::randy pausch::

my mother bought me the last lecture for my 26th birthday. she said she hoped it would inspire me. i've wanted to read this book and watch his lecture for some time, yet never got around to doing it. time is such a funny thing.

for those of you who don't know who randy pausch is...let me fill you in. he is a professor at carnegie melon who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given 3-6 months to live. he is a mentor, father of three adorable children, husband, son, brother, but most importantly an inspiration. isn't it interesting that people only really find purpose to their lives (the purpose to really live) when they don't have much of their life left? what are we all waiting for? here is his webpage complete with video of his last lecture and updates on how he is doing http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/

i watched his lecture on my laptop, late last night when i couldn't sleep (still stuffed with bday cake). for 76 minutes, my eyes were glued, i was enthralled by his devotion to his family, students, and his unrelenting desire to acheive his childhood dreams and leave a mark on the world. That and he was pretty funny. It made me think about my own childhood dreams and dreams that have developed as of last few years. would i ever be able to accomplish them all? i think olympic gymnast is out of the running.

i want to leave behind a legacy. i want to be proud of my life and know that i did something that really helped others. i like to think i help animals when i volunteer at the shelter, or help clients achieve weight loss goals or do away with their blood pressure medicine. all those things are great, but they aren't on a global scale. i really hope my jewelry will be an outlet to reach people and organizations worldwide. i just keep thinking one person really can make a difference.

i am excited to have just purchased some recycled glass beads made from artisans in Ghana. the sale of their beads supports local businesses.

to be contd.......

:: i also heart eric kass::

a lot of people want to be so secretive about their vendors. i say share the love. i found the most amazing guy to do my logo and business cards. every now and then i like to check out his site and saw that my card was on his recent work blog. check him and his blog out. really fantastic stuff!!

http://www.funnel.tv/

and blog

http://funnel-eric-kass.blogspot.com/

::picking a reputable registered agent::

As my one year anniversary looms, it is almost that time again to send in my list of officers (who are all me). Annoying business cost=$125. It's also time to decide whether or not to stick with my current registered agent.

Q. What the hell is a registered agent?
A. If you are an LLC (limited liability company) then you must have a registered agent. There is a great article defining who they are and what they do here http://www.score.org/leg_registered_agent but in layman's terms they are glorified mail forwarders. The state in which you incorporate (Nevada for me) requires certain forms etc. be completed and filed every year to keep a good business standing. As a small business and as a new business, having a decent mail forwarder is very important. The last thing you want is your company to be in default which can result in the loss of your LLC status. Not good!

Q. How do you pick one out of all the RA's out there?
A. I noticed in my research that there are a million and one RA's out there. It's sort of being like a notary, anyone can do it. I found it best to go with a company (not a person) that is large and a member of the better business bureau. Usually the larger companies have more staff to deal with customer services issues or questions. The only draw back is they might be a tad more expensive but it is worth not having to risk losing your status and or paying a lot of extra money out of pocket to get back into good standing. I got 12 months of registered agent services FREE with The Company Corporation because I had them form my LLC which you can totally save the few hundred bucks and do yourself. Now they want to charge me $215 for another year. While they are reputable and have an excellent customer service, there are still companies out there that are worthwhile and do not charge so much. After speaking with a rep from bizfilings.com, I learned they will pay all the necessary state fees (since I am transfering my RA) and only charge $139/year still offering all the things The Company Corporation offers. Another one worth checking out is legalzoom.com

Sort of seems overwhelming but if you have any questions feel free to email me info@isabelladean.com

***MONEY SAVER TIP*** If you have a good friend or family member who resides in the state in which you are incorporated, you can save yourself the time, effort, and money of finding an RA and make them your RA. All you have to do is list their name and address on your state form, pay your fee (which I believe is 75 for Nevada) and make them promise to forward you the important documents the state sends to them to you and on time! Many of the forms the state sends are renewals and are time sensitive. Hopefully, you will never find yourself in this mess, but they could also send you notice that someone is taking legal action against you.

::lesson numero uno::

command what you are worth. after talking with some fellow business people, i learned that I was pricing my stuff WAY to low. i was barely covering my costs in the name of keeping it extremely affordable. i tried really hard to keep my profits low to keep affordability high totally neglecting the fact that my pieces are unique, eco-friendly, and most of them completely one of a kind. ex: my heavy cuff-i should have said in my description, sterling silver inlaid with blood, sweat, and tears. there is no way i'll ever be able to make that the same way again. maybe something with the same concept but nothing close to that. in a day and age where people are paying over 200 dollars for the same pair of cookie cutter jeans, 400 plus for iphones and other pdas, and in a market where gold hit 1000 dollars per troy ounce, i feel like i now priced my pieces accordingly, hopefully something for everyone. command what you are worth.

::i heart etsy.com::

i've stumbled across etsy.com a place for those to sell handmade goods. love love this site!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5683101

::to plunge or not to plunge::

id celebrates her first birthday this july. its almost a year later and i still haven't fully taken the plunge (i.e taking out a massive loan and devoting 23 hrs a day to watching id grow) for a whole year now, i've been thinking of anything and everything to distract me from my real passion (personal training, applying to law school, etc) what a contradiction from my first blog. when it gets down to it, i know i am just as scared as everyone else to really take the plunge, and why should i be? with big risk comes big reward, right? i keep thinking if i have a part time job i'll have more money to help me really pursue my passion or at least something extra to put in my bank account when this doesn't work out. (did i just say that?!)  what really ended up happening, was me stressing out so much about working for a company whose business model i detested, that I literally started having heart palpitations. Who knew at 25, I'd be diagnosed with having mitral valve prolapse with palpitations brought on by stress!!

i'll be 26 in a few weeks. i have no boyfriend. no dog. no huge responsibilities. my family and friends have done nothing but support and encourage me. so why am i still sitting on the idea of taking out a loan? it's clear that i can't work for others and its time to be my own boss. my uncle did it over 29 years ago when he co-founded boston acoustics. he is an example of big risk-big reward. stay tuned...i will make a decision about diving  in head first by my 26th birthday, May 20th.

::officially official::

it's official. just to reiterate my point that you do not need some overpriced lawyer, i received notice that my application for my trademark has been approved and will be published in the Official Gazette next week. see, you can do this yourself!!!

this is my proof of being a badass.