Visit to IKA Ramen in Benson

I was so excited to experience a full menu for Ramen at IKA Ramen and Izakaya located at 6324 Maple St. in Benson. I previously attended the restaurant at the end of 2015 for their soft opening. It was nice to be able to go back and try some additional items like the Gyoza and Pork Belly Steamed Buns.

Gyoza

Pork Belly Steamed Buns

I could go on and on about how great the food is, but I don't want to bore you people who might be reading this. Oh wait, this is my blog so I can go on and on if I want. Haha. No, but seriously. If you know anything about Small Guy Promotions you know that I love to eat and support local small businesses. I really want people to understand that the small business owner is typically one who not only appreciates all business, but who really relies on the local community to be patrons of their establishments. Nothing against the big companies, but they don't need any help to succeed because the have deep pockets in general and a surplus for marketing budgets. Now, back to one of our fellow small guys, IKA Ramen, a new and hopefully flourishing business.

On this trip I went with my friend, Joe, because we had really been wanting some Ramen. The restaurant itself appears to be a little unconventional from your usual restaurant, but I think it adds to the atmosphere of the place. It was packed during our visit and Joe thought that they will be needing to move into a bigger spot at some point. With the way the food tastes and how many people were there I'd say Joe is correct if this is what normal business is like. The food was really good and I feel like the location is one where people will be sure to stop and have a bite. I believe that this is a place that people return to after the first encounter. 

I am not a food critic of any sort so I will not be getting technical with things like the density of the noodles and how the potent combination of ingredients in the broth create a flavorful synergy that pleases the palate. I will simply say that the food is good and these guys seem to know what they are doing. As a fan of Naruto I definitely felt the need to say, "itadakimasu!" before eating. Haha. I had the Paitan as my main dish with some added noodles and pork belly. It was so, YUM! The only thing that was not high on our list was the Grilled Chicken Skin. It is not that it was bad, but it just was not necessarily my thing. It had some good qualities like the nice kick and flavor, however, there was something about it that reminds you of something, but you cannot remember what. Other than that, everything was awesome and I will certainly be back.  

Paitan with added Pork Belly and Noodles in Chicken Broth

If you are a fan of Ramen or just trying new things I highly recommend giving them a try! If you are new to Ramen please allow for a slight wait for your food as they make everything for you including the noodles.

Thanks to IKA Ramen and Izakaya for a wonderful meal! To view a short video of our visit please click here.

Thank you for reading and have a great week!

Small Guy Promotions

You can also follow me on

Twitter: @smallguypromo13

Instagram: smallguypromo13

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone! I hope you had a great weekend.

Attended Event:
Dispatcher Down! Fundraiser for Tina Spetzman(video)
Dispatcher Down! Fundraiser for Tina Spetzman(event page)

Small Biz Spotlight:
eCreamery-webpage
eCreamery-Facebook Page

Thank you all for tuning in. I really appreciate your time!

Small Guy

Follow me:
Facebook-Small Guy Promotions
Twitter-@smalguypromo13
Instagram-small_guy_promotions

An Eventful Weekend

Happy Hump Day!

Well, it was another fun filled weekend and we remain blessed to be able to do so many fun things and stay fairly active. I still feel like we don't get to do as much as we would like. Check out the new video and give me some feedback. What do yo think?

I love being able to sit here and talk! It is a great feeling to know that this is my baby and that through this I might be able to help someone else get recognition for something that they love to do. Though it is sometimes hard to sketch out time I am happy to do this and I hope you find some value in what I'm doing. If not, it's still fun! Plus, I like to hear my own voice. Haha.


                                                            Event Spotlight
                                                            The Call Out 3

Artist Spotlight
J Crum - Mercy(Click link to hear now)                                                                   


As always, thank you for tuning in! I can only do so much without you. You make this possible and you are important to me.

Thank you,

Small Guy

Special Thanks to:
The Callout
Big Mama's Sandwich Shop
Revive! Omaha Magazine
Omaha Public Library
National Safety Council, Nebraska
YMCA

Just Being Small Guy Promotions

Heyyyyyy everyone,

Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is going well so far. Thank you for tuning in to another Small Guy Vlog. I truly appreciate everyone that checks in to see what we're up to.

                                                         Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Event to look forward to this weekend:

The Call Out 3

Please leave comments and share because I would love to hear from you! Don't forget to check out Small Guy Promotions on Facebook for your chance to win the $25 AMC Gift Card.

Have a great week,

Small Guy
                                                            
A special thanks to the following:
The Millionaires Club
Gooseneck Productions
Blu Boi Muusic
The Barley Street Tavern
The 402

Bachelor Weekend Recap

Hello everyone,

This weekend was a little bit of everything. I was able hang out with the family, catch a live music show, and get some golfing in! Always a win.

Video Recap

                                                                  Attended this show

Bonecrusher

Live Music Clips:

AJtheDread

TKO with Smurph Muusic

Bonecrusher


                    May 23rd                          Upcoming shows:                    June 13th

Blu Boi/Small Guy Promotions Presents:

Feel Good Music

I always like to read and hear feedback so if you have any please leave it. I appreciate everyone that takes the time to listen and read.

Thank you,

Small Guy

Easter Weekend 2015

This weekend we celebrated Easter. It's always a great time with the family and to see the kids so happy. We continued this week with a video blog and I must say that I like this avenue so much! So, here you go I hope you like it.

                                                           Easter Weekend VLog

If you would like to know more about the events mentioned you can do so here. The Light Poetic Ministry and their event the The Garden took place on 4/5/15.

OMO Productions Blu Boi Muusic and AK Presents: Bonecrusher will be on 4/11/15.

Have a great week everyone!

Thank you for your time,

Small Guy Promotions

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                                  

The Garden

Hello again,

Today I bring you a discussion about an event my family attended called The Garden that was put on by The Light Poetic Ministry and took place on the University of Nebraska at Omaha Campus in The Thompson Center this past Saturday. This was not the first event that I have attended that was put on by this awesome small organization and if you are not familiar with them I invite you to take a minute to learn what they are about. As if the name doesn't say it all one of the main features of this organization is to minister through poetry. However, this gathering was not only for poets, but for musicians, dancers, and  they also had a couple of vendors on location. This was an open mic night that featured various artists from a truly diverse background.

The goal? To give people an opportunity to do the thing they love while being in an environment that was free of judgement. Not only that, but to get the word out about the mission of The Light Poetic Ministry. The mission of serving the community with the talent that God has given them. At a previous event they were raising money to help a daycare that went out of their way to help families by providing services and only charging the parents at a rate of "Whatever they could afford to pay" and I had never heard of anything like this. They use the performances as a driver to get people excited about the movement. We didn't get to catch the all the performances, but we were able to see some pretty talented people.We saw 4 or 5 poets, a contemporary dancer, a sax player, and a young music artist that was only 5 years old and who probably stole the show.

 Here's one that we missed!

Allen Stevenson performing at The Garden

There was a $5 suggested donation(if you didn't have it they still invited you to come) at the door and though it would seem that the funds would go to The Light Poetic Ministry Allen and Angelica Stevenson had a trick up their sleeve. Towards the end of the performances Allen called four people to the front of the room. One was in charge of a Chest Club, another was Miss Black Nebraska, another was a single mother of four, and the last a single father. These individuals did not know why they were being called to the front of the room and to their surprise Allen had planned on giving back right then and there. He had an envelope for each person containing some of the proceeds that were received at the door. This was the Light Poetic Ministry's way of instant charity I guess you could say. They wanted to plant the seeds for plants to grow in this beautiful garden that they were trying to nurture. I think they succeeded!

They have a lot of big ideas for 2015 and there is a dynamic thought process behind what they are doing. Each event and interaction is a chance to gain momentum and move things in the direction of their ultimate goal of helping as many people as they can. I applaud their actions and I am happy to have met such a fine couple of individuals. They share the mindset with Small Guy Promotions that we can all come together and build a bond that can be stronger than anything we could ever imagine.

Thank you for your time and please feel free to leave comments!

Small Guy Promotions

Be sure to visit The Light Poetic Ministry site at: http://www.thelightpoeticministry.com/
#Omaha #Giving #SmallGuyPromotions

Eating Food and Supporting the Small Guy

Hey all,

Today I want to talk a bit about our Friday night experience at a new restaurant in Bellevue called the Golden Bowl. The family and I were sitting around contemplating about where we should go and eat dinner and we could not decide. My wife and I both share a common characteristic of being indecisive at times when we need to make decisions. We probably sat around for 20 minutes being hungry trying to figure out a good place to go. I even threw the question out on social to try and spark some assistance. Well, that did not help as we did not get much feedback.

A light bulb went off in my head remembering how I had saw that this new Chinese Restaurant had opened up in Bellevue and not only was it good, but affordable as well. I told myself that I would make sure to take a visit to try the establishment as eating food and supporting the #SmallGuy are two of my favorite things so this was a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. I made my mind up that this would be the place for dinner. My wife was just happy that a decision was finally made.

We got on Yelp to get directions to this new place as we only knew it was on Fort Crook Road. It only took about 10-15 minutes to get there and when we pulled up we remembered eating at the location once before when it was a German restaurant. We walked in and were pleasantly surprised by the small and intimate design. We were immediately greeted and seated when we walked in the door. We were off to a very good start!

Combination Fried Rice

The portions were huge and we could not believe the amount of food that we received when it came out. My daughter wanted the Combination Fried Rice and it was a mountain sized serving! This was only the personal size and not the family size. The portions were not the only big thing here as the shrimp were a decent size in this dish.

Barbecue Fried Rice

Sweet & Sour Chicken

For me, I again could not decide. Since I did not want to settle for one thing I ordered two items to share. I only shared a little because it was good! Haha. No, I did share and there was plenty for leftovers that got devoured on Saturday for lunch. I got the Barbecue Fried Rice and the Sweet & Sour Chicken and neither dish disappointed. I wish I could have ate more. Each dish came with two Crab Rangoon which made my wife and girls happy. When I cracked one open it was so thick and creamy and I really enjoyed it. The Barbecue Fried Rice was so good that I did not even dare to put Soy Sauce on it. I cannot remember a time when I have eaten Fried Rice and not put any on. It was that good. I am already prepared to go back which is good, but bad for my waistline.

The service was good, the staff was nice and it was extremely affordable. My 4 year old at one point during the dinner said that the restaurant was "Awesome!" I overheard another young kid say something to the same affect as well. After only this one visit we are fans and plan on going back. If you are in Bellevue and are craving Chinese I would recommend trying out Golden Bowl. If you do not feel like going out they will also deliver. 

It is important to note that I am not a food critic! I just wanted to focus on a small business and tell about our experience while visiting. Please stay tuned for more blogs each week and leave comments of what you think!

Have a great night!

Special thanks to Golden Bowl-http://goldenbowlbellevue.com/

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!

Small Guy Promotions Small Business Expo

Okay, Small Guy Promotions Small Business Expo took place on 9/28/14 at the Salvation Army Kroc Center. This event proved that I have much to learn about the promotion business. My hope was that we would get at least 100 people on the low side and 250 people on the high side. Sadly, we did not come close to the low number. That is okay though because this still was an opportunity for the businesses to meet each other and network. That made this event worth it!

We had 25  awesome small businesses showcased at this event. There was HinesGlow Airbrush Tattoo, Rich Bak of RE/MAX The Producers, Booth Babes, SilvherHammer Surveillance, Firefly Photography, Coaches Place, 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, Crown Enterprises Inc, and so much more. This event had so much potential, but failed to gain steam. I don't know if it was the day, the time, other events or what. There was some small paid advertising, flyers, social media, community calendars, a press release, and word of mouth. Maybe it boils down to needing a bigger more recognized company to do some of the heavy lifting. I'm not sure, but I plan on doing research and seeing where we can improve if we plan to do this again.

                                         Photo by Jimmy Conover Photograpy

Our vendors were ready to go! Since there was not a lot of foot traffic people were able to move through the expo and talk about their business with other businesses. Life gives you lemons so you make lemonade. This was a perfect example of just that. In the above pic you can see Nitasha Shumaker giving an explanation about some of the cool items that she had to offer. My wife Mitzi, who was also a vendor for cosmetology and massage therapy, said that we will definitely be purchasing some Scentsy products from Nitasha. This is what the event ended up being and that is fine because it worked! No pun intended Joe Balanay and Kristin Hetrick. Now the next time out we will be bigger and better.

No matter what, I am happy that we were able to do this! Pictured here you have my good friend Joe Balanay, who is an It Works Consultant, and myself posing for a photo. This is what it is about! Spending time doing something you love, being able to do it with people you care about, and respect all made it special. For a lot of us it was our first event like this and we went in not knowing what to expect. Now with this behind us we are ready to take the city by storm.

I would like to give thanks to everyone that played a role in this event. Special thanks to my wonderful family and friends for rolling up their sleeves and putting in work. I honestly would not have been able to do this without them. My wife was such a rockstar and she definitely held it down! Thanks to our coordinator, Lisa Rushlau, and the Kroc Center!

Hip Hop Gumbo

Oh yeah! My first solo coordination of a live music show, Hip Hop Gumbo, was a decent success. There no doubt were a couple of hiccups, but overall it developed to be a very fun event. I have to say that I am definitely excited for the thought that I may be able to do this again in the near future. I cannot go any further without saying thank you to ALL the people who made this possible. Alaina Foster, Trac Schacht, Ben Salzinger, Nate Owen, Gene Poindexter, Eric and Noelle Konrad, Pensive Poetry with Miranda Wrights, Mike Hodge, TJ Johnson and The Side Door Lounge. There is only so much that I can do on my own accord and it is so wonderful to have people who like to work together to accomplish a common goal.

Leading up to the event I was not really nervous about it, but I didn't know what to expect. It seemed like the last few hours before the show zipped by at a crazy pace. Before I knew it, it was show time. A few heads were in the building and I was thinking that people might not make an appearance, but it was almost like I blinked one time and the venue was filling up. What a site to see! Not only was there people in attendance, but they were engaged. More engaged than almost any other show that I have been to. So, let me take a minute to thank those in attendance also. You guys seriously rock! I know all the performers and I especially am thankful to you for the energy you brought. I would put a show together for you any day. I would like to do something like this again soon. I guess I better get to some more shows and scout some other talent.

The performances were sweet. Nate O has a very smooth laid back sound that is different from most styles I have heard in my time out on the scene. I am partial to my guy TKO and his performance was one to remember. He really had good interaction with the audience. Simian Simpleton with Noelle always impress! Simian has this dope flow that takes you by surprise and paired with his wife Noelle's singing it really stands apart. What can I say about Pensive? Super multi-talented expialidocious! This guy is not only laying down hot lyrics, but he is painting live at the show before his set. He was so kind to offer me his are piece at the end of the show. All around this show was special to me!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Stay tuned for more work coming through the pipeline.