week. That ACV/AVJ baggie did a awesome number on my hair... I really loved the results !! 

N T WHOO

Shortest blog post in a while : ) 

Post Happy Today !!

Ok, so I know that I have posted a lot today, but this is the last post of the night (I think).

My lovely linesister just called me with some wonderful information ! She informed me of a natural hair extravaganza here in Richmond !! HOLLLAAAA

Check it out, will you be in attendance ??

http://events.richmond.com/richmond-va/events/show/198589706-embracing-your-beauty-natural-hair-extravaganza

Happy Accidents

So a few posts back, I posted about how I lost all my work that I had screenshot and posted. It turned out to be a happy accident !! It all dates back to when I decided to do another blog face lift and I picked this one abstract background and the colors were just popping !! So then inspired me to go ahead and work on the logo design again. At first I was going to go with the same color I had when I first posted the logo screenshots, but those colors from my blog background were just stuck in my mind. I decided to go ahead and use that color scheme for my company and I LOVE IT !!

Check out the screenshot of logo and color scheme !

Oh, I have also picked out a company name " Simply Care"  Right now I'm trying decide which colors I want to have the logo.

Random

I would like a tablet... sometimes I like to physically write things down, but then other times I like having right there on the computer screen, the tablet gives me the best of both worlds. Of course I want an ipad, but I just can''t bring myself to pay $500 dollars... so if I find one for the low-low then of course... otherwise its probably going to be some type of PC or Android tablet....

Design for the time being

I think that I will stick with this blog design for the time being. I'm pretty happy with it until I design my own. What are your thoughts ?

Pieces of a bigger puzzle

When I first decided to actually go ahead and take the first steps for starting this business I knew that I wanted to be able to use this process to hone my other creative/artistic abilities.

I see this company as way more than just  body/hair care, I want to be able to use this company as "project within a project" so to speak.  Using this company to take what I know or kind of know how to do and get better at it all while building this brand Simply Care.

Lets take Video Editing and Photography for instance, this is something that I kind of know how to do already. With this company I can become better at it by showing me in the process of working. (Labeling, mixing products, bottling products, packaging and so forth) Also I could show hairstyles and some tips and tricks that I have come across along the way.

Then there's Illustration. I really would like to develop "I Love Myself" as a really simply picture book. One specifically for young boys, and one for young  girls. So by using Simply Care I can become better at illustration and it also helps to market myself as an illustrator.

Moving along to Graphic Design you have to develop the look and feel of the company/company image, who you plan on marketing to, what you plan on marketing and so on. So under that umbrella you have the logo design, business card design, pamphlets/brochures, stationary ( Letterhead, envelopes, stamp labels, etc.).
I guess Web Design would also fall into this category and having an online presence and building my website.

If beginning this journey has done anything, it has shown my how multi-talented and creative I am. I have so much that I can bring to this company and even more to get out of building it.

With this company I of course want to sell hair and body products.. but I have a lot more in store as far as merchandise. Little things that I came up with while doing my own hair. One of those which kept on sticking out in my mind is a hair mat- which be for those days when you would sit in front the the TV or computer while doing you hair, product and little curlies are flying everywhere ! This would combat against that. It would be like an area mat so to speak.

I had a couple other merchandise items to blog about but currently I'm having a brain fart. Lol.

Goals

Two things I hope to get accomplished by the end of the weekend are figuring out a working layout for this blog and writing my business plan.

Wish me luck !

Making a list..

Starting a business is tough work, or taking what I do for fun on the side to the next level is tough work... lol
It takes a lot of research, planning, more research and more planning. There's probably some things that I forgot. That's where Google, libraries and bookstores come in handy ! It's also great to have somewhat of a mentor. My older sister started her own business and is now going on her sixth year in business. Seeing how most start-ups fail within the first five years, she is most certainly on the right track. I'm so proud of her and I hope to be where she is in 5-6 years.

While researching I came across many checklists and I thought I would post them here along with my progress of crossing them off. Crossing off items is the fun part !

This is the first of a few checklists that I have come across... I plan on posting them all because some of them have different approaches to the first steps or things that one should complete when beginning a new business.

STEP #1. ORGANIZE YOURSELF

STEP #2. SELECT BUSINESS CARDS, STATIONERY ADVERTISING BROCHURES ETC

STEP #3. DECIDE ON THE TYPE OF BUSINESS

STEP #4. CHOOSE A LEGAL FORM

STEP #5. DETERMINE WHERE THE MONEY WILL COME FROM

STEP #6. GATHER INFORMATION

STEP #7. CHOOSE A MAILING ADDRESS

STEP #8. PICK A BUSINESS NAME AND REGISTER IT

STEP #9. WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN

STEP #10. SET UP RECORD-KEEPING SYSTEMS

STEP #11. OPEN A BUSINESS CHECKING ACCOUNT

STEP #12. OBTAIN LICENSES & PERMITS

So far, I have Step 1 in progress and Step 3 completed !  Lol yay me. I've picked up a couple a business books from the store and I need to crack them open. I've also started writing a business plan. 

There is a lot to do ! 

: ( Setback

So, I opened up Adobe Illustrator today to work on logos and branding today only to find out the none of the work I did yesterday was saved. How does that happen one might ask... I have NO CLUE. It's so disappointing because I worked on stuff for Simply Care for at least 9 hours... and to have basically all of it gone ? Kind of gut-wrenching. I'm just going to close the programs and sulk, then get back to starting over again later on.

Blown is not the word.

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Look and Feel of the Blog

My blog needs a face lift... which is why the look of it has changed a bazillion times since I first posted... lol. I just can't find the one I want and I really don't want to have to code it myself... blah blah blah that would be boring.

on another (Hair) note-- I think I will have a hair spa night... but if I happen to become to lazy I'll end up doing it tomorrow. I really need to go ahead and purchase a blender, some butters and some oils asap though.

Work in Progress

So, As promised, here is the screenshot of the logos that I have been working on this evening.

I haven't decided which one to go with yet. Let me know your thoughts !

UPDATE

Top Picks So Far

Work in Progress

Screenshot of what I've been working on for the past few hours. I think I have decided on a name, but all feedback is welcome.

I'm pretty positive that I'm going to go with "Simply Care", it just opened up my creative brain cells and so many ideas came to me. I owe that to my beau, because Simply Care was his brainchild.. lol

The screen shot is various typefaces that I think would fit with the identity of this line. I also have up a logo that I designed, but I am going to design a few more. I'll do a screen shot of that when I do though. I also was playing around with different color schemes, because I like I said I don't want it to be too femenine. My beau brought up the idea of having different colors for the "For Men" "For Women". I think that is a good idea, but I still think I want a color scheme that encompasses "Simply Care" as a whole.

Like I said, any feedback would be GREAT !
-sidebar- I guess it's time for me to share this on facebook and twitter... I wanted to wait until I had a little more content but hey, carpe diem !

What's in a name ?

A name is very important, especially to a business ! I'm struggling with deciding what I will name my line. I have a couple of choices but I'm wishy-washy about them.

Possible Names

1. Simply Marvelous
2. Simply
3. Marvel
4. SM Care
5. Simple Care
6. Simply Care ( Beau's addition)


Also, which ever name I choose will tie into my "tagline" which is "(Product Name), Marvel in your natural self.... but now that I'm writing that, I'm not so sure that I still like it. LOL

Taglines
1. Marvel in your natural self
2. Total body care for the whole family
3. Simple and marvelous care for your whole body
4. Simply caring for the whole body... naturally [ Simply Care for Men, Simply Care for Women, Simply Care for Body, Simply for Hair, etc]

-sidebar- I want to push this line as "pro-male" because that is where the natural hair care/body care is lacking. There is nothing dedicated and or marketed towards men. So I don't want to make it too feminine and to dissuade potential male customers ( hetero or homo).

Then I was thinking should I make it mainly male ? but then that also limits the market. I think my first idea is the one that I would go with.

Decisons, Decisions

So today my beau brought me home a "gift" lol. It was one of those knock-knock notepads that make every day life interesting. haha

The one he got for me is titled " Make a Decision"

Here's what I came up with..



I basically just listed the pro's and con's of this journey, it felt good to let it all out !

" I Need" List

List of things I would like/absolutely need

1. Double Boiler
2. New Mixer
3. Cute mini cupcake pans (for lip balms n such)
4. Pot set exclusively for mixing products
5. Measuring cup and teaspoon/tablespoon set

I also need to figure out how I want to bottle/preserve my products.

Also I'm thinking about having a mini gift set ready for the holidays.. either Thanksgiving or Christmas to hand out to my family, friends, sisters. It would be a really easy way to have people try out my products, to get my name out there and to also get feedback.

Ready Set Go

Today starts my 30 day blog-a-day challenge !! *and the crowd goes wild* lol

First off I just want to say the other day I realized just how much my hair has grown ! It's crazy, sheesh. I was getting ready to style my hair into a puff with a headband, which is the normal way because usually you want to show volume... anywho, I was curious so I pulled my hair into one like I was getting ready to put it into a ponytail and I was surprised by how much "puff" I had with out actually using the "puff method"

I was shocked to say the least and I rocked that ponytail puff for two days. Lol. Needless to say, I fell in love with my curlies all over again! especially once I saw the photos that I had taken.

Check them out !!

wOw !

This must be the first step in the right direction because I haven't felt this great about something since T and I first started writing our business plan for our company. I feel so relived.. like this little baby step was just the right thing to do. I feel elated and excited about the possibilities !

* HUGE ENORMOUS EXHALE*

30 Day Challenge

So with this new blog I am going to do the 30 day Blog-a-day Challenge !

I read it here :http://derbycitynaturals.wordpress.com/2011/10/02/building-a-better-blog-more-content/



( for some reason my live link button is NOT working.. you'll have to go old school and copy and paste ! lol )

I might also do it with my art blog as well. Also I might change the account instead of having a linked account... or is it easier this way ? hmmmm

Introducing..... um.. the blog

So,

This blog will be dedicated to all things natural (and sometimes relaxed) hair ! I have been going back and forth with the decision to open a natural hair business. I feel like the market is SO FLOODED with natural hair care "stuff" since according to the masses, "natural hair is now in". So to side step this I intend to market my line as TOTAL BODY CARE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY.

This will include hair care, facial products, and body care for women, men, boys, girls, adults, teens, babies. The whole nine !

A little background... I stopped relaxing my hair after a horrible relaxer incident at 17 and I haven't looked back since. When I was 20 I decided to loc my hair and I had locs for 4-5 years before two (WOW) years ago I combed them out. Yes, you can comb out locs ! While I had locs I was interested in products and how they were made, sometimes I would experiment on my own as well. The floodgates of being a mixtress weren't opened until I combed out my locs(thanks YOUTUBE) and I realized I needed to get hip quick.

There was a quick stint as a Product Junkie, but thats normal for most newbies. Which I was. Even though I had been natural for almost 5 years, when I combed out my locs it was like I BC (Big Chopped) and I was starting all over again.

I always had a love of learning and I began researching, youtubing, blogging, and forum-ing like a fiend ! I remember the first mixtress products which was Shealoe. After that it was a wrap !

Fast forward to about six months ago (? maybe longer) but I was speaking to my mother and she brought up the fact that maybe I was having a hard time finding a full-time job because I really should be in business for myself. I was already free-lancing as an artist, but I have never really given any thought to a hair care business.. Then it seemed like after my Mother spoke that into existance, everyone else seemed to bring this up. My linesisters, my sister, my closest friends, and some church family. Even my Mother's(who is relaxed)hairstylist was like "I see her being the next Carol's Daughter." Which is kind of a big deal, because she is. lol

I wasn't sure and I was struggling with committing to it because I don't or didn't want to fail. The only thing worse than failing is not trying. So here it is. I'm trying. Another reason why there was so much inner turmoil was because I was trying to make decisions on my own without consulting the one who matters the most. The Lord.

Seems so simple now doesn't it ? It took me a good few months before I relized this. I have so many goals and aspirations and haircare is just one of them. I have a pretty good sized "natural haired network" plus willing people to try out my products. *shrugs* I need to WOMAN up, say a prayer and just do the doggone thang !

If everything goes according to plan-- scratch that-- His plan, I will have multiple businesses.

Here goes nothing !