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                                  

Doing Things The Right Way

Doing things the right way, that is what I feel like I'm doing. I am not so concerned about not growing as fast as I initially thought Small Guy Promotions would. Why? Aside from feeling that I am adequately learning what to do to be successful I feel like we are doing things the right way. In this journey I have come across a lot of people who seem to share a lot of the same thoughts as myself. People who not only want to grow their businesses, but who want to establish genuine relationships with other businesses. Working together in a collaborated effort to build something great is an awesome feeling. I LOVE being a part of this collective movement. 

On that note, let's talk about the next Small Guy Promotions Small Business Expo that is taking place on March 14th at Hope Skate. In continuing this new what I hope will be a tradition we will be gathering again to market and advertise our small businesses. Last night was a marvelous night because a handful of the businesses involved met over a meal at B & B Classic Dogs in Bellevue so that we could introduce ourselves to one another and gameplan for the event. It felt so good to meet with these business owners and it is so assuring to me knowing that even if hundreds of people from the community do not show up we will still be comfortable visiting with each other. We had some really good conversation time and I always say that I do not want to do business with people that I cannot have a meal with. If we are not comfortable enough to sit and have a meal together why should we be in business together?

 I think that we are making steps in the right direction and in time I have no doubt that we will get the attendance that these businesses deserve. It is important to keep the overall goal in mind, but to also set smaller ones that are attainable and keep you motivated. We have some ideas about getting the word out about this event and I feel good about the situation. We will just keep forging ahead and making leeway until we can see the finish line! Well, we hope to see you there at this incredible event.

Info for the expo:
Small Guy Promotions Small Business Expo

Thank you for your time,

Small Guy Promotions

Special thanks to B & B Classic Dogs for their hospitality and great food! Please make sure to visit their restaurant. B & B Classic Dogs

A Great Weekend

Oh boy, this weekend was a blast! On Friday we stopped out to the Kroc Center Omaha for a free family night. It was great! My oldest daughter and I got to spend some quality time together just the two of us which doesn't happen anymore. We watched Frozen, she got to make an Olaf cookie, and she made a wand. It was a pretty great night! To top it off, as we walked out my daughter said, "This was a good Meme(her nickname)- Daddy time." That was when it occurred to me that since we are so busy we don't get our own time. It's always all of us together or her sister and the two of us, I didn't know it, but it was a much needed night.

Saturday was date night with my wonderful wife! We got to go to a The Down Under, a local bar, and be swept away by the soulful sounds of  an acoustic R&B artist by the name of Jamire Gray. Jamire is very talented and we wanted to go out and support him on this beautiful night in Omaha. This made for a very relaxing and fun evening. We stayed for a couple of hours and enjoyed some original and cover songs. So glad that we got the opportunity to do this and I hope to not only see Jamire again soon, but also work with him. He is an amazing talent and provided a perfect atmosphere for a date night.

Here's a little sample.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEu_bVfLcMc

Sunday was another awesome day! We get a lot of awesome days around my house it seems. We as a family went to see Paddington Bear at Marcus Twin Creek in Bellevue. We got to sit in the oh so comfortable recliners at this remodeled theater and kick back and laugh. This was a pretty good movie to my surprise because I was not sure what to expect. I hadn't seen any previews for the movie and did not know the storyline. I vaguely remembered the name Paddington Bear from my childhood so it was foreign to me. We sat and watched as my youngest and I dosed off for a bit during the movie. Nothing to do with the quality of the movie at all, but those dang recliners and the dimmed lights make the conditions just right to catch a couple of quick ZZZs. I would say that the movie is good and I would recommend seeing it if you want to take the kids out for some fun at the movies.

I'm always so thankful for all the fun we get to have as a family. Too often time slips through our fingertips and we fail to realize all the loss moments that we missed out on. I definitely hope that we have more weekends like this!

Thanks to #JamireGray, #KrocCenter, #PaddingtonBear, and #MarcusTwinCreek.

Until next time, have wonderful days!

Just stopped by to blog

Well, I'm stopping by to blog again! It hasn't been as long, but I need to make sure to get on here more often. Things have been going great as of late and I have no complaints. It seems like we're gaining ground and people are starting to know who Small Guy Productions is...Oh, I mean Promotions. Though my business is titled #SmallGuyPromotions people tend to say Small Guy Productions. I'm not sure why. I usually just tell them that the only thing I produce is results. Haha. Hopefully in due time people will recognize who we are.

I have a feeling that 2015 will be another great year! We already have our first #SmallBusiness Expo scheduled for March 14th at Hope Skate from 12:00-4:00PM and it seems like people enjoy them. I have been receiving a good amount of interest for this expo so we may have 30 vendors this time out. Can't wait! #Omaha, stop out and see us and find out what all these awesome businesses are about.

Until later,

Danell

Keep It Moving!

Well, I've been bad about getting on and blogging. I know I need to get on and do it more often, but the time just disappears and I don't know where it went. Alas, I am back! These last few months have been something. I can't remember ever feeling better in the past than I have in these last few months. The positivity seems to be taking control and bringing in new possibilities. I was asked to be a co-host on a web radio show called Surviving Life's Tribulations that is broadcast on 1690AM The One, then asked by a blog site to provide an article about a favor that has been done for me that made a big impact, after that I received an invite to speak to a youth group about any topic that might be near and dear to me, we recently had another small business expo, and this weekend we put on our second live music show. It's been busy to say the least.

Dona Smith, is my co-host on Surviving Life's Tribulations and she is the one that asked to be on her show. I was shocked to get this request, but happy to take on this task. I've been known to be a talker so this was right up my alley! Basically, we get to sit around and talk with new guests each week about serious topics that people have to deal with and how they overcome these situations. If you would like to tune in we are on Mondays from 6:00-7:00PM (CST). If you are unable to tune in live we podcast the show so you can watch when you have time. I've provided a link from the most emotional show that I've been a part of. I hope you can check this out as its so close to home.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/55797905

Out of the blue I was contacted via #Twitter by someone from a blog called OweYaa asking me if I would like to take part in providing an example of a a time when I did a favor for someone or someone did a favor for me. They requested that I present an article to them between 400-800 words and this. It was an awesome opportunity! If you have a few minutes I've pasted the link below.

http://blog.oweyaa.com/favor-change-in-the-world-launch-your-business-through-favors/

I had never spoke in front of a group before so this was also a big first. I wasn't worried because again, I like to talk. A local youth minister name Stacia, that I had met in the previous year while promoting for Hip Hope Fest, reached out to me to see if I had any interest in speaking to the youth group at her church. I didn't think I was the right person for the job, but after speaking with her she thought I might be a perfect fit so I agreed to do it. It was a great experience as I spoke with the group about being positive, anti bullying, and giving back. I was given 20-25 minutes and I got rolling and before I knew it my time was up. Boy do I like to talk!

I won't go into too much detail as I'm going on and on, but the 2nd edition of the Small Guy Promotions Small Business Expo was another way for people to get together and network while sparking some business. We still didn't have the desired foot traffic, but we had over 20 businesses and I know we're headed in the right direction. The next one will be in March and we will began planning soon!

Lastly, we brought Just Music, a live music show, to the Side Door Lounge. The lineup was great and filled with talent! We started the night with DJ El Ness spinning to get the audience warmed up and then Syd Matson kicked off the performance portion followed by Jamire Gray. We took a brief intermission and came back with Jay White, Nate O, and then finished the evening with The Madness Apparatus. Believe me when I tell you that people were blown away by talent that poured out from the performance area. It was like the greatest show that not many were talking about. After the show I think people will begin to take notice. #Omaha has so many talented people that it's crazy that we have not been recognized as a supreme power. Our time will arrive, I have no doubt. No matter what the plan is to stay busy and keep it moving! We'll see you soon and I promise to try to stay more up to date with the blog. Maybe I'll even blog again this week!

Stay tuned for more!