This could take a while since I’m trying to create a post on my Google Phone. I’ve not yet learned how to type all characters with my thumbs. I hang on the phone with one hand putting those digits out of commission and use only one finger on the other hand. So Freakin’ slow.

I needed this to be said. I have wonderful and talented neighbours. As friendly neighbours, we know each other by first name and respective dog’s names. We rarely know occupations or even last names of people we chat with on a regular basis. Only because they have offered to help me, have I learned more.

I’ve had booth help at my first show from a very smart, young woman, Sarah. This was the Glengarry Highland Games in Maxville, Ontario. She was a great support – helping me set up my first-ever booth as well as fiddling with my phone between Square purchases to install a Facebook Business Site and link it to the Instagram Business Site she also installed, all the while explaining my product and processing sales for 2 gruelingly long days. Here I should also mention, we had tremendous help from two of my LV work colleagues, Joanne and Christopher, whom without their help, things would have been pretty darn hectic. Half my display might still be sitting in a field on the outskirts of Maxville to this day, if not for the added bonus of storage space in their vehicle as well as mine.

Rick, another neighbour, helped me at the North Lanark Highland Games. His help allowed me to assemble dragonflies for customers who made a donation to CHEO, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. With Rick’s support, I was able to attend this show, raise money for a well-supported charity AND while there, by total coincidence, met Raya Moffat, my new agent.

Next, again purely by coincidence, I was chatting with Diane, and Louise by our community mail boxes. As with many of my current conversations, my business came up. Diane was away much of the summer so didn’t know about Hazy Dayz Dragonflies. I told her of a stumbling block I was ever-increasingly worried about – Tracking and organizing my finances and keeping the business separate from my personal money. I talked about the QuickBooks software loaded on this laptop that I could make no sense of but had installed on the request of my accountant. She seemed more interested then most as I was explaining my dilemma… or at least her eyes didn’t glaze over. Then Louise mentions that Diane is a retired TAX consultant. No wonder her eyes didn’t glaze. This stuff is in her wheel-house. Diane offered to look at the mess I was allowing to pile up. She is now helping me get a grip on financial reporting and paperwork. It seems that as soon as one stack is squared away, a new stack forms: purchase orders; invoices; multiple bank statements; packing slips; bills that were ‘Personal’ but now can be partially ‘Business’ expenses and cash register receipts galore! This is to say nothing of all the new adverts showing up in my mailbox due to my new company. Should I mention the reams of emails I now get? It’s never-ending. Thank you Diane.

Now I find (Moved to Laptop – silly phone….) I have another neighbour who has a degree in Social Media Marketing. How perfectly pinteresting!

Jazlyn and I have had our first meeting and require many more. Now that I have my verification code from Google via ‘Snail Mail’ – Yes, Google does snail mail from Philadelphia, PA, – I’ve removed part of my address – as this is “safer.” I’m sure many of you, worried about that very issue are breathing a sigh of relief… LOL. That being said, if I’ve never met you yet, please don’t drop by for tea unless you wish to be put to work: Windows (Tech Help); Wiring (Dragonflies); or Floors (Really – Floors – They need a good scrub. 🙂 )

Jazlyn has explained some details about asking friends (That would be YOU) to review my website and Google page so I can capture more hits/likes/reviews/purchases and-ring-around-the-Rosie-we-go. (Jaz didn’t say that part. That’s just how I remember it.) She DID say that I need to take time to do the same for things that pop up on my screen that I’m not searching for when I do a search. She calls it organic something-or-other… getting hits and potential customers who were not even looking for me or dragonflies. Jaz explained that if I do it, it increases my visibility as others will see Hazy Dazy Dragonflies on other sites and may click on it just out of curiosity or even by accident. This is how you can grow a following, not only by people you actually know or have met. A following begets a larger following and translates into sales. Interesting. I think I understand it… Do I?

Here’s hoping you have neighbours like mine. You are blessed if you do.

Sue and Axie