Business Cards, My Face, and Scary Steps

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It just so happens that tomorrow is summer finals for grad school. So tonight, and likely tomorrow in the wee hours of the morning, I’ll be studying. But in all honesty, my mind is a little elsewhere.

Next week, the one and only blog conference I’ll attend this year is heading back to Atlanta. Why is it the only one I’ll attend? Because

1. I work full time. So as fantastic as my boss is, we’re understaffed, and getting time off to fly here and there for what he considers a conflicting interest is a hard sell
2. These things are expensive, and
3. I feel much more comfortable telling people to “meet me at the bar” when I know where the bar is.

For those who weren’t reading this blog last summer, or those who just want to laugh at me again (not that I blame ya), you can check out one of my more awkward recaps here. If you don’t want to read the whole thing, the short version is: I was completely starstruck and had a serious case of foot-in-mouth.

I’m a little more prepared this year, and even decided to stay at the hotel with a roommate so that I don’t miss out on all of the after-conference schmoozing (aka talking about men, blogs, and drinking). My roommate is Pamela from PB&J Stories. When she suggested that we both buy one of these to have with us at the conference, I was 100% convinced that I made the right choice in roommate picking. I, of course, picked up the beer version… but we’re definitely sharing the same spirit (ha – pun). (Don’t get me wrong, though – as much as I talk about enjoying beer, I don’t pound them down like I’m still in college. I’m actually a lightweight, so I go for the good stuff and enjoy them at a much slower pace.)

Anywho, the reason I’m bringing this all up today and not next week is because my business cards finally came in the mail last night (I ordered them from Moo.com an affiliate of mine, and I LOVE their products!). All 700 of them. Yep, seven hundred business cards. For two different things. First, there are 400 that I picked up to pass out to the bloggers and vendors that I’ll meet at the conference for The Ugly Duckling House. What’s hilarious about these is the way they are positioned in the box they were delivered in. With my face sticking out. 400 times. It’s a little freaky and humbling.

I chose to put mah face right on the cards this year since people probably won’t recognize me without paint on my face. And if they do, there’s a good chance I’ll get called The Ugly Girl again. (I’m okay with it – just better prepared!)

And then, there are the 300 minicards that I picked up for my budding little side business. I have mentioned it here and there, but I’ve really gotten into this whole blog design thing and have spent the last three years teaching myself how to code this blog. I’ve learned how to design on Blogger, WordPress, and I really enjoy teaching it to others too (so I plan to do one-on-one coaching as well). I’ve got a few clients under my belt, and have finally designed my logo (side note: designing your own logo is a heck of a lot harder than designing someone else’s – you’re never satisfied when you know how to tweak it). So, I’m giving myself a real shot and handing them out at the conference to see where this will lead. It’s exciting. And in all honesty, it’s scary. Scary to know that I love doing this and there’s a chance no one else will buy into it or take me seriously. And the new website isn’t really completely done yet, but I’ll be working on it this weekend in hopes of finishing it up in time.

And speaking of new, exciting (and possibly scary) things, blogs are a community of support. One of the things I absolutely love about having my blog is the incredible support and friendship I get from fellow bloggers (in addition to all of you readers – you. ROCK. not kidding. love ya). I can’t help but want to give a little bit of support to my friends at East Coast Creative. These two blogging divas have worked their butts off on some amazing transformations, and earlier this month, they premiered on TV with their own show, called Knock It Off. They’re amazing and so very worthy of their tremendous success. So if you haven’t checked this show out yet, you can watch the episodes online like I do. (And if you still have time to read this in your busy schedule, ladies… my congrats to you both!).