Getting Set Up

Now that I've decided on a name for my personal assistant business, The Errand Fairy, I've been super busy trying to pull things together.  Tina at Fat Girl Dives In is going to design my website, so I've been creating content in a word document for her.  Lots of editing and fussing and trying to get it just so.  I'd rather it be more personable than cold-sounding or ultra professional.  I want it to reflect who I truly am. 

Dwayne and I went to Office Depot last night and he bought me a planner/appointment book, a receipt book, and a mileage book to get me started.  So sweet!!  Today on my lunch break, I ran to the bank and set up another checking account as well as another savings account, aside from the ones I already have.  I want to keep this side business separated from my current paycheck/bill paying activities, etc. for now.  Next on my list to do this afternoon is to sign up for Google Check Out and PayPal as a means of taking VISA/MC as one of my payment methods.  I don't understand how either of these work, so I've got to jump in, do some reading, figure it out, and get them set up.  Just trying to get started is a lot of work!!  But I'm so looking forward to this new venture for 2011.  It feels positive...it feels good....it feels right.  :)

My friends Kim and Crys have already vowed to hire me when I get up and running and I'm so thankful for that!!  Having 2 clients before you even get your website up is encouraging, and I thank them for believing in me and wanting to help me get my business off the ground.  If I've got any fellow Atlanta bloggers reading...call me!!  lol

Hope everyone is doing well with easing into the new year.  Personally, I've taken off like a shot!  And I haven't forgotten that this is a weight loss blog, first and foremost.  I'll get to Walmart this wknd to buy those scale batteries, pay the piper, and get that show back on the road, so you'll be hearing more about that soon.

Before I go, I want to share something with you that made me laugh out loud last night.  I've got a blog friend named Matt, at Lots to Lose, listed on my blogroll.  He commented last night on my post about naming my business The Errand Fairy.  He said as soon as he read that in my post, his daughter came in and tried to sweet talk him into going to the store to pick up some junk food for her, and he turned to her and said, "I ain't your ERRAND FAIRY!!!"   lmao .....LOVE IT!!  Thanks for all of your support Matt, and to everyone else who has been wishing me well on my new endeavor.  Have a fabulous day friends.  :)

Scratch That

Ok....so the last post I did stated that I found a business name.  It was Dwayne's suggestion.  We tried to do Right Hand Ma'am, as Pat at "ishitunot" suggested.  But it was already taken....cool website too, by the way.  So Dwayne was going off of that and suggested "Last Minute Ma'am"....with the thought process of last minute errands that people didn't have time to get to, etc.  So I went to Go Daddy....bought a URL with my full name as the url address, and then chose the sublet name of Last Minute Ma'am for my company.  About 2 hours later, I decided I hated it, lol.  In and of itself, the name doesn't really work.  It made more sense going off of Right Hand Ma'am...but nobody else would know that.  So it stinks, and I'm dumping it. 

I was laying in bed last night and thought of "The Errand Fairy".  I just googled it when I got to work.  Someone out in California has that name, but nowhere in metro Atlanta.  So I'm going with "The Errand Fairy" as the company name, but when I tried to set up the email with yahoo, it was already taken, so I pluralized it.  My email is now errandfairies@yahoo.com.  Still got some other things to work out and will be working on that today!  :)

Eureka!

I think I've got the business name figured out.  Sadly enough, it didn't come from any of my awesome followers....though I tried!!  Right Hand Ma'am really struck me....as well as I'm On It!!  Alas, I googled them, and both of those had already been taken as a name for a personal assistant business.  I'm telling you....I've had 50 good ideas in the last 2 weeks that have ALL been previously confiscated.  It's been maddening! 

I was sitting here stewing at the computer....looking at the google screen...and finally got as basic as I could.  I typed in "You Need Help" + personal assitant and lo and behold nothing came up....I thought I'd found it!   But then I went on Go Daddy and found out that the URL is on backorder...my only chance of getting it is winning an auction.  Forget that.  So I went with Dwayne's idea of "Last Minute Ma'am".....I set up my url as my full name at Go Daddy...and my sublet company name is now "Last Minute Ma'am".  I also set up a business email at YahooMail.  It's called lastminutemaam@yahoo.com.  Next I need to get with Tina to start getting the website set up.

By the way, I'm meeting Tina from Fat Girl Dives In and Crys from Bigger Than My Body this Wednesday after work for dinner....trying to get in touch with Kim to see if she can meet us, too....so excited!!!  Tina is designing my website for me, and Crys said she'll be my best and most loyal client!!!!  Kim also told me last week that she would definitely hire me to do some home organizing for her.  Woo Hoo!!  I'm off to a GREAT start!!

Thanks for ALL of your ideas...I truly appreciate your help...and can't wait to keep everyone updated on my new business venture.  :)

Update On My New Business Name

The update is that I'm still looking!  Thank you so much for the suggestions that are starting to come in.  I've been thinking on this for 2 solid weeks and can't believe how hard it is to come up with something that hasn't already been taken.  I really love "At Your Service" that Kelly and Brenda suggested, but I googled it and there's already a couple of errand svcs in Marietta, Ga. that have that name...drats!!  I wanted to throw out there that I was also considering using my initials as part of it from my first and middle name.  "T.J.'s something or other...."  Keep those ideas coming....surely we'll come up with something that nobody else has yet!!  Thanks so much!!  :)

All About My Life

This blog has definitely transitioned over the last year and a half from a weight-loss inspired one, to all about my entire life.  It's been an interesting ride to say the least.  Lots of highs, lots of lows...it's all in here.  I actually kind of like it like this....the "journaling" or blogging has provided an outlet I've never had before.  Some things solve themselves simply by writing them out.  Others are worked out from hearing the comments, ideas and suggestions from my dear blog friends.  I've made some really close, fantastic personal friendships from this blog, too....and I think that's been the absolute best part.  I want to thank all of you who read and/or comment for spending this last year and a half with me....and I can't wait to see what happens this year.  I hope you'll come along for the ride.  :)

What's on the horizon for 2011 thus far?  Two things that I'll tell you briefly, and expand more on it later.  The number one thing is Dwayne and I made a pact back in October to quit smoking the first of the year....so one more week, and we should be at each other's throats with our nicotine fits.  Let's hope we both survive it, lol.  We've both tried to quit several times in the past..separately...but now that we're around each other 24 hrs/day, I told him if I was going to quit, he was going to have to also, because I wouldn't be able to handle him smoking around me all the time.  Since I gave him 3 months notice...he agreed.  And he's sticking to it.  He's going to buy some Nicorette gum for us to wean ourselves off the smoking....and then I guess we'll move to regular chewing gum.  Naturally....being a FAT girl...my main concern (besides ripping his head off) is gaining MORE weight.  We've all heard when you quit smoking, you trade it out with eating more.  Probably the hand to mouth habit?  Oh I really don't want to go there.....so pray for me friends.  I really want to beat it this time...and not get any fatter in the process. 

Speaking of fatter, the battery in my scale died 2 weeks ago.  I want to 2 different Walmarts to replace it, and they were sold out.  The last Walmart actually told me the batteries had been back ordered for nearly 2 weeks now.  WTF??  Are scale batteries really that popular, lol...so anyway.  Going to try to find one again before the new year gets here.

The 2nd bit of news for the new year is I'm starting up a side business.  My HOPE and DREAM is to grow it big enough to eventually be able to quit my current job.  My first goal is to get it big enough to go part time at work by this June.  I hope I can do that in 6 months time, but I'm just going to do my best and see what happens.  I have a friend in Charleston, SC who has a personal assistant/concierge business and I'm modeling my business after hers.  Personal errands, etc.....the list of services I'm offering spans a wide variety of things.  I'm setting up a free website and my FABULOUS friend Tina is helping me design it.  Tina from Fat Girl Dives In is a graphic artist with mad skills....her resume is truly impressive.  If you need any work done, don't waste your money going anywhere else.  Go straight to Tina.  She's the best.  :)  You can always contact her through her blog, listed on my blogroll.

I've asked several people for help naming the business (thanks Jack!) but haven't totally settled on one yet.  So I'm throwing it out there.......got any ideas?  Tina suggested "Go-to-girl-Atlanta"...but I googled it and found "Atlanta-Go-To-Girl"....and that's too close.  I don't want to get confused with the other person, so I'm still looking.  My favorite suggestion from Jack Sh*t was "Chore Whore" but somehow I don't think that will go over too well.  Still makes me laugh out loud though.  :)  I want to figure out the name first, because it will be on my business cards, and I'm going to build the rest of my website around it, so throw your suggestions at me and if I pick YOURS....I'll be mailing you a little gift as a token of my appreciation.  :)

I hope everyone had a very safe and happy holiday....MERRY CHRISTMAS to each and everyone of you....and only a week 'til the NEW YEAR is upon us.  Wish me luck in my new endeavors...and don't forget to send me those suggestions for the business name based on a personal assistant/errand business.  To give you an example....some of the ones in my area are called "Just In Time" and "Xtra Pair of Hands".  Thanks everyone!  :)

Top 50 Diet Blog Award...Me???

I received an award?  For a Top 50 diet blog from Diet Spotlight?  Ummmm....you can all stop laughing now, lol.. 

Yeah...I know it's crazy.  It's still an honor, no matter how misguided Diet Spotlight may be, lol.  Here's the link showing all 50 blogs that were chosen.  Congrats to all of my friends and fellow bloggers who also won!

http://www.dietspotlight.com/top-50-diet-blogs

This Is Getting Ridiculous

My great aunt Voncille died a month ago.  My aunt Terri died last weekend.  While she was being buried, her father, who lay in the hospital with cancer, also died the same day.  My best friend Shane, who I was roommates with for 5 years before he married, is at the hospital now with his dad who is dying.  His dad has been in the hospital for 2 weeks now and is steadily getting worse by the day.  One of my girlfriends, who is like me and has no human children...only doggie children, told me today that one of her babies is dying of a cancerous tumor. 

I have never experienced so much death and dying during a holiday season before.  This is too much.  Too many of my loved ones are sad and suffering... and I'm sad.  We all need some peace and prayers.