Darn Groundhog!

Why is it that our calendars have a whole day labeled "Groundhog Day"???  I mean, seriously, Groundhog Day?  Yet, we all want to know - did he see his shadow???  Last week, here in the Northwest, we had some of those classic early February days - warm, sunny, oh-my-gosh-spring- is-right-around-the-corner type days...  We are so funny up here!  So quick to forget that it is FEBRUARY!!!!!  I fall into the trap too - the darn groundhog saw his shadow which, I think, means 6 more weeks of winter - and yet, we are convinced that warm days are on their way...  Hahahaha, we woke up to snow at my house this morning!!!  Ooh, and they just said more snow on the way this afternoon...  How does the groundhog know???

Alright, enough of that...  I am working on the marketing portion of my business plan.  Words like industry, competitive analysis, and market penetration are now in my vocabulary.  I am so thankful to have this class as a guide to figuring all of this stuff out.  The assignment that I worked on last week was an interview with an entrepreneur.  I chose my friend down in California who runs a small natural market, similar to what I want to create, check it out at www.bigbearhealthfood.com.  It was such an insightful conversation.  Her biggest challenge has been with keeping her books up to date.  With that in mind, I am hoping someone out there has a good referral to an accountant.  I am looking for someone who can appreciate the vision of the market, and also have experience with bookkeeping for small businesses.  Please, please, please help me out with this!

Another insight I had during my interview is how crucial it s to keep up my communication with the people who will be keeping the market alive - YOU!  My goal is that when my regulars walk into the market, they find exactly what they are looking for.  My goal is not to be Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, my goal is to be Sky Valley Natural Market.  What does this mean?  I want to embrace my people, and honor that you all know what you want.  I want to have a relationship with all of you so that you know you will find what you need at the market...  And if I don't have what you want, I am happy to order it for you.  I think that sounds pretty good, what do you think?

Until next time,

Smile a lot,

Casey