Day 1 of the Denver Trade Show complete. It was quite the ride. One thing I’ve learned, again, is that you can plan/affirm/visualize what you want to happen all you want, but it just ain’t gonna happen, necessarily, how you plan (does that even make sense?). But ultimately, you get what you need. And maybe it just doesn’t look like you thought but it is what you wanted. What I mean to say is I had all these ideas that I’d be taking orders left and right at the show. No orders were taken today. Not to say that Emily and I didn’t talk to a lot of people, hand out catalogs, business cards and we received lots of positive comments on my work. I told Emily this morning that I felt like I was headed out to my first day of school, I was so nervous. I wasn’t able to relax and Emily shooed me out of the booth because I was making her nervous! She suggested I go walk around the trade show. I did and when I came back a woman was in the booth talking to Em. Turns out she too had left Corporate America about 20 years ago and we talked about the challenges of creating your own business. She made a very astute observation about me and then told me she was also psychic. She asked me if she could give me a reading. I could see Em smile like “are you kidding, this is my Mom, she loves to get readings!”. We walk away from the booth and she begins telling me things about myself, my life and my husband and how the leap of faith I made when I got married to Mark was a far bigger leap than this business. She reassured me this will grow but also told me it won’t be fast (like I was planning). Also suggested I learn to surrender control and things will move more quickly. Tears were streaming down my cheeks but the reading was just what I needed to hear and the tears released tension. My energy shifted then, thank God and a peace descended upon me. I recognized I would have to adjust my expectations but that I could do so and everything would still be “all good”.
Other good things today, I saw a rainbow as I was up and walking at 6am. I looked over to the Mountains and smiled as I saw a faint rainbow. God’s Promise that all would be well. My efforts would pay off! The woman next to us in a booth was a sweetheart. She was an experienced Trade Show exhibitor and shared her wisdom with us. I ran into Susan, the buyer at East West Bookstore in Seattle who I’ve known for years. Was able to hand her my catalog and tell her I’d moved to the Bay Area. She said she’d come by the booth (maybe tomorrow!?). Not only did I get good feedback on my cards but also on Sarah’s. Like me, Sarah has created a card line, had success with it but because of also working a “real” job gave up on the cards and they now sit in her basement. Her cards are so Sarah and also so great. I figured if I’m out there selling my stuff, I might as well try and sell Sarah’s. Emily created a great display for Sarah’s cards and we loved hearing the positive comments and the laughs her cards evoked. Who knows what will come of all this?!?
Now for some pics of set up and day 1: