Sunday, March 8, 2015

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 DamageGreco, 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!

Sunday, March 1, 2015

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                                  

Monday, February 23, 2015

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

Monday, February 16, 2015

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/

Sunday, February 8, 2015

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

Sunday, January 25, 2015

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!


Thursday, January 15, 2015

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