practical and meaningful

i am a mompreneur

Raising my daughter and running my businesses simulaneously takes a lot of effort, refined systems, and balancing.

I am grateful I get to do both. I am aware that not everyone can carve out their work day to pick up at the bus and be with your kids until bedtime - even if it means staying up til midnight working after they go to sleep. I love working and the example I am setting for my daughter. She is ripe with ideas for businesses, and I cannot wait to see what she does in the world with her talent and drive.

Not having much time to myself, and not having a perfectly kept house - is a fine exchange for the benefit of my children  - my daughter - and my businesses.

Tonight I am honored to speak on a panel of extraordinary mompreneur's as part of a fundraiser for Larchmont Charter West Hollywood.  We will hold the event at the art studio in Hollywood- and feel free to come support the school and be inspired.

busy busy weeks

i feel as though I have been MIA on the blog - just very busy with work on all fronts. In our third week of Sping Break camps at the art studio and booked solid with crafty. See you very soon! Miss you! love, Cyndi

 

LA TIMES Business Section

It is important to tell our story. To inform people how things came to be. To understand how we came to be. To see forward movement in our lives and goals.

Part of my story is told today in the Los Angeles Times Business section!

 

practical solution

IF you do not use the whole package of something from the freezer - simply cut the instructions from the original box and include it in the ziplock bag and pop it back in the freezer.  Great for keeping the food fresher and practical for a babysitter = or someone else who may want to cook it up - but needs instructions.

 

keep the ants off the picnic table

pour a little dry laundry detergent around the legs of your tables and the ants will not disturb your picnic food. They do not like the smell or the texture.  I have also heard that ants will not cross a chalk line, so if you are on cement, you might try that as well!

one of the original sunday night dinners on the roof in downtown los angeles

this is how i learned to cook. this is how i loved to bring people together. this is what led to starting my company Sunday Night Dinner.

i used to have these dinner parties on the roof every six weeks for 50 people.

we had the best view and we always had the best time.

recharge

my batteries are low and i need to plug in everything - the phone, the computer, the camera, the blackberry.

also

need to unplug everything and take a day off.

pin cushion

This was my great grandmother's handmade pin cushion. I just love it.

Experience with experience.

My crazy busy life has gotten more crazy busy.

I am in the midst of a new project that has me reeling with excitement, bursting with creativity, feeling productive.... and I am loving every minute of it! 

Every day is filled solid with paperwork, filings, leases, finding the right people, decorating, creating, working on curriculum, working with the bank, opening new accounts, phone calls, interviews, meetings, emails, texts, lining up the painter/plumber/handyman for when I get my new space (March 1st!), ETC...

All while running my existing business , being a mom and a wife, documenting the world around me, writing a book called practical and meaningful, and taking care of the house and pets.

My existing business is  a craft services (we feed crews that work on TV shows) company called Sunday Night Dinner. I started the company in 1997 as a way to supplement my income as a photographer. Establishing and growing the company has been fulfilling and I learned the business as I went along. I worked hard.  I got more clients. I made mistakes. I emptied the trash. I made money. I grew more.  I hired the wrong people. I let things slide. I worked harder. The economy tanked. The business got harder. I got antsy. 

A few months ago, I was ready to walk away and move on.  Then my new project took shape and as a welcomed result, I have fallen back in love with my crafty company and am moving full speed ahead with creating the new project (DETAILS COMING SOON!).

When we are inspired with our work, we work better.  Here are some of the things I have noticed lately...

My communication is clear and precise. I am motivated and proactive. My people who work for my existing company seem happier. I work on every thing every single day. My daily life is a little more disorganized (dishes in the sink, clothes unlaundered) but my creative life and work life are perfectly in order. My family is happy. I embrace and accept all the roles that are mine.

Everything I have done in the past is serving me now as I undertake this new project. Working for people, working with people, having people work for me, my travels and adventures, my creative life, being a mom, entertaining, cooking, budgeting, throwing parties, making things beautiful, photography, and being an entrepreneur. All my past experience is serving me now and the process seems almost effortless.

Experience with experience.