Small Guy Promotions Video Blog Trial Run.

Hey guys,

Normally I try to write out a blog, but I wanted to give video blog a shot and see how it would turn out. Please let me know what you think!

As always, I thank you so much for your time!

Small Guy

Another Small Guy Weekend

Tokyo Sushi in the Old Market

Ah yes, we got to take a trip to Tokyo! Tokyo Sushi that is, one of our favorite food places. Yes, we have a lot of favorite food places. Is there anything wrong with that? I think not. This weekend was a chill weekend where I just hung out with the family and maybe I took that promoter hat off. I was going to put it on, but it's nice to just be Danell sometimes! My daughters and I feasted with some friends just after noon at this hot spot. Now, let's talk about Tokyo Sushi. If you are a sushi fan I definitely recommend this place. Can you say "All you can eat"? I can. We were first introduced to the concept of all you can eat sushi at a former restaurant called Wasabi Sushi and I was happy to find out that the owner was a partner at Wasabi. I must make it clear that I am not a food reviewer or connoisseur of any kind. I just know what I do and don't like.

As I said, we met just after noon and I was surprised to see that it was not super busy, especially since the Madness of March was going on. As we walked to the restaurant we even saw someone getting interviewed for what I assume was basketball related. We sat down and put our orders in as usual and awaited our wonderful sushi to be delivered to our table. Of course we had to start off with some Edamame  as an appetizer. Then...

The good stuff! I mean the really good stuff! Spicy Crab, Boston Roll, Crunchy, etc...Oh boy, do we love our sushi. This is another place where you not only get some really great food, but you get the bang for your buck. Kids under 4 and under are free, kids under 12 are $7.99 and adults are $12.99(Lunch Menu)! We began to eat and the food was more than good and was really satisfying the craving that we tend to often get. I will patronize this place as long as it is around. While we were eating the place started to fill in and there was probably only a couple of open tables. This is what you would expect from an all you can eat sushi spot.

These guys behind the bar are the real deal and create a quality product as far as I'm concerned. They are always hard at work to give the people what they want. I always wonder how they can churn out so much food with only 3 chefs. That brings us to my only negative remark about the establishment. Sometimes there is a wait for your food and sometimes you have to remind the wait staff of what you have order, but are missing. In most cases it isn't that bad of an issue aside from one visit that we had. Other than that we love the place and we get the treat of creamy ice cream as dessert.

After lunch the girls wanted to go and hang out at the park by the big slides so we stopped by for a bit. It was a beautiful day to be outside and I am happy that I got the chance to enjoy the day with my little ones. The weather has turned and we are making sure to take advantage of the outdoors which sometimes I have to remind myself to do. It's so easy to get trapped inside with laptops, smart phones, and internet. Taking advantage of life does not include the 3 previous items mentioned. Well, maybe in some cases, but not when it causes you to miss out on the important moments with your family. Balancing schedules and time management are areas where I can improve. I love my girls and love spending time and having fun with them. 

We also got to hang out on Sunday while mom was at work. We took the wagon out that we got for Christmas from my mom. I got in some good exercise by walking and jogging up and down the street for about a half an hour. Quality time  with my girls, sushi and the sun! What a beautiful weekend. I am so blessed for every day I get to wake up, breath, and be a dad. Here's to more days of being alive!

Hanging out at home did have some casualties, but I'm okay with that. Sorry for all the people performing at the CBA, Call Out Battle 2, and Sight & Sound Collision. I love what you guys are doing and I promise to rock with you very soon!

Thanks,

Small Guy

Special thanks to my daughters for allowing me to be a dad!

Small Business Expo

Hello again,

This past weekend Small Guy Promotions and over 30 local Small Businesses and Organization came together for a Small Business Expo. The goal? To meet others who share the same dream of working with like minded individuals and professional growth. Creating an avenue to network and build relationships for the future. This was the third time that Small Guy Promotions has put this event together.

The expo was compiled of an electrician, photographers, food vendors, direct marketing businesses, party planners, a spray tattoo business and so much more! It is a very diverse spectrum of businesses and organizations and it's a great thing to see them all in one room.

As usual I arrived at the facility about an hour and a half before the designated start time of 12:00 PM. No matter how early I arrive it never seems like enough time. From start to finish I find myself running all over the place in what could be considered as organized chaos. The early arrival allows for prep time for the event, but it comes and goes before i know it. I blinked one time and then looked at the clock and it was 12:10.

In no time there were a few people entering the event and the day was looked promising. One of the first guest was a co-worker named Doug and it was great to see a familiar face come out to support. He brought his two sons with him and one of the first things they did was grab some food from 402 BBQ. A few other unfamiliar faces trickled through as well and scattered to meet the various business owners. The attendance seemed to pick up for this event and I have no doubt that we will reach more desired numbers by year's end.

I tried to make my way around to each of the vendors to check on how they felt the event was going and there was mostly good reviews. There was a lot of business being done. My wife, Mitzi who is a cosmetologist and massage therapist, booked four appointments, Kirstine of Thirty One booked a house party, 402 BBQ sold out of their meat, and B&B Classic Dogs gave away all of their hotdogs. While Austin Embroidery, Crown Enterprises Inc, SilverHammer Surveillance, and Ryan Burden all made some great contacts! There were so many positives that I could not list them all. Jimmy Conover Photography was in attendance and sold some awesome pieces. Jock and Jill's Popcorn gave away some tasty samples of their Cheese and Caramel Popcorn that people were raving about.

It was so awesome to get together with all these wonderful people again! This is truly my element and I am on a high at all times. The BIGGEST high though was captured below. A couple of days before the expo my daughter, Jamelah, came to my wife and I to ask if she could sell some headbands and bracelets that she had made from a kit that she received from Christmas. In order to foster her entrepreneurial spirit of course I had to agree! The photo below is of her making her first and only sell, but it was more than enough to make her day. She sold three items for a grand total of $7.50! I think she is well on her way and we have decided that it will be a good idea to put in some hard work before the next expo so we can have more merchandise to sell. I have a good feeling about this.

Jamelah's Fist Sale

I cannot thank all of the businesses enough for choosing to be a part of this expo. Each and every time I am so grateful to have these magnificent people in my circle. Before the day was over there were multiple requests to be notified for the next expo that goes on. We will try to stay on track to have an event each quarter and we will find new facilities to make experiences in different parts of the city.

I would like to give one more big THANK YOU to all who either participated as a vendor or took some time out of their day to come by and say hello. You are so appreciated and Small Guy Promotions could not do this without you. You make us strive to be better than before!

Our good friends, Joe & Kristin from It Works

Thank you for your time,

Small Guy Promotions

Special thanks to everyone and sorry we couldn't fit you all in on the blog. For a full list of businesses please check out the event page.

#SmallBusiness Expo video #2! (@smallguypromo13)

Promotion for the March 14th, 2015 Small Business Expo at Hope Skate in Omaha, Nebraska.

Small Guy Weekend in Review

Every day is great and every weekend day is even better! I say this because I'm alive and my family is safe, happy, and healthy. Although, I have not always appreciated life as much as I do now. I've had to learn that we are blessed to be alive! My father died on October 5, 2012 and after going through all the various stages of mourning (I'm not so sure all the stages are complete) I realized that I have to live life and be happy because the alternative ain't so grand. One year ago today I was again reminded to appreciate every day that I get to wake up and breath in air on this wonderful earth. I was reminded when a good friend of mine, Kevin Beach, passed away. This was one of the happiest dudes you could ever know! Words could not describe what this guy meant to those who knew him. So, it is because of those 2 people that every day is a good day! I...No, We owe it to ourselves to live for the ones who can no longer do so. Because life truly is a gift!

Hopefully now you can now see why I see things the way I do. Now, let's talk about this great weekend. Friday was a nice chill day with the family and it's always needed. We hung out, ate some food from a fish fry, and watched Earth to Echo. It was a a decent enough movie, but more than that the quality time is always a hot commodity. It's crazy how the people the drive you the craziest are the people you love the most! A stranger can only make you so crazy, but a close loved one can make you want to pull your hair out. I have dreads so it might take a while for me to pull them all out. This a relatively calm evening without too much whining and fighting. Fine by me!

Let's move on to Saturday Night. It's a tradition for our family to go out and celebrate birthdays for my aunt, my mom, and my dad all at one big dinner. We stopped back out to our new go to Chinese place, Golden Bowl, in Bellevue. That was of course a good time. Food, Family, and Fun!

Jimmy Conover Photography

Jimmy Conover Photography

 After dinner it was time to strap on the Promoter Hat and hit The Slowdown for the AJ the Dread CD Release Party called Stage Fright. Due to the dinner and laziness I was unsure if I was going to make it back out, but if you can't support your own partners how can you expect them to support you. Sometimes you gotta just get out and do it. I was not able to make it on time and I missed a couple of good performances from D Damage, Greco, and TKO. Sorry fellas maybe next time. I was able to see The Young Funk,
GrownKidz, and the headliner, AJthe Dread. It was another great night for music in the city and I was happy that I did get out to see this. I had not seen The Young Funk before and had only heard about them previously. Boy, I was impressed by these guys. It's so nice when you can experience new music. GrownKidz always put together a clean set and the chemistry that they display is something special. I knew that the first time I saw them perform at the Hideout. AJthe Dread has his own style and will be the first to tell you that though he may not be the nicest emcee his stage presence and energy is what will set him apart from others. That's not to say that he doesn't have skills on the mic because he does and the crowd is always moving and interacting when he's on stage. All in all it was a beautiful night of entertainment and I am eager to get out and see more shows. These guys play a crucial part in my own experiences and I am thankful to each one of them!

All that being said, these 2 Transformers might have received a good amount of attention throughout the night and probably got more pics with fans than the artists! Haha. I think they were a highlight of a lot of people's nights. Myself included. I don't have much to say about these guys other than they are AWESOME!!!

If you took the time to read through this I'm truly thankful. I sit down and don't know where to start and before I know it I have written more than intended. I hope it's not overkill. I think I might have to find time to blog more than once a week because there is a lot going on and I love it!

Thank you,

Small Guy Promotions

Special thanks to EVERYONE!

Another Great Weekend!

When it starts off as a 4 day weekend it's already a good one! Of course it was another fun-filled one. Friday morning I was able to attend the African-American Business Networking Luncheon in North Omaha put together by the great folks over at Revive! Omaha Magazine and The Empowerment Network. I was only able to stay for a short time, but there was a room full of people that were there for the same goal...To help! If you have read anything that I have written before you know that this is a big thing with me. The group serves as a conduit to find resources for various needs that include assistance with business plans, investments, micro-business loans, and so much more. To kick things off there was some time to network individually and then the group setting where everyone got to give a little synopsis of who they were and what they did. There were some usuals and some people new to the group like myself. This is a group that has a whole cast of experienced and successful individuals from different backgrounds. I was happy to have received an invite to this luncheon and hope to make it to another one soon. I'd have more to report if I was able to stay longer.

402 BBQ

The 2 reasons I couldn't stay! I had scheduled another meet and greet with #ScubaSteve from Hit That Dive to enjoy some amazing food from 402 BBQ. This was definitely not my first experience with 402 BBQ as we have worked together for the first 2 Small Guy Promotions Small Business Expos, we will be working together again for the next Small Business Expo and we have become friends throughout our interactions. They are some really cool people and I am so happy we get to work together and that they sell me food!

Hit That Dive

However, this was my first opportunity to meet Steve as we had come into contact with each other via #Twitter. For a few months I have followed him and we've have talked back and forth about great places to find wings in #Omaha and other everyday Twitter talk. I am truly happy that I was able to meet him in person because he is genuinely a nice guy. I mean, you don't stand outside in 20 degree weather talking to just anyone! Well, maybe I would, but you get what I'm saying. He is a giving soul and we really vibed and I think it's safe to say that we will keep in touch. I don't call this networking! This was more than that. It was a chance to meet someone who is out to do positive things in the city of Omaha and for a real connection to be made. Again, I am blessed for so many things like this happening.  

Have I begun to bore you yet? I usually try to keep it short and sweet, but my Friday was jam packed! Later in the evening I was able to hang out with 6 of my good friends for a Fellas Night Out. We try to have this happen once a month or so just to keep in touch because we all know that life is hectic and sometimes we don't make time for the ones closest to us that we should be making time for. Long story short, we met at Varsity Sports Cafe & Roman Coin Pizza, ate, drank, and had a good time! We always have a good time.

I have to touch on Saturday for just a bit because it was the most special day of the weekend. It was my youngest daughter's 4th birthday. She's not a baby anymore! Well, she'll always be my baby. If you have the pleasure of being a parent you know how that feels. I can't believe it's been so long and though we have our temper tantrums and sassy attitude I know I am blessed to have her! She was so excited for her birthday party and she was happy that most of the family could make it. We were only  missing my brother-in-law, her uncle, due to having to work. It was a special day and I know she loved it.

On Sunday we just hung out and relaxed as a family. A great ending to another great weekend!

As always, thank your for taking the time to share in my thoughts. I hope you had a great weekend too!

Until next time...

Special thanks to 402 BBQ, Hit That Dive, Revive! Omaha Magazine, and The Empowerment Network